Wednesday, November 26, 2003

man, that american idol christmas was one big stinker. either they didn't have enough practice, or were too nervous. or maybe i'm too critical. but i've seen eric cartman sing "oh holy night" better than tamyra grey. not that she's a bad singer. she has an amazing voice. she was just not hitting it that night. and no one else was either. i think the program was actually one giant ad for the an american idol christmas CD, the american idol video game (i've heard its actually quite an entertaining game), and american idol 3. i was very surprised to see clay host it though, and not ryan seacrest. he did a great job, and i was very impressed. i wonder if there is any bad blood or hostility between clay and ruben. i kinda sense it, but it is probably just a my imagination.



i got mario kart double dash and mario party 5. 5 of us got together yesterday and played some double dash yesterday, and it was an absolute blast. the racing, the battles, the cooperative play, all very fun. i haven't got the opportunity to fully check out mario party 5 yet. at first, i was really disappointed with the game. the game boards wasn't designed for strategy in mind like mario party 4. and all the games seemed too easy, and the winner was just decided on chance way too often. then i found out that i did the story mode in Easy, and it only chooses the Easy games in that mode. I played party mode with the computer, and there were a lot of good games in there. as for the game board, there are definitely a lot of missing elements. first off, what is up with the "do you want this item or not" thing? of course you want it. it never hurts to pick up an item, so they were just not thinking this through. you should pay to at least get an item, or buy it like mario party 4. another thing is, if you wanted to use the item, you gotta enable it on a spot on the game piece so if you wanted to use it, you gotta use the item, then land on it. a 1 in 10 chance you get to use the item. and if you miss it, someone behind you might land on it. that's pretty lame. another thing is when you get the item, they appear as pearls and you have no idea what the other players are holding. i guess it doesn't matter if they can't use it directly on you. one thing i did realized that they improved from the last version was the difficulty in getting the stars. for example, you can play for an hour, and still wind up getting no stars, or a very few. then at the end, they hand out many stars making it appear that people have a random chance at winning. so at least they got something right. at least the mini-games (now that i know they aren't all simple and random) are cool. i'll have to play more of it to see if you can incorporate some strategies into the game.



i realized i'm spending too much money buying dvd's and now video games. the increase in the video game purchases are due to the fact that i have a subscription to EGM now. and since i've been reading it, i'm constantly updated on the new cool games that are coming out. like last week, i bought True Crime: streets of LA. man, that game was a big let down. i just couldn't get into it. just wasn't my cup of tea. too many elements of the game bothered me. the too frequently and long load times, the inability to control brightness and contrast within the game (impossible to see in dark missions even controlling it on my TV), and the driving was all analog. if ps2 analog controls were less stiff like gamecube or dreamcast, then it would be no problem. but its way too stiff. even in gran turismo, i could never drive with analog even though i would prefer to. i also want to buy 2 more games...man hunt and super smasho bros melee. but since i've been so disappointed with true crime, i decided to rent man hunt instead and check it out. unfortunately, the rentals are $7, so i'll probably just buy melee since it's only $30. and the reviews look great for the game. i don't like fighting games all that much, but according to ther reviews, you don't have to. what i should do is mod my ps2 and get a dvd burner. i can take a more drastic step, unsubscribe to the mags, and stop going to the theaters to save money. that way, i won't want what i don't know about.



thanksgiving is here. probably no turkey this year. my family is coming down. we'll probably have some korean bbq and other korean food. and if they are all up to it, i'll take them to the torrey pines hiking trail for a mild hike. they mentioned they might be staying over. maybe i'll get in a few games of mario kart, and maybe mario party with my bro. maybe i can get my sister to try mario party? hmmm...the last and only game i remember her playing is tetris on the nintendo.
man, that american idol christmas was one big stinker. either they didn't have enough practice, or were too nervous. or maybe i'm too critical. but i've seen eric cartman sing "oh holy night" better than tamyra grey. not that she's a bad singer. she has an amazing voice. she was just not hitting it that night. and no one else was either. i think the program was actually one giant ad for the an american idol christmas CD, the american idol video game (i've heard its actually quite an entertaining game), and american idol 3. i was very surprised to see clay host it though, and not ryan seacrest. he did a great job, and i was very impressed. i wonder if there is any bad blood or hostility between clay and ruben. i kinda sense it, but it is probably just a my imagination.



