So who knows how a car works? The real way a car works with the pistons, and the tiny explosions causing the pistons to move up and down and whatever else needs to happen to make that car move.
I don't know how a car works, all I know is that you stick the key in, make sure you have gas and fluirs are good, then you're good to go.
As a kid my knowledge was limited to so much less, but the imagination had no limits whatsoever.
There were so many times when I would sit in the passenger seat and see the cars in front of us, then I would wonder how the cars work. The solution was simple and easy ... the way cars would work was because of the "rockets" at the back of them. You know the rockets I'm talking about right? The exhaust where all the crap comes out of.
For me these were the rocket blasters that would spit out all the push the car needed to make it go. I pictured it like a rocket ship but without the fire and smoke (well some cars had smoke coming out of them so that was different), the cars would be propelled by the rocket blast.
Some cars had two of them, so that would make them go faster! The trucks had them on the top and the holes were bigger, so I figured that it was needed to push them since they were bigger. Planes had the giant ones and well I actually had that part right about the planes since they are sort of rockets strapped to the wings!
My whole world came crashing down once I was taught that the rocket blaster holes were actually where all the garbage would come out from.
It usually happens when the weather starts to change from fall to winter and the temperature drops. We go outside and are a little bundled up but not as though we're expecting an impending blizzard. It's just that frostiness that is felt in the air around October here ... there's this change that I didn't notice when I was little but it's obvious when you start to grow up and learn more.
Around this time is when we start to see our breath in front of our face everytime we breath out or talk to someone outside. I used to see this all the time, especially when waiting for the bus at the bus stop. All the kids and their parents would be there and you see that white fog coming from their mouths and noses. Some kids, when it was really cold outside, would have that white fog coming off of their bodies.
Me not knowing the scientific part of it and how it all works thought it was something more simple than the hot air hitting the cold outside air. I always thought people had the white fog coming from their face because they had bad breath. I really believed it and whenever I would see myself with this white fog, I would try to find gum, candy or whatever it was to just help my bad breath go away. There was always something magical about getting inside of the school because the white fog would disappear and my breath would be "fresh" again. I would check multiple times cupping my hands in front of my mouth and nose to see if my breath infact did stink.
The allergy season is upon us, the itchy eyes, the running noses and endless tissue boxes being used are definitely a sign that it is here again! It's a horrible thing when the weather is so nice and great, but you have something that's hampering your ability to enjoy it.
Season after season I would suffer from this and always had to turn to chemicals to fight this. It started with me trying to do it with nothing, but that didn't turn out well as I was sneaking everywhere and had no tissue to clean up with. Those times called for desperate measures, so I had to sneeze in my hand and then slowly slide my hand into pocket using it as a napkin of sorts. I had no choice but to turn to drugs, I feel as if I had blown so many interviews and important meetings just because of this ... this ... this disability of having allergies. Yes it is a disability! We, allergy sufferers, are disabled from living normal lives in the wonderful springtime weather because of the horniness of the plants trying to pollenate each other.
The first drug of choice was Claritin. There was an instant effect and it was great, just one pill and I was alright. The following year the single pill no longer worked for me but now I had to take two, sometimes three pills just to keep me in line. This cycle continued until I had to take five pills during a season and there was no more effect. I moved onto their nemisis brand, the name escapes me, but there was no luck with that either. I even tried the version they make that melts in your mouth ... that did nothing as well.
I searched for answers and my cousin Ria had told me that she gets the shot from her doctor. Again ... I turned to my drug dealer for the quick fix. It was a simple injection with a price of street price of $10 for those that had copay. This was a wondeful drug as it relieved my symptoms instantly and kept it away for the rest of the season. But as with any addict we need more ... the follow season called for two shots which didn't treat me as well as the season prior. There was an effect from the drugs, but it seemed as if my dealer was now watering down his product and it wasn't 100% pure.
The dealers are very expendable, we have to find other means and when we do we stick to it. The internet was my friend and I found out that something called Apple Cider Vinegar would do the trick. The remedy called for two tablespoons of the ACV to be put into a glass of water and drink it twice a day. Or you could just go straight up and down the two tablespoons. There was something about the ACV that would make you immune to the allergies and usually through two or three seasons of taking it your allergies would disappear completely! Sounds good huh!? But it's not easy ... as I found out that ACV was horrible ... it's not like normal vinegas where you can dip your chicaron or your egg rolls into, but it was just horrible! The mixture with the water didn't help, I even tried to mix it with some Peach Schnapps but that didn't work either. This whole idea of the ACV was off the table now and I had a bottle of this stuff just sitting there.
During one of the seasons where I didn't take anything at all, I was at work and just wanted a snack. I went for the Salt and Vinegar chips ... just because I like them. I remember reading that the ACV has some effects on other ailments, and I think it's definitely true. While eating the salt and vinegar chips I noticed that my allergies went away, but thought it was a fluke and there was just a low pollen count that day. The next day I had another bag with the same results, hmmm was I onto something here? Another day passes with the bag of chips and no allergies! Fourth day comes and I ditch the chips ... the allergies come back! Whoa!? I found my cure! My drug dealer was no more ... and I had turned to a new medication.
So all it takes is a simple bag of salt and vinegar chips ... not the big one, but the small one works. If you want better or best results get the sea salt and vingegar chips. I guess the combination of the miracles of sea salt and miracles of vinegar working together combine for one insane home remedy.
It's important to note that eating the salt and vinegar chips leaves this weird feeling on your teeth, I'm not sure what it is, but I'm theorised that it's melting away your teeth like acid.
It's been crazy to say the least since I got back from Cali with a lot of different things going on, but I have a lot of "stories" and things to share ... and of course food reviews too! I'll post as much as I can to those faithful readers out there :)
I haven't written this review even though I've wanted to because I wanted the review to be fresh, I wanted the review to be close to when I actually went to the restaurant. So prior to this visit it's been a few months since I've been there, which isn't that long considering it's in San Diego.
