Latin Class

Chef Wing conducts the service time lecture.


Chef Kennedy interrupts our service time lecture to
show us his latest creation, tater gator.


Tater Gator

Aprioct & Walnut Empanada, Stuffed Dates & Twice Fried Plantains (Tostones)

Hearts of Palm Salad w/ Passion Fruit Vinaigrette

Coconut-Ginger Carrot Soup

Asian Pear & Macadamia Wontons

Latin Class

My recipe for the day


Mackeral before


Mackeral after


Service time at our table. Ty, on the right with both hands on the table,
explains the changes she made to her dish and why.

Run Down

Run Down is a sort of fish stew from Jamaica. It is garnished
with deep fried bananas and a lime slice.

Pacific Northwest Week in American Regional Class

Chocolate Flourless* Cake w/ Coffee Cream Anglaise

It's also flowerless*

Apple Pie

No, the W is not for the former president.

Tomato & Haricot Vert Salad

Get it though your thick F***ING head!

G - L - O - B - A - L - L - Y!

Look whats on craigslist

Well... not really craigslist, but all the same... this A320 with slight water damage could be yours.

Time flies when you are

in culinary school.

I cannot believe the first quarter ends next week. One week from today is our culinary skills practical (aka final exam.) Basically, we have to cut up a bunch of shit and cook it. This first quarter has been an absolutely amazing experience. Sometimes I have doubts that this is the right path for me, but for some reason, every morning, I drag my ass out of bed and go to school. I actually think I might be sort of good at this cooking thing. The instructor seems to like my food, so that is a good sign. School has never ever come so easy to me. Perhaps, I have found my niche in this world. As I write this it appears that I will end the quarter with a 4.0. I hope I can keep that G.P.A. going. I promise next quarter I will bring my camera and start posting pictures of the food we make.

Quarter One Culinary Skills Class

Me and "Tall" Jason at Open House Brunch


"Tall" Jason, Adam and "the other" Jason
way in the back at Open House Brunch


Dineen, Me, "Tall" Jason, Adam,
"The other" Jason & Julia at Open House Brunch


Vegetable Day


Deep-fried Onion Ring #8


I love this picture of Brooke rolling out pasta

Food Wall

Almond Pastry at Tous Les Jours Bakery.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Food Wall

Beautiful Pastries at Tous Les Jours Bakery.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Food Wall

Street vendor refreshment, Asia style.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Food Wall

Breakfast at Flying Pan Cafe.
Hong Kong

Picture of the day

Matt at Ephesus, Turkey in 2007

Romanticize My Life

I met this cool dude Ross when I was in New York this past August. He is good friends with Flowerhead. He posted a couple of pics I took on the trip to Montauk on his blog that he share's with some other folks. This was taken at the Memory Motel which inspired a Rolling Stones song. This one was taken on the hammock behind our hotel. Please follow Romanticize My Life.

Watch a movie, take a dump, and you're home

Pastry School

I went for a little informative meeting at International Culinary School at the Art Institutes the other day and ended up registering. I started today. This morning at 7am was my very first class. There was no wasting time. We got the beginners course (pun not intended) on stocks. I have made stock before from left over turkey carcass, but I had no idea of the precise technique and procedure. I guess my adventure begins. On Wednesday I have my first actual cooking class in the kitchen.

Best Music Video EVER! OK, this ones for real.

It's hard to believe the same people that introduced me to Jan Terri followed her up with this. This is utterly fantastic. I was told I would not be able to get Jan Terri out of my head. No! It is this I cannot get out of my head.

VIA: Frazier and Nose

Best Music Video EVER!

The vintage UA at the end is just the icing on the cake of this little honey of a video. I heart you Jan Terri!

VIA: Frazier and Nose

The Longest Way 1.0

This guy's hair grows really slow!

Congratulations Ellen & Brian

I was just looking through the pictures I took at the wedding; oddly none of them are a closeup of the bride and groom. I do, however, have pictures of everyone's shoes.

It was quite an interesting adventure. The wedding was in Vail. Gail, Matt & I headed up Thursday. We were invited to the rehearsal dinner, but after a dress crisis involving scissors borrowed from the front desk to remove said dress we decided to stay in. The hotel bar was debuting their new fruity sparkling wine cocktail for 50% off, so being that we are in a recession we drank fruity sparkling wine cocktails all night. Vail is at 8,000 feet versus Denver which is at 5,280. Believe it or not 2,720 goes right to your head, or we are just a bunch of fruity cocktail drinking lightweights. Around 11pm the wedding party showed up. I tried to set one of Brian's friends up with Gail, but there was some disconnect.

