Teeny Weeny Bottles of Alcohol

I am not a big drinker by any stretch of the imagination. However, I do enjoy a fruity mixed drink on occasion. Recently, I had call to stop by the large chain liqour store to pick up a few things, those little bottles that they serve on airplanes and in your hotel room. They are convenient for me since the quantities are more suited to my palate. There is quite a range to choose from as well. Although, the packaging was a bit dissappointing. Many of the full-sized bottles come in glass. Many of the miniature versions came in plastic. I appreciate the effort when putting them in glass. However, I do take into consideration that the plastic is more durable is needed to be carried around

A Woman...

A woman is never as beautiful as when she is happy...cheers to all you happy women

Soup, it does a body good

On a cold day, nothing beats a nice bowl of soup. Hot clear broth has its purposes but I love a nice bowl of hearty chowder, noodle soup piled high with ingredients, or a stick to the ribs stew. The thick chowder not only warms the body but the creamy flavor in addition to the briny flavor of clams elevates me to a higher mental state. Noodle soups abound in Asia. A nice pho from Vietnam has a rich beefy flavor with rice noodles and thin slices of beef. Whenever I visit Tokyo in winter, I have ramen at least once. Some of which have been chronicled here in previous posts. The accompaniment of miso soup to most meals is also welcomed. Korea has a some great stews made with kimchi and tofu as well as other additions.

Its one of those great comfort foods that you can snuggle up to

Merry Xmas!

To friends and family who stop by my blog on this day, Merry Christmas! Now go back to bed

Christmas Eve Will Find Me...

The dawning of Chirstmas Eve and Im sure everyone is waking up to a much deserved holiday. I, however, and many others will be at work today. My mind will be filled, daydreaming of the end of the day when I can look forward to beginning my holiday.

Merry Christmas.

Season's Greeting and Happy Holidays, for the PC crowd

Sunrise

So how can you talk about sunsets without talking about sunrise. Without further ado, here is this mornings sunrise. Unless you are familiar with the landscape of the city, I could have swapped the two pictures and you would have never known which is which. For that matter, give a few more years and Ill probably forget

Sunset

Sunset over Twin Peaks. You can barely make out the peaks from the glare of the sun.

Christmas Eve Eve...A Bad Rhyme By Me

Tis the morning
On the eve of the eve

Awaken by my alarm
In a hurry I leave

To get to work
In time I believe

When will this day end
Let it end now oh please oh please

Now its time to go home
Dash away home in my truck of green

Time to go to bed
To get some rest while I sleep

Back to work on the morrow
Everyone's off, it feels, except for me

Bakeries

I think that bakeries are some of the happiest places on earth, at least for me. The smell of warm bread warms the heart. The sight of sweet pastries to delight the eyes and the tongue. I dont believe that I have ever left a bakery upset. How I went in is a different story. The clientelle usually seems in a up mood as well. Relaxing with some coffee and something to nosh on while chatting with each other or deeply focused while reading.

Happy maybe for me but some of the workers have to wake up very early to get their wares ready for sale by the time the shop opens

Trivial Question-Business/First Class or Coach

I have made an observation recently on the portrayal of air travel in the movies and on TV. There are exceptions to the rule of course. Whenever people fly, they will fly in coach if its a comedy. Otherwise, they look like they fly in business or first class. Although, there are times they are supposed to be in coach but have way too much room. I would count that in the latter case.

Any how, flying in economy is always a joke because of the cramped spaces and possible foul passenger next to you. You dont want to ruin a moment between two lovers in a serious discussion by having the passenger next to them proturding his elbowes. In serious movies, people need to have time to be alone and contemplate some heavy thoughts while peering out the window from a very ample seat.

Without knowing what you are watching, try to guess the genre of what you are watching just by their seating class on the plane. I guess my life is a comedy since I can only afford coach.

Iron Man 2 Trailer

One of the best movies I have seen in recent years was Iron Man. It popularity spawned a sequel, duh. You can easily find the trailer on the net. Im looking forward to the May release.

