Merry Christmas Bobcat!

I got to drive a Bobcat skidsteer loader today. It drives like a tank and has loads of power. It was awesome!

Jackpot!

Shoko and I were at Gameworks the other day. After a while of racing each other and shooting at enemies, we decided to go to the ticket game area.

We randomly selected games to play, since we weren't expecting anything from any of these games. The one that left us happy was one where a platform is filled with holes that have different ticket values. The 100 and Jackpot holes were raised up from this platform about half an inch, preventing the ball from just rolling in. I randomly hit the button for this game, the ball drops down, bounces around, and settles down and rolls around. At this point, I had given up on any big winning from the game.

The next moment, the ball gets stuck between this little piece of plastic sticking out of the glass and the raised Jackpot hole. The platform stops. And a half second later, the platform starts rotating and the ball cleanly drops into the Jackpot hole. JACKPOT!

We won 339 tickets on this single turn. We were ecstatic, especially because the little kids around us were looking at us very jealously. Awesome.

I also won two Disney characters from the claw game that day. It was very successful indeed.

Thank You Glaceau!

I sent the makers of Vitamin Energy an appreciation email for making an energy drink that actually tastes good. So they sent me a nice response and a care package consisting of a Vitamin Energy hat and the following letter:

dear bob,

we know how busy people are these days, and to take time out of your day to contact us well that's just great. you obviously know a good thing when you see it and we the makers of glaceau (vitaminwater, smartwater and fruitwater) really appreciate you for doing this. as a matter of fact, we live to get these letters. our ceo and founder, darius, reads them to the internal staff on hawaiian shirt day, which is usually the fourth friday of the month. afterwards, we talk about our favorites and celebrate with a luau in the parking lot.

your email was truly appreciated. to show my appreciation, i have chosen to make you our "consumer of the day" and send you this special care package. i hope that you enjoy it and that you continue to enjoy our products.

...

thank you again, and remember to drink better water!

sincerely,

mike averell
glaceau

What an awesome surprise on dead week! Thanks Glaceau!

Where have I been?

Ive been busy with EVERYTHING so here is a picture of ramen from Ken's Noodle Shnp in Boston. Oh delicious ramen...

Boston, Where The Food is Ridiculously Amazing

Although it might not look it, this is one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had.

Last night, my girlfriend and I made our way to the North End of Boston. It is literally "Little Italy" over there. Streets are narrow and crowded with people. Gelato shops every so often, accordion and violin players make music to the night, and even Italian gift shops claimed their place. For being in the United States, it was a great, European atmosphere.

After much researching, we decided to go to a restaurant called "Giacomo's" on Hanover Street. We read their food was great, but don't take reservations in their 30 or so seat restaurant. Waits can be nearly an hour at times, but we decided to go for it. I'm glad my girlfriend understands why I can wait for good food!

The calamari, put simply, was great. The crispy breading and fresh squid made for an unbeatable dish.

The ziti with shrimp and clam in a garlic white sauce that my girlfriend ordered was just as satisfying. Great garlic flavor with an abundance of seafood flavorings blended together very, very nicely.

My order, one of the specials of the night, the 1/2 lobster, mussels, and clams over linguini with their "Giacomo's" house sauce was honestly the best pasta dish I have ever had. Of course, the seafood was fresh and generously served, but the sauce was incredible. They use lobster as a main flavoring for their house sauce and once you get a bite of that in your mouth, the lobster flavor takes off in all directions and massage your palates like no other. Seriously, this is a wonderful sauce. Mix that with fresh seafoods and you will truly understand what I am talking about.

We definitely had leftovers with the order above...and you know how much I can eat good food. The cost is very, very reasonable for what they give you too. That always leaves that after-dining satisfaction.

If you are ever in Boston, make sure to make your way to "Giacomo's". Just be ready to wait in line a bit. Don't worry if you get extremely hungry during the wait: their portion is LARGE.

Boston Career Forum

It was an interesting weekend for me here in Boston. I got a good glimpse of what is expected from Japanese companies and it turned out to be a lot different than I expected. To word it differently, Japanese companies really want to accommodate to you and help both you and the company grow. To word it symbolically, American companies are restocking shelves whereas Japanese companies are trying to solve a puzzle.