The next morning I awoke to another crisis. This time someone had drank one of Gail's contact lenses. There was lots of shouting and finger pointing. In the end we do believe she drank her own contact lense, but we may never find out. I suggested that she wear her glasses, but she gave me a very stern look like I had just poured sugar in her gas tank. There was Gail, running around Vail, with one fracken contact lense. She was actually quite subdued. I have figured it out. The rule to calming Gail down is to drink one of her contact lenses.

The wedding was awesome. It was in this quaint chapel right in the middle of Vail Village. It was short and sweet. There was a priest representing Ellen's catholic family and Brian's Lutheran Minister. The priest came all the way from Nicaragua for the wedding. Ellen had practiced medicine in the same village that the priest lives. She made quite an impression on him. The minister is form Washington Park. I had no less than five people approach me to tell me that they think the minister is a homo. I am not exactly sure what they want me to do with that information but, none the less I told them I would check the gay directory for him. Later at the reception I got a chance to chat with the minister. It turns out he is not gay, he is just a hipster. I can see how the two can be confused.

The reception was very nice. It was at a beautiful log pavilion along the creek. The food was good. The asparagus was cooked perfectly. Absent was the cake, in its place was a marble slab ice cream station. A lovely time was had by all.



Ellen & her father about to walk the plank


at the altar


Gail's shoes


Ruth's shoes


Matt, Gail & Michael


I like this picture of Kaiya

Biblical Marriage Explained

Swine Flu

Is this how Swine Flu spreads from pigs to humans?

Why does the chicken cross the road?

Seoul Picture Album

Seoul Picture Album

Vietnam Picture Album

Vietnam Picture Album

Hong Kong Picture Album

Hong Kong Picture Album

Last Night in the Orient

Tonight is our last night in Seoul. We have decided against going to Singapore. We are ready to go home! Tomorrow we will depart Incheon at 3:15pm and arrive in San Francisco at 8:20am the same day. It's a time warp.

Today we visited Gyeongbokgung also known as The Palace of Shining Happiness. I found it odd that this monstrous estate shared the same name as my 500 square foot condo in Denver, Colorado. This place is huge. It was originally built in 1395 but has been destroyed and rebuilt a few times. It is a true Asian expression in architecture. I say Asian because it borrows from Chinese, Japanese and of course Korean style. Inside the walls of the palace are 13 individual structures that embody the palace. I would guess the size of the estate to be about 80 acres. We had perfect timing on our exit because as we were leaving we got to see the changing of the guards ceremony.

We decided to head up to Seoul Tower. The tower sits atop a hill in Namsan Park. We had to take a gondola to the summit. I have a bit of a fear of chair lifts. I am not as scared of the chair lifts as I am of the cable breaking. I was a bit tense about riding the gondola. I am happy to report that the cable stayed intact. It was a bit unnerved when the gondola took off and all I could see was Seoul sinking below me. I just looked down and pretended I was on the subway. The ride down was much better because it was dark, and for some reason that is easier. Anyway, We made it to the top of the hill. We then, of course, took a elevator the rest of the way to the top of the tower. The view from the top was awesome. Seoul is huge. It helped me understand how the city is laid out. The bathrooms up there are super cool. The urinals face the window, so while you pee you have a spectacular view. We sat and enjoyed a couple of beers while the sun set. We met a very nice German guy named Andrew. He is in Seoul fixing a piece of medical equipment. We talked to him for a couple of hours.

After the gondola ride down we headed for dinner. We had Korean Barbecue at Itaewon Galbi. It was very good. We ordered two big slabs of meat. The waitress stood right there and cooked out meat for us. Along with the meat came 7 side dishes. They love their sides up in there. One of the side dishes was Kimchi. Kimchi is fermented cabbage. I just don't think fermented and cabbage belong anywhere near each other. Koreans love red chili paste. It is everywhere and comes on everything. I really like it. Angi does not. Even on the flight from Hanoi to Seoul the flight attendant handed us each a small tube of red chili paste to accompany our meal. I thought is was an awesome and fitting last dinner for us to have in the Orient.

