Restaurant Review: Five Guys Burgers

Serious Eats had 4 postings about Hamburgers in the past 3 days including the popular Twilight with Burgers clip. Plus, one of the other food porn blog Foodaphilia I'm following did an entry about a burger joint that everybody seems to have good things to say about, a chain fast food restaurant called Five Guys Burgers. My young impressionable mind dictates that it calls for a food adventure.

Located on Chestnut between 15th and 16th, the Five Guys store in Philly looks a bit humble. The interior is clear with classic red and white colored tiles that makes the place look like an old-timey diner joint. The walls are lined with awards and magazine reviews of the chain. The staff is friendly, it's a rarity considering this is Philadelphia. I guess there's a sense of pride about the store in general, the strange undecorative sacks of potatoes at the window front might have been a clue. Is the food really that good?

Five Guys sells burgers, hot dogs, fries, soda and water. The menu is not too big but then there are all kinds of free toppings you can put in your burgers, so the combination is endless. Their regular burgers are made with two patties and their little burgers only have one. There are also price difference between a burger, a cheeseburger, a bacon burger and a bacon cheeseburger. The free toppings consist of mayo, relish, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, A-1 sauce, Bar-B-Q sauce, and hot sauce. Regular fries are big enough to share by 2 people and the large ones are probably enough for 4, they are fried with peanut oil, hand cut with some of the skin still on. They also have complimentary roasted peanuts for customers to snack on.


It's not a bad looking burger, eh? You get everything you see here for a little more than $10.

I ordered a cheeseburger with grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mayo. The toasted sesame buns were toasted and not soggy, the beef was pretty juicy and not tough. Its size reminded me of what I thought of a Big Mac when I was young. It was big and satisfying and it tasted just like a Big Mac, accept nowadays Big Macs had shrunk and it doesn't taste as good as it did anymore. Of course, the burger could taste entirely different with different toppings and when you can tailor a sandwich to your taste, you couldn't really go wrong.

The experience was also heightened by two girls who kept checking me out when I was ordering, smiled and decided to sit right by me throughout my stay, when I say girls they were literally in their teens or early 20s. I was, of course, flattered. lol.

I'm glad I've tried Five Guys Burgers, the food is at least memorable and it is indeed a good burger, so I think I will return again. Maybe I'll try one with BBQ sauce and bacon next time, although it might not a good idea to go often, especially after I checked out the nutritional contents. Hell, life's too short anyway.

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Meddling Kids

Here's the kid who caused the Swine Flu outbreak:



And here's the Chinese kid who's openly dating a Malay girl to prove a point:

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Like Pigs In Heat

It'll be the fourth day in a row where the temperatures in Philly reach 90s. The incoming of heat is dreadful, with my stuffy nose from my allergy. I feel like a pig with a flu. (Sorry!)

I just dislike heat, even though people say since I come from the tropics, I should be used to heat and humidity but no one said I wasn't miserable during the time. Sure I have an Air Conditioner but since my apartment only has one window, I'll wait it out until it cools down again which the weatherman promised will be tomorrow. All I can say is god help him if it doesn't cool down. Plus my landlord employ a very silly method of charging tenants the additional electric fee of AC usage by counting AC units from the exterior wall, me and my neighbors agree that if we wait out the inspection day which is likely to be the very first heatwave, we will not have to pay for the whole season. It's not really that much, but it kinda turns out to be a game and my upbringing will pat me in the back for being frugal.

I guess the latest buzz is the swine flu, eh? The whole world is panicking over it, even my grandma called me up at 6 in the morning asking me to be careful. After 10 years, I still don't think she knows how the time difference work, oh well... I reassured her that it's like one in a million chance for me to get it and I'd have to have a lot more human contact for it to happen. Since I'm pretty sure that pork is not of primary concerns, but one still can't help staring at the half-opened package of bacon in one's fridge... No, serious, the virus cannot be transmitted by eating pork. It's more likely that you'd get it by kissing feverish strangers. Although from the news and this pretty map, more and more people had died by the virus and a few cases had reached Philly and NJ. (It's like a zombie movie plot)


(Give it a minute to load) View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map, Pink markers are suspect cases, purple markers are confirmed cases, and yellow markers are negative. Markers without dots in them are deaths.

