Movie Night Galore

It started out with downloading free movie tickets form bestbuy.com for Peaceful Warrior last week. I printed out 10 tickets (the maximum) just in case anyone else wanted to watch the movie (for FREE!).

Last night we ended up using the free tickets to watch:


Then after that, we used two additional tickets to watch the actual movie:


Both movies were entertaining and I enjoyed both equally. Mark Wahlberg is a badass in Shooter and if it was anyone else in that role, it wouldn't have been as interesting. As a side note; Marky Mark is one of my favorite actors and I love Entourage (loosely based on Wahlberg's actual rise to super stardom). Peaceful Warrior is a movie based on Dan Millman's self-help novel with the same title. Slow at times but a nice message about life and personal growth; might be a little too philosophical and 'boring' for some.

I have 4-tickets left and may use it tomorrow? Thanks Bestbuy.

Vegas: Zumanity, the "take my money" show

Other than the rude awakening at the Wyndham/Fairfield timeshare presentation we had a fun filled weekend in the LV. Here is a quick run down:

Food:
-Buffet @ Ceasers
-Brazilian BBQ @ Aladdin (soon to be Planet Hollywood)
-Taqueria Canonita @ the Venetian
-Wendy's (prior to departure)

Gambling:
Kaini = +10 (would have been +20 if not for the roulette bet)
Jack = +135

Run:
Sat: 3.5 - 4 miles around UNLV
Sun: 6.5 miles down the strip to Sahara/Stratosphere and back

Shows:
Zumanity
(do not pay for this show unless you have made lots of money; even though you see some naked women, you also see two grown men kissing and caressing each other; not a pretty sight... truthfully it was a cabaret show that you could have seen for $20 at a different hotel; they just add the cirque du solei name and charge you $70+)

Pictures:

Wyndham/Fairfield Timeshare: Great Family Investment or Unadultered Rip-Off

After spending my first timeshare presentation with Wyndham/Fairfield, my personal conclusion is: if you buy a timeshare with Wyndham/Fairfield, it is almost the same is walking into a prison, taking off your pants, grabbing your ankles and saying, "hello Mr. Wyndham, hello Mr. Fairfield; please rape me for all you want!" It is ridiculous how hard they tried to push this sale even after they repeatedly said, it was 'no pressure'. Here are some of Wyndham/Fairfield tactics:

(Wyndham/Fairfield Sales Process):
1. Get you to a Wyndham/Fairfield resort by providing free theme park tickets, shows, etc.
2. Literally lock you in a room for an hour presentation (you CANNOT leave, even for the restroom)
3. The Wyndham/Fairfield head of sales tells you this sob story about a man who was a workaholic and who had his life changed after taking his daughter to Sea World. That person turns out to be him and he tears up in front of the guests.
4. After the emotional presentation describing vaction and family time and being with your loved ones (with a total lack of concrete information), a Wyndham/Fairfield timeshare sales agent tells you to sign up for the program for $53,000. You ask questions, get no answers, you say "NO".
5. They send in a 'financial' specialist and you find out that YOU are 'special' and can get a $12,000 discount. You ask questions, get no answers, you say "NO". (all this time, the Wyndham/Fairfield timeshare sales agents are telling you that you don't understand the program and pretty much make you feel 'dumb').
6. The closer comes out for the soft sell; asking you questions about the presentation and taking a survey. He then asks you to try out Wyndham/Fairfield for a smaller fee (~$2500) over the year and promise you will return after experiencing the vacations. You ask additional questions, get no answers except 'try it out for a year'. You say "NO", they finally kick you out.

Read this if you are really considering buying timeshare with Wyndham/Fairfield. I read on a different post that if you google Wyndham/Fairfield complaints you will get 500,000 results.
Wyndham/Fairfield Information

Additional thoughts on Wyndham/Fairfield timeshares:
1.) If the product was so great you would not have to give out free dinners and show tickets for someone to WANT your product
2.) If Wyndham/Fairfield timeshare was that great of a purchase, you would not need 3 sales people to try and sell me
3.) I think everyone who reads this should go on Wyndham/Fairfield right now and book a trip and listen to one of these presentations, say "NO", milk them for all the free gifts and piss them off

PS: If you are wondering why I typed Wyndham/Fairfield so many times in my blog; it is because I hope that by typing Wyndham/Fairfield in my text, someone googling Wyndham/Fairfield timeshare would result in a link to this blog and that individual could read the different tactics that Wyndham/Fairfield uses to trick innocent people into spending money for essential nothing. I once thought very highly of Wyndham resorts but after this experience, I will never stay at a Wyndham hotel and/or Farifield resort again.