Royal Mandarin 1132 E Plaza Blvd Ste 205 619-477-4151
The first time I went to this place was back in 1998 when I used to frequent San Diego. It was instant love at first bite, the food there is like typical Chinese food ... for the most part. I would write this review regarding the food that I've eaten there, but I'll only write about this one specific order since it's what makes me drive four+ hours back and forth for it.
The Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings is ridiculously insane. It sounds like something so simple and something that just doesn't taste that great, but once you get a bite you ust can't stop.
When I used to go there it was typical that I bought one or two orders of the chicken and left it at that. That all changed when I found out that they had larger orders and when I started to take some chicken home, if possible.
My trips to San Diego have come few and far between. But when I do go there it's a must that Royal Mandarin must be visited.
The restaurant is ordinary from the outside, there are no specialty signs that make it stand out from the rest of the Chinese restaurants in the area, or anywhere. Even when you get inside it's the typical setup for dinning in, but it's actually smaller than most places and quite intimate because of the proximity of the tables next to each other. You can hear other people's conversations without even trying. The menu is lined with typical Chinese food, but you'll notice that they have "Salt and Pepper" items on the menu, from chicken wings, squid, french fries and fish.
It seems that I'm remembered when I go there now, I'm known as the "guy from New York." The recent times that I've ordered there it's been two extra large trays of chicken, which have about 150 pieces each, and the owner/manager lady always gives me extra seasoning as she knows I'll be taking it back to NY.
When you receive the chicken you won't notice anything special on it, just chicken wings with seasoning, some red pepper flakes, scallion/green onions. If you take a closer look you'll see something sprinkled on the wings that most Chinese food places have stopped using, MSG (betchin for the Filipino's). Whatever the warnings and the "horrible" things about MSG, it's just good! Maybe that's what sets Royal Mandarin apart from the rest of the Chinese food establishments because they continue to use MSG ... and they use it wonderfully!
The first bite into the chicken wings is full of crunchiness, but it's not the crunchiness that you might have experienced from other chicken. I'm not sure if this is fried or baked, or even a combination of the two, but the crunch is wonderful, and the added bonus is that the crunch doesn't include oil dripping or oil on your fingers. The only thing left on your fingers are the spices and seasoning that you will end up licking off sooner or later, it would be a waste to just wipe it on a napkin.
As your tongue gets it's tastes buds working with the flavors that come out of the chicken, you'll notice this explosion of taste in your mouth. There is a little hotness to it, but just the right amount, the saltiness of it is also just perfect. After finishing and most of the time sucking on the ends of the bones clean, you'll pick up another one and repeat the process. This will usually go on until there is no more left, and then you'll want to order some more.
This is the reason why it's dubbed "crack chicken" because once you taste it, you'll want some more and do anything to get some, even drive the four+ hours to get some. I've introduced this chicken to some people from NY and when they know I'm going to Cali and possibly San Diego, they want me to bring them some chicken, you can see that look in their eyes that they'll do anything for it.
There have been attempts at other Chinese food places in San Diego to copy the Royal Mandarin recipe, but they have come up short. A place across the street serves the "salt and pepper chicken wings" but it's just not the same, you need to hit the real and original source.
WARNING: This chicken is addictive!
Do not think that you will be able to resist, perhaps it's the MSG, perhaps the taste, but once you have it, you will be hooked. Some responses have gone from "it's ok" to "it's epic" in the matter of days. There have been times when I packed it for check in at the airport, the agent that is checking it in gets a smell of the chicken which strikes up a conversation as to the origins and what kind of chicken it is. She then proceeds to call her daughter in San Diego to tell her to bring her up some chicken from this place called Royal Mandarin next time she comes up to LA. It's changed lives, it's brought together families, friends and it can change the world.
The lineup of food on their menu aside from the crack chicken isn't bad either. While we were there eating in the restaurant, as the 150 piece tray lay in the middle with all other customers watching us eat, we ordered other menu items that added to the taste of the chicken and their fried rice. We had about nine people there eating and the manager gave us a sample of the Salt and Pepper Fish which was amazing! The only reason I can't order this is because it will not survive the trip back to LA then back to NY, fish is fish, but maybe their salt and seasoning mix might preserve it??? Hmmm maybe we can test it out. We ordered a good amount of food, from crispy beef, upside down crispy noodles, fried rice, and some other dish that escapes my memory, but food that was good enough to fill up the stomachs of nine hungry youth (including my dad) and have left overs only cost us $33 ... insane prices and great food.
I will definitely be back here soon, and this is the type of food where I will take a trip to San Diego just for this chicken. I've tried to find a partner who is willing to export the chicken for me, us at a profit to them, but I haven't had any serious parties. So if anyone in SD is reading this and would like to make some extra money just by boxing up and shipping the chicken, let me know ASAP.
Taste : 10+ Price : $ out of $$$ Restaurant : 9 (small and homey, they remember you once you're a regular)
In the quest for the famous and overlyhyped (only my humble opinion of course) In and Out, we stumbled upon a treasure. As we found the In and Out, there was something we didn't think of and there was something we were all unaware of until we got to the door, but it was to my surprise and happiness when we did find out.
The surprise was that In and Out was closed on Easter Sunday! Best news I heard that day! But we were still hungry and wanted to eat before we made out way to Speedzone which was only five minutes away. It was a shopping plaza but there were a lot of "closed" signs on the door, there was a place that was open though, it was called Tutti Frutti. A yogurt place and I'm not a big fan of yogurt but this place had some appeal to it that just made me want to go in and check it out.