Greetings from the DMZ

I saw North Korea today. Angi and I took a tour of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone.) The DMZ is, of course, the buffer between North and South Korea where the truce is held. Unfortunately, the tour that we wanted to go on, which included a chance to actually stand in North Korea for a minute or two, was not available because of some sort of state function that was occurring. We did however get to stand on a hill look through a binoculars and spy into North Korea. It was a very hazy day so all we would really make out was the ginormous flag pole complete with a 300lbs North Korean Flag. Yes, the bitch weighs 300 pounds. Could you imagine trying to raise that thing. The whole tour took all morning. I had no idea that Seoul was so close to the border of North Korea, but the distance is only about 40 miles. We met three other people from Denver on the tour, There were 9 of us on the tour, and one of the guys live at 4th and Pennsylvania... what so 6 blocks away. Small world!

Well I haven't blogged since Vietnam. We left on the red eye Asiana flight to Seoul. Their service is outstanding! We were treated like we were in first class and we were not. They served a full meal and it was really quite good. It was probably the best service I have ever had in couch in my entire life. I am VERY impressed with Asiana.

We arrived in Seoul at 5am Wednesday morning. Incheon Airport was dead. We found our way to the train to the city. We were the only ones in our train car. We took the train to Gimpo Airport and connected to the mainline Seoul metro system. It was starting to get busy as rush hour was starting but we thought we could make it to our hotel before it got too hectic. We were sorely mistaken. I have experienced some of the worlds busiest subway systems, but nothing was like this... NOTHING! The car would be full and I mean packed and some how at every stop another 10 people would cram themselves into the car. Mind you... we each had luggage with us. There was a while there where I wasn't holding onto anything. I was just smashed in there. The train would accelerate I would feel like I was going to lose my balance but there was no where to go so I wouldn't. It was awful and I hope to never experience that again. From the time the plane landed to the time we checked into our hotel was almost 4 hours. Our hotel is beautiful. It was another priceline name your price thing. Thank you Matt! $70 for a 4 star in Seoul. It is heavenly after the hotels we stayed at in Vietnam. Each of our beds has 4 pillows. After we checked in we crashed and took a nap.

We woke up around 4pm and decided to go find something to eat. With the blessing of Lonely Planet and our hotel concierge we headed for Gogung (Restaurant). This is where we learned the most important lesson about Seoul. Are you ready for this shit!? They do not use street names nor have addresses. "Use landmarks" is the sage advice of the Lonely Planet folks. This is what the book says Um, what!? The book continues So, now you are wondering how these people find anything anywhere. Every time they don't know where something is they call for directions. Every time Angi and I have asked where a certain something is a phone call for directions is made. Very strange indeed! We found the restaurant. It was very good. I had Bibimbap. The Koreans love there side dishes, so we order, and here comes about 7 side dishes. We had a regular ole feast at hand. Tomorrow we are going out for Korean Barbecue.

So far, Seoul is a nice contradiction to Vietnam. I think we both had a bit too much time in the city. We should have gone to the country to truly enjoy Vietnam, but I will go back. Angi says she will not. Seoul is modern, clean and oddly Korean. The Vietnamese were always willing to walk right up to you and become your best friend, and this is when the sales pitch would start. The Koreans won't make eye contact, but when they talk to you are the most pleasant people around. I am glad we are here. Tomorrow is the last day of our trip.. I think. There is some talk of going on to Singapore, but I bet that won't go anywhere.

Last day in Vietnam

Another public use comb was discovered at the restaurant/bar/travel agency that we ate at last night. This time it was red. I'm glad I didn't steal the one at the last hotel we stayed at because I would have been compelled to steal this one too.

Yesterday, we explored Hanoi. This city is such a tangle of roads it is hard to know where you are or where you are going. The street names seem to change every 300 feet. After our first day in HCMC we really didn't need a map to find our hotel. Hanoi is different. Hanoi reminds me of Paris with its short curved roads. Unlike HCMC, Hanoi, does not have a grid system at all. Last night, we stayed out late and drank some beer. We first stopped at Tunnel Bar which is very clean and shiny but the wait staff was too ambitions. We moved on to the Funky Monkey. This is where we met Dat. He is a very spunky little waiter that took a liking to Angi. The entire time we were in there he sat next to Angi. His boss didn't seem to mind. His English is extremely good. I would say out of all the Vietnamese we have met Dat's English is the best. As we emerged from the bar there were no less than 6 motor bike drivers vying for our business. We turned them all down. At night Hanoi can be a daunting place. All the doors are closed and locked. Curtains are drawn at establishments that are open late and very few street lights are lit. This all seems to happen in a matter of minutes. I think there is a curfew of some sort, but I haven't figured it out. Angi and I were sitting next to the front window at the Funky Monkey and all of a sudden Dat hurriedly closed the curtains. We gave him a funny look and he said "The police are in front." Apparently the police were lingering outside the bar and Funky Monkey was projecting too much light. Hanoi has a very communistic feel to it at around 1am. When we returned to our hotel we were greeted with a large metal gate. We found the doorbell and were let in.