Tiger Woods NOT Out Of The Woods cont

Well, just when you think this couldn't get any worse, this thing has gone totally nuclear. More than a handful of women have come out professing to have transgressed with the golfer. A few sponsers have left while some are still evaluating their options. Most of his larger backers have stuck with him. When scandals like this occur, people come out of the woodwork, no pun intended, to try to grab some noteriety or payment. Greed, just plain greed, drive people to do this.



However, there is alot of arrogance on Tiger's part. He wanted to craft this whole image that he presents to the world. But, as we have found, that is not who he really is. If he had stopped long ago, he may not have ever caught up in this. So, he kept on doing what he did and involved alot of people in his misdeeds. He is finding out the hard way that you cant have the public and media to love you and adore you only when you want to.

On The Job-Carlotta's Fountain

I may have mentioned this before in a previous post. But, this is Carlotta's Fountain, located at the intersection of 3rd St, Market St, Geary St, and Kearny St.

This became the focal point of the Great Earthquake of 1906. It became a meeting point as it was one of the remaining sources of water still functioning.

It remains a gather point as people gather on the exact date and time the quake struck. Looking down Market St towards the bay

The number of survivors dwindles each year. The last remaining survivors were barely born as the tragedy unfolded. I doubt they were even aware of what was going on at such a young age

I dont recall what the original was but it was painted gold several years ago

On The Job-Union Square For The Holidays cont

A post, not too long ago, about Union Square as it was getting ready for the upcoming holiday season. Since then, they have already had the lighting ceremony for the tree. Here it is in all its decorated glory. Not to offend anyone, a menorah is located nearby

Even the ice rink has opened up to all and folks are enjoying the skating in the crisp December air. Die hard shoppers may not even notice the rink but it provides a nice distraction to those who are just milling about or need a break from the shopping madness.
Some of the retailers around the square have also put up their own trees and decorations around the entrances and window displays beckoning all to enter and peruse their goods. Christmas is, of course, the time department stores and shops relish as most of their profits occur during this time. With the economy the way it has been, they, like the rest of us, are hoping for a good year.

Xmas Get Together

Over the weekend, I had a holiday party with some friends. These affairs are usually potlucks where everyone brings a little something for dinner. Scratch that, everyone brings alot of food for dinner. Quantities usually involve having enough to feed everyone. When you multiply that by the number of people present, it amounts to alot of take home. Some forcibly insisted upon. Others practicing stealth and underhandedness to make sure some items leave the hosts' home.

During this fest, we do a white elephant gift exchange. Participants bring a gift and place it in a pile. They randomly pick a number to determine the pecking order. As it becomes your turn to pick, you have two options: pick a new gift from the pile or take a previously opened gift. Sadly, the first person to pick is not afforded the latter option unless provisioned for. If an opened gift is nicked, then that person will have to go through it all over again. To keep popular gifts from exchanging hands too often, there is a limit of 2-3 steals depending on number of guests.

Its always alot of fun and always great to get together with friends during the holiday season.

Captive Santa Breeding Program

There is only one known breeding Santa in the wild. Sightings are most common during the December 24 evening, but very little else during the rest of the year. Because of this, a captive breeding program for Santas was developed many decades ago. During the December month, these captive Santas are put on display to celebrate the success of the program. Faux habitats mirroring their natural habitats are festooned in red, green, and gold and pop-up in many malls and department stores. The wild Santa has a vey shy and elusive nature. The captive bred have those traits substituted with those that make it more appealling to the general populace. The Santa are usually very skittish and are want to scurry up a chimney if it knows its being watched. The Santas at these urban locations are more docile and very willing to interact with kids.

Sadly, the inhabitant of this enclosure was not present during the taking of this picture. Due to the cannibalistic diet of bad girls and boys, the Santa is hidden away during feeding time so as not to frighten small children.

