End of March Madness’ll bring about a whole other round of excitement around here at work. Orthopedic surface + acrylic backboards = awesome! Double rim (boo).
Viewable by 2/3 of the company offices so no more 1+ hr lunches (boo)…hopefully more intense games now that the other guys’ll have some people to impress. Sand volleyball courts on the right (but who cares about those), and large grass field in back (for ultimate!).
A few friends are heading out this morning to China to see God’s heart for Asia. Check out Austin’s video and keep him and his team in your prayers!
Notes:
For this video, I tried to emulate a guy whose work I really really admire. He’s stationed out in Dubai (recently it looks like he’s in Australia) and the stuff he does for his church is stunning. I took the idea off one of his church news video spots and tried to recreate a similar feel.
The artist’s name is Salomon Ligthelm and his work speaks for itself. The techniques, the color gradients, so beautiful…yet I don’t recall him mentioning formal schooling or training. His blog has references to him having to render on crummy laptops and wait over night before making a quick edit and rending for another 6-7 hours. Then uploading his final work over cafe wifi cause he doesn’t have internet at home. So inspiring!
Check out a clip of his…I won’t feel bad if you never want to watch my stuff again.
11311 Mississippi Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
(310) 445-8725
www.blockheadsla.com
Shaved snow has migrated westward, and this place hits the spot for anyone not located in the asia heartland of Arcadia/San Gabriel/Monterey Park. When originally planning this year’s itinerary, this was secretly the cornerstone of the trip.
At $3.50 a medium and $5.00 for a large this place is a really sweet deal. It’s a tiny place near the 405 that can probably sit at most 20 people.They differentiate themselves from Class 302 in a few ways, all which make this place slightly better. The wait at Class 302 can be horrendous and they don’t let you take out, but here you pop in and pop out with your shaved snow to go in less than 5 minutes.
The menu is basic and flexible, C.Yung later told us that the spot in between Original and Green Tea was Taro! But it looks like they’re thinking of phasing it out.
The main point that I enjoyed was that this place does not drench their snow with condensed milk or syrup. The sweetness comes from the ingredients. Our group had quite varied tastes so we ordered everything but the original. The green tea was a delight and the black sesame is true to it’s flavor. These don’t taste like they’re made from powder or concentrate, they taste really fresh! For people who really like the distinct flavor of green tea and black sesame, these two flavors will be your solid winners. For me, strawberry really stood out.
That was an amazing treat. Next time I’m in the area, this is definitely worth repeating.
The other day I responded to C.Yih’s 20 step box jump challenge with a 22 step box jump of my own. I upped the previous challenge by 2 steps thinking it’d be enough to settle the dispute for a while.
The response came back swiftly and en masse. Screenshots below…
D.Tong: 22 step box jump
C.Yih aka Staked: 22 step box jump
M.Lau: 24 step box jump!
24 steps * 2 in/ step + 4 in. platform = 52 inches
This is so stupid. We’re not even really testing verticals anymore, this is just macho bravado in its dumbest form. One of us will eventually get hurt…most definitely me.
3 months ago, 19 steps:
C.Yih’s response: a clean 20 step box jump:
I’m trying to end this madness.
Sunday Morning: Epicentre Church
1:00pm: Dim sum at Top Island Seafood, Alhambra
3:00pm: Food coma
zzzz…and Oscar Red Carpet show, for the girls. Yeah.
4:00pm: 3.5 mi run, Arcadia
5:00pm: Doe Jon Station, Arcadia
7:00pm: Boiling Crab @ Wong Residence
Alas, another year has come and gone. LA has hosted some incredibly great memories over the years and there’s no shortage of food and friends to last a lifetime.
It’s exciting to see the idea of two of my favorite things coming together with each time around hopefully being more memorable than the last. Come join us next year folks!
I hate it when there’s a TV on at meal time.
Growing up, my dad had a refined taste for food and my mom was masterful in the kitchen so I grew up fully aware what good food tastes and looks like. But despite the wonderful food I’ve grown up eating, dinner at home was always about the conversations and company of those around the table. There’s an intimacy when sharing a meal together, a time where thoughts and ideas are free to be exchanged, a time where jokes are dished and enjoyed, stories are shared, and memories made.
LA eats this year went back to the root of what I enjoy most…dining and chilling with good people. It helps that LA has such a varied landscape of cultures that I can indulge in bizarre cravings once in a while, but the real fun is seeing old friends while sharing a meal.
I was really glad my housemates were able to come out this year and an old childhood friend (B.Cheng) also came out. It ended up being a pretty sweet weekend of food, hanging out, and enjoying the city (and all it’s traffic).
Pre-Saturday (Friday Night): El Taurino, Downtown LA
Saturday Morning: Doe Jon Station, Arcadia
11am: The Annenberg Space for Photography, Downtown LA
1:00pm: Umami Burger, Santa Monica
A few notes about Umami in Santa Monica. It’s connected to a clothing store named Fred Segal so it’s actually really confusing. They have no sign because well, c’mon…you should know the symbol. duh. It’s a sit down restaurant and on weekends you will be waiting for quite a bit. That said, the burgers are amazing. We all ended up sharing umami burgers and the truffle burgers. Oh freak, the truffle burger was awesome. Yao got a truffle poutine special and that looked mouth watering good.
Between Umami and Father’s Office…i think the heirarchy goes Umami Burger < Father’s Office Burger < Truffle Burger (@Umami’s)! The one caveat is that you will be full after a F.O burger with fries, here at Umami’s you’d be full after 2 burgers but you’d also walk home with a much much lighter wallet.
2:00pm: 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica
3:30pm: Blockhead Shavery
{review coming soon}
7:00pm: Tasty Garden, Alhambra
9:30pm: Desert & Boba @ Phoenix Cafe, Arcadia
11:50pm: Donut Man, Glendora
My housemate strutting his new gear with my old caps…somehow we have every team that Jeremy Lin’s signed with. How about them apples.
We’ve all probably read about the guy’s improbable rise to fame, but what about those who are fortunate, or unfortunate, to share the same name?
The Context:
In 2004, my sophomore year, my small group coleader T.Hong convinced some upperclassmen that it would be a good idea to prank an young’n on his birthday. As described in my earlier post, he had a strange ability to convince others to do what he wanted. If everything went according to his plans, he could maintain credible deniability. Unfortunately, he didn’t account for the camera catching him passing off the cream pies red-handed.
I waited 