Welcome To The World, Bernelle.

A week ago, my cousin Venus had gave birth to the first member of the next generation of my family. She's not the first member to get married, two of the three older cousins had married for quite sometimes but had no plans of having children ever.

Bernelle Lai was born on June 23rd at the weight of 7 pounds 12 oz. Looks quite a bit like her dad, both her and her mom are safe and sound. I'm happy to officially become an uncle but still, where do these people find these names? I have another friend naming her daughter Ophelia which is quite puzzling. And yet another guy named his son Anson. What happened to Jonathan or Jennifer? Anyway, it seems that Bernelle has a neck for photography, 8 of her 10 pics she looked right into the camera, hope she grew up to be as pretty as her mom.

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Stonewall in Texas

via Joe.My.God

In the brink of equality, which I believe it's what were in now even though it seems there's still along way to go, there are bound to be resistance.

On Saturday, the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in NYC, the Fort Worth Police Department raided a local gay bar the Rainbow Lounge and began randomly handcuffing and arresting patrons and shoving anyone who dared to ask why.

Witnesses say that police arrived at the nightclub about 1 a.m. Sunday and arrested seven people and that one of those arrested suffered a fractured skull during the takedown and is at a Fort Worth hospital. About 75 people showed up Sunday afternoon at the Rainbow Lounge to make signs for the rally. Some of the signs read: "Give us Answers Now" and "We Have Rights Too." Fort Worth police released a statement saying that the Rainbow Lounge was not the only bar targeted by six Fort Worth police officers and two agents from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and a supervisor. The group first went to the Rosedale Saloon and Cowboy Palace on Rosedale Street. Nine people were arrested, police report. The investigators then went to the Rainbow Lounge, where seven arrests were made, the police statement said. While walking through the Rainbow Lounge, an "extremely intoxicated patron made sexually explicit movements toward the police supervisor," the statement said. This individual was arrested for public intoxication.

Another intoxicated individual also made sexually explicit movements toward another officer, and he was arrested for public intoxication, the statement said. A third individual inside the lounge assaulted a TABC agent by grabbing the agent’s groin, according to the statement. He was escorted outside and arrested for public intoxication. He was released to paramedics because of his extreme intoxication as he was repeatedly vomiting, police reported.

Why do the police feel the need to arrest intoxicated people inside the bar? And who is dumb enough to grab a police officer's crotch? Are they just playing victim to deflect the focus of arresting people who commits this victimless crime and the attention of the fractured skull? What is this all about? There was a protest underway and people are demanding answers. The justice systems need to be accountable and they just can't abuse their power like this.

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RIP Billy Mays

Another icon bites the dust.



They haven't found a reason why he's dead. He was a passenger aboard a plane that suffered a blown front tire upon landing. He told a local TV station, "All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head." So maybe something that happened to Natasha Richardson, happened to Billy Mays.

They're dropping one by one, it's like Final Destination and there are not a lot of sexy bears on TV left.

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Weekend Meme: The Food Meme

Orange-braised Pork Shoulder over Black Bean Stew at Chez YvesPaul

This week has pretty much been a food week for me. I know I should be on a diet and I am limiting my carb intake, but I'll double my efforts next week. As seen from above is a dish I've recreated from a restaurant in South Philly called La Cantina. It's braised pork shoulder on top of a black bean stew with pork rinds on the side and salsa fresca on top, you can hear the pork rinds crackle as it touches moisture, so it's a musical dish from more than one way. It doesn't taste nearly the same as the original, but it was nice nonetheless. I also bought some pretentious white plates from Ikea to show off my food. lol. Just went to Atlantic City and had a nice meal in a nice restaurant, I've also got a party tonight to go to that will involve a lot of drinking and maybe some seafood pizzas from a nearby place that serves gourmet pizzas.

Since it has been a food week, it's just fitting to do a food meme. This one here I found it in the old post of Kevin over at Kapgar.

The Food Meme

How do you like your eggs?
Sunny side up. the mostly raw egg yolk goes well with everything.

How do you take your coffee/tea?
I like my coffee and tea with cream and sugar, iced or otherwise. Unless it's hot weather, than I'll have my tea iced with lemon and sugar.

What are your favorite breakfast foods?
Sunny side up eggs with buttered toast and turkey sausage or bangers. Good home fries would be nice too.

Peanut butter: smooth or crunchy?
Depends on what I use it for, to cook and make french toast usually smooth. On toast or satay sauce, crunchy.

What kind of dressing on your salad?
Hmm... I take all kinds. My favorite would probably be Newman's Tuscan Italian or his Olive Oil & Vinegar. Blue cheese, ranch, asian sesame, french, they would all work.

Coke or Pepsi?
I like the taste of regular Coke and diet Pepsi. But I wouldn't mind diet Coke too much. I also like Coke Cherry Zero.

You're feeling lazy. What do you make?
Instant noodles. Salad if I have the stuff.

You're feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order?
Pizza, it's pineapple, sausage, mushroom, onion. Or ranch chicken. A simple slice of mushroom would work too.

You feel like cooking. What do you make?
What wouldn't I make? It really depends on my mood but maybe a steak with my own garlic-lemon pasta.

Do any foods bring back good memories?
Chinese banquet food does lift my spirit.

Do any foods bring back bad memories?
Not that I know of, some people like me associate food with love so it shouldn't invoke any bad memories.

Do any foods remind you of someone?
My grandma makes a Chinese caramelized shrimp that I have not yet tasted anywhere else but home. I'd love to get her recipe but she's always a pinch of that and a dash of this. I'll have to film her do it if I go back.

Is there a food you refuse to eat?
Not really. I just know I dislike sea urchin and dried oyster, but I don't think I'd refuse.

What was your favorite food as a child?
Fried chicken legs or anything drumstick shaped. My grandma would roll instant noodles up into the shape of a drumstick just to make me eat it.

Is there a food that you hated as a child but now love?
Smelly food in general have that effect on me. Durian for one, I don't exactly love it but I don't mind it and I savor the rare opportunity to eat it. A street food called stinky tofu which you can smell it from a block away, they're fermented and boy do they smell. Condiments like shrimp paste and other fermented stuff.