Nice Collection

If you missed one of my original postings, a posting regarding PiRo's poo production; don't worry because here is another. Take a look at the picture; I really don't think this picture can justify the true beauty of these specimen. Add in yesterday's moisture in the air, some light rain, and you got yourself a masterpiece.

My finger in the picture (once again, for your reference):


PiRo standing (or rather sitting) proudly with her masterpiece:


And the best news yet; PiRo's production is on the rise. Mommy K just brought over 3 new bags of 'adult' chow as well as a grocery bag filled to the brim with doggy treats. More input = more output; PiRo continues to master this process.

A nice big bone treat to congratulate PiRo on setting new production records:


Mommy K, since you are moving to Desert Regional next week for your final rotation, I will take the liberty of starting a nice collection for you. Because we have common enemies, this puppy poo will come in handy soon.

Un-friendly California

After living internationally and out of state for awhile, I'm becoming to realize that California isn't really that friendly of a place to live. Other than nice weather and beautiful people, what else does California have to offer? Ok, I know California is definitely a 'melting pot' and a 'salad bowl' and definitely filled with diversity of culture, thought, and more importantly cuisine but so are other hot spots across the country. My biggest complaint of course is: traffic.

Here are some additional observations:
2000 sq. ft. home = $900,000 - $1,000,000; that is ridiculous. With $250,00 - $500,000 you could buy a 4000 sq. ft. ranch in a nice suburban area with great school districts in most parts of the country.

The way they treat 'outsiders'. When I went to New York, I walked into the DMV, asked how to obtain NY plates and license; in 15-minutes I filled out the necessary paper work and was issued a temporary license for $12 and took home my new set of NY plates. Back here in CA, I scheduled an appointment with the DMV yet still waited 30 minutes upon arrival. I've been driving in CA since I was 16, yet they require me to take the written test again and charged me $27 to issue a new license. At no point during my time spent inside the DMV did anyone smile. On the contrary, this hispanic person taking pictures made somewhat rude remarks.

Regardless of this, I still love California because this is where my roots lie; but truthfully before my time is up; I may be residing in a different state... maybe even a different country.

I got this picture on-line, the DMV I went to looked a lot worst...

Happy Birthday Allison

Too bad neither of us can enjoy one...

Back on Track

After a one week hiatus, I started training again; tough at first with 1.5-miles on Monday, 3-miles on Wednesday, 5-miles on Friday, and then my 8-mile long run today.

Quick break-down:
Mile 1)10.00
Mile 2)10.20
Mile 3)9.52
Mile 4)9.37
Mile 5)9.51
Mile 6)9.27
Mile 7)9.30
Mile 8)8.22

I felt a little tired after the run but warmed up, stretched (before & after), but I'm pretty sure I will be slightly sore tomorrow.

The stretching is helping out a lot; hopefully I will be fully back on track with the training program by next week.

I found out what drives me, what brings the passion out of me: hate, love, success, and failure. The Ying/Yang of life; they are all playing a role in my strive to successful finish this race.

Passion-less

I was working on my March Madness brackets yesterday when I came face to face with my alter-ego. He looked upon me and asked, "where did all your passion go?" That is a good question; where is my passion? My life seems life-'less' right now, work, home, run, sleep, eat, work, etc... at one point in life I had a passion for snow boarding, SCUBA diving, even running; but those flames have slowly dwindled and darkness has fallen over them. Connecting all this back to March Madness; basketball has always been a constant in my life since the 5th grade, it has been my true passion yet I have not played in the last few months. I can't even remember the last time I was in a pick-up game. Do all passions die? Does nothing last a life-time? I need a spark, a log, some coals, a little wind, anything to help me bring my passions back.

PS: I have two brackets running; I have Texas in one and Memphis in the other, going all the way (yes, I stayed away from Florida, Ohio, and UCLA...)