Tutti Frutti 17861 Colima Rd, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 626-964-9696www.tfyogurt.com
The moment you enter through the front door you'll be amazed, well at least I was. I stood there making small circles as I was trying to take in all of the surroundings.
You're greeted by glass, and there are small openings in the glass to get to the tables and chairs, but as I was trying to get to the table you can't help but think that you're about to hit the glass walls.
Then you see the "buffet" of toppings that you can put on your yogurt then a simple sign saying that it's $0.35 an ounce. Pretty cheap huh!? Well at first you're thinking that there ar extras or that it's going to come out to about $10 for this place. You'll be surprised when you get to the register and they do ring you up ...
The selection in Tutti Frutti is quite large, the flavors of the yogurt weren't just the simple flavors. They had some "exotic" flavors too such as lychee, green tea, taro to name just a few. I've always been a fan of combining things and here you could do that as well, my combinations at bubble tea places have always been taro and cookies and cream if that was available. I do however get weird looks when I request it as the combo doesn't sound that appealing, but it definitely is good!
So here I am in the warehouse of yogurt with toppings galore when I see the flavors that I love oh so much!
After sampling the yogurt flavors and finally deciding on comboing the cookies and cream with the taro, I made my way to the buffet of toppings that you have at your disposal. My guess was that this is where where it gets pricey since it's easy to pile on the toppings.
From fresh fruit to the "bad stuff" for you, they have a lot of toppings, as well as syrups and even condensed milk!
For my little health moment with yogurt, the toppings that made it's way into my cup were the brownie chunks, the cookie dough, strawberries, chocolate syrup and condensed milk. Some of the "kids" for healthy combinations ... green tea with bananas, strawberries, rasberries, blackberries, peaches and a whole bunch of other crap.
Mine had a good amount of toppings and was really surprised by the price only being $3.22. That was good enough for me and I wasn't even able to finish it all.
I would love to have a place like this on the east, I know they have other places similar but the prices are double if not more from what I've heard. The flavors that are available are really good, and they are just so full of flavor, not bland by any means. Another plus that I'll give Tutti Frutti is that they have free water! The tap water with lemon ... good stuff to wash down the yogurt and gummi bears.
Taste : 9 Price : $ out of $$$ Restaurant : 9 (clean, modern and very nice)
So there's this place in Cali that everyone raves about ... I think it goes beyong Cali but I don't keep tabs on where the franchise opens as it's not one of my favorites. I guess you can say that it's only a favorite by association, meaning that I eat here only because the people I'm with seem to love it so dearly and it's the best thing in the world for them.
I don't understand the hype about this place, In and Out. Yes that burger place that has the secret menu, that burger place that looks like an old fashioned fast food place from the 60's and 70's. I don't get it??? I really don't understand why everyone seems to love this place, is it the food, the atmosphere, or both?
It's a place that I've been eating at for a few years now and I haven't found anything special about it except the secret menu which isn't so secret anymore since the internet became popular.
The burgers are regular, they don't even have bacon as an option! Comeon now ... there isn't any bacon! The one thing I do like about the burgers is that they put a whole slice of onion on them when you order the grilled onions and not the sliced up pieces, but that's about it.
This isn't a review of the place but just a general "WTF" as in I don't understand the hype with it. I don't understand why people think it's so good here. I'll be honest and will compare it to the places that I've been to before, the burger places. The one with the Quartet of Guys definitely has better food than this place. The fries alone, cajun fries that is trumps what In and Out has to offer ten fold.
These are the cheese fries and it was alright, nothing to write home about, that's the reason why I don't feel like writing them a review as they aren't that great to me. They might appeal to other people and are the best thing since sliced bread, but I don't understand and I might go through life never understanding why this place is so loved.
Perhaps it's the style and the way things are presented because I do admit that I like their old fashioned look and feel. I like watching the single person putting a potato in that chopper and pulling on the handle to make the fresh fries.
If someone does know why these burgers are "so good" to people, please let me know ... as the only responses I got were "they are just sooo good" but never a concrete reason as to why they are just so damn good.
For the frequent readers on here, there is a recurring topic that comes ... it's the whole "poop" thing. Either it's me or it's my dog ... or just poop in general.
This one starts when I get home everyday and the ritual is to take Shadow outside to the pack to pee and if he can, poop. There are some days when he does his #2 early and when I get home he's already done so all he needs to do is pee. This was one of those days ...
As I was carying Shadow up the stairs to the back, it was just another normal thing and he did his business in the back. I didn't notice till the next day that I had a mark on my dress shirt that I was still wearing coming home from work.
Apparently this day Shadow just finished taking his #2 and he still had a "crayon" left or just some sort of left over on his butt. This ended up on my shirt and I didn't know until I tried to figure out where this "stain" came from.
I carry him on my left side under my arm like a bag, and well his butt wiped off whatever excess was there onto my shirt.
So if you're wondering, I did end up wearing this shirt to work a few days later when I did realize it was poop while in the office. Thankfully there was no smell and that it was dry and looked just like a normal stain ... but now the world knows what it really was.
A while back my cousin Lissa from Houston came to town and as with Filipino families she came with "pasalubong." That's usually the custom when going to visit family or friends where we bring small gifts or something from where we're from. So if I were coming from NY visiting Houston I should be bringing "I <3 NY" shirts but I'm a horrible cousin so I never do.
With her she brought something that was just so awesome! It wasn't a shirt or a key chain, it was so much better than I could have ever imagined! I'm not sure if I should be sharing this as this was a huge gift and I'm not sure if she brought anything for everyone else ... but I have to give props where props are deserved!
Last year when we went there for her wedding, right before flying back to NY I went to Jack in the Box and bought about 20-30 Sourdough Jacks, froze them and packed them up to bring back to NY. I guess this stuck out and made a lasting impression not only on her but on a lot of my family members as they remember it clearly. I even got advice that I should ask them to make it without the tomatoes so that it lasts longer. Lissa came to NY with two Sourdough Jacks, that was more than enough for me! I was't expecting anything but she brought whatever she could and was that a great gift.