Is there a food that you loved as a child but now hate?
I don't hate food much as you can tell, I use to love minty candies when I was a kid and coffee when I was a teenager, but now I'm really not as enthusiastic about them as I was. I use to drink coffee any chance I get, now it's almost once a month or less.


So that's the meme. Have a good weekend!

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Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson

By now I'm sure ALL of you would have heard that two pop icons Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson had passed. It's shocking to say the least.



When Charlie's Angels came out I was a mere child and I don't have a lot of Farrah Fawcett reference, but I remember she looked exactly what I thought an angel would look like. RIP.


Not to be mean or make the matter light but my aunt once said my mom died of ovarian cancer because she used some insertive feminine hygiene product and the cause of death for Farrah had reminded me of that.


The only song I know with Farrah's name in the lyrics.

I don't know if you feel the same way but I'm not completely convinced that Michael Jackson is dead. He was very impactful in my early childhood. Every kids loved him, even when I was living in Europe. Thriller was big and I particularly love Smooth Criminal since the name of my mom was Annie and I have no clue what's he was singing back then. He was the King of Pop indeed, it's a shame that later on in his life he associated his name with so many other things.



I'm still very skeptical to the news of his death. Did he and Farrah have a suicide pact? Did he kill himself because of the direction of where his life is heading? Could he have faked his death to get out of some contracts? To get attention? Did he finally become a woman and left his male identity behind? Since Michael Jackson is quite the eccentric guy, I submit that everything is possible.

I always thought it was very difficult to achieve that degree of success in an young age, when you have already achieve so much what other goals could you have? What purpose can the rest of your life serve? It's especially hard for the ones that are constantly under the spotlight and extremely hard for the eccentrics. I hope wherever Michael Jackson is, he can finally find peace.


I loved his Moonwalker video arcade game.

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Chew On This

Um... Even with a big, thick, meaty, juicy 7-incher, the Burger King is just a bit too creepy for me to even consider it.

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Restaurant Review: Union Trust

I guess one of the little benefits of having a low economy is that the high end restaurants in town have been offering a rather affordable lunch menu to attract customers.

Last Friday, me and a former colleague went to Le Bec Fin. The most renowned dining institute in Philly where I've only stepped foot in once before just because I can afford to go to their more casual basement bar downstairs for their $30 prix fixe dinner during restaurant week and the maitre'd unintentionally sat us up in the main hall. Since that visit 2 years ago, restaurateur/chef Georges Perrier closed down his restaurant next door Brasserie Perrier. I've also noticed that the pretentious French sounding staff in Le Bec Fin had changed into mostly Latino staff who were wonderful to my older Latina colleague. Unfortunately for her, they have only one item on the $15 express lunch menu and it was burger with fries with a soup or salad and she's vegetarian. Since she didn't expect the limited of choice and everything else was high in price, she asked if the restaurant can take the meat off and put cheese in and they said yes. But then the waiter came by and said the chef will not be charging her for the meal because of that, of course being decent people that we are, we insisted to pay. Later on, they brought an extra dessert for us just to make up the difference. I wonder if we'd get free champagne next, my older colleague thought the exceptional service might have been because she was wearing her new bra. lol.

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Having passed by it once and then the boyfriend experienced it with his boss for lunch and told me all about it, I was very interested in going to a steakhouse called Union Trust. I usually dislike going to steakhouses, because they are unusually high-priced and I can sear a mean steak myself at home. The regular menu at Union Trust is quite expensive; the steaks goes up to $125 a pop, caviars to $140 an ounce. For lunch, however, it's a little different.

There is some privilege from being a blogger, especially when you enter a rather new restaurant with a phone cam and start snapping away, you'll get some curiosity and attention from the staff. I'm not saying you'll get free food or drinks, but at least the people seemed friendlier. Sure, the maitre'd banged my knees against the marble after helping pushing my barstool in for me, but he tried. The lunch menu consists on some appetizers, salad, sandwiches and entrees that average around $15. I wanted to keep it cheap, so I didn't order the $13 lobster chowder for an appetizer and went for the much recommended steak frites. Not soon after, I received a bread basket with 4 different kinds of warmed breads: A sweet pumpernickel raisin roll, a whole wheat dinner roll, a sesame sunflower seed roll and a twin Philly pretzel stick that you can split apart which also comes with its own little bottle of whole grain Dijon mustard.



I have had my share of bad steak frites, but one should expect a nice one from a steakhouse no matter the price and this one didn't disappoint. The size was decent enough, it was perfectly seared with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper and maybe oven-baked for doneness. The fries came in a playful string size, crunchy and quite bouche amusée. The sauce on the side tasted like an Argentinian chimichurri. The dish was quite simple and flavorful. It came with a side of creamed spinach that was smooth and buttery without being overwhelmingly rich or oily. It was a good meal that left me wanting more.



It's hard for business these days and not a lot of people can afford the items on the dinner menu for sure, but it's nice to see new restaurants popping up. Just around the same block, there's Iron Chef's Morimoto, another Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr's Jones, an Italian restaurant LaScala and a new Latin/Asian fusion restaurant called Chifa which will probably be my next target. The competition is fierce on this little out of the way block. While the promotion of the place is low-key, maybe people will give the lunch a try or warm up to the Gay professional mingles hosted there once a week. The former marbled bank got renovated into a majestic train station lobby-like space with red plush couches and white chairs. It looks quite amazing. (The bar design is not necessarily staff or customer-friendly though.)

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The Gay Marriage Argument

Just so you can prepare yourself for another unpleasant debate over gay marriage, the whole thing is pretty much drawn out. You can even sent it to your opponents just to save time. Click to embiggen.



For myself, I always find it strange that while there is some kind of freedom of religion in the country and only the Christian god condemns homosexuality, why can't people of other faith get gay married? But that's just me.