Today is our last day in Vietnam. We have had a wonderful stay here, but I think we are both ready to move on. Tonight we fly Asiana Airline from Hanoi to Seoul. We are going to stay in Seoul until Saturday and then return home. We are both looking forward to Seoul, but it is much colder there than it is here. I did not bring a jacket, so today I am combing the streets of Hanoi in hopes of finding a knock off North Face. See you in Seoul!

Hanoi

We have outgrown our bags. We headed to the Ben Thanh Market to haggle for a bag. We found a cheap duffel bag and worked our way down to $3us. Back at the hotel we packed our stuff up in preparation for leaving HCMC. We really moved into our hotel room. Now it was time to move out. I can’t say we were that sad to leave HCMC. I won’t miss constantly perspiring. We flew Vietnam Airlines to. It was a completely full 777. There were no less than 16 flight attendants on the 2 hour flight. On a domestic 777 flight in the US you would see half that amount of staffing. Much to our surprise Hanoi is much cooler than HCMC. Hanoi looks like your average quaint city in Europe with a big bucket of Asia poured over it. We checked into our hotel and it was a complete shit hole. It was not without its amenities. In the bathroom we found a complementary bar of soap and a comb. The comb was not wrapped in plastic nor was it new. It was a large, green, public use comb. Don’t worry... I took a picture of it. We decided to go hotel shopping. We have found a very nice, clean, well furnished hotel for twice the price of the dive. We are now paying $40 versus $18 a night. It was time for a beer. We found a nice bar with a rooftop patio. We relaxed and drank the beer of Hanoi... aptly named Hanoi. While getting our drink on a group of Brits sat at the next table. Before we knew it we were all in a big circle talking about our travels. We made fast friends. It began to rain, so we all moved next door to a small pub. We had a really great time last night. Thankfully the Brits were staying at the hotel next to ours so we all helped each other find our respective bases.

We just checked into our new hotel and we are starving. Off to find some good Hanoi Cuisine.

In HCMC... Still here... Still hot!

I didn’t think it was possible for it to get hotter in HCMC. It rained today. Holy crap it’s humid here!

Being the creatures of habit we are we returned to our favorite French bakery for breakfast. With some food in our belly we headed to Notre Dame Cathedral. It is the smaller much more watered down version of its French predecessor. We saw two wedding parties having their pictures taken out front. The bride’s dresses were no good at all. In total, on this entire trip, we have seen 8 wedding parties. Last Saturday in Hong Kong we saw six. After trying on my suit coat, last night, I decided it was too big. We headed back to the tailor fomr some alteration. After some pins were placed and some chalk marks were made we finally found the proper fit. The alterations would take five hours, so it was time to take in another sight or two. We headed to the Jade Emperor Pagoda. This truly was an amazing sight! The beautiful and intricate woodwork was amazing. I tried to capture its beauty with my camera, but I think this is an impossible task. The incense permeated the interior and made for a very exotic ambiance. After our holy experience we headed back towards the market area. On our return it began to pour rain... and I mean pour! We ducked inside a restaurant, had a seat, and ordered some beer. Neither Angi nor I speak a lick of Vietnamese. Our waiter spoke hardly any English, but some how we started a very slow conversation with him. He would stumble through a question; we would translate an answer. This went on for quite some time before his friend who spoke better English joined us. It wasn’t too much longer before the restaurants manager joined the conversation. It was still slow and steady. It was like a scene from The Foreigner. Before we knew it there were six restaurant employees standing around while we tried to make conversation. It was quite a spectacle. I would ask them a question... there would be lots of chatter amongst the group... The waiter that spoke better English would answer our question and ask one in return. Angi and I would chatter amongst ourselves and then answer their question. This went on for quite some time. We could have sat their all night, but my finished suit jacked was waiting, so it was back to the tailor for us. It ended up raining for about an hour.