i got mario kart double dash and mario party 5. 5 of us got together yesterday and played some double dash yesterday, and it was an absolute blast. the racing, the battles, the cooperative play, all very fun. i haven't got the opportunity to fully check out mario party 5 yet. at first, i was really disappointed with the game. the game boards wasn't designed for strategy in mind like mario party 4. and all the games seemed too easy, and the winner was just decided on chance way too often. then i found out that i did the story mode in Easy, and it only chooses the Easy games in that mode. I played party mode with the computer, and there were a lot of good games in there. as for the game board, there are definitely a lot of missing elements. first off, what is up with the "do you want this item or not" thing? of course you want it. it never hurts to pick up an item, so they were just not thinking this through. you should pay to at least get an item, or buy it like mario party 4. another thing is, if you wanted to use the item, you gotta enable it on a spot on the game piece so if you wanted to use it, you gotta use the item, then land on it. a 1 in 10 chance you get to use the item. and if you miss it, someone behind you might land on it. that's pretty lame. another thing is when you get the item, they appear as pearls and you have no idea what the other players are holding. i guess it doesn't matter if they can't use it directly on you. one thing i did realized that they improved from the last version was the difficulty in getting the stars. for example, you can play for an hour, and still wind up getting no stars, or a very few. then at the end, they hand out many stars making it appear that people have a random chance at winning. so at least they got something right. at least the mini-games (now that i know they aren't all simple and random) are cool. i'll have to play more of it to see if you can incorporate some strategies into the game.



i realized i'm spending too much money buying dvd's and now video games. the increase in the video game purchases are due to the fact that i have a subscription to EGM now. and since i've been reading it, i'm constantly updated on the new cool games that are coming out. i think i'll be just as happy not knowing what i'm missing and spending less money. like last week, i bought True Crime: streets of LA. man, that game was a big let down. i just couldn't get into it. just wasn't my cup of tea. too many elements of the game bothered me. the too frequently and long load times, the inability to control brightness and contrast within the game (impossible to see in dark missions even controlling it on my TV), and the driving was all analog. if ps2 analog controls were less stiff like gamecube or dreamcast, then it would be no problem. but its way too stiff. even in gran turismo, i could never drive with analog even though i would prefer to.

Saturday, November 22, 2003

oops i did it again



thursday, being an uneventful day at work, i thought it was a good time to go to costco. i wasn't going to join the line of cars waiting on the right side, so i thought i'd go down la jolla colony a bit and make a u-turn somewhere. so as i'm making the small tight curve to get onto la jolla colony from genessee, i see a motorcycle cop flagging down this car in front of him to not stop, but the driver stops anyway. so i pass them, make my u-turn further down than usual (so i don't have to make an illegal one. so my mind slips a little bit and i'm doing 60-65 in a 45mph zone, directly towards the cop in the oppsite direction. i'm forgetting that i'm speeding, and driving a little spiritedly and i realize, hmm, i better slow down...the cop was around here. too late. he puts on his lights right when i see him. since he's going the other direction, i'm not entirey sure he's turned on his blues just for me...even though i didn't see anyone in front of him to pull over, so i check out my rear view mirror...still hasn't made a U yet...so i decide to gun it so that he'll lose sight of me at the curve back to genessee. even if he catches up to me, i'd figure i can just pull over when he's directly behind me and say i didn't realize he was trying to pull me over when he had the lights on from the opposite direction. him being a motorcycle cop, there was a good chance of this too. so at the end of the curve, instead of getting in line to get on 5S, i make a right to get on the 5N. i get off Nobel, keep a constant eye on my rear view mirror, and decide to go home later.



i think its the 3rd or 4th time i've done something similar. i gotta admit i've always had a fetish from running/hiding from figures of authority. nothing is sweeter than getting away from possibily getting a ticket. if at any of those times he was directly behind me i would have pulled over for sure. but since he wasn't, i wasn't going to make it any easy for him by slowing down or whatever.