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Music Invasion: Black Eyed Peas' "I Got a Feeling"

I got the Black Eyed Peas new album The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) and while their first single Boom Boom Pow is going up the chart contending to be the summer song of 2009, the second single entitled I Got a Feeling is much more my style, it's introspective and slowly warms up to a rejoicing party anthem. I dig. Even David Schmader at the Slog has dubbed Will.I.Am's songs as brilliantly stupid and appropriately so, we both like them.

Though, ever since I've got this song hooked to my brain and sung it out loud, things hasn't really been going my way. I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night... I've been prompt to throw a drink on a jerk's head and feeling bad about it amongst other troubling things, so my nights haven't been really good to me. Apparently, nor do Will.I.Am's with his scuffle with Perez Hilton. Still, it's a good song so I hope you'll enjoy it and it'll bring you good luck.

Oh an thanks Damien! ^_~



I Got a Feeling

I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good good night (x4)

Tonight’s the night
Let’s live it up
I got my money
Let’s spend it up

Go out and smash it
like Oh My God
Jump off that sofa
Let’s get get OFF

I know that we’ll have a ball
if we get down
and go out
and just lose it all

I feel stressed out
I wanna let it go
Let's go way out spaced out
and losing all control

Fill up my cup
Mazel tov
Look at her dancing
just take it off

Lets paint the town
We’ll shut it down
Let’s burn the roof
and then we’ll do it again

Let's Do it (x3)
and live it up

I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night
That tonight’s gonna be a good night
That tonight’s gonna be a good good night (x2)

Tonight’s the night
Let’s live it up
I got my money
Lets spend it up

Go out and smash it
Like Oh My God
Jump off that sofa
Lets get get OFF

Fill up my cup (Drank)
Mazel tov (Aleichem)
Look at her dancing (Move it Move it)
Just take it off

Let's paint the town
We’ll shut it down
Let's burn the roof
and then we’ll do it again

lets do it (x3)
let’s live it up

Here we come, here we go, we gotta rock
Easy come, easy go, now we on top
Feel the shot, body rock, rock it don’t stop
Round and round, up and down, around the clock

Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday
Friday, Saturday, Saturday to Sunday
Get with us, you know what we say
Party everyday, party everyday.

And I’m feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good good night (x2)

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Asylum Knockbusters

When watching the miserable Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, the boyfriend and I found the company who produces and distributes that horrid film Asylum Productions. Turns out, they have a whole arsenal of movies that knock off the mainstream media. The movies are real and for sale on their websites.

If you enjoy Transformers, you might also enjoy Transmorphers...




If you're a fan of the Indiana Jones series, you might also like Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls. It's not the same of course, but it is inspired by it. I like the word inspired, it could mean anything.




If you liked the mutherfukin' Snakes on a mutherfukin' Plane, how about on a mutherfukin' Train? Or in the drain? on your brain? with whole grain? I predict spaghettis for special effects.




I guess The Day The World Stopped could be a story happening to some other people as The Day The World Stood Still in a much lower budget and worse acting kinda way.




The on-going saga of Alien vs. Predator now has a newer opponent - Hunter. Hopefully, Hunter's not a California teenage with a mask on. Would there be Hunter vs. Predator, I pray?



I wonder if King Kong would battle King of the Lost World or they can mate and reproduce.




This reminds me that I've got to go rent I am Legend sometimes.




Replace the old naked dead guy in the Da Vinci Code with a younger clothed lady and you've got the Da Vinci Treasure. This one is truly blatant.




Because all high school teenagers (and the boyfriend) likes to freeze-frame jump? I'm sure it's a Sunday School Musical is the more primmed and proper version of High School Musical.



Rip offs, bad production values, bad CGI and bad acting aside... you do have to marvel at their blatancy and skills on producing some semi-decent posters. I'm even tempted to see a CGI dependent movie like Transmorphers and see what they are going to do for all the robot characters. Are they just gonna have people wearing cardboard suits since every minute of the movie should have robots in them? Or just do a CGI and play the same clip backwards and forwards a hundred times in the movie? Ha.

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Movie Review: Food Inc.

Being a food addict, I was interested to see this movie months ago when I first heard about it. Yes, I am interested on how food is produced even if it might change my views on the things I eat, I still want to know and as I've expected the news wasn't good.

Just in case you're not planning to watch this film. There are two major villains; corn and McDonald's business model based industrialization. According to the film, corn has been overproduced in the United States, so subsequently it was used to produced all kinds of additive to most processed foods we eat. Corn gets fed to cows, lingers in their stomach and the E. coli virus starts to reproduce. Since the cows are kept in close proximity and they steps in knee-deep manure and other bodily fluids when they are killed, the virus get spread and lingers in the meat sold in the supermarkets. Since United States are producing cheap corn, they put Mexican corn growers out of business, while the United States slaughterhouses recruit them to come to U.S. and work for them. Even the immigration knows about illegal workers, they only arrest a few every now and then to maintain production.

Industrialization of meat and crop production lets big company like Tyson, Perdue or soybean tyrant Monsanto dictate their products and any grower or farmer. In general, chicken farmer had to invest $200K for the initial cost of the chicken house and pressured to go further into debt to buy new equipments in order to maintain their contract, yet their annual income is about $15K. Monsanto who has a patent on a particular genetically altered soybean strand sends out ex-military "investigators" to do periodic "surveys" to make sure that the crops of the ones who do not pay loyalty to them does not contain beans of their strands.

Lawsuits are used to keep farmers and growers in line as big corporation have the resource to sue anyone for anything, while small-time farmers do not have the resource to defend themselves and are forced to settle for the lack of legal fees, or forced to go out of business. You can get sued for defaming food products just like Oprah did for saying bad things about beef. Lobbyists are hired to change regulations, so the food safety regulations have more leeway, while staff at these food company will eventually become FDA officials and change regulations internally. At the same time regulations are in place to forbid the FDA closing down food productions companies even if it violates safety rules repeatedly. There seems to be little justice for farmers and protection for consumers.