At least instead of blaming the Chinese fucking chickens, the right-wing crazies can blame the Mexicans for fucking pigs and use it as an excuse to tighten the borders. Or claim that by allowing gay marriage, god is sending pig flu our way. Maybe the Westboro Baptist Church won't go off themselves just yet. According to the case in 1976 and perhaps the example of bird flu, this thing might just last about 10 weeks. I dare to say none of us are lucky enough to die by something so exotic. History (or in this case the L.A. Times) would say that you should be more careful about the side effects from the vaccines for it than anything else.

This week will turn out to be one of the busier weeks, other than trying hard to keep my cool, there are dinners to go to with Dining Out For Life happening this week amongst other happenings. An early Pride related street fair is also going on this Sunday even though it might rain. Plus a concert, and some fun stuff at the local gay bar, it'll serve to distract. Dining Out For Life is a restaurant event where about 1/3 of your dining bill will go to a local HIV/AIDS service organization. It's a great excuse to go out and try new restaurants and meet up with friends. Almost every major city in the States hold it on different dates, so if you're interested you can go check out their websites for the dates and the participating restaurants.

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Music Review: Lady Gaga's "The Fame"

The record was put out last October. Why did it take me that long to get into her, you asked? Because I'm a major league skeptic. Yes, I've been to gay bars listening to her, song after song, and they are all catchy enough to be amongst other beat-popping generic dance songs. Her with her straight long blonde wig looks a little too gimmicky and that gave me pause. As dance pop would have it, it's not the singing skills of the performer that counts. It's mostly how catchy the beats, the tune and the lyrics are. I'm happy to say that Lady Gaga had managed to put out a near-perfect album full of such examples.

No, the lyrics don't make much sense but they are catchy, and my fellow homosexuals are already quoting them on their profiles. It's the standard Dance, Beat, Music mixed with other standard unrequited love and I know what I'm worth so you better have it if you want to get with me. But don't get me wrong, I don't hate it.

Catchy songs have a place in my world, no matter how formulated they are. Sometimes I just need my heart to skip a beat or go faster, something to cheer me up and get me energized. The style of the album has a 80s groove to it, some of the tracks like Disco Heaven sounds very skating ring, something my uncle might enjoy. Lady Gaga herself sounds very much like Gwen Stefani with a Christina Aguilera tone and at time a bit Cyndi Lauper-ish, you can say she is designed for dance pop.

It's smart for the producer to choose Just Dance to start the album with, it is basically the theme of the album, a little reminiscing of Michael Jackson, I can see myself dancing to it at a club even though I'm too shy and awkward for a dancer. Love Game is another upbeat dance song that makes your hips move, heavy 80s feel with the synthesizer. Paparazzi is a groovy love song that screams the word Stalker, she sounds especially Gwen-like in this and Summerboy, it's almost uncanny. Poker Face is one of the songs that invades my head for days, but I decided not to post it individually because the lyrics are just too dumb. I Like It Rough and Starstruck are all adequate enough to get to be A tracks. Paper Gangsta is a great pseudo-piano-ballad that needs to go out as the next single, the hook is quite catchy. There are quite a bit of fillers but any album with more than 4~5 likable songs nowadays is considered a great success and this one fits the bill.

Long gone are the days where I look up to movie and music stars, the girl is only 23. For a debut album, you can't ask for any more than this. It's stylish and unapologetic, it's safe to say that we can expect much more from her and if she is indeed the next Madonna like many of my friends think, maybe the real one can finally retire from the media. Although for a dance album so targeted to the gay population, is it really necessary to name a song Brown Eyes? B+

Favorite Tracks: Paper Gangsta, Just Dance, Poker Face, Love Game



Poker Face

Mum mum mum mah x5

I wanna hold em' like they do in Texas please
Fold em', let em', hit me, raise it, baby stay with me (I love it)
Love game intuition play the cards with Spades to start
And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart

[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh,
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got

[Chorus]
Can't read my, Can't read my,
No, he can't read my poker face
(she's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, Can't read my,
No, he can't read my poker face
(she's got me like nobody)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)

I wanna roll with him, a hard pair we will be
A little gambling is fun when you're with me (I love it)
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun
And baby when it's love, if it's not rough it isn't fun, fun

[Pre-Chorus]

[Chorus]

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)

I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you
Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I'm not lying, I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunning
Just like a chick in the casino
Take your bank before I pay you out
I promise this, promise this
Check this hand cause I'm marvelous