other new things....i'm back on my original plan to not spend money during weekdays at lunch or dinner, except on birthdays, special occasions, or eating out with friends i don't see on a semi-daily basis.



i saw gothika yesterday. and as much as i would like to love it, i do not like scary movies. i don't like being scared. there is no thrill in it for me. it might all go back to the fact that i'm a very visual person. i get too involved in the story and remember the pictures too well.



acupuncture is going okay....the acupuncturist is really generous with her time and services. i'm glad i found her. the needels are okay except with the one she puts in my big toe. every time she needs to do it (2 times so far) it feels like she's put a nail through my toe....the feet, and it is because feet/toes have a big representation in the brain.

Monday, November 17, 2003

thursday went to the catamaran resort with a bunch of people. had 4 drinks...and basically was buzzin' all night....which was good. what's funny is that i refilled my prescription and it said i should limit alcohol usage because it might cause stomach bleeding. oops. i think the pharmacist was just trying to cover his ass anyway. first 3 times i filled that prescription, it didn't say that.



friday, i went to go get pho and boba with jeff, then we ended up at sycuan. him and i both went down $100 in like 5 minutes. but we came back, and then i ended up making $100. jeff sounded like he was going to die if i stayed there for much longer because of the smoke so i decided to call it a night.



saturday, tommy came down, so we went to go eat lunch at hawaiian bbq, then checked out digital cameras at circuit city, apple store, and ritz camera. then we met up with ray, jen, chris, casey, and remy, and got phils bbq. (yes, three weeks in a row now). then me and tommy went to watch matrix revolutions. one comment about the movie is that i think they overcomplicated the story line. it was like they were trying to sell you the star wars story, but toally missed the ball on making it believable, and more importantly, understandable. like most people, i didn't buy it, or understand it. too much room for interpretation.



on sunday, i went to jv's with tommy, then took a hike down blacks beach. the visibility was amazing. then we went to get some boba.



i'm gonna try some acupuncture again to help with the residual sciatic pain i still have left over. i figure needles every few months is better than daily meds.



i also am going to the dentist again...after about not going for a few years. this should be interesting. i know i have a bunch of cavities.



i learned an interesting thing about tomatoes this weekend. it turns out that the tomatoes that we buy in the market are actually picked when they are green and not ripe. they are gassed with ethylene to turn them red, but it does not ripen them at all. the reason being is that if they picked them when they are ripe, they would never survive the ride home from the farm. so the best place to get good tomatoes is at a farmer's market. another interesting thing is that when the tomatoes hit below 50 degrees, it loses a huge amount of flavor. so they should never be refridgerated, and be kept out of the sun.

Friday, November 14, 2003

i made this for erik today. theme is, prime rib restaurant menu on marble.

Monday, November 10, 2003

DVDs for sale. my dvd collection needs a diet so I'm getting rid of movies I no longer feel the urge to watch again.

All movies are widescreen unless it is indicated otherwise. All discs are in good condition. discs that are out of print are out of print because Special Editions have came out for them.



Best of the Chris Rock show

Amazon: $13.49

$5.00



Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Rock

Amazon: $13.49

$5.00



I'm Your Man (Interactive DVD Movie)

Amazon: $17.99

$3.00



Sleepy Hollow

Amazon: $11.24

$5.00



Shakespeare In Love

Amazon: Out of Print

$8.00



8 Mile (Standard Full Screen 4:3, never watched it, bought wrong aspect ratio)

Amazon: $16.99

$8.00



The Hunt for Red October

Amazon: Out of Print

$8.00



Pretty Woman (10th Anniversary Edition)

Amazon: $14.99

$7.00



Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Amazon: $17.98

$7.00



12 Monkey's (Collector's Edition)

Amazon: $12.99

$6.00



2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick Collection)

Amazon: Out of Stock

$7.00



Ace Ventura Pet Detective

Amazon: $12.99

$6.00



Basic Instinct

Amazon: Out of Print

SOLD



Blade Runner: Director's Cut

Amazon: $13.99

$7.00



Chaplin (1993, Robery Downey Jr.)