At the end, the movie asks consumers to change the market by purchasing local-grown, organic and products like grass-fed beef to sway the market to healthier and more humane and conscious choice. I have never realize how chickens are brought up in feces and disease filled house, or how they are fed hormones and antibiotics into a size where their legs can't even support themselves just so they can produce more white meat. Or how in order to kill E. coli, they produce an ammonia filler to put into burgers. So it's quite informative for me.

Although I'm afraid to say that it will be hard for me to change my eating habits, and go for the more expensive produce and meats. I don't think I have enough resources at my disposal to pay more so I can clear my conscience. The things I can do might be to swear off soybeans and lower my corn/sugar and my fast food consumption. I think it's an essential film for people to watch and understand where their food comes from, but at the same time I feel like they could have went more in depth on the subject. B-

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Weekend Meme: Unusual Things Meme

Found this meme over at Poppy Cedes. Not exactly unusual but should be fun nonetheless.

1. Who was the last person of the opposite sex you lay in a bed with?
Wow, um... I don't exactly remember, I've shared hotel rooms with a few female colleagues but not the same bed. Other than tricks and boyfriends, I've pretty much sleep by myself all my life. It could be a cousin or... grandma?

2. Where was the last place you went out to eat?
Just went out to Le Bec Fin with a former colleague. It's the only 5-star restaurant in Philly, but I think recently they lost a star and now offering a cheaper lunch menu to lure customers. T'was a $20 burger, I rather go to Five Guys. hehe.

3. What was the last alcoholic beverage you consumed?
Must be a cosmopolitan with flavored vodka. (On the rocks because I'm a man!)

4. Which do you prefer - eyes or lips?
Eyes. Because kissing is only a part-time thing.

5. Medicine, fine arts, or law?
Not smart enough to do medicine, not argumentative enough to do law. Since art is debatable, how about art?

6. Best kind of pizza?
Sausage, pineapple, onion and mushrooms. I also like seafood pizza and chicken ranch.

7. Is your bedroom window open?
Yes, I like fresh air. Unless it's really cold out or hot, then I'll put on the A/C or something, but generally it's open.

8. What is in store for your future?
Hmm... hopefully a job. Meanwhile I think Folsom East and Atlantic City if the weather allows.

9. Who was the last band you saw live?
The boyfriend and I went to see Adele and a band called The Script opened for her.

10. Do you take care of your friends while they are sick?
Depends on what kind of sickness, if it's infectious I'll have my reserves. Generally though, I try to make sure they are ok.

11. What is your favorite soda?
I'm a big fan of Orange Sodas, especially Orangina but they tend to have high sugar content. Ginger ale is good, but when I'm on a diet I'd go with diet coke, diet pepsi or cherry zero.

12. How many songs are on your iTunes?
4846

13. When was the last time you purchased something over 100 dollars?
It'd be my new phone to replace the drowned one. I miss my old one, it takes better pictures and this one is a newer model... Argh!!!

14. Where is the last place you drove to?
I don't know how to drive. But last time I practiced, I was in the northern burbs.

15. Are you experienced?
Huh? In what sense? Since I'm not a young'un, I'd assume the answer will be positive in most sense.

16. Any historical figures that you envy?
Any really. At least they all have a legacy, no?

17. What brand of digital camera do you own?
Only my Sony Ericsson CyberShot phone.

18. When was the last time you got a good workout?
Does sex count? If so, that's pretty recent. If not, it'd have to be a long while ago.

19. If you need a new pair of jeans, which store do you go to first?
Lucky Jeans. They are moderately priced and fit pretty well.

20. Where did your last kiss take place?
Just right now, literally, because I read this question and because I can.

21. What were you doing at 11:59 PM on Monday night?
Probably blogging and watching TV at the same time.

22. Are you a quitter?
Sure. Depends what the subject matter is.

23. Who was the last person you had in your house?
The boyfriend is here right by my side.

24. Can you speak another language?
Yes, pretty good with Cantonese, Mandarin and English. My Spanish is OK and I almost forgot all of my French.

25. How about you put your legs behind your head?
If I lie on my belly, aren't my legs already behind my head?

26. When was the last time you went dancing while under the influence?
About two months ago. Though I have pretty good self-control, so I'm not exactly "under" influence, maybe more next to it.

27. Nickname?
Tons. I had been called "French Guy", "Photosynthesizer" (Don't ask), "Dai Law" (Not gonna translate that), and "Bebo" (Principe though it was cute) amongst many others.

28. Describe what you are wearing in detail.
A pair of white knit boxer trunks with a light baby blue waist band and periwinkle lettering.

29. What do you think about people who party a lot?
More power to them, especially if they can still take care of themselves at the end of the night.

30. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?
Depends on the audience, If they are your family or parents or people from another generation, then it could get uncomfortable.

31. Are you one of those people who obsesses over Hollister?
They are just like Gap/Old Navy/Abercrombie & Fitch, no? I'm a bit too old for that.

32. What was the last CD you purchased?
Does anyone buy CD anymore? I think it might be The Killers' Day and Age

33. What are two bands or singers that you will always love?
Faye Wong and Jill Scott

34. Which of the seven deadly sins are you guilty of?
All of them but more Pride and Sloth.

35. Did you just have to Google the seven deadly sins to see what they were?
Nope. I encompass all of them.

36. Where is your favorite place to get coffee?
I don't really drink coffee much, I guess any coffee shop would do.

37. Have you ever been offered a job?
Of course, once upon a time I worked.

38. Have you ever stolen anything off a road?
Stolen? I've picked up and pocketed money before.

39. When was the last time you dyed your hair?
I guess about 7 years ago. Dark brown.

40. Whom was the last person you rode in a car with?
DC, my best friend here.

41. Have you kissed somebody in the last 2 weeks?
Yeah. See Question 20

42. Miss someone?
Mostly my friends and families in Hong Kong.

43. How is your last ex doing?
Just got a stroke not long ago. Usually, without me taking care of them they fall apart, fast.

44. Is there someone you want to fight?
Fighting is not my style. I prefer drive by arson.

On that last note, have a great weekend! (lol)

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Case Studies 06/20/2009

Let's say you have had few drinks and you're on the dance floor.