Tomorrow we depart HCMC at 2pm bound for Hanoi. I think we are both ready to leave this cluster fuck! I want to get a T-shirt that says: I went to HCMC and didn’t get hit. Anyone that has been here before will understand. Crossing the street here is a grueling and heart pounding experience. The traffic never stops there are only lulls. This means you just have to cross with traffic rushing around you. This was very unnerving the first three days we were here, but now it is almost fun to cross the rushing river of mopeds, busses and bicycles.

If you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen!

After a quick snack at our favorite French bakery it was off to cooking class. After a twenty minute cab ride we arrived at The Vietnam Cookery Center. Our teachers name was Jasmine. Luckily, there were just four of us in the class Angi, me and a really nice couple, Monica and Cam, from Perth. We prepared three courses. I am proud to announce that I now know how to make spring rolls, and I have the certificate to prove it. The second course was sour fish soup and the third course was caramel fish. Our creations were delicious; however they gave us sour stomach. We both find it ironic that the only time we have cooked in the last week made us feel icky. The class was a wonderful experience that we will soon not forget. After class we headed back to our room for some reprieve from the heat. At 5pm we had an appointment to pick up our garments at the tailor. I now own a suit. It’s very classic and sharp. Tonight, we had a craving for bland western food. A couple we met from Missouri during our fitting at the tailor shop recommended Mogambo. The restaurant is owned by a loud, heavy set Vietnamese woman who once lived in Honolulu. The place was full of white people from all over the Northern Hemisphere. Angi and I both had chicken cordon blue and a 7up. We feel much better. Tomorrow is our last full day in HCMC, but we do not have any plans yet. I am sure some new and exciting adventure will find us!

Hot & sticky in Ho Chi Minh City

We are in Ho Chi Minh City. We departed Hong Kong on Tuesday evening at about 9:30pm and arrived in Vietnam at 11:00pm. We got to experience the new international first class seat and internment system. It is really nice! The entertainment system is a huge improvement over the current system. I think we both suffered culture shock upon our arrival. Going from clean, couture Hong Kong to this mess is a shock to the system. After checking-in at the An An Hotel we were ready to test our beds. They worked.

We awoke Wednesday morning ready to tackle HCMC. The city is as tangled up as the phone wires that hang above every sidewalk (a photo will be posted to explain upon my return to US.) We did not have to look far to find the French influence. Breakfast was at a smart looking French bakery not far from our hotel. After a lovely Croque-monsieur it was off to the Ben Thanh Market. It was here that I found the perfect tailor to make me a suit. After discussing fabrics and styles we were escorted across the street to a small tailor shop not far from the market. Rebecka aka Flowerhead had sent me a picture of a classic looking simple suit. I showed the tailor the picture and specifications and left the rest in his capable hands. I pick the finished product up tomorrow at 5pm. After measurements were taken we headed towards Reunification Park. Unfortunately, the park was not open yet so we headed to a nice restaurant for refreshments and spring rolls. I forgot to mention this but it is ficken hot and muggy here. Even the Vietnamese say its hot and they are accustomed to this shit. After our light lunch we headed back to the park and to Reunification Palace. The palace once was the capital of South Vietnam. It was built in the 1960’s and the architecture portrays that. After 1 one hour tour it was off to the War Remnants Museum. It is a documentation of the Vietnam War told from the Vietnamese prospective. I must admit some of the pictures, portrayals and stories are hard to swallow others are purely communist propaganda. After the very heavy experience of the war museum it was off to the Rex Hotel for beer and what turned into an improtu bland dinner. I had been feeling queasy all day so I had a club sandwich. It was terribly bland, but probably right what I needed. After dinner, it was back to the tailor for a quick fitting of the jacket which was half done. We were back in our room by 9pm. Time to relax in an air conditioned environment.