[Chorus x 3]

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(she's got me like nobody)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)

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TV Review: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

I come into this show knowing nothing else but the fact that Jill Scott plays the main character and I love me some Jill, so I started watching it and it turned out to be a pretty good show.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is based on Alexander McCall Smith's best selling novel about a well meaning and capable woman opening her own detective agency. Mme Precious Ramotswe (played by Jill Scott) is such a woman. After her father died in Botswana, he left her 180 cows, she had followed her father all her life learning the ways of Africa by observing, memorizing and studying logic. After taking care of her father until his death, she sold those cows and opened up a detective agency aiming to do good by solving people's problems.

Along the way, she met a kind-hearted car repair mechanic (played my Lucian Msamati) who soon developed into a romantic friendship, a capable but stuck up secretary (played by Anika Noni Rose of Dreamgirls' fame) and a flamboyant business neighbor hairdresser (played by Desmond Dube of Hotel Rwanda's Fame.) The whole series starts with one 90-minute full-length movie and continues with 6 hour-long episodes available on HBO and BBC.

The whole series is not as vengeful as regular crime fighting TV series in America. The point is not as much as punishing the criminals as it is to do what's right and to do that one must understand the circumstance of the story as a whole. Stories of Batswana (people of Botswana) and the Batswana culture are skillfully told through each case. How people lives out their lives, the plains, faith and superstitions, orphans who lost their parents to AIDS. While viewers are transported to a foreign land full of interesting artifacts and wildlife, the basic value system of right and wrong is pretty much the same. The stories themselves are intriguing because of this simplicity, at times they are like fairytales where no bloodshed or murders are ever involved and by the end of each episodes, everything will be solved by the do-good lady. It's very Disney somehow.

And it is true that this is a pure fantasy. While the author of the book series is African born, his dialogue seems to be natural on his best-selling novels are found to be unutterable by the locals. But all in itself, it has fabricated a world so perfect, beautiful and balanced that we can get lost in the accent, food, fashion, culture and wildlife that it presents.

My main complain with this show is that by the end of episode 6 there are some loose ends that are still left hanging as if the show was meant to go for a few episodes longer but got chopped due to unforeseen reasons. I understand that Jill just had a baby boy and I wonder if that has anything to do with it or maybe they had caught up with the author's book since it seems each episodes are composed of multiple stories. I sincerely hope the TV series could resume sometimes, it's a good show and it deserves a place on TV.

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Weekend Meme: Meme 50

Found this one on My 2 Cents and even I traveled upstream to as far as I can go, I can't find its proper name. Or maybe it needn't have one.

1. You have 10 dollars and need to buy snacks at a gas station. What do you get?

Let's see, I seldom go to gas stations for snack since I don't have a car but for $10. I'll provide two version... On diet: Cherry Coke Zero + Beef Jerky/Pork Rinds. Off Diet: Nantucket Half & Half Ice Tea + Spicy Hot/Sour Cream and Onion/Regular Chips + Ice Cream Cone/Chocolate Bar

2. If you were reincarnated as a sea creature, what would you want to be?

I'm stuck between being an octopus or a crab. I guess it'd be fun to be an octopus but crabs are good both in the offensive and the defensive. I'm leaning towards the octopus, I wonder how fast they can travel...

3. Who’s your favorite redhead?

Hmm... Should I choose Ronald McDonald or Wendy? I think Kathy Griffin would be the one I like the most with Tori Amos being a close second. Besides, the other two are probably wearing wigs anyway.

4. What do you order when you’re at IHOP?

I actually looked up the menu and I'd have to say it'd be the Smokehouse Combo which consists of 2 pancakes, 2 sausages, 2 eggs and hash browns. You've gotta have hash browns.

5. Last book you read?

Anne Rice's Memnoch the Devil

6. Describe your mood.

Now? I'm actually on a rare upswing. While I can't say I'm truly, truly happy (but what's truly?), I'm a little cheerful. Can't say I'm content, but it's something very close to it.

7. Describe the last time you were injured.

Well, I was walking home from Chinatown and all the sudden I felt a looseness from my right ankle and when I woke up the next morning I felt a sharp pain coming from the same ankle. And that's the story of my Archilles' Tendinitis.