I didn't eat it right away as I wanted to save it for later. Only a few days passed where I ended up opening up one of the sandwiches, leaving the other one lonely in the freezer.
When I brought them back from Houston I kept it in the original packaging and then just stuck them all in a plastic bag and froze them. I had a hard time getting her packaging open ... she had each one wrapped in a plastic bag.
After the wrapping of the outside plastic bag, there was the burger wrapped in foil. It was as close to mummified as possible. The feeling was that of Christmas morning when you open your gifts that are under the tree, with the gift being wrapped with extreme care. After the foil as removed there was just one more layer to get through, it was another layer of plastic wrap. Three or four layers later the wonderful scent of the sandwich was unleashed.
Taking that deep breathe and then putting it in the toaster oven to heat it, I couldn't wait! Well this isn't a food review, but an entry on the kindess of family and the thoughtfulness of the gift. It was wonderful as I remembered and it was just great to have that taste of the sandwich melt in my mouth.
Thank you Lissa! The packaging was extremely efficient and definitely something that looked like it was going to last through the coming apocalypse. I still have one left and when I do eat that I'll be ready to get it out of the packaging with a box cutter and a pair of pliers.
I will gladly accept some more of your pasalubong next time you head up north. I'll trade you some Hop Kee for some Jack in the Box.
Eating a bag of cookies or chips, there is always that left over in the bottom of the bag. All those wonderful crumbs full of so much taste! We can't ever let that go to waste, so we find a way to get at them.
It's as simple as tilting the head back, angling the bag then letting the crumbs slide down into your mouth. But what about those at the bottom of the bag that get stuck in that corner? We shake the bag, we hit the bag, tap it, whatever we need to for that final taste.
But be forewarned, do this tapping of the bag with ease and don't do it too hard. As I have come to learn today with the left over cookie crumbs, you need to be gentle, or else they will attack. With my head tilted back, it's a very vulnerable position ... tapping on that bag will sometimes make them pop out and jump! Jump the crumbs did ... right over my glasses and into my eye.
Ever had a cookie crumb(s) in your eye? Yeah it's not the best feeling in the world ... well this entry just serves as a warning for those crumb eaters. The taste is great, but the consequences are sometimes almost not worth it ... almost.
Andrew Zimmern better watch out because my sister is coming after his show. On his show he eats the weirdest and sometimes the nastiest things ... I won't get into detail about what he does eat but you can watch it on the Travel Channel - and soon you should be seeing my sister on that network too going head to head with Andrew.
Her experience goes way back when she used to live with us. The first story she told me wasn't really about "eating" but it was closely related. Here she was washing up before going to sleep and about to brush her teeth. This has happened to everyone out there where they are brushing their teeth and the toothpaste will fall off the brush or the tube and end up in the sink. Sometimes we forget (or are just to lazy) to wash it down and sometimes we do wash it down. Being a frugal person that she is, she sees this glob on the sink and sees that it's clean and all around the sink is clean. So it must have been a clean drop from the tube and the sink wasn't dirty at all.
With her bravery and courage guiding her she scoops it up with her toothbrush, making sure that there was enough glob to brush her teeth with. As she starts to brush her teeth she realizes something ... it wasn't toothpaste, but in the same cleaning family. It was acutally the liquid soap that had made it's way to the sink which somehow hardened a little to look like toothpaste!
Andrew wouldn't even attempt to do that! +1 for my sister
This morning was another step closer to her having her own show. I get a text at about 11am this morning telling me how she just cleaned out her freezer. In doing so she finds something in the back and burried under all the other food that's been frozen.
Just a little back story, when I used to go to San Diego a lot, I would always bring home something and that was always bibinka. It's a filipino pastry dessert type of cake. I would bring them back twenty at a time since my parents liked it so much and my sister too.
Well you can guess what she found in her freezer! She found a single bibinka still wrapped in the foil that I had brought back from San Diego about six years ago ... yes six years ago. You guessed it, my sister tried to heat it up as she normally would since it was still wrapped in the banana leaf.
She ate it!
A six year old bibinka ... she ate it! Not the whole thing but she tried it and said there were parts that were still good and that was what she ate. The other parts were hard and had freezer burn, the rest was mushy.
Some people made fun of me for eating year old sourdough Jack sandwiches! Well we have a new winner with my sister eating at least a six year old bibinka. My sister wins and we'll wait for what comes next ... whatever the next challenge is I'm sure she won't back down. Another +1 for my sister.
There's this thing that I call the "Raymundo" curse. What is it? Well it's the fact that once you reach a certain point, the weight gain starts and that sexy body that everyone loved through high school is no longer there. I think the curse hit me when I was a sophomore in high school ... so it came a little early for me, at least that's when it started.
It's happened to other family members, but there have been those fortunate enough to stay away from the curse completely, while others have been able to battle their way back from that curse.
During college years I was able to maintain and keep to my 180-190 pound range. With little to no working out I was able to maintain this for a few years ... but it snowballed from there. With my mother passing away one of my many defense mechanisms came up ... it was to eat. The amount of weight I had gained in the months after her death I'm not really sure of, but all I know was that when there was food, I was there too, so food was never lonely when I was around. Even if I just ate, I'd welcome more food to come my way.
This weight gain continued until I hit about 235 ... yeah you read that number right! I was 235 for the good part of the middle of 2008. Usually when I go through tragic moments in my life that will increase so easily, but in September I was actually able to get away from the curse! Triumph, for once in my life!