Today we awoke with plans to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. We boarded a large tour bus with about 30 other people and began the 1.5 hour journey to Cu Chi which sits just a short distance from the Cambodian border. The Cu Chi tunnels are a series of tunnels built by the Viet Cong during the war to hide from the Americans, The tour was very interesting. We got to see torture devices devised by the VC to use against the “aggressors.” On the bus ride back to HCMC we met a couple of guys from Farmington, MN. They were on a two month long journey through Asia. Sharing stories of all of our travels abroad helped the bud ride zip along. Back in HCMC we headed back to the tailor so Angi could have a tunic made. While she was discussing the design I got to try my finished pants on. Oddly, they fit like they were designed specifically for me. Dinner was at Quan An Ngon, a delicious Vietnamese restaurant. Angi accidently ordered crab. Getting the meat out of the crab shell is an obscene amount of work, but it was delicious. We ate the crab as an appetizer. I had beef and noodles and Angi had shrimps. The food was very good. After dinner we decided to head to the Caravell Hotel. The Caravell offers cooking classes. We must be in class tomorrow morning at 9:30am. I am really looking forward to learning some Vietnamese cooking technique. As we were leaving the hotel we ran into this group of four kids from New Zealand that we had met at the tailor yesterday. We all decided to have a drink at the top of the Sheraton. The bar sits on the 23rd floor and the Sheraton is one of the highest buildings around, so the view is quite good. We certainly enjoyed the company of our new kiwi friends. Another lovely day in Vietnam!

Hong Kong Day 3

Breakfast was at Luk Yu Tea House. It is a small dank second floor dim sum restaurant. Call me dim but I have never dined at a dim sum restaurant where you order your “pieces” like you would in a sushi restaurant. We sort of botched our order. I just assumed all servings were of one piece. I don’t know why on Earth I though this. So there I was putting a number 2 under quantity for each item. Needless to say what we got was a shit ton of food. At one point one of the waiters smiled and said too much in a heavy Chinese accent. It turned out to be our only meal of the day, so perhaps we did order the right amount in the end. Along with tea and dim sum we had a couple of beers which was refreshing.

Much to our surprise and pleasure the weather turned out to be the clearest it is has been since we arrived in Hong Kong. We decided a trek up Victoria peak would offer better viewing than on our previous visit, so we headed for the Peak Tram. The wait for the tram was significantly shorter compared to the wait we experienced on Saturday. Our decision was smart. The viewing conditions were dramatically better. We could see the whole of Kowloon. The conditions continued to improve while were up there. We could begin to see further and further away. After 45 minutes on the terrace we decided to relax and have a drink. Just two floors down was a nice bar with an amazing view of Hong Kong and Kowloon. After our refreshment we headed back down to the city.

It was time for more relaxation in our room. After our exhausting day in Kowloon on Sunday we were ready for some ass time. We got caught up on our Oscar news. At some point we both fell asleep. When I woke up it was dark our and Angela had a sour stomach. She decided to stay in, but I wanted to stroll around a bit.

I headed towards the Central District. After quite a long walk I stopped at this nice bar, Volume, had a couple beers, got a couple of new facebook contacts, and met some natives. The night was complete with a brisk walk back to the Cosmopolitan Hotel and some shut eye.

Kowloon

We got an early start Sunday Morning. We walked from our Hotel to the Flying Pan, yes, a play on words, a small 24 hour eatery serving authentic American and English breakfast food. It was tasty. Their coffee is quite thick and bottomless.

Hong Kong is home to the world’s longest covered escalator. It’s actually a series of 29 escalators and moving sidewalks. It was built to accommodate commuters who live in the mid level, hence its name, Central-Mid-Levels Escalator, and work in the Central district. We jumped on Escalator, just around the corner from the Flying Pan, and were able to utilize the escalator in conjunction with Hong Kong’s unparalleled skyway system to get from the eatery to the Dock of the Star Ferry.

The Star Ferry is basically a bus on water. It is the mode of public transportation that connects Hong Kong Island with Kowloon. The cost of the ride is about 20¢. We arrived in Kowloon and were almost instantly solicited to buy watches and have clothes tailored. This was the beginning of a trend that seems standard in Kowloon. We immediately headed toward the Tsmi Sha Tsui Promenade. The Promenade is where the famous pictures of Hong Kong are taken; you know the ones, with the fantastic Hong Kong skyline sitting behind a sailboat with three very oriental looking sails. We tried to enjoy the view, but it was so very hazy that it was possible to barley make out the outline of the skyscrapers.

Directly in front of the promenade sits the Hong Kong Museum of Art. We entered the museum right at opening thus becoming, for a few minutes at least, the only patrons in the museum. My favourite installation was a series of about 10 mailboxes that the artist had “gathered.” Inside each mailbox was some sort of audio device. When we held our ear up to the mailbox we could hear the sounds that the artist heard from the location where the mailbox was found.