8. Of all your friends, who would you want to be stuck in a well with?

Umm, if it has to be a friend and nothing more, it has got to be someone small and not annoying. DC, my best bud, is really thin and relatively quiet.

9. Rock concert or symphony?

Rock concert. I don't need the stuffiness. Unless the symphony is playing something cool like the music from famous video game Final Fantasy.

10. What is the wallpaper of your cell phone?

I used to pictures but now I have a generic animated background that resembles Tetris.



11. Favorite soda pop coke?

If it has to be a cola, it'd have to be Cherry Coke Zero. Taste-wise, I also like diet Pepsi or Regular Coke. If it doesn't have to be a cola, I'd like Orangina or ginger ale.

12. What type of shirt are you wearing?

Now, a simple white T-shirt.

13. If you could only use one form of transportation?

A motorcycle with a sidecar for passenger or grocery?

14. Most recent movie you have watched in theater?

It was Watchmen. It was alright.

15. Name an actor/actress/singer you have had the hots for.

I'm still sticking with John Cena and I'm sure I know what to do if he was naked in front of me but I'm not exactly obsessed about him.

16. What’s your favorite kind of cake?

I think chocolate cake with mocha icing. Or a blackforest cake.

17. What did you have for dinner last night?

CuteCub and I had two Indian themed homemade dinner nights and we had tons of leftovers. Last night I had a huge platter consisted of butter chickens, mango shrimp, madras lentils, cucumber raita and brown rice.

18. Look to your left, what do you see?

Some drawings by CuteCub and I.

19. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

Not necessarily, if I can get away of not untying them I won't.

20. Favorite toy as a child?

It was either a Monchichi or my legos from my early childhood. After going back to Hong Kong, my uncles and my grandma are too frugal to buy me toys so I didn't grew up with a lot of toys.



21. Do you buy your own groceries?

Yes of course, every other day if not everyday.

22. Do you think people talk about you behind your back?

I'm sure, but not that much.

23. When was the last time you had gummy worms?

Not a big fan of having a huge chunk of chewy sugar in my mouth. It had to be a long while ago, at least 10 years.

24. What’s your favorite fruit?

Sugar-apples. Lychees, mangoes, pineapples and watermelons are nice too.

25. Do you have a picture of yourself doing a cartwheel?

I don't think I could ever do one.

26. Do you like running long distances?

No, I don't like running. Period.

27. Have you ever eaten snow?

In small amount.

28. What color are your bedsheets?

I have three sets and they are all blue and white striped.

29. What’s your favorite flower?

Lily of the valley, calla lilies, well, any white flowers really. Even though some might think it looks like a funeral but I just like the white flower/green stem combo.

30. Do you do ballet?

Not really.



31. Do you listen to classical music?

No, I guess I'm not very cultured. I am fond of a few classical pieces but I much prefer music with lyrics and obvious meanings.

32. What is the first TV theme song that pops in your head?

Some Chinese ones popped up first... maybe the Love Boat? lol.

33. Do you watch Sponge Bob?

I've heard good things and seen part of it bt didn't grab me hard enough.

34. What temperature is it outside right now?

It says 56 degrees but it feels like 70.

35. Do people consider you smart?

Yes, but I don't need the pressure.

36. How many piercings do you have?

None. I wouldn't mind having one on my ear.

37. Are you signed on [to] AIM?

Nope. "Friends don't let friends use AOL."

38. Have you ever tried gluing your fingers together?

I didn't exactly tried. I did it by mistake. Thrice.

39. How do you feel about your family?

I like them, I hate them. I still think that I made a good choice being away of them all. I don't need the control or the drama, although it's possible that I might regret my choice later in life.

40. Do you have an iPod?

Of course. I can't live without one.



41. What time do you go to bed?

Around 2AM.

42. What CD is currently in your CD player?

It's not a CD and I don't have a CD player anymore but much to CuteCub's chagrin, my current music choice is Lady Gaga's The Fame.

43. What movie do you know every line to?

I don't think I have a movie that I know every line of, I rarely see a movie more than once.

44. What is your favorite salad dressing?

The Japanese ginger dressing is good, I also like blue cheese and ranch. Newman's olive oil & vinegar is also good too.

45. What do you want for Christmas this year?

X'mas is too far away but I respond well to clothing.

46. What family member/friend lives the farthest from you? Where?

I guess it'd be Principe in Paraguay, maybe not the furthest but surely the hardest to get to.