Building Models

As a wee lad, one of my hobbies was building plastic models. It started with cars and dragsters. From their I began assembling military vehicles: planes, tanks, helicopters. Later as my interest in Japan blossomed, it evolved into robots from Gundam and Macross. I used to have a greater attention span back then. I was once able to sit quietly while shaving off extra plastic from the pieces, wait for newly glued pieces to dry, and carefully paint and place decals.

Several years ago, I tried to start this up again with a model that I bought a while back but never got around to putting together. I became too impatient at just taking the pieces off the sprue which did not forbode very well for the rest of the task. Long story short, it hit the trash before I got half way through it

I wasnt a very good builder of models but I did enjoy the past time. I didnt have a digital camera at the time so there is no record of any of my builds, fortunately.

Jobs

We will have worked at many jobs up to this point and this may not be the last job we work at either.

Some of the jobs Ive had, in no particular order-
Paperboy
Video game tester
Soda jerk/ice cream cerver
Tech support
Package sorter

Who knows what I will be working as in the future. What jobs have you done?

Choppers, helicopters not motorcycles

Helicopters began as utiltitarian vehicles ferrying supplies and personnel. Then there was the need to arm them with rockets and machine guns. Thus was born the attack helicopter. The first true one of its breed was the AH1 Cobra developed during the Vietnam war. It was elegant in its design as it was very slim and posed a small signature as it approached head on.

The updated AH1Z Super Cobra

The main attack chopper is the AH64 Apache. Similar in many ways to the Cobra with a chin mounted machine gun and stubby wings to attach rockets and Hellfire guided missiles

Gee, Tanks!

Sure to scare the bejeezus of any infantry unit is the rumble and thunder of a main battle tank, MBT. With military forces around the world shrinking, there is less of a need for these behemoths. So, fewer and fewer forces are able support them. There has been no development of a remotely operated or autonomous vehicles as there have been on aerial craft.

M1 Abrams- the MBT of the US, one of the fastest in the world

Challenger- from our allies across the pond

Merkava- used by Israeli forces

Just Plane Awesome

The US armed forces have enjoyed the benefits of air superiority through many wars and conflicts. The great use of technology has kept us just a step ahead. Here are some of my favorites.

F16 Falcon- an agile fighter that can take on the best in the world
F15 Eagle- a fighter so versatile that it was even configured to shoot down satellites
F22 Raptor- the current elite top of the line fighter to replace the F15 and many others

A10 Thunderbolt- one of the most lethal attack planes to ever be made. Its main gun shoots rounds the size of milk bottles with depleted uranium cores to punch through most known tank armor. Its odd looks belies it capabilities.

SR71 Blackbird- a feat of aerospace engineering. Few planes have ever flown as high and no plane has ever flown faster at speeds around mach 3. Used to take aerial, the Blackbird was able to fly faster than any known missile of the time. I had seen one on the deck of the USS Intrepid in NY and at a aviation museum in Seattle. I dont know how many were made but this is the most number gathered that I have ever seen.

Tiger Woods NOT Out Of The Woods

Tiger has got himself into quite a scandal. The facts have not been borne out one way or another yet. But, his behaviour did seem to indicate that he had something to hide. He did not want to talk to the police. If he did, his information would have leaked out to the public very quickly. No press conference or anything like that. He just posted a statement on his website which really was crafted to really say nothing. There have been recordings and accounts which now paint him in a very bad light. Even the guy who introduced Tiger to his wife, Elin, wants to apologize to her for Tiger's transgressions. Tiger has crafted his image to be very clean and now its all falling down around him. Most of his biggest sponsers are still supporting him but Im sure he will still lose a few.

I think he's been a bad boy by just how hard he's been trying to hide something

Shoot!