After the museum we decided to stroll up Nathan Road, the artery of Kowloon. Nathan Road is chalked full of shopping and on this Sunday afternoon was packed. I would compare Nathan Road to NY’s 5th Avenue but I feel that Nathan Road is quite a bit shabbier. We found reprieve in Kowloon Park. Also, very busy, but very nice. We relaxed our feet before proceeding to the Yue Hwa Chinese Emporium. The emporium is six blissful stories of crap. They had everything from dragons carved from jade to wheelchairs. It was a bit overwhelming. After taking in as much of the emporium as we could we decided to head to the Peninsula Hotel.

The Peninsula Hotel is apparently the oldest hotel in Hong Kong. It truly is elegant. Our main reason for visiting the hotel was to take high tea. At precisely 2pm we were sat at a small table in huge lobby of the hotel. We ordered a specialty cocktail, high tea for two and an order of spring rolls. My cocktail, I don’t even remember what was in it, was so completely refreshing I cannot describe it justly. The spring rolls were probably the best I have ever had. The high tea was very traditional. A tower of three platters was delivered with dessert on top, finger sandwiches in the middle and the best looking scones I have ever seen on the bottom. The service was impeccable. We relaxed at our tea table for two hours. We both decided that we need to hang out in Kowloon until nightfall so we could hopefully see the awesome view of Hong Kong Island at night.

We set out to explore Kowloon. We walked for a while until we came upon a small tranquil city park with a soccer field and a game in progress. After finding Nathan Road again we headed deeper into Kowloon in search of the Goldfish and Flower Markets. It took us a while but we finally found the block long goldfish. I can safely say I have never seen so many goldfish in my life. Along with goldfish it is also possible to purchase other household animals at the market such as dogs and cats. A block beyond the goldfish market is the flower market. His market extends for many blocks. After surveying what we think was the entire market we purchased a flower for our hotel room. Night had fallen by this point so we decided to head back to the harbour to enjoy the view of Hong Kong at night. Kowloon, at night, is set ablaze in neon. As we reached the harbour we were disappointed to see that it was still too hazy to clearly see Hong Kong.

Once again we jumped on the Star Ferry and headed back to Hong Kong Island. Kowloon is very vibrant and we really enjoyed our time there but both of us agree that we prefer Hong Kong Island.
We figure we put on about 20 miles walking all over Hong Kong. Our feet are still tingling this morning. Its about 10am Monday morning and we about to head out for dim sum. Today, we are going to take it easy and explore neighbourhoods closer to our hotel.

Hong Kong

After the 16 hour flight from Chicago we arrived in Hong Kong at about 6:15PM on Friday. I was quite surprised that the flight didn’t feel as long as I thought it would. Immigrations and customs was a breeze. The Hong Kong airport is very nice! The train to the city is about 300 feet from the exit of customs. We didn’t get to experience that whole groggy, glossy eyed, where the fuck is the train to the city, feeling you normally feel when you arrive in a foreign land. Very clear signage! Thank you Hong Kong.

The duration of train ride to the Hong Kong station was about 30 minutes. We walked of the train, walked outside and there was the shuttle for our hotel. Geez! Could this get any easier? Twenty minutes later we were checking into the Cosmopolitan Hotel. The first room they gave us was on the 18th floor, which we thought was exciting, until we got there. There was a window but it had a thick protective frosted layer. It looked like something one would install in a bathroom window to prevent voyeurs. We rang the front desk and inquired if the perhaps had a room with a view, they did, we moved. Now we are on the 21st floor with a room of Victoria Peak and Hong Kong cemetery. The bell-hop explained that the hotel’s Chinese quests get freaked out by the view of the cemetery, so they have glazed the windows in certain rooms.

We woke up several times during the night and finally decided to actually get up around 7. We left the hotel and headed towards the Central District. On our way down the hill we walked through a market. There were absurd amounts of fresh fish. I mean fresh fish as in they were still flopping. I would have to say the amount of fish rivalled the offerings at Pike Market in Seattle. We found a small bakery in the middle of the market and got a couple of small sandwiches. Mine was a square egg with ham on soft sweet breads. Angela’s was beef with lettuce on soft bread with sweet mayonnaise.