Going through a break up I found myself unable to eat. Yes, this is a true story, for those of you who know me, this is extremely hard to believe but I really couldn't eat, no matter how much I wanted to. Whenever I would be around food and wanted to eat, after two bites at most I started to feel nausiated to the point of not eating anymore. This got really bad where I was only able to eat two spoon fulls of rice and ulam a day for about a month. A crash diet in the worst of ways, and unvoluntary too.
There were parties going on where the most I could do was smell the food, what a tragic time where I wasn't able to enjoy in the many feasts that were going on. Even a short trip to California didn't fix it for me, I wasn't able to eat that wonderful Caliornia goodness. Jack in the Box and Royal Mandarin definitely missed me.
In the span of about a month and a half I was able to lose 35 pounds. Almost one pound a day ... and I was still alright physically, no dizziness or fainting. I dropped to 200 pounds for the first time in a long time. Here I was content to keep this weight and maybe I could go a little bit lower!? Do I dare try and was it too much to do?!
After the regular meals started again I was actually able to maintain the 200 pound mark. My clothes fit me better, I had less of a gut when I sat down, I started to turn some heads on the street (ya know the deal!), I started to play sports again and I wasn't winded running up the stairs on the subway! Definitely an improvement from where I was healthwise. I even joined three or four different volleyball leagues and it did me well. The lowest I got was about 195 but it would usually stay at the 200 pound marker.
Introduce Holy Week 2009 ... here is where the Raymundo curse decided to hit me hard. It was more of Lent 2009 than just the Holy Week. The weeks leading up to Holy Week I was going out and eating food that I really had no business eating, you can tell from the reviews on my blog. I wasn't reviewing salad places, they were burger joints, chinese food, and whatever else you can think of that would make you smile from the pure unhealthiness of the food. I thought it had peaked when I went to Cherry Valley ... but I was wrong, so wrong. The trip to Cali was supposed to be a spiritual one, and it was, but the curse took hold of me. The only day from that week long trip that I didn't eat a burger was during Good Friday, but the other days were filled with burgers, chinese food, hot dogs, ice cream, soda, more burgers and chinese food. It was just filled and so was my stomach.
The weight that I gained was invisible to me until I got back to NY. Here I am going through vidoes from the trip and I see myself on Easter Sunday huge as a ball! I did weigh myself when I got back home, but it said that I was only 209 pounds ... so about a nine pound trip to Cali, not bad I thought. I'll just play some more volleyball and eat less. But how can you eat less with a tray of Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings in the fridge!?!?!? How I ask!? It's not as great as when you have it fresh, but it's still good! Crack chicken is crack chicken to an addict.
Today was another losing day for a diet, I thought I would start today by just eating soup and rice. That quickly turned into another fantasy, it turned into a foodfest for me. First breakfast that my dad cooked, then Ikea for more food ... here is where we actually loaded up on food and came a wake up call. Walking through Ikea, there was a scale on the floor (I believe that this scale was put there by God Himself to tell me to stop eating so much), I confidently walk on the scale waiting for the 210 to come around ... and around it came, and went. It kept on going ... up to 220 pounds. I'm not sure if this was wrong or not ... but my dad tried it out and he said it was wrong because it was ten pounds over what he knows his weight to be. But with that explanation ... he was with me the whole trip so him gaining ten pounds is not out of the question whatsoever! That was not the end of the day as I tried to eat soup and rice for dinner ... but the chicken just called my name so loudly that resistance was futile.
Here I sit, shirtless and typing away seeing my belly come up again and my moobs (man boobs) and stomach forming sort of what would look like a chubby bear with big cheaks. The Raymundo curse has his me a number of times already and I think that Dudoy is next on it's list. I hope it moves on already from me and goes to him so that I can "start" my diet again. I don't have a magic number that I want to hit but I do want to go under the 200 that I was just a few short weeks ago. The summer if coming up and I don't want to be sexy ... I just want to be sexier because everyone already knows that I am sexy.
Diet here I come to fight off the Raymundo curse, I'm just not sure if the diet can win. I hope it doesn't take another tragic event in my life for me to lose the weight and win the fight. So ... I need to reduce.
The title could be a little misleading, well only for those that have a not so clean mind. I'm talking about the airline!!!
I guess I'm going to have to add a new category for this since this is new ... but I just had to share my experience about this airline. It was about two years since I've heard of Virgin America and back then they were fighting for their chance to fly, they were having some issues with getting approval but luckily they finally got it.
Ever since I've heard about them all I wanted to do was try them out but I wasn't able to get on their flights until this past week. The reviews and videos I would read just made me want to try them out even more ... here are some of the features that they do have and advertise:
leather seats
tv's with directTV channels
food/drink orders
first checked in bag free
Ok you're reading that and aren't amazed ... those are the regular things on most if not all planes. So here are the things that I feel set Virgin America apart from the rest of the airlines:
mood lighting (no white/yellow lights, they have purple and red lights!)
I wasn't even on the plane yet and just waiting at the gate and could already see the difference. Virgin America just stands out from the other airlines. My niece made it on the plane before I did and she texted me "omg it looks like soul plane" and for those of you who haevn't seen Soul Plane, go watch it, it's hilarious! She was referring to the better part of the Soul Plane, not "low class."
The mood lighting on this airline is really easy on the eyes and it makes it feel like you're walking into a club/lounge. That was the first thought I had when I was walking down the jetway and saw the lights coming out of the cabin doors.
standard electric socket in every seat (first class or regular)
Who hasn't dreamed or wished for this on the plane? You don't need those adapters for your electronics to get charged ... or buy those batteries that will last the entire flight. Here you just plug it in and you're good to go. So now you're not limited to the two or three hour battery life of your laptop.
One thing I'm wondering is if I can plug in a surge protector so that I can have multiple plugs to power a few different things ... hmmm would that be something that I would be willing to try and mess around with at 33,000 feet in the air??? Yes I would and I WILL try next time!