There is power in a firearm. There is engineering skill designed into a firearm. There can also be beauty in a firearm. Like many, my interest began when I was young and would ogle and drool over having a bb gun. As I grew older, I got to explore this more and more and participate in a wide range of activities. In high school, I got to take a class in marksmanship. I have been to the range on a number of occassions. I played paintball for several years. I believe in peoples' rights to own a firearm. However, Im not as fanatical about gun laws as the NRA. But they do serve a purpose in protecting our rights. I can only lust after some these objects as laws and finances prevent me from ever owning the real thing. However, replicas and functioning airsoft duplicates help to ease the pangs

Theres engineering magic and efficiency in an MP5, a sub machine gun widely hailed and utilized

A P90 has some beautiful lines in its flowing design and compactness. Its mix of curved and straight lines appeals to aesthetics

Weapons like the minigun are undeniably powerful. The whine when in use is unmistakable

These guns are not usually available to most people. Hoever, there are events around the US where you get the chance to handle and fire these machines in their full auto extreme

At Dinner-Japan Town

Went to Japan Town for dinner. It gets dark pretty quick in the city nowadays. I posted a bit about Japan Town earlier and posted some exterior photos. I also reviewed one of the restaurants before.

In the Kintetsu building, their restaurant row is shown below. The available restaurants include Isobune (sushi on floating boats that revolve around the chefs in front of the customers), Benihana (Teppanyaki), Osaka-ya, Mifune (noodles), and Kushi Tsuru (deep fried food on a stick).

I dined at Kushi Tsuru. Like many Japanese restaurants, they display their menu items in the window to entice your appetite. Aside from deep fried items on a stick, they also offer their usual standard fare of items like teriyaki, some sushi, and rice bowls.


This is the walkway that connects the two major buildings together. On the left is a senior citizen center as well as a kimono shop and a shop that sells uniquely Japanese items. On the right is a shop that promotes the local Taiko (drum) performers


The Kinokuniya building houses the bookstore that stradles both floors. There are also a number of resturants on both floors as well. A hoppy shop with Japanese models and figures and video rental store are located on the bottom floors

Someone For Everyone

There is an adage that states that there is a match for everyone. I think thats a nice thought to hold on to whether you are gay, straight, or otherwise. Please, no inter-species romances! However, the pessimisst in me poses a question in defiance of that saying. Lets say that there is a perfect match for you. Its not so much a question of do you think that person is the match. But, even before that, is the person even in your local area. If that person is half a world away you may never even meet that person unless you travel there. Even then, you still need to find them amongst the millions and you may even need to get over the language barrier.

I am inexplicably drawn to Japan. Is my match there? Maybe thats why I try to go back year after year. Subconsciously, I think I can find Mrs RogueDogue there. *Keeps fingers crossed*

Family Stickers

Driving around I have noticed something on a number of cars lately. You've probably seen them too on family cars, minivans primarily. These are stickers on the back window depicting a family, parents and their kids. Sometimes, the family pet as well. Usually they are in the form of people but I have seen a few, probably from Hawaii, being represented by plumeria flowers or turtles. These are only the ones Ive seen. Im sure there are a number of other variations out there. They are almost getting to the level of the "Baby On Baord" stickers that were so prevalent many years ago.

Black Friday

This day is for camping out overnight after the turkey dinner in hopes of grabbing great bargains the next morning at department stores and other retail outlets. Hordes of people bum rush the doors if they are open even a crack and the inside air wafts out the sharks in the water who have been waiting in line since the wee early hours. I cant that that I have ever indulged in this activity as I would rather sleep!! But more power to the people who are willing to brave the elements. All I can say is "Be safe out there and try not to trample the old lady looking to buy a warm blanket."

Its the beginning of the end...

Its the beginning of the end...of the year. The traditional year end festivities usually begin after the Thanksgiving Holiday. Black Friday, Christmas shopping, Christmas, and finally New Years Eve before the year gets wrapped up. See you on the flip side.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Eve

There's Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. The days before a major holiday. How come we dont call all of these days Eves? Memorial Day Eve, Labor Day Eve, or Thanksgiving Eve? 4th of July Eve would just be 3rd of July.