47. Do you like hugs?

Sure, I'm a big boy and big boy hugs the best. :)

48. Last time you had butterflies in your stomach?

Ask CuteCub.

49. What’s the way people most often mispronounce any part of your name?

I'm Chinese with a French first name and a Pseudo-Vietnamese last name. I can't count how many ways one can mispronounce my name. One person actually called me "Paul in a wall" once. I guess some people also pronounce the "S" in Yves which is a common mistake.

50. Last person you hugged?

CuteCub. :)


I hope you guys will have a great weekend!

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How To Spot A Jap (1942)

I saw some disturbing pictures at 8Asians and first I thought it was some random Moleskine comics but it turned out to be from an actual booklet handed out to U.S. Soldiers during World War II. The section, posted on Ethan Persoff's blog, called How To Spot A Jap is offensively humorous or humorously offensive. I remember posting a sexist article during that time about an odd protocol for hiring female employees during that time. I guess the 40s must be full of these literary treasures.

Here they are for you to draw your own conclusions, click to enlarge for easier viewing. You might want to further explore Ethan's Blog for other rare comic gems. Really.

















P.S. It's often hard to tell Asians apart. I have been mistaken for Korean, Japanese and Filipino a few times by their own countrymen. I also like how the Chinese translation on the left side of page 3 is all Who Are You?, What Do You Want?, Bring Some Drinking Water, Bring Some Food and there is no sight anywhere on the word P-r-eassse.

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Swedish Boys and Sex

I don't know why the recent surge of Swedish culture in America. Of course I've appreciated Ace of Base and Ikea throughout the years. In fact, most of my home furnishings are from Ikea. We have Mamma Mia in theaters last year and Abba to thank for that. Other than Let the Right One In, Jon Stewart's Wyatt Cenac is reporting from Sweden all week about socialistic country.

I've been reading The Slog and somehow they are good at discovering funny clips. Take this clip from Sweden Got Talent of young Swedish boys playing peekaboo with breakable terra cotta plates.



And this clip called the Ketchup Effect is pretty good.



I'm craving for Swedish meatballs now...

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Games and Tests

Sorry that I missed a week of posting, I wasn't quite inspired for the past week. So I decided to take a break. I'm afraid that I've ran out of profound things to say. Scratch that, I haven't been profound for quite some times. Plus since some of my readers are people who I know from real life, I don't want to over-exhaust my feelings towards certain topics.

That being said, I've always regard solving the Rubik's Cube some sort of intellectual achievement and guess what? I've officially solved my first ever cube. It's inspired by the movie Let The Right One In where Eli said "You have to start from the corners." Since CuteCub has an unsolved Rubik's Cube White lying around, I got to work... It wasn't easy and it took me quite a long time and at the end I guess I got lucky. I generally like puzzles but for shame I don't think I've finished a single crossword puzzle yet.

Other than that, I've also been quite competitive on Facebook's Bejeweled Blitz version. It's a one-minute version of the regular Bejeweled game in which you try to get as much points as you can in 60 seconds, it's quite intense. Two of my friends got this giant scores that I don't think I can ever break, I blame this on my color blindness and me not having a working mouse. The color blind thing really blows.

I also did a career assessment test online (site contains high volume of commercials) that told me I have a high interest in doing Personal Service (work that deals directly with people), Food Service and Art. I score high on Attentiveness (will to help others), Problem Serving Skills and Creativity. So I guess I could set my mind into being an inventor, a cook or a personal masseuse, or maybe do something in Marketing and such, maybe I'll go very stereotypically gay and become a wedding planner. Years ago, I let go an opportunity of working in a flavoring and fragrance company and I have since kicking myself in the back for giving that up. It would be a god send if I can score something in that industry again.

Anyhow, I haven't been seriously looking for a job for a while. It is really time for me to start again.

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Happy Easter, Yo!

We might seem nice, but we're deadly!

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Weekend Meme: Everything in Two Meme

This one is from Johnny at Cannon Folder again.

Recently I took a test for career aptitude and turns out I should either be doing something providing personal services or go into food services. I wonder if I should go back to school for culinary arts. I admit, working in a bakery sounds very good, but I wonder how much enjoyment I'd get if I have to mass produce pastries and breads. Maybe becoming a massage therapist would be nice too, but I don't think it'd pay much. Too bad I'm not hot enough to enter Hookersville.