USB port on every seat
Power your Blackberry's, your IPods, and whatever else that has a USB port to charge. I'm not sure if this works since I forgot my USB cable, but I think if you have a device that has a USB cable and plug it into your seat you might be able to load that into the RED system at your seat. If it's not in their system now, they should read this and make it happen!
LAN port on every seat
I didn't get to try this either since I forgot my cable. But you can connect to the internet with this wired connection, from what I now, not all flights have internet yet, but they will soon. I'm also wondering if you were to connect wired, would you be able to access the servers and network on the plane and other laptops connected too ... hmmm this would be interesting! Mile High LAN party!
food/drink orders done via RED (their system on the touch screen display) at every seat
Ok don't lie when you say that one portion of airline food fills you up. It never fills me up and I always want more (if the food is good). So here comes VA, using their touch screen monitors at each seat (or the remote control that's in every seats arm rest) you can do a whole bunch of things through their RED system. Long gone are the days when the carts come through the isle asking what you'd like to eat or if you want pretzels and peanuts, they only do that one time with the drinks. Here you can order snacks, meals, drinks, alcohol ... the water is free so you can order as much of that as you want.
They have sandwiches and some wraps, the wrap was actually really good. The snacks ... I would recommend the chocolate chip cookies, I couldn't stop eating those! The drinks, they had a selection of a few teas which were really good too!
So if you're an eater like me ... order away with your credit card, no cash.
safey video that you will want to watch
It's not your typical video that you see or the flight attendants doing their thing ... but it's a video that keeps your attention
games via RED
You can ask Dudoy about this ... he was playing some word game where he claims he got the highest score! But they do have a lot of games you can play and they even have the original DOOM.
movies and tv shows via RED
The movies are pretty new and look really nice on the screen when you order them. They were $8 each and the TV on demand were shows that are popular were $1. The live TV on the plane allows you to join a chatroom where you can chat with others watching the same thing you're watching if that's what you want to do. One thing is when you are watching a show and want to order food or start a chat, it will bring the TV or movie in PIP mode and bring it down to the bottom left while you can do whatever else you want without missing your show.
free movies on late flights
I'm not sure if this is real, but this was on our flight home. We took the red eye flight and they had Bolt, Marley and Me and Seven Pounds for free. They also had all of the TV on demand for free on the trip home.
chat rooms and chat with other people on the plane
We were chatting it up in our chat rooms once we figured it out ... but one great thing about this is you can chat with strangers. Say you are sitting in 13C and you see a hot girl sitting in 7D. Just put her seat number in and start a chat ... but that does not guarantee that she will answer! She can decline the invite and block you so there is no airline chat stalking here.
free wi-fi
This isn't on all the flights yet, but from the reviews I did see with this, some people were even streaming video from the plane live! It will definitely be interesting to see this in action on a flight I'm on ... I know they restrict some things, but it's only for our benefit (i.e. no VOIP).
mp3s via RED
There are a few thousand MP3's here you can select and listen to, not that crap radio that is offered on most flights.
custom playlists via RED
You can make a playlist of MP3's and also make a playlist of the music videos if you want. I think that in the future you'll be able to save the playlists and use them on your next flight.
I could go on and on about all the good things about this airline. I remember when JetBlue was just starting and how people were saying how great they were, well the same goes for Virgin America, the only thing is that they have added almost ever possible thing you can think of to make your flights more enjoyable!
This was actually one of the first flights going to Cali that I didn't go to sleep because I was to busy playing with everything that was available. I think I was ordering too much food and playing everything too much that I broke my TV. Mine actually stopped working, but they were nice enough to offer me free food! I got my roast beef sandwich and some drinks and pringles!
Their fares are pretty good too, the round trip from NY to LA was $255 ... they also have a nice first class section that has massagers that are built into each chair. I'll review that when I get a chance to fly first :)
Props to Virgin America and I will definitely be flying with them again. They have my "best airline award."
Ahhhh yes I'm back in NY, I landed yesterday around 5:30am and it's that "horrible" feeling of coming back from a nice "vacation." Going to Cali wasn't a vacation when I go during Holy Week, it's time spent with the other BNP people from all over the world and it's definitely a great way to jump start that spiritual part of your life and is always a great experience.
The day started out with us landing in JFK and the rain welcoming us back to NY. One of the worst parts of being at the airport is waiting for checked-in luggage! I don't check luggage in but I had to wait for everyone else that had their bags checked. That's the worst when you're sitting there just waiting for the belt to start spinning ... and it's even worse when your luggage just happens to be one of the last ones to come out of that chute. Here it is about 6am now and the belt starts, people are crowded around it shoulder to shoulder waiting for their bags to come. I find it funny how some people stand about 10 feet away from the belt and hope to snag their bag up when it comes out. There was one guy who had that hope ... as his bag came out of the chute he seems it and instantly bounces up from sitting against the wall. Now his bag is on the belt and as he's slowly walking parallel to it there is a wall of people in his way until he finally finds that small opening, just big enough to get his hand through. It was with his skills that he was able to grab one of the straps on his duffle bag ... but now comes another problem! He has to pull the bag out of that small opening ... while other bags are still coming and about to push his bag further down. Sounds like a video game huh??? Now the success of this plan lies in how heavy his bag is and how strong he is. If he's not that strong and his bag is too heavy for him to pull with three or four fingers on the strap, then he loses. His bag will get swept away with the other bags and he'll have to wait for it to come back around. But fortunately for him the combination of his strength and weight of his bag was perfect and he was able to snag his bag and pull it out of that small opening from the wall of people.