More War - Tribal Wars

Most of you know that I don't watch much TV and I'm not much of an online gamer. I haven't played any online games since CS back at Cal and I don't think I was that crazy over it. And that is why I enjoy this new game, Tribal Wars; the fact that I don't have to invest too much time and effort. My brother sent me a link last week and on a whim, I created a village and joined his Tribe (Tribe of Wii). What makes this game interesting is the fact that it is real time; you manage your own village, build troops, upgrade buildings, and raid other villages on real time. And there is an in-game clock that lets you know how long it will take to train/recruit new soldiers as well as how long it will take to upgrade your buildings. Just like fantasy sports (I am a big fantasy basketball fan); you can make some changes then leave it for the day. As long as you are active, the village continues to collect resources and build while you're away. I can give a few commands, go for a jog, have dinner, take a shower, come back and give a few more commands; read some magazines etc... easy to manage and interesting to be a part of this larger community; maybe that is why so many people immerse themselves in on-line games?!?!?! Regardless, this isn't too time consuming and I'd like to see how the game ends up (hopefully in large scale inter-continental warfare).

300

A blur of a weekend coupled with daylight savings = I need more sleep. It was a quiet weekend highlighted by a visit to Allison's house to see my favorite nephew, a trip to David's Bridal w/ Kaini & Co. to try on bridesmaid dresses, and taking my dad and Kaini to watch this year's first blockbuster movie, 300. I love the story and the history behind 300; the fight scenes were awesome but I wished it would have been a little longer with more historical content, or just more content in general. For my dad who probably only understood 1/2 of the dialogue (or less); this movie was probably just waves and waves of enemies getting slaughtered by Spartans; nothing wrong with this but it would have ranked with the greats (Braveheard, Gladiator, Last Samurai) if it had more substance.

PS: The Lakehouse w/ Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullocks is the stupidest movie ever.

Continued Growth

With Allison and Mike busy with Baby Aiden; Money has been hanging out in Diamond Bar keeping PiRo company. And with me starting my new position in Brea; I am grateful that PiRo has a close friend to hang out with. They are both growing together, becoming friends (or at least realizing they have no choice but to be with each other). PiRo is visibly larger than Money now; and it is no surprise because PiRo eats most of the food when I feed them. Here are some recent pictures of the duo.






PiRo Weekly Update

Age: 18 weeks
Weight: 20.5 pounds

training woes; worst case scenario

i blame myself for not taking the necessary preventive measures which has now resulted in a bad case of shin splints... historically i have always been susceptible to shin splints, i get a varying degree every time i start training after a 'long' hiatus... now, i will probably be out for one or two weeks (but i'll try to hop on my bike and work on my cardio); regardless this is a big set back in my preparations, i am not happy with this situation at all.

some things i have to do:
1.) proper warm-up, followed by stretches before my run
2.) 2nd set of stretches after the run
3.) if sore, massage and ice

SUAQBALB

Congratulations John and Vanessa

John and Vanessa held their wedding and reception in NYC yesterday. I was not able to make it out there but I definitely wish them a lifetime of happiness and love!

Manna: Korean BBQ

I had dinner at this Korean BBQ in LA yesterday; somewhere in Korea Town. Interesting quasi-outdoor atmosphere with lots of noise, people, and meat. Great for large gatherings and drunkfests; and for the carnivore in all of us.


True, it is All-U-Can-Eat for $15, but they really get you on drinks; most people at Manna are celebrating one thing or another and celebrating is a call for alcohol. Regardless, the food was just as expected (Korean BBQ) but I did confirm a few things about myself:
1.) I'm just not that interested in food
2.) I hate traffic in California (Saturday night there was traffic there and traffic back [at midnight] WTF!?!?)
3.) Based on #1 & #2, there is no reason to drive to LA for Korean BBQ, there are plenty locally; the cost does not justify the 2 1/2 hour round trip to get to Manna and back
4.) I'm not a big fan of Korean BBQ, too 'much' meat and you smell nasty afterwards


Other than the company, this was the only bright spot.

Other observations:
After most of my life in 'LA', I know very little about life outside suburbia. I feel there is so much to explore in LA... On the other hand, I lived in Corning, NY for a year and I felt like I owned the City. I ate at every single restaurant and frequented all the bars. I know more about Berkeley, Taipei, then I will ever know about LA. LA is a mystery to me and because there is traffic in every direction at all odd hours during the day, I'll gladly stay in the comfort of my home. City of Angels; yes, I'll discover you when I become one myself.