Let's say it was packed and a gentleman behind you were dancing in big motion and elbowed you hard twice on your back and even the person in front of you felt it.

Let's say the gentleman behind you continues his dance and the person in front of you had to push him away so he won't elbow you again.

Let's say the gentleman behind you felt the push and deliberately splash his beer on you as revenge.

Let's say from then on you're staring him down and he felt you staring at him.

Let's say you try to level with him by telling what he did.

Let's say he pretend not to understand a word you said until you said "Well, you're old anyway..." and then he called you a retard.

Let's say you try to explain to him once again on what happened and he kept on saying "I don't understand a fucking word you said." and being quite the asshole about it.

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Are you justified by pouring your drink on that person?

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Of course the person who poured the drink didn't feel good about doing it but then what else was there to do, really?

I walked aside afterwards as to not create a bigger scene, he tried to chase after me but didn't see me. I could have done much worse if he did, but I guess it's luck that it didn't get any larger.

Now Hulk wants to punch something.

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Yes! Cut Them Down Rachel, You're a Goddess!

via Joe.My.God

Joe had been asking for a republican scandal on one of his Daily Grumble post and it has been answered. What this Ensign guy had done sounds exactly like something my former boss did. Ugh.

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Eatery Review: Phileo Yogurt

A few days ago I've received a settlement check in the mail about a credit card fraud incident happened like 8 years ago. Honestly, I don't quite remember if anything like that had happened, I have my suspicion if that is a way of obtaining my signature or account info, but it has an 1-800-number and a website printed on it and it seems legit enough. Besides, the check is only for 20-some odd dollars, I could have taken it or leave it. I wonder what they would have done if I have had moved.

What is more pleasant is that Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City sent me a coupon for a complimentary room and $20 gambling money that I can redeem. It's great timing, especially when it's summer and everyone likes to go down to the shore. So me and the boyfriend will go there for a night and walk around the boardwalk. Could be fun and perhaps even romantic.

I guess there must be a bit of luck on my side for me to have gotten all these little things. There are uplifting to say the least. We've also done some other fun things during the week, but I'll wait for the products to write another post. I'm starting to thing that my boyfriend could be a lucky charm, since we've won quite a bit of things going into different contests. Hope I don't ruin it by posting out loud.


Phileo Yogurt (416 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 Tel:(215) 873-8361

Speaking about happiness, this is another thing that makes me happy; Frozen Yogurt. During last fall, I've noticed a lot of Pinkberry type yogurt store popping up in New York City and now Philadelphia is getting one of our own called Phileo Yogurt. Unlike Pinkberry, Phileo Yogurt lets you fill your cup from a wall of yogurt machine, each with different tastes. There are tart yogurts and more rounded flavors. For the two times we've went in, we tried lychee, pineapple, snickerdoodle, peanut butter, chocolate, taro and green tea. There's also a bar of fruits, nuts, candies and syrups for you to sprinkle them on your own creations.

The place is rather clean and the design modern, the staff is not particularly friendly or unfriendly. They mostly just stand there and stare. It would probably do well for the South Street tourist crowd. The yogurts are sold by weight at 49 cents per ounce, a little on the expensive side ($6~11 for a large cup). Of course they have nothing but large and giant cups in there so you'd feel obligated to put as much yogurt in there as possible and the sign that says 49 cents an ounce is not easily seen. But frozen yogurt is a crowd favorite and it's really a fun place for adults and kids.


The snickerdoodle is surprisingly good.

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Screaming Murder

Obama had just demonstrated he has great reflex, despite the late, late response to marriage equality but at least there's a sign now. While his "physical" reflex is impressive, it's fun to see people respond to the fly-swatting. Stephen Colbert's jar of flies is quite disgusting. Reminds me of Jeff Goldblum's horror flick The Fly.

It's sad to see how PETA is commenting on this trying to make themselves relevant while achieving the opposite effect. PETA: "We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals. We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals. Swatting a fly on TV indicates he's not perfect, and we're happy to say that we wish he hadn't." They sent a fly catcher to the White House, so future flies can be released to the wild unharmed.

Personally, I've bought some bug catchers a few years back when there was a leak in the building basement and there were hundreds of flies going around. So I guess I'm a mass murderer in some standards.

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Hoping For Audacity

We know how politicians would say anything to be elected. I think that's a pretty well known facts but we did have our hopes up for Obama. It is incredibly unfair for us to not have demanded anything from the previous administrations, being fully aware that the Bush administration will not get anything accomplished and secretly hoped that Bush will not put his fingers on anything more just to screw the country up further, but to demand Obama to come in and fix everything all at once. Lately though, I'm afraid that despite his fair and just appearance, Obama could be just a tiny bit homophobic. After all there weren't any signs to prove that he wasn't, he hasn't sung a duet with Elton John.

Understand that this post is not meant to be offensive, but with the long silence that the administration is taking on the boiling up gay issues, I'm beginning to have my doubts. When Obama was campaigning, he didn't exactly support the more progressive gay marriage but went for the public appealing civil unions. Given how the general Black Christian community do not support marriage equality in the example of prop 8 and Obama being the member of that community, I would say the chance of him being in opposition of gay marriage is somewhat in a high percentile. Also the lack of GLBT representation in his administration and the now irrelevant but once "spiritual leader" Jeremiah Wright. I can't help but worry, are they signs?



I find it disappointing that the DOMA/DOJ briefs coming out of his administration would still compare gay marriage to incestuous marriage and underage marriage. I don't understand what or who is the force in politics that is trying to ban gay marriage so vehemently and what exactly are the stakes. Is there a secret donor protecting gay marriage? Is the issue such a cash producing machine that they want to milk every last bit of it? Or if gay marriage has passed the American people would be bored enough to care about the real issues? The excuse right now is that the administration is still new and there are tons of problems to fix before gay marriage takes a priority but no one is yelling and screaming about health care reform or environment protection.