We all know that feeling of taking a "nap" because we're so tired but then when we wake up from that short sleep we feel so much worse! It was about 6:30am when we got home and I changed real fast into house clothes in hopes of getting some sleep in my bed for an hour or two ... but saw what became of my room for the past week. A bad part of "vacationing" for me is that when I leave Shadow (my dog) alone, I think he gets mad at me ... either that or he just has some problems with his butt. He greeted me as happily as he could when I came in the door, but when I looked into my room, I saw what he had been doing for the past week. He was virtually alone except when my brother was there feeding him, so there was no one to take him out to do his business when nature called. I won't go into detail but if you want to know what it was like, it's similar to the movie Dumb and Dumberer. That scene when younger Lloyd was in the bathroom with a Hersey bar in his back pocket and it melted on the radiator. The chocolate went everywhere and when the father (Bob Sagat) later went into the bathroom he saw the chocolate everywhere but thought it was something else and all you could hear him yelling was that "he sh*t everywhere! ... Look what he did he sh*t all over the wall!"
I ended up sleeping on the rug in the living room and couldn't fall asleep for a while, I wish I just got up and started cleaning up instead of trying to knock out. But I did end up falling asleep and woke up around 10am and had to be at work by 9:30am. Woke up with that feeling of "damn I wish I didn't sleep" but somehow made my way to work. I don't even remember what happened at work ... the day went by and I had volleyball that night but wasn't sure if I was going to make it.
Going home on the train, you know you're tired when you knock out immediately after sitting down. Also, when you wake up because your face is cold from the drool dripping down your chin and down your neck. Yes I was drooling ... again. Ended up missing my stop and the only reason I woke up was because I had one big snore and it made me jump to see that I passed my stop.
At home I cleaned up the mess in my room and ended up weighing myself ... it wasn't surprising to see the results. I knew that I had gained some weight during the trip and it was about eight or nine pounds, you'll find out why later with all the food that we ate while there. So I had to go to volleyball to try and work some of this new poundage off!
Back to the daily grind ... wishing I was in Cali or going back soon. Now I have more time to blog, blogon!
I'm still here in Cali and am heading back to NY late tomorrow. The ones left with me are some of the youth and my dad and we just got back from a family friends house. The kids ended up meeting up some of their friends and I was hoping to catch a movie with my dad.
Boxing wins when he has to chose and there was some HBO special that he ended up watcjing at the hotel.
So here I am at the movie theater alone. I never though there was anything wrong with going to the movies alone but this is different. I'm actually the only person in the theater! I don't think anyone else is coming since this is the last showing on a Monday night, this theater will all be mine. But is it going to e strange that I'm here alone and will be laughing by myself???
I'm glad I'm not watching a horror movie or else I'd be curled up in a corner scared out of my mind! Observe and Report is the movie of choice and I just hope I don't feel strange when I'm actually loling here.
+ mon
P.S. Oh dammit ... As I was writing this they are showing a scary preview and now I'm no longer have any poop left as I'm scared s***less! Dammit ... F**k!!! I can't even get myself to leave my chair!!!
I forgot to mention that I'm going to be in California for Holy Week and won't be back to NY until Wednesday, so my entries are going to be limited. I have some things to post about but I haven't had enough time to put them up yet.
Today I leave for Cali for Holy Week and I left the house this morning wearing a suit. My dad saw me and asked me why I was wearing a suit and if I was going to change before the flight. If you have traveled with me, you know that I like to go on flights as dressy as possible, suit and tie are the max - I'm not wearing a tux.
It all started when I used to fly standby (buddy passes) and the rules were that we had to wear slacks and a collared shirt. This was something I had to do when flying Continental and there were times when I ended up wearing a suit and I noticed a difference. The difference was in service and also the treatment and respect people were giving me. It was strange but definitely something that I noticed.
It's not a guarantee but I think that being "dressed up" makes it seem that you're more professional and at the same time somewhat "important." There have been a few times already where my suit has gotten me out of situations or helped me in certain situations when traveling.
One of the rules with traveling standby on a buddy pass that you are not allowed to be upgraded to first class, even though there was the occassional rule bender that would let you. There was one trip, actually there were three trips where I was wearing the suit and was checking in. I made it common practice to ask "how's the flight looking" whenever I checked in and would then ask if there was any room in first class. I would normally get agent who would tell me the rules regarding first class and a buddy pass, but on these occassions the agent looked at me after telling me the rules and made the comment "well you are dressed for first class" and when they handed me the ticket, the seats were in first class.
Another time I had four friends with me and we were running late to the airport because someone wanted to stop by Goldilocks. We got to the airport with about 35 minutes before the flight and I dropped them off, then returned the car. It was alright if they made it on the flight and I got stuck, but when I got back to the airport, there they were sittingo n the sidewalk. They wouldn't let them check into the flight because there was no checked luggage going into the place within 30 minutes of the flight (this is one reason why I don't check bags in). The ticket agent had told them that they would have get on the next flight and pay the difference in the price plus a fee. The total came out to about $400 - $500 for each person. Here comes Suitman to the rescue! I went in and talked to the same agent and told them the situation. He recognized my friends that were outside ... and I waited for him to tell him that there was the $400 per person. After a few minutes he said that we were all set and I even asked him if there was a fee for the flight differential. His response to me was "don't worry about it sir, we'll take care of it for you."
Rushing for a flight, it was only ten minutes before my flight left. I ran to the terminal and of course there was a long line for the tickets (this was the time where etickets counters didn't exist yet). I was about to give up and walked off the line to check the next departing flight when a ticket agent came over to me and asked me if I was flying in first class. I told her that I was not, but she said that she'd help me since it seemed that I was flying first class anyway ... she realized my flight was in ten minutes and escorted me past security all the way to the gate to make sure that I made it in.
So here I am dressed as Suitman again. Going to the airport and hoping that I will be able to use my powers for good and help those in need. I don't mind the suit and tie all throughout the flight if it will help in someway or could help if a problem were to come up. This also works for car rental companies ... as I've gotten many free upgrades and "bonuses" because it was Suitman at the counter.