Another week's gone by. You know what to do:

Two Names You Go By
1. Paul
2. Babe (Preferably... lol)

Two Parts of Your Heritage
1. Chinese
2. Vietnamese (Not too sure, maybe)

Two Things That Scare You
1. Snakes (Especially on a plane)
2. The dark

Two of Your Everyday Essentials
1. Diet Ice Tea
2. Comedy Central

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now
1. My bathrobe
2. Flip-flops

Two of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists (at the moment)
1. Jill Scott
2. Adele

Two Things You Want in a Relationship (other than Real Love)
1. Understanding
2. Sincerity

Two Truths
1. Happiness is hard to get and short-lived, try contentment instead.
2. You can never achieve anything by sitting there and thinking about it.

Two Physical Things that Appeal to You
1. A built, hairy chest
2. A handsome face

Two of Your Favorite Hobbies
1. Watching TV
2. Surfing online

Two Things You Want Really Badly
1. Love
2. A Job

Two Places You Want to go on Vacation
1. Greece
2. Japan

Two Things You Want to Do Before You Die
1. Hang glide
2. Own a house

Two Ways that You are Stereotypically a Guy
1. I have a penis
2. I have tons of porn

Two Things You Are Thinking About Now
1. Dim Sum or Easter Brunch on Sunday.
2. Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

Two Stores You Shop At
1. SuperFresh
2. Whole Foods

Two people You Haven't Talked to in a While
1. Some old colleagues
2. Old friends and family members

Have a great Easter weekend!

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Easter Purging

After almost 3 months of low carb diet, I've decided to take a long weekend off to purge carby things in my pantry and get some cravings out of the way, all in Jesus' name. I've broken the rule through and through with a high carb dinner consist on crab cakes, baked macaroni and cheese, and a banana brownie ice cream sundae. Even though I've craved for mac & cheese for the longest time, somehow it came out not as good as I thought it would, I don't know exactly why. The sundae however was quite decked out, I baked the brownie with two kinds of chocolate, pine nuts, a pinch of espresso powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Cut them into cubes, mixed with banana, ice cream, whipped cream and a chocolate sauce. If it didn't taste good, at least I've an awesome time making it and honestly how can it not taste good?

To purge out the half bags of lentils, split peas and the few cans of corn, I made it all into a little grainy, soupy mush that tasted surprisingly good. Even though I can turn my remaining bag of sweetened coconut flaked into macaroons in the name of Passover, what and I even gonna do with 4 half boxes of pasta? I guess it'll at least take a whole week to get rid of all of them. It's possible that by the end of this I could be 5 pounds heavier.

While we're at it, I can't seem to get Silence! The Musical outta my head due to this clip:

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DVD Review: Repo! The Genetic Opera

In year 2056, an epidemic of organ failure swept the planet. A company called GeneCo emerged to provide organ transplants to the sick for a price. And when the sick misses a payment, they send a repo man out to reclaim the organ. In the middle of this is a 17 year old girl name Shiloh with a blood disease that she inherited from her mother, who died during childbirth. Her father is a doctor who invented a potion to save his wife but it wasn't successful and caused her death. Feeling his guilt, her father joined the dark side.

Repo! is quite the strange movie. I guess there aren't a lot of sci-fi fantasy musicals out there, so it takes a while to get used to. The whole thing started out a bit unconvincing, the songs and lyrics weren't really that great. For instance, nobody says "I'm your father, I'm a doctor." in real life, it's way too artificial for background info sakes, it's cheese. A lot of songs are oblong monologues with awkward unmelodious musical disguises for the same purposes. But after the initial get-to-know-each-other awkwardness, the story commenced in a much easier pace describing a world addicted to surgeries and medication.

While the music is still a questionable mix of Rock, Hip-Hop, Punk/Bubblegum Rock and New Age Opera a la Fifth Element, the other production values are quite high. The center character Shiloh is a goth-styled girl that reminds me of Vanessa Carlton and Emily the Strange. The art director should have gotten an award for the futuristic staging and special effects, notably Blind Mag's Eyes. The cast is very strange, I wonder what kind of cast director would choose Sarah Brightman and Paris Hilton to be in the same movie.