I'm sad that for a president who favors an open dialogue and likes to be on TV so much that he can't bring himself to commenting on gay issues. The gay community is desperately seeking a leader and answers but we're getting nothing. I'm especially dismayed when people are wishing him to be a little more George Bush and willing to make unpopular choices. We're tired of waiting. Even if there's any inkling of homophobia in Obama, I still wish that he can recognize the discrimination we're facing and put on his administrative hat to make the right decisions. Even if it's just a line saying things are at work will make us all feel so much better. If there are no special announcements in Pride month, I do hope they'd have done something by the upcoming March on Washington.

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Philadelphia Gay Pride 2009

Not the best pic but I'm expecting a lot more

Once you've been to Pride once, it's the same every year. Though gay pride in different cities have different vibes. This year, it happens that the local gay organization needed people to march with them, so I volunteered. This is my second time marching for Philly pride. It's kinda nice to have people applauding for you, just because you're walking down the street. I also liked the feeling of walking in the middle of the street, it's one of my favorite thing. Even though I can't be an observing bystander, I'm surprised on how unsexy the local gay scene is. Other than the local swimming team wearing their speedos and swim trunks, there are no go-go boys or gyrating of any kind in the parade. It's all about the self-empowerment and nothing to do with sex. It's infinitely boring.

There was a decent crowd in the gayborhood but along the way it has somewhat thinned out. We were carrying some rainbow-colored fish-shaped windsocks attached to a pole which were quite amusing. I didn't really get the concept, but it was fun nonetheless. The sun was bright and with the breeze, the fishes were flying high. Within an hour and a half, we've reached the destination where the festival was held so it was a rather easy walk. The boyfriend came to join me for a little bit and since we marched, we got in the fair for free.

For the past 3 years, the fair is being held at Penn's Landing and they had commercialized the whole thing by charging people $10 to get in. I absolutely arbor that. There are nothing but vendors and companies advertising their services inside the fair, so it seems very silly to charge people $10 to suffer through it. Either you can afford $10 or not, you are who you are. It makes no sense that you have to pay $10 so you can feel like you have a community to belong to. One saving grace though is Ben & Jerry's who are handing out free samples of their new product called Flipped Out, a small fudge ice cream sundae that you can flip onto a plate so you can see the chocolate syrup running down the sides. I would have paid for it but free food tastes better. It's great to see big company like Ben & Jerry's would prepare a truckload of sure-sell ice cream just to give them away to our community. Kudos. It's also great to see some friends that I haven't seen for a while cheering me on down the street. Although next year, I'll remember to wear sunscreen.

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Weekend Meme: Add Up Your Fine Meme

Hey guys, I've been a little busy with a new project of mine. Out of sheer boredom and since I saw a special on a cruising site, I've started to do a study on a tally on Tops vs. Bottoms by race and age to prove or disprove a few theories of mine. It's really time consuming and I don't really know if it's gonna be useful anyhow but I'm sure I'll spend the next two weeks doing searches. Maybe someone studying sexuality can put it to good use.

Today's meme is from an old post Kevin at Kapgar. For each things you've perform down the list, you have to add up your fines and at the end post your total but you don't have to list the things you've actually perform. I've altered the money amount just to have it makes more sense.

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Update: Since Sue dared me, I might as well reveal my own deeds:

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Went streaking -- $5
Went streaking in broad daylight -- $15
Peed in the pool -- $5 - Yes, who hasn't?
Smoked pot -- $10 - I had hoped that it had some effect on me, but nope.
Did acid -- $15
Vandalized something -- $20 - I can't recall what I've done but I must have. It sounds like something that I could have done.
Beat up someone -- $30 - For sports.
Done something you regret -- $10 - I'm sure, I mean who hasn't?
Got drunk, passed and don't remember the night before -- $30
Woke up in the morning and did not know the person who was next to you -- $40
Ever drive drunk -- $50
Ever got drunk at work, or went to work while still drunk -- $50
Stole something -- $10 - I'm a closeted klepto
Stole something worth over more than a hundred dollars -- $30
Been arrested -- $30
Spent time in jail -- $50
Had sex with someone in jail -- $25
Went skinny dipping -- $5
Played spin the bottle -- $5
Crossed dressed -- $10 - I've played with ladies clothes when I was a kid
Masturbated -- $10 - Who hasn't?
Done oral -- $10
Got oral -- $10
Done/got oral in a car while it was moving -- $25 - It's exciting.
Had sex on your parents' bed -- $10
Had sex with someone on MySpace -- $20
Kissed someone who's name you didn't know -- $20
Hit on someone while at work -- $20
Had sex with someone you work with at work while working -- $50
Given money to stripper -- $10
Been in love with a stripper -- $20
Had sex in a pool -- $20
Had sex in the wild -- $20
Had sex at church -- $50
Had sex for money -- $100
Kissed someone of the same sex -- $10
Had sex with someone of the same sex -- $20
Had sex with your best friend -- $40
Had a threesome -- $50
Been in the same room while someone was having sex -- $25 - Isn't this part of a threesome experience?
Been in love with two people or more at the same time -- $50
Used toys while having sex -- $20
Had anal sex -- $40
Made a nasty home video -- $40
Had sex with someone 10 years older -- $20
Had sex with someone 10 years younger -- $30
Had sex with someone under 21 and you are over 27 -- $100
Lied to your mate -- $15
Lied to your mate about the sex being good -- $25
Said you love someone but didn't mean it -- $25
Cheated on your significant other -- $50
Cheated on your significant other with their relative or close friend -- $100 That was a long time ago...

DON'T FORGET TO REPOST WITH YOUR DOLLAR AMOUNT

It's $715 out of the possible $1500. I'm practically an angel, don't you think?