We can all be Suitman! He's inside of us just waiting to come out and use our powers to help us through situations which seem hopeless. So overdress as you must, and tie that tie, then work your way to first class and past security onto the gate to just make your flight.
Thank's for your response and how are you today? I hope you are allright by the special grace of God.
It's not tha i don't want to respond to your email,i am not ok, if my inhertance money which my late father keept for me in the bank,my life and my bright future are not secured.
I contacted you in a way after the money has been transfer to your account, i shall come over to your country to be with you,continue my education and have a new life with you as well if you wish to marry me,but you have not even contacted the bank i don't know why you refuse to contact the bank where my late father deposited my inhertance money while i have told the bank mananer about you and he has been waiting to hear from you since.I thought by now i should be in your country with you to continue my education and have a life with you while you go on investinig on my behalf. I requested your information, your cell phone number for easy communication ,you have not send it to me ,why?
Please all i need you to do is to get this money out from the bank as that is the only way i will be liberated from my situation that i'm facing now.As i am right now i am fiding it very difficult to eat as i spent all the little cash with me and you know that i'm not doing anything neither do i move freely so please help me out and fast.I hope to hear from you soonest.
Thanks and God bless you as you proceed the transfer with the bank.
Yours Sincerely,
Miss.Monica Sankara.
And another response, two in one day!? Oh joy!
My Dear.
You can contact the bank with this email adress,paulduncan_boaci@yahoo.fr.
This is my response to her ... I hope she doesn't drop me like a ton of bricks!
Monica!
There you are! I've been looking for you and worrying day and night, my goodness gracious, I have been worried sick and now I can finally breathe - whew!
I don't think you read my email when I did try to contact the bank. I called the number you gave me but unfortunately there was a lady who answered the phone and well if you hadn't read my email I'll put it frankly that we got very intimate on the phone. She had a very sexy voice and a man of my age gets lonely so it's easy for me to fall into things like that - will that be alright with you? To know that I might cheat on you when we are together and married?
I don't have a cell phone, I had to barrow the phone of my nurse here for me to call the bank at the number you gave me.
My dear I don't think you're reading my emails fully. I asked you if the bank manager had an email address that is directly affiliated with the bank? You never responded.
I need to ask you something Monica ... this is a really serious question. Why is it that when I want to talk about LOVE, you just want to talk about MONEY? I'm not sure you understand who I am Monica. The $7.5 million that you have inherited is a small portion of what I have collected here in the United States. If you pick up a newspaper, I am sure you will see my picture there because I do have a lot of money here kept away. But, I do want to help you with your inheritance and invest it properly, do not worry my dear, I know exactly where to put it - have you ever heard of a company called Bunghole? The bunghole is exactly where we will put it, all of it, we will put everything in the Bunghole, how does that sound to you?
Monica, can we trust the bank manager???
Do you love me Monica? I really need to know if you do ... please let me know. Do you have any more pictures of yourself with less clothing? I would absolutely love to see you in some more pictures but with not so much clothing on.
Email me back my dear, and let's talk about love, love, love. Mr. S.
We'll see if she sends me those pictures and if she's persistant on the cell number, then I'll give her my Skype number so I can record what she says! I will keep you posted on this love affair!
I haven't heard from her in forever, so I've been emailing her trying to get in touch. I'll let you know as soon as she replies, if ever ... damn I'm heart broken.
Monica!?
It's been 8 days since I have last heard from you ... and frankly I am a bit concerned. I'm worried about you as I know there are people out there who are trying to end your life, I'm hoping that nothing bad has happened to you. Please I am begging you to respond to my email and let me know that everything is alright!?
If you haven't emailed me back because you can't forgive me for what I had done on the phone when I tried to call Mr. Duncan and ended up with talking to a lady instead, then that's alright, I understand, but please at least just respond to me and let me know that you are not hurt and you are keeping safe.
I desperately wait for your reply ... please.
Mr. S
Below is my email to her today ... I hope I'm not getting stalkerish?
MONICA!
Comeon, just email me back and let me know if you're doing alright!??!?! I'm really worried, and I haven't been eating properly since I'm so worried about you! Please Monica, email me back just to let me know that you are alright and the thugs didn't get to you. It's ok if you're mad at me, and don't even want to talk to me again because I had some raunchy affair with that lady on the phone, but please just do me the favor of letting me know how your'e doing.
We've been through so much together Mon Baby! Please let me know that you still are out there and safe, please let me know that you're missing me and thinking about me. Here I am typing this email to you as my tears wet the keyboard, with each key I strike, more tears fall. All these minutes and seconds that run by without hearing your words is causing my heart to shrivel up into a little tiny ball which will fit in the tube of a BIC pen soon ... please don't let that happen and give me a sign. Any sign my Mon dear.
Email me back, even just one word, just one single word from those fingertips ... just one.
Mr. S
I guess all I can do is wait ... I'll wait another day for her to respond or not, then I'm going to just let it all out!
So you've probably read about my detox attempt before where I tried to eat "healthy" after eating a whole bunch of non healthy food for a little while and how well that all worked out. Today was my second attempt at this and hopefully it was going to work.
You can see from all the past entries being about food and what I've been eating, it's definitely time to detox! I really tried, really I did ... for lunch I went to the gourmet deli and was at the salad bar, but then gravity drew me into the regular food bar and I loaded up. Not on the super bad food, but not the "healthy" ones either.
Look at the evidence of the healthy food attempt with the salad! Then I ended up getting some shrimp, then rice, and finally the two meatballs. Not so bad right?
Tomorrow's another day, we'll see how that all turns out. I have to eat "good" tomorrow since we have our volleyball game, that's motivation for me!
Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 12:53PM 