Repo! is positioning itself to be a cult classic imitating the success of maybe The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The original theater version still goes on tour from time to time. If you find yourself in a video store with no specific title in mind, why not give this oddball a chance? There are some gore and bloody scenes, so it's probably not for impressionable children. At the end, this movie would qualify as a very unique viewing experience. C-

P.S. I still wonder how did Sarah Brightman got into this movie? Without her this movie would probably suck big time but what was her agent thinking?

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An Old Friend Found

During junior high, I made a friend with Terri. Terri was a dorky guy with bad skin. I forgot how we became friends. Back then I was pretty good at math and English (in Hong Kong standards), a lot of kids will copy homework off me and since I have lived in a foreign country and I love listening to foreign music, it also gave me some cool points. Terri must have sat next to me and find me easy to talk to. And very soon we started to hang out after school.

We would go to record stores during the weekend and browse, our favorite spot was this British sandwich shop chain that serve this fruit salad made with mayo, that was more like his thing than mine. As in every teenager in Hong Kong, we'd go to karaoke a lot. We both like singing and we were not that bad.

The thing about Terri is that he came from a rich family in which I was quite oblivion of, I still have a terrible sense about money and class differences. As long as I have money to get to where I want to be, I'm content. But back then, I thought everyone has the same living condition as I do so I never felt inferior or anything like that. One time, we set out for me to buy a new pair of jeans. We went to some big department store and he found me this pair of dark purple bootleg jeans. He insisted for me to get them. Being easily swayed and not knowing anything about fashion, I bought them merrily. Until my family got all shocked and awed that I would spend $300 on a pair of jeans and told me to return them. (I didn't)

A year later, we got into different classes and we stopped hanging out. I still saw him sometimes getting into trouble with his colored contacts and earrings. I guess our teachers and principle couldn't stand our teenage expressions. A few years after graduation, I've heard that Terri came to the States and became a learning center teacher but I could never get in touch with him. I tried contacting him with an email address that I've gotten from a mutual friend but that didn't work.

A few days ago, I got a contact request from Facebook from a name that I didn't recognize. After reviewing the pictures it turned out to be Terri. I thought I would never heard from him again. He now resides in LA and he got himself a very strange name now. And his girlfriend or wife is mysteriously named Terri and also another friend of his as well. From his picture, he still has pretty bad skin. I guess some things never change.

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Why Homosexuality Should Be Banned

Maybe I'm preaching to the wrong crowd, but I can't help watching this feel good clip.

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I'm Into Forgies But Not This Kind...

Just saw this Sprint commercial on TV, it's upbeat, a little cool and nicely done. But just the world caught up with 3G technology and now it's 4G. It's never ending like the Mach razors. And can someone tell me what a miracle banana diet is?

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Music Invasion: The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"

I'm not a Rolling Stones' fan and this some came out a few years before I was even born but I guess it's apropo to describe my current situation. My needs are not being met at all fronts. It's frustrating. I'm still the master of my domain and I'm still on my diet but I have to do something to un-frustrate myself.

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.

When I'm drivin' in my car
and a man comes on the radio
and he's tellin' me more and more
useless information
supposed to misfire my imagination.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.

I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.

When I'm watchin' my TV
and a man comes on to tell me
how white my shirts can be.
Well he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
the same cigarettes as me.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.

I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no girl reaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.

When I'm ridin' round the world
and I'm doin' this and I'm signing that
and I'm tryin' to make some girl
who tells me baby better come back later next week
'cause you see I'm on losing streak.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.

I can't get no, I can't get no,
I can't get no satisfaction,
no satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction.

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Weekend Meme: My Fave Five Meme

I'm borrowing this week's meme from Chris at Mangina Monologues, apparently another blogger and his partner has a list of people that they're allowed to have sex with if they happened to be trapped in the elevator with that person.

That prompted the age old question on which celebrity would I have sex with. But then, which celebrity would I not? Most of them are sexy enough that I wouldn't kick them out of bed. Still, not a lot of people really turns my gears. Maybe because I do recognize celebrities as inaccessible and I shut that part off or maybe I have conditioned myself not to think sex until I see them all naked? I don't know but I don't feel like I would jump most mainstream blockbuster movie stars.

So here: List your fave five sexiest celebrities, the picture of proof and some simple reasoning or explanation for your choice.

1. John Cena



The closest thing to a porn star where celebrities are concerned. There's the frat boy thing, the military haircut, the testosterone, the muscles and the skimpy costumes. I think it's the cardboard cut out at FYE that turned me on him. It still didn't turn me on wrestling though, even the homoeroticism is over the top.