Movie Review-Ninja Assassin

Last night I attended a screening of this movie. Before the preview started there was a demonstartion of martial arts by a Chinese Kung Fu gym. Also, before the movie started, the star of the movie, Korean singer Rain, made a brief, very brief appearance before disappearing into the shadows and making his egress, just like a ninja. May have been a whole 30 seconds. He was wearing a hat that covered most of his face, just like a ninja.

Parental warning. There is copious amounts of blood and alot of graphic slicing and dicing. For the ladies, Rain does go topless quite a bit in the later half.

The story tells of a clan of ninjas who abduct young children and raise and train them to be deadly hires in the ways of the stealthy killers of lore. Specifically, we follow Raizo(Rain) from his introduction into the family to present day. He trains, learns, and is forced into the ways and laws of the master ninja. But, only to a point as his conscience can no longer permit him to become the master's prodigal son. There is no leaving the clan once you are in. He commits betrayl and becomes the hunted. His mission in life then is to bring down those who brought him up.

Theres some good martial arts and fighting scenes peppered with gunplay. The climactic final fight was shot very well against the backdrop of a burning building. The combatants sihouetted as dark shadowy figures with red-orange flames accentuating and highlighting their attacks and parrys. Theres some CG but its not as obvious and does not get in the way of the visuals. Instead it enhances the spectacles, as it should. Rain has very few lines and the ones he does have are very short. However, that is to be expected of foreign actors who are trying to break into the American movie market, ie Schwarzenegger, Van Damme, etc.

I was sitting in the second row so my viewpoint was not very good but I can still reccommend this as a bargain matinee

On The Job-Union Square For The Holidays

In the heart of dowtown lies Union Square. I have posted about this location before but they are now getting it ready for the Christmas. Unfortunately, this was an overcast day. A few hours later, it did begin to rain a bit. As we get into the holiday season, the plaza is being festooned with all the trimmings for the holidays. The center point of any Christmas display is always the large tree. Here workers are still adding lights and decorations to make look so purty. The lighting ceremony is scheduled for later and always is a thrill and delight to all who attend


The focal point of the area is the availability large number of big retail and well known shops that ring the square. On the south side is Macys with The Cheesecake Factory atop this location for those who like to take a break during their marathon shopping forays

Neiman Marcus is located in the southeast corner. In the foreground, you will see some white tent tops. For the season, a temporary ice rink is set up. Another larger outdoor skating rink is located at the Embarcadero Center at Justin Herman Plaza
To the delight of young and old kids alike, they can while away the hours gliding on the ice. Hot beverages to warm the hands and hearts. The festive mood is most evident during the evening and night hours when people are off work and can partake of the fun

To the north, there is also Saks, Tiffany, and Williams Sonoma. Other stores located within the vicinity include Nike, Disney Store, Barney's, Borders, etc. There is affordable underground parking below but can fill up very quickly. Other parking garages are availble within close walking proximity

Soccer?

Soccer or football is not as big a sport as baseball, basketball, or american football in the states. The popularity and fanaticism the rest of the world lauds on the game is not mirrored here. It has grown in acceptance over the years. However, we still dont hear too much about soccer scholarships or the big soccer game coming up on the weekend that weveryone will be watching. We mainly hear about pee wee soccer and soccer moms

Japan Town

Japan Town is the epicenter for the Japanese community in the city. Aside from the community center, there is a thriving retail presence that caters to the Japanese taste as well as everyone else. The complex borders on Geary Boulevard which is one of the main east-west throughfares in the city. This western-most structure, the Kinokuniya building, houses a movie theater, bookstore, and video rental shop as well as other retail and restaurants


On the eastern side, across Webster St from Kinokuniya building, is the Kintetsu building. There is an open plaza where the pagoda tower. Each are named for Peace. This building also houses many retail establishements and restaurants as well as a supermarket
The Peace Plaza and Peace Pagoda on a sunny day. A stage is setup for performances here during the many festivals that are held here including the Cherry Blossom and Nihonmachi Festival. The plaza was pretty plain but delightfully renovated several years ago

Acroos the street from the Peace Plaza is another open area lined with retail and restaurants

