San Francisco Segway Tour

What is a segway? If you're half as ignorant as I am, you probably don't know either. It's described as the "world's first dynamically stabilized, self-balancing Human Transporter". It runs on rechargeable NiMH batteries and is controlled by a rider's natural body motions. Basically, if you lean forward it accelerates, if you lean backwards, it brakes and if you want to turn in either direction you can twist the handle.

Anyhow, I was able to experience this contraption first hand last weekend while taking a tour of San Francisco. The total cost was $65 for 3 hours around Fisherman's Wharf. Training took approximately half a hour and I was able to ride out into the main streets following a tour guide. I did try to race my friend on the segway but to no avail, since the speed inhibitor automatically slows the segway down if you surpass the 8 mph limit... no fun!

Everything seemed all fine and dandy until the slight drizzle transformed into a violent downpour of rain coupled with strong winds. This not only caused some segways to malfunction and shut down, but it also drenched everyone to the bone. This abruptly ended the tour and we were sent home like wet dogs, although we did receive a partial refund. =P Overall, this was a amusing experience and I would highly recommend this as a remarkable way to tour SF.

Water Diet Sucks!

“Food poisoning is a common, usually mild, but sometimes deadly illness. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea that come on suddenly (within 48 hours) of consuming a contaminated food or drink. Do not eat solid food while nauseous or vomiting but drink plenty of fluids. Avoid alcoholic, caffeinated, or sugary drinks, if possible."

I am so freaking hungry right now! Merely drinking water all day long doesn't really satisfy my hunger pains! I have actually been sick since last Thursday after supposedly eating some bad leftover Denny's mini-burgers (leaving it in a car under the sun for approx. 2 hours). Of course, I couldn't tell it was bad since I added so much ketchup to it... never doing that again =P. Approximately 2 hours after I consumed the leftovers, I began to feel nauseous and eventually threw up my dinner. Thereafter, I attempted to sleep early but ended up tossing and turning with cold sweats ensuing all night long.

The next day, I felt much better so I started eating normally... bad idea.. threw up shortly after that. Anyhow, to make the long story short, I did not follow the instructions on how to treat food poisoning and I am still sick right now! I don't understand how people can diet by merely drinking water, I am on a forced water diet and it is horrible. Can't wait for this to end so I can eat some real food!!

Settlers of Catan Online

"In Settlers of Catan players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine the current production on the island. Players collect raw materials to build up their civilizations to gain enough victory points to win the game. This game is a Spiel des Jahres (German game of the year) winner, primarily because of its amazing ability to appeal to non-gamers and gamers alike."

This game is freaking addicting! This is a screenshot of the online version of this game which can be found at http://games.asobrain.com/. Anyone who would like to learn, just inform me and I will gladly take the time to train you in the art of Settlers (takes less then 20 minutes).

For those that already know how to play, the online version is even better then the original board. Not only are there a large plethora of new maps, it also includes tons of new features. Advantages of the online java version of Settlers include:

1) You can explore into the 'white unknown spots' and discover new territories
2) There are 'gold spots' where you can to choose which resource you need
3) Since it is played online, anyone from any location can play at anytime
4) Game play time is largely decreased

20 Ways Get A Girl (friend) In Bed

This list was obtained from a Asian music forum that I peruse occasionally in order to keep my Chinese albums up to date. The language used to compile this list clearly represents the writing style of a high school student or below. I left the content of the actual list in its raw and optimistic form derived in all likelihood from the current experience of first love. However, I did take the liberty of personalizing the title myself. =P

1. Tell her she is beautiful or gorgeous (not fine, or sexy)
2 . Hold her hand at any moment . . . even if its just for a second.
3 . Kiss her on the forehead/ neck.
4 . Leave her voice messages to wake up to.
5 . When she is upset, hold her tight and tell her how much she means to you.
6 . Recognize the small things . . . they usually mean the most.
7 . Pick her over all the other girls you hang out with.
8 . Let her take as many pictures of you as she wants.
9 . Introduce her to family and friends . . . as your girlfriend.
10 . Play with her hair.
11 . Pick her up, tickle her, and play-wrestle with her.
12 . Sit in the park and just talk to her.
13 . Tell her funny jokes, tell her stupid jokes, or just tell her jokes.
14 . Let her fall asleep in your arms.
15 . If she's mad at you, kiss her.
16 . Give her piggyback rides.
17 . Bring her flowers.
18 . Treat her the same around your friends as you do when your alone.
19 . Look her in the eyes and smile.
20 . If your in love with her . . . tell her.

My Latest Wallpaper

What do most people these days spend hours upon hours staring at all day long... your computer monitor of course! In order to spice up my mundane existence, every so often I will get the urge to alternate my wallpaper to create a slight variation in my life. I highly recommend that you spend a few minutes to find a new picture and change up your desktop background every once in a blue moon. It helps to hold over the monotony, at least for a short period of time.

Can anyone guess who this cute asian girl is, or at least take a stab at what her ethnicity is? If you can predict correctly I will make sure to treat you to a lollipop next time I see you. =P I will disclose her identity a week from today.

Jet Li's Last Martial Arts Film

"Fearless will be his last movie that has martial arts as its core subject matter. Li said he no longer wants to make movies in this genre because he has said all he has to about martial arts through movies. But he will continue doing action and kungfu movies because, to him, the three are of different genres. Action and martial arts stories only use the form of martial arts. Kungfu represents a concept of time. You spend time practicing it, and you learn new skills. Martial arts are an overall concept, which also includes nurturing the soul."

I thought this was a great movie with plenty of spectacular fight scenes. However, I can't really comprehend how kungfu can be considered a separate genre... isn't it technically a subset or type of martial art? Either way, I'm positive that Jet Li knows far more then I do about this subject matter, so I won't bother arguing this point.

Watch this trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jn9AsHT9lM

On the Road to Sobriety

I've come to the realization that becoming intoxicated is no longer an essential element of social gatherings. Therefore, I have decided to "attempt" to remain sober and not drink a drop of alcohol in the next three months. When this experimental timeframe expires, I will reassess how non-consumption of alcoholic beverages has either negatively or positively impacted my lifestyle.

Scientifically, consuming large doses of alcohol can cause a number of problems, including but not limited to 1) impairing sexual function, 2) cirrhosis of the liver, 3) increases the stomach's digestive enzymes, which can irritate the stomach wall, producing heartburn, nausea, gastritis, and ulcers, and 4) cause water retention (resulting in weight gain and bloating). After a night of drinking, I definitely feel the lingering effects the following day having to deal with a horrible hangover, an empty wallet, and sometimes being injured with no recollection of how it happened.

However, since alcohol has been my faithful companion through a significant part of my life, I do have some good things to say about being drunk. Drinking has given me the courage and numbed my inhibitions enough to go up to people and make new "friends" randomly. It also magically taught me how to dance like a idiot, completely forgetting or not caring about how stupid I must really look!

Ten recent activities that DO NOT require drinking: 1) Tennis, 2) Bowling, 3) Hiking, 4) Swimming, 5) Lan Party- Starcraft!, 6) Potluck, 7) Board Games- Settlers of Catan, Citadel, and Bang, 8) Coffee Shops/Book Stores 9) New Restaurants, 10) Texas Hold'em Poker