I Voted Today

I had to wake up early, sacrifice sleep time, and wait in line for 30 mins but I voted. The process was simple: wait in line, show my Purdue ID, sign a paper, receive a ballot IC chip card, slide it into machine, vote for your state and country representatives. The system is simple and fast. Hopefully, a recount will be avoided this year.

Vote!

For any Indiana residents reading this...vote! Its a very close race on day two of early elections and can swing either way. Voice your opinion at this important time and make a difference!

Gas Price to Be Joyful About!

When was the last time we saw this?

1st Place

Trophy for the fastest time at the Maywood Park Autocross in my MR2!

Nuclear Aquarium

The green glow illuminates the room around it.

Good Beer, Great Friends, Awesome Night

The Place: Chicago Brauhaus
The Drink: German Beer
The People: Me, Anthony, Luke, Marco, Adam, Yo, Yo's significant other, Kelly
The Enjoyment: Endless

Vitamin Energy - The Yellow Can

It helped get me through the toughest times. Thanks Vitamin Energy Tropical Citrus!

A Message From Shoko!

Barack Obama visited a local Walgreens...

Ok, it wasnt really him but it really looked like him from behind!

Liquid Machinery

Inside the Knoy114 fluid powers lab.

Round Barn Winery

The grapes that powers the winery.

Skyline GTR

My heart stopped for a second when I saw this car in my rear-view mirror. The new Nissan Skyline GTR. There is no need to say more.

Seaside Town

North Quincy, near Boston, MA. A seaside resort along the Atlantic filled with restaurants and the smell of the ocean breeze.

Jamaica Blue Mountain

Fresh roasted and brewed by my dad. This so called world's best coffee is still in testing and tasting stage.

A Sure Sign of Summer

Bbq smoke on a warm July sunset.

A Little DJ Fun

I don't ever post videos on my blog, but this will be a first. This video just shows a little fun I'm having with my new Behringer BCD3000.

I'm hoping to at least have some mixes up soon! Stay tuned.

4th of July at Park Ridge

The 3rd of July has always been the date for fireworks in Park Ridge. Thousands of people flock to this every year, but I hadn't gone in probably 4 years. It was exciting, to say the least, to come back to a place where I used to go every year. It's usually spent with family, but this time it was spent with friends and alcohol. Lots of fun either way.

But I still do miss the Brown's Chicken and 4th of July fireworks combination. Brown's Chicken is no more and where it used to stand is the new train station in Park Ridge. Oh well, it is still the anniversary of the US either way!

The Start of My DJ Career

I'm officially a bedroom DJ. One of those guys who thinks it's cool to put two songs written by somebody else together in the comfort of their bedroom. Well, its actually lots of fun blasting your favorite songs and making them flow!

My weapons of choice:
Behringer BCD3000 MIDI Controller-connected to my Asus 12.1" laptop
Sennheiser HD205 Headphones
Old Pioneer Receiver
Old Aiwa Speakers

My first goal as a DJ: to get good enough to 'spin' at my friend's apartment by the end of the summer. Stay tuned.

Lizzy's Charles River Crunch

Rich, chocolatey, crunchy. Power packed ice cream. You can survive a month with a spoonful. Of course, you would never be able to stop at one bite.

Lizzy's Homemade Ice Cream
367 Moody St.
Waltham, MA
http://www.lizzysicecream.com/

Empire Restaurant, Boston

Dim sum at its fanciest. The restaurant is located in what looks like an antique theater. Complete with ceiling murals and rotundas.

The dim sum was delicious too.

Sky what?

Bad advertisement.

2008 Midwest MR2 Owners Club Meet

Sorry about the bad picture, it was a photo I took with my Canon Digital Rebel XT displayed onto the monitor.

Anyway, it was the 2008 Annual Midwest MR2 Owners Club Meet today and boy was it a good time! 17 MR2's made it to the meet, but more MR2's owners with alternative cars made it too!

Of all the car meets I have been to, this one was definitely the best. The people are by far the most mature, level headed, yet fun. Average age was probably mid 20's so everyone was either around my age or a little older. We definitely got along.