2. Ryan Kwanten (aka Jason Stackhouse)



Sunny dirty blonde Ryan Kwanten, he was the reason I got hooked on HBO's True Blood. His portrayal of a horny fratboy type character who's constantly naked is so hot. You just gotta love a guy with a body like that and not afraid to show it off.

3. Dean Cain



There might have been Supermans before or after Dean, but no one comes as handsome as him. He's part Japanese, Canadian French, Welsh and Irish which probably explains his good looks. The thick eyebrows, squinty eyes, the dimples and that nice chest. (God, the top half of his face looks a bit like CuteCub) For a younger version, try Eddie Cibrian.

4. Ryan Reynolds



He was cute when he first started out in Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place but it's not until The Amityville Horror that we see the buffed-up, scruffed-up, manly version of Ryan. The light furry chest on his Men's Health cover also looks quite delectable.

5. Robert Gant



I first saw Bobby on Caroline in the City, classically handsome, tall, in great shape, can't go wrong with that. I was ecstatic to learn that he's gay (as if) when he was in Queer as Folk. I got the chance to meet him once in a DVD signing event but that's about it.

Other than the top 2, the others are just pretty to look at. Other celebrities that I find pretty also include John Corbett, David Boreanaz, Dominic Purcell, Matt Battaglia, Brendan Fraser, Nick Lachey, Ray Stevenson, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I seem to go for married white guys with a big forehead, thick eyebrows and spiky hair. I'm also dismayed that it seemed to be few muscle cub/bear type celebrities, Richard Karn from Home Improvement is the only bear I can think of. It'd be so much easier for me to come up with my top five porn star crush.

Hey, just because I'm the master of my domain and on a diet doesn't mean I can't have some eye candies, right?

Have a good weekend!

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Does This Burger Make Me Look Fat?

Deserving for a This Is Why You're Fat entry:



And kudos for using art to make your point. But sorry Arby's, I still have problem calling a roast beef sandwich a burger...

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3 Dollar Bill

The Gay Pimp's YouTube series 3 Dollar Bill is here. Earlier last month there was a wipe off on YouTube with a lot of gay contents, accounts along with the videos were deleted and Jonny's were one of them.

This new series of skits are relatively well done, especially the opening sequence. I hope he keeps on doing them. Note that, the punks and criminals in the skits are all go-go boys and drag queens. Enjoy. :)

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Fleeting Genius

I got this video at Doug's blog Unnatural Devotions. It's Eat Pray Love's author Elizabeth Gilbert talking about her creating process and I guess a lot of people feel the same way. Even me. I used to keep a pen and a piece of paper on my night stand just in case I thought of something "brilliant". I guess my genius hasn't visited me for some time. :)

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File This Under TMI

It's too much information Wednesday, so readers beware...

The topic of the day is the Death Grip, nope, not the karate/wrestling move but the masturbation technique, or shall I say, syndrome. Apparently it's an epidemic in Japan that leads to a population decline.

It's basically guys using too hard of a grip or too quick a speed while masturbating and their penises get trained and cannot ejaculate easily using any other means. I'm embarrassed to admit that yours truly suffers from this disease.

It's not like my parents or uncles sat me down when I was a kid and taught me how to pleasure myself. (that would be traumatizing and very un-Chinese) Heck, I didn't discover masturbation until I was 18. And with my self-indulgent personality, it is bound to happen. I think I even took pride of my endurance but it's getting in the way of mutual fulfillment. I wouldn't want my partner to wait 5-10 minutes for me to pleasure myself until completion even though my own big O is not necessarily my goal. I get pleasure from pleasuring other(s) and I have fun doing it, I'm just good like that.

Dan Savage is the first person who gave this burden a name - the Death Grip - appropriately so. He talked about it a few times in his columns and his podcast, it seems like I can either live with it for the rest of my life or I can retrain myself to feel more subtle sensations and eventually be rid of it forever.

So here, following instruction from a site, I'm swearing off masturbation and porn for a while, hopefully with time it'll fix itself. (Not an April Fool's joke) Although it doesn't mean that I'm swearing off sex, just masturbation. Speaking of which, did anyone saw the new movie promo with Josh Hartnett all grown up, muscled and hot-like?

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