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Picnic at the Park

After one too many request for me to lower the volume of my TV particularly one at 9pm, I think I've guilted my upstairs neighbor into giving me a pair of preview tickets for Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds' The Proposal. (No, my TV doesn't really get that loud normally, but then part of my ceiling had fell down almost two years ago and yet to be repaired.) The preview was scheduled to be shown last night but since the scar that was Hamlet 2, I'm a little skeptical about these free preview screenings and I wasn't expecting a lot from another Sandra Bullock romantic comedy, although I was curious about that rumored nude scene of Ryan Reynolds. Even since Amityville Horror, Ryan had made himself into my hot hunk radar and any naked image of him is very welcomed in my book. Too bad in the beginning of this week, my good friend BL had sent out an email about having a low-key picnic at a nearby park for his birthday which happened to be at the same time as the movie and after watching Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, my bad movie quota had reached its limit and I wasn't gonna take the chance with something I thought would be bad at the first place and I especially didn't want to watch it in a controlled environment.

The weather had been quite strange lately, there was a heavy downfall Tuesday morning where rain was pouring down like an open faucet in the sky. It formed a wall of water for half an hour, turning streets into rivers. Along with the thunder and lightning it woke me up and made me a little claustrophobic, like the air flow was blocked off by the air and I might suffocate. I didn't know that clouds could be suicidal and homicidal like that. We were afraid that it might happen again at the picnic, we wouldn't be able to run for covers fast enough. I got some food prepared anyway.

BL specifically didn't want anyone to make a big deal out of it, I guess because he's turning 30 and wasn't quite thrilled about the idea of getting old. I can testify to the strange feeling of not being about to call myself a twink anymore when I turned 30 a few years ago. I thought it'd be nice to cook and bring something celebratory to the picnic, so I got some cupcakes from a cute patisserie, some individual sized bottles of Prosecco, some Banh Mi beefed up with extra BBQ pork since BL likes them and I also fried up some jumbo shrimps with some leftover mango coconut sauce. Everybody liked them. We had a mighty good time chatting, drinking and eating at the park. No extravagant party, birthday cake, candles and songs, just like BL wanted it. Afterwards, we went to the bear/leather bar that the boyfriend and I like to go to and had a couple of drinks and chatted some more. All in all, it was a pretty good night.

I think cooking generally makes me happy, too bad I don't think I'll enjoy doing it as a career.

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Via Serious Eats and Daily Mail

On another note, Heinz is unveiling their prototype of the smaller microwave in the UK. This 7.4 x 6.2 x 5.9 inch portable microwave can be powered by a USB connection to your computer and can be used to heat up a little cup of tea, coffee or soup. Maybe a small burger or a cup of noodle soup? The final product will cost £700 (≈$1150) and the production cost is estimated to be lower once the item gets popular.

Do we really need a mini portable microwave? Most offices have microwaves and this one doesn't seem to be good for a lot of things. In the U.S., you can find a fast food joint and a Starbucks on every block and at every train station. I don't think there's any shortage of hot food and drinks. Also, do we really want to heat liquid near our laptop? Seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Unless you have a liquid resistant laptop, I guess. Personally, I'm a little squirmy about new technologies and their affects on health, I don't think I'll be a big fan.

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Movie Review: Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus

About a month ago, I saw the preview trailer of Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus online and I was intrigued. It sounds like a great concept for a B-movie, like Snakes on a Plane. The flying shark at the end of the clip tickled me, I was sure that it could become the next cult classic and I really wanted to see it. Yes, I saw the signs; It went straight to DVD, no video stores near me carries the movie, but I thought they just didn't get it or they are just behind. Turns out, there were nothing to get.

The boyfriend like sci-fi movie and b-movies alike, so we torrented it and watched it together. I have no idea who Debbie Gibson is or who Lorenzo Lamas is either. I wanted to quit watching 30 minutes in but the boyfriend was fascinated to see how bad it can be and bad it was.

The premise is that following an U.S. weapon testing in Alaska, a previously frozen megalodon-sized shark and an equally huge octopus was unleashed into the world. They are destroying ocean life as well as killing humans near Japan and US. So both governments are trying to destroy these creatures and save humanity. The first thing I notice is how bad the production value and the CGI are completely low grade. You can't really see how big the shark exactly is. I swear they have one footage on the shark swimming towards the camera on either Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel and they used it over and over again. Also, the same footage on an octopus closing its eye and they used it 10 times. It's completely lame. I was wishing they would at least do the 70s plastic playdoh monster frame by frame fight scene, but they didn't even do that. It was bad. I swear one shot they used a hand puppet shark to destroy the Golden Gate bridge.

What's equally bad was the script and the acting. I thought they would know how cheesy the concept is and have a little fun with it but I was convinced that they took themselves seriously in hope that the CGI would save themselves. I've seen 80s porno actors with better acting skills. The whole film was full of time fillers that's unnecessary and made no sense. Actors with lab coats mixing colored liquid and shaking their heads, submarine scenes where everyone was staring at a supposedly window like something is happening. The US prison looks exactly like the Japan prison where the same actors playing the prison guards are wearing the same sunglasses and holding the same guns. A Latino homeboy playing a Japanese guy, spelling errors on captions, bad lighting, bad editing, it's like nobody reviewed the film before it got published. And they are talking about a sequel? I've not seen anything worst in my life and I've walked out on 3 movies.

After seeing it, the boyfriend and I lied in bed discussing how bad it was for a good half hour. Only if John Waters could have directed this movie. It was so disappointing... Don't waste your time. F

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The Next Runway Contender

This lady is spotted outside Walmart wearing this...


(Via the Slog)

Um... Resourceful?

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Movie Review: Up

I have seen the preview trailer of Up for the past few months, it looked like a cute film and since everyone who saw it seems to really like it and even the critics seems to fall all over it, the boyfriend and I want to go see it too. Especially since it's a 3D film and the boyfriend loves 3D films.

I don't really know if 3D is the latest craze or not. I remember watching the last installment of The Nightmare on Elm Street and didn't think much of it. But I was surprised to be greeted by half a dozen of #D trailer of some upcoming movies. One that is called Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs looks particularly good, given it's a stupid premise but it looks cute and it's food related.

Feeling abandoned by his own society and after suffering a lost, 78 years old Carl decided to take on his lifelong dream of experiencing an adventure in South America where the legend of Paradise Fall lies. Along the way he picks up an Asian boy scout named Russell who is one "assisting a senior" badge away to becoming a senior wilderness explorer, a dog who can speak and a strange exotic bird. At the end, the old man discovered that life's biggest adventure is not necessarily far away from home but it's in the friendship one forms and its day-to-day life.