The weather started out bad, with thunderstorms lurking around our Chicago meeting area, then clearing up for the drive to Wisconsin. We enjoyed lots of laughs, good food, and great weather through the time we were there. Rain started falling toward the end of the meet and that ended the meet for most of us.

I'm a bit sun burned and itching with mosquito bites, but with all the people I met today, those are only minor problems!

Hai Yen in Lincoln Park

This was my first Vietnamese meal this year. It was a good one.

My parents and I went to a restaurant called Hai Yen on 2723 N Clark in the Lincoln Park area. There is also another one in the Vietnamese town on Argyle street. The Clark location of Hai Yen is in the midst of a great eatery and shopping area of Clark and is filled with shoppers and hungry people. The hustle and bustle of a busy street filled with cars and people always make me a little excited.

It was about 80 degrees outside and the sun behind some clouds as we got to the restaurant. Its front was wide open so we had to think to enter through the front where there used to be a wall or the door that was still there. We entered through the door to be safe.

An initial look at the restaurant: bar to the left, tables that seat 4 in 3 rows, dark wood, dark lighting, but with natural light beaming from outside. It was comfortable to the eyes and comfortably contemporary.

The menu featured a wide range of Vietnamese foods, all in their proper Vietnamese names. We had the honor of having the only Vietnamese speaking waitress that night. She easily stumped us on the names of the dishes, so only the numbers were read.

An appetizer of Vietnamese sausage wrapped in some kind of Hawaiian leaf (Bo La Lot - $6, pictured above) and fresh, unfried spring rolls (Goi Cuon - $4.50) were ordered. The sausage had an abundant flavor but wasn't too overwhelming. It seemed deep fried so it may not be one for the light eaters, but great for the meat lovers. We ordered spring rolls with not shrimp, but grilled beef because of my mom's allergies. She was definitely delighted to see that she IS able to get spring rolls without worrying about her allergies. It was a different pace for the spring rolls but nothing unfortunate. The grilled beef went very well with the Vietnamese vermicelli noodles and the fresh vegetables inside.

For our main dishes, we got a dish with Chilean sea bass (Ca Hap Xi Dau - $16) , chicken curry (Cari Ga - $10), and pork chops (Com Suon - $10), all done Vietnamese. Surprisingly, the Chilean sea bass was very Japanese, with soy sauce as the main flavoring and very good use of fish broth for the sauce. The sea bass was as fresh as can be in the Midwest and had a perfect amount of fat. My dad enjoyed this dish very much as he does not have a taste for much else than Japanese food. The chicken curry that my mom got was also satisfying. Similar to Thai curry, coconut milk was used to blend the flavors together. There were big cuts of chicken, taro potatoes, normal potatoes, and very sweet carrots that were cooked very well. The curry itself was not very hot, but had good flavorings with different spices which I can't even imagine what that consists of. The pork chops were a perfect order for me, as it came with a good amount of meat and great flavor. The pork chop had a great barbecue flavor to it, but thinking back, I remember there being some breading on the chop. I can't tell you how they did it, but it was delicious.

My mom is one of those people who decides her main meal after looking at the dessert menu. She always needs to end with a dessert. So she picked the Chocolate Pyramid ($6) which is a hazelnut mousse and chocolate ganache filled chocolate...in the shape of a pyramid. I'm not a dessert enthusiast, but I do have my fair share of sweets that really open my eyes, but this was not one of them. It felt premade and came out of a box. The overly sweet everything of the dessert was not a good compliment to the great dinner we just had. I had two bites and I was done.

Overall, this is a great place for a relaxed, casual dinner. The prices are good for what you get, but I think you can find better prices down Argyle street. But for the atmosphere, the location, and the satisfaction, I will have to recommend Hai Yen to others. Just look out for parking if you are out of town, as finding street parking is as probable as lightning striking down on you and public parking starts at $10. Be sure to spend that parking fee wisely and shop around this wonderful area!

I Am Flying...

...Into the realms only to be perceived by my ordinary imagination.

Too Much Sushi

In the spirit of a graduation, sushi was the main dish. And I had too much. But it was delicious from start to end.