Amazon: 13.49

$6.00



Casablanca

Amazon: 13.99

$7.00



Clear and Present Danger

Amazon: Out of Print

$7.00



The Fugitive (Promo bar code, but other than that, same disc as retail)

Amazon: Out of Print

$5.00



Next Friday (New Line Platinum Series)

Amazon: 17.98

$8.00



Spaceballs

Amazon: 12.99

SOLD



Eyes Wide Shut

Amazon: 14.99

SOLD



Tombstone

Amazon: 16.99

SOLD



Stargate (Two sided)

Amazon: Out of Print

$2.50



Monty Pyton's Flying Circus Set 1 (Episodes 1-6)

Amazon: $35.96

$18.00



Monty Pyton's Flying Circus Set 2 (Episodes 7-12)

Amazon: $35.96

$18.00



Monty Pyton's And Now for something Completely Different

Amazon: $22.46

$10.00



Planet of the Apes 2001 (2 Disc Special Edition, Bought used at blockbuster, No insert)

Amazon: $22.95

$5.00

Friday, November 7, 2003

talked to my surgeon today. he said that the residual pain that i have now, i might have that forever. its too early to tell. but if i'm still slowly getting better, that is still good news. he also said that it would be fine for me to start going to the gym again at this point. my physical therapist thinks so too. just light weights for now and nothing that compresses my spine like shoulder press, leg press, or squats.



i think i'll start in december when rimac lets me get in a month before the next quarter.



nothing much else is going on. my bird has anxiety problems. every time i walk up the cage, i think its about to have a heart attack. i'll try taming it by letting it know that i'm the one who provides it with food. food doesn't magically just show up in its protective shell.



i bought meds through canadameds.com today. basically, it's like a lot cheaper than buying through the pharmacies here without insurance. my insurance won't pay for vioxx so that's what i had to do.



i bought the matrix reloaded and finding nemo dvd's from blockbuster for $12.95 each + 2 trade ins. i traded in The Insider and End of Days. I got both of the dvds for free. they won't be missed. watching the finding nemo dvd's, it looks like the creators of finding nemo get intimately involved in the dvd production process. something that almost no one else does. they try to be innovative, and just do their best to make the dvd as best as possible with the extras they put on there. if there was one company i'd like to put some money into, it would be pixar. i just don't have money to put into stocks right now... i can always just put some in there. i'll think about it.



i've picked out 30 dvd's that i want to get rid of in my collection. i think i'll list them once i get a chance. i can always sell it at half.com. or i could just sell them to the people on DVDTALK. i just don't want to be mailing them individually by boxing them and going to the post office frequently.



i've been getting the itch to gamble. i almost managed to make it to sycuan twice but something held me back. i guess if i had a gambling buddy i would have made it there already but i guess none of my friends here like going as frequently as i would like to go.



matrix revolutions is here. and reading many reviews, it seems like one disappointment after another. but i sympatize with the producers. you can't satisfy the audience if they themselves don't know what would make them happy. the audience want something what the first matrix offered. something new that no one has even imagined. but now that people even expect the unexpectable, you could give them more action, and people will be complaining of overkill action. and if you give them less, people will be complaining that they didn't deliver. and you can't always deliver a hair-raising eye opening experience when everyone out there has imagined every possibility or think they know what it should be. just by watching the actors talk about it, i think everyone poured their heart and soul into it, and matrix revolutions however good or bad it might be is the best that they can give us. so everyone just stop yer bitchin'. i'm sick of it.



maybe i'll see revolutions this weekend. i might go hiking in point loma tonight. i'm not sure if hiking in a state park after its closed is illegal but me ray and casey hiked at torrey pines state reserve from 11pm to 1pm. it was pretty cool. different. i always like sneaking around and doing something we might get caught for. we played with the long shutter in our camera and got some cool pictures. it would be great go sneak into the torrey pines golf course with camoflauge and just run around 18 holes. maybe if we really get bored one day.