The first 5 to 10 minutes of the movie consists of a recount of the old man's life and it was most beautiful and touching. Even though the rest of the movie was good, somehow it didn't reach the same emotional height again. The movie repeatedly asks the question of what does one do after reaching ones dream and concludes that it's life's little boring things that matters and most memorable. I keep being distracted about having a 78 year old man battling a near centenarian, who are both unusually nimble. Carl's ability to haul a floating house and a kid through the forest is also a bit baffling, he's 78! But then there are a lot of pleasing visual elements like his house that's floating in the air with the support of thousands of helium balloons.

The 3D effect is not too show-y and distracting, the music score is also nice. I cracked up when a little girl cried loudly when things got a little too scary for her age. That kind of naivete is priceless. I think general audiences will find it hard to relate to an old man or an somewhat unreasonable Asian kid. The life lesson where you can find adventures in the small things might be lost as well. Though I don't find the movie extremely memorable in its plot or characters, I left the theater with a good feeling. B

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Weekend Meme: The Hate Meme

This week's meme is quite a hateful meme and I found it at Sunday Stealing yet again. Hate is a strong word, so let's all rant a bit...

1. Most hated food.
You have to experience it to know, but for the nth time, the most disgusting thing I've ever put in my mouth is dried oyster. Even counting all the sexual encounters in my years, I submit that there aren't worse thing. Speaking of which, sea urchin is pretty bad too.

2. Most hated person.
I strongly dislike selfish liars, and my exboss are such people. Taking money that are supposedly used for HIV/AIDS patients for their own trips and salary, but I guess everyone hates their bosses. There are a lot of politicians that I hate and of course stupid bigots like that Maggie Gallagher.

3. Most hated job.
I've actually been a security guard for 3 days and it bored me out of my mind. Really, almost made me crazy to stand around with nothing to do. I thought I sung every song I knew. I don't think it's something I can do.

4. Most hated city.
Of all the places I've been, I can't really say I hate any of them or else I wouldn't have lived or go there. But the boring ones include Providence, RI where I've lived for a bit more than 2 years, Equally boring is Harrisburg, PA, where everything closes at 6pm.

5. Most hated band.
Hated band huh? I don't really hate any band but usually I won't listen to the ruckus that is heavy metal.

6. Most hated website.
I wouldn't be reading it if I hate it but I would think WorldNetDaily that Joe mentioned a lot of time would be my most hated one. My boyfriend says he hates I Can Has Cheezburger. lol

7. Most hated TV program.
Anything that Bobby Flay is on. The 700 Club. The View just because of the Hasselback character.

8. Most hated politician.
Bush and Cheney, they just made themselves into such villains, it's like they didn't care.

9. Most hated artist.
I don't think I have any artists that I strongly dislike, the boyfriend says George O'Keefe.

10. Most hated book.
Any religious book that religious nuts would hold it up and use it to condemn people.

11. Most hated shop or store.
Wal-Mart. It's destructive to local and international economy.

12. Most hated organization.
Hateful organizations like NOM and the other "Family" orgs. Enough already.

13. Most hated historical event.
The Chinese cultural revolution. What a crock of shit!

14. Most hated sport.
Almost all sports. Can anyone tell me the purpose of American football? Like 40 people chasing a ball, why don't they each get their own? The players are paid enough to afford their own ball, then that way they won't have to fight over one ball.

15. Most hated technology.
It's a new thing, but who the hell wants to buy a Kindle? First, it's expensive and then people still have to buy electronic versions of books. They can't resell the books afterwards and the storage is really not that much. Is a book really that much heavier than Kindle? It's just a gadget meant for the showoffs. Vain.

16. Most hated annual event.
Not exactly hate but I find Valentine's day too, too commercial. And what if you don't have someone to celebrate it with? People jacks up the price of flowers, dining and chocolate while others eat their instant noodle cups and cry. Not pleasing all around.

17. Most hated daily task.
Dusting for me, I guess bill paying the second.

18. Most hated comedian.
Dennis Miller, Obnoxious and unfunny.

19. Most hated blog.
Well, if I hate it I wouldn't be reading it. So I don't know.

20. Most hated song.
Some mind numbing stuff. Madonna's "Spanish Lessons" was really bad. Also some rap or hip-hop stuff that keeps mentioning to people how great or rich the singer is is pretty bad too.

Have a great weekend folks!

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Never Forget...

Toaday, other than being me and the boyfriend's one month boyfriendhood anniversary, is the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident where hundreds of unarmed civilians and students were brutally killed by the Chinese army because of the student-led pro-democracy demonstration. Instead of handling it with communication and dignity, the Chinese government decided to close up all media channels and declared martial law, using assault rifles and tanks killing its own people. The death toll was never announced but it's estimated to be between 400-800 people by the New York Times and around 10,000 by some other sources.

I was living in Hong Kong then, which is a territory composed by Chinese people who considered themselves lucky to have escaped the cultural revolution under Mao, and these kind of shit is just reaffirmed their fears for the Chinese government. All we could have done is to join some local protests to echo the sentiment and create more bad press to counter the face saving mentality of the Chinese government. Some student organizer activists get caught and were forced to write apology letters, some others fled the country and took political asylum but the Chinese government have yet to learn. Just look at how they handle the protest in Tibet during the Olympics or how they are censoring any information mentioning the incident. The country is more prosperous, but the attitude and the brainwashing are still the same. (Open dialogues were never a policy in Chinese parenting, not until your parents need you to do something for them, but then there is always guilt.)

In fact, since all information around the issue is censored to such a degree that the younger Chinese are completely ignorant that anything like that actually happened. The life of the Chinese are not as tough now and people are satisfied with their country's economy and general direction while the past seems distant and irrelevant. The good news is that the country is progressing from seeing what democracy and capitalism is helping its people and perhaps true, true democracy can finally be implemented. But since it took us 5,000 years to reach this point, I'm not holding my breath for them.

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