Beautiful Drive Through Chicago

The weather: 70 degrees, no clouds, warm sun, cool lake breeze.

The environment: MR2 with the tops off, windows rolled down, uptempo music through the speakers.

The result: A little sunburn, out $10, but a great time.

This drive to be made better with my girlfriend.

Ginza Restaurant, Chicago

Tower of Pens

TV Japan pen tower doesnt fall easily.

It's also very colorful.

UHaul MR2

As small my 2 seater is, it definitely has more space than anyone thinks it has. It is able to fit at least one golf bag in the trunk and if I am not carrying anyone else in the car, it has space in the passenger seat to pack things like what you see in the picture.

Oh the perks of owning a 2 seater, mid-engine car...

Oh, by the way, I also have a frunk. People may understand it better if I said "front trunk". Ask me about it and I will show you.

Oh the perks of owning a 2 seater, mid-engine car...

The Plague...

...has spread to my bread!

Repair

An awful squeaking coming from the rear left wheel has caused me to rip off the wheel. In turn, I found nothing visually wrong except for my braided right rear tire. I don't think driving on metal is a good thing...is it?

Expensive Parking

The trip to China town proved to be expensive. While parked at the parking lot near the store my mom had to visit for Chinese herbs, I got a hefty $60 parking ticket.

It was for parking on the sidewalk.

$60 for parking is more than a day's worth of parking in any parking garage near Michigan Ave. Ick.

As far as I see, I am not parked on the sidewalk unless the black asphalt is the sidewalk too. In that case the whole parking lot would be the sidewalk.

I will definitely be fighting the City of Chicago for this ticket as the people in the store told me they haven't had any trouble with people parking there in the past 10 years and besides, I'm not parked on the sidewalk.

If anyone has any advice on good ways to fight this ticket, I am always looking forward to it!

Geese

Geese at maine park

Going Green #1

After my girlfriend bought a few of these batteries for her travels, I just needed to get them.

What's my obsession with these white batteries?

This is the Sanyo eneloop. It is a Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) based battery and boy has rechargeable batteries have come a long way. Rechargeable batteries seemed like an expensive alternative to powering any application. With the "Power Pack" from Costco, 8 AA, 4 AAA, 2 C adapter, 2 D adapter, a 4 battery charger and a case is a mere $25 plus tax. ($35 plus shipping on Amazon for those without a Costco membership)

Not only is the price great for rechargeable batteries, these batteries are green. Let me explain.

1) With the great capacity of Ni-MH batteries, these batteries last 4 times the amount of normal Duracell or Energizer alkaline batteries.

2) enloop batteries retain their charge very well. Sanyo says 85% of the charge will still be left on a fully charged battery after a year. Older rechargeable batteries run out of charge by then.

3) These batteries are usable up to 1000 times (meaning 1000 discharge and charge cycles)


What does all this mean? It means green for you and a greener environment:

1) Reduced battery waste
2) Improved charge holding reduces wasted electricity
3) No need for trucks to carry batteries from factory to your local store
4) No need for YOUR car to carry YOU to the grocery store to buy batteries
5) Solar powered chargers available for virtually free electricity


So the next time your wireless mouse runs out of battery, pick up one of Sanyo's eneloop rechargeable batteries to power it. There will be no need to buy anything else, until you use up that 1000 charge/discharge cycle.

Or of course, when we can start controlling computers with our mind.


*This is the first of many to come of my "Going Green" section of my blog where I try to reduce waste and reduce environmentally unfriendly byproducts.

Departure

It will be 7 months together in a week but she will be gone for the next 3 months. She left me with lots to remember her with.

Check out her travels over the next 3 months at: http://schococo.23.dtiblog.com

1 Cylinder, 4 Cycle Engine

It was the first time I got my hands dirty trying to get an old lawn mower get up and running. After a new spark plug, fresh oil, clean air filter, and some love, it was up and running again!

Shoko au Gratin

Oishikatta!

4-Leaf Clover

On my ceiling is the good luck charm I always had.

Fuguta

Huuuge blowfish @ Living Sea aquarium

Banana split

Yamato missed out on delicious ice cream