Here is a bridge that spans Webster St and connects the two main buildings together with a covered causeway for pedestrians to use. Not to let any space go to waste, the walkway also houses some retail and a restaurant

Business Trip Massage

Whenever you are away and stay in a hotel/motel, there are invariably flyers and brochures for local restaurants/shops or for services the establishment can provide. On my last trip to Tokyo, I happen to notice this flyer inside my room advertising for massages. The hotel is part of a chain of business hotels troughout Japan. The man's face is not pictured but I would imagine that it would have been plastered with a big smile

The layout of my blog

In my personal blog, I talk about all kinds of things. I post pictures on occassion, alot less often than I would like. The blog's interface has pictures from Japan that I have taken. I have a certain affection for Japan and Tokyo in particular. As a child, Japan was always the first place I wanted to visit when I had the chance. When I started travelling overseas, this was the first place I went to. Practically, every year since my first visit, I have made the pilgramage back there. I feel at home in Tokyo. I can't speak, read, or write the language but that does not deter me in the least. I always look forward to making some excuse to going back. Next year, I plan to go to Seoul, South Korea. I hope to visit Tokyo since I will be in Asia. So, the layout of my blog is an homage to the country that is very dear to me

The bite of Winter

Winter has not officially befallen us but it sure feels like its already barged its way in. The northwest has already been hit with some sizeable snowfall, enough for some to break out the skis and boards. The Sierras has not even had a slight dusting of powder yet. I used to anticipate the first flakes and start to get my gear ready for the first trip of the season. I still love the winter scenery but the cold bites through these old bones and flesh of mine. I used to be able to endure the cold. What got to me was the wind. It would strip the layer of heat my body generates and leave me naked in the cold.

Influenced by TV

I have always bowed to the will of television and have been very aware of that. Sometimes, I am caught off guard about how freely I let it influence me. Ive travelled to a few places and there are places that I want to travel to. I have a small list of the places that I would like to visit in the back of my mind. They also happen to be in the order that I would like to visit them in. Lately, I have been watching Korean programing that I get over the air, some subtitled and some not. This has been going on for months now. Now, before I knew, I started planning to visit Seoul early next year. Previously, Korea was not in the top 5. This was due mainly to their cuisine not being in the top 5 as well, for me. Now, its shot to the top as my next destination. I have no qualms about travelling there and not knowing any of the language. I cant read, speak, or understand the native language, but I have confidence that I can get by. The only thing that pokes at me is what will I eat while I am there. It can't all be barbecue for the whole trip, that would get a bit pricey and mundane. I am somewhat familiar with some of the dishes that they serve but most are a mystery to me. Unfortunately, alot of their dishes do not look very appetizing from the start. I defninitely dont want to be eating american fast food too much while Im there. Wish me and my stomach luck.

Random Thought-Plural "us"

So, we know that most words, when pluralized, will end in usualy an "s" ir "es". However there are exceptions. Matrices is the plural of matrix. Sure it still ends in "es" but we have to swap out the "x" for a "c". All in all, thats not too much of a stretch. Then there are the words that end in "us" like octopus or radius. We would like to say octopuses or radiuses but that would be incorrect. The correct plurals would be octopi or radii. This does not come to mind very quickly when asked this question. Oh well, that would mean the plural of Toyota's hybrid would be Prii and not Priuses.

On The Job-Columbus St

Columbus Street runs through two of the city's better known neighborhoods, North Beach and Chinatown. It runs from Fisherman's Wharf to the Transamerica Pyramid in downtown.

The North Beach area is known for its Italian heritage. Thusly, this district has many shops and restaurants that mirror this theme. Below is one of many Italian bakeries, Stella.

Another favorite is the street side cafes and restaurants that are busy during the nice balmy weekend nights

While in Paris, I found these places to be quite restful and great places to people watch. We, in the states, are too hurried and rushed to be able to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee

Known for its loving use of garlic, places like The Stinking Rose is a favorite place for people to dine