We left the market and headed to Statue Square. The square sits directly in front of HSBC’s world headquarters. Ok, I never knew this but HSBC stands for Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation. The Hong Kong dollar bills have the HSBC logo on them. This bank is very important to Hong Kong. The bank issued the colony’s first bank notes, so I suppose the HSBC name has always been on HK bill. The building is quite impressive, but not quite as impressive as the Bank of China building which is just to the left of HSBC. The Bank of China building is probably the most famous buildings in Hong Kong. It looks like a finger pointing at the sky. It has a criss-crossing pattern that works up the side. Apparently it’s supposed to represent bamboo, but I don’t see it. We walked through Chater Garden, which is one of many beautifully maintained parks in Hong Kong. They had some sort of live matchmaking stage show. We watched it for a few minutes then darted as they were speaking Chinese, we didn’t know what the hell was going on. When we walked by the park an hour later everyone on stage was wearing a cowboy had and they were line dancing. We headed up the hill and snaked our way to the HK Zoological and Botanical Gardens. It was really beautiful. Oh, I forgot to mention.. The weather here is perfect.. Perfect temperature, perfect amount of humidity. We had been walking all morning and decided we were hungry.

We ate at Zen in the Pacific Place Mall. The mall (and I hate malls) is beautiful. Very upscale. Everyone seemed to be enjoying dim sum but we ordered meals. I had some sort of spicy chicken peanut dish and Angela ordered deep dried chicken. They were both good. I enjoyed the ambiance of Zen very poshy shiek. The restaurant is circular. We sat on the outside of the circle. Dividing the inner circle from the outer circle was a series of taught wire with big green emeralds all the way around. It was very pretty.

After lunch, we decided to head up to Victoria Peak, the highest peak in Hong Kong. To get there you must take a tram. The tram is on cable system. So there is this big thick cable which latterly pulls your tram up the hill. At one point in the ride the tram is almost vertical. That section made me slightly uneasy. I took comfort in the big sign at the tram station that said they have gone 100 years without an accident. By the time we waited in line and rode the tram up the weather had turned really hazy so the view was not that good. It was still very worth the trip. We spent about 45 minutes on the promenade and then decided to head back to the hotel. Down the hill via the tram. I closed my eyes on the vertical portion and hoped for the cable to stay intact.

We planned on relaxing, taking a nap, and then taking in HK night life. I don’t remember this but when the alarm went off (around 8PM) I swore, turned it off, and rolled over. The next thing I remember is waking up at 3AM! Oh well, tonight we will try again.

Classic

While investigating a crime scene McNulty & Bunk express themselves using only one word.
The Wire. I, along with a lot of other people, highly recommend it!

Biscuits

Before


After

I had a craving for Luciles's baking power biscuits, but with the current economy I simply could not justify walking down there and frivolously spending money on biscuits! I pulled out the encyclopedia of creative cooking and taa dah on page 102 is a recipe for biscuits and lo and behold ! I had all the ingredients.

Biscuits
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
About 3/4 cup milk
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Mix in shortening only until mixture is crumbly. Add most of milk; stir to mix. Add more milk as needed to make the dough soft but not too sticky to knead. Knead dough gently on lightly floured surface 10 to 12 times. Form into ball. Pat or roll dough to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Cut into squares with knife. Place on un-greased baking sheer: 1 inch apart for crusty biscuits ; together for softer biscuits. Bake at 450F 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Landside

The aircraft should be back to service by mid February. Well, or not.

2008

Staff stand in a meeting room at the Lehman Brothers offices in the financial district of Canary Wharf in London September 11, 2008. Lehman Brothers eventually filed for bankruptcy - the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history - and was delisted from the NYSE, and later liquidated.

VIA: boston.com & My brother

Best Show Ever!

Summer Heights High
So many good lines.

Happy Birthday Mom

I love you, Sarah Palin

Thank you Alaska, thank you Republicans, thank you America... for giving us the gift that keeps on giving... Sarah. My favorite part is when the turkey struggles and rattles the whole machine, or when the turkey handler looks over his shoulder to check out Ms. Sarah's ass.

I hate...

and the shitty horse you rode in on. Suck it statistics!

Change

Check this out. It hit me tonight that this administration clearly has the potential to be unlike any other in history. President-elect Obama is no stranger to the worlds ever changing communication mediums. I wonder if he will maintain his twitter account? I hope! Tonight, I don't feel embarrassed to be an American. I feel proud.. real proud.

Via: My brother

C'mon Franken

Holy crap! Check this out. The Franken/Coleman Senate race is within 690 votes.

Hope Restored

What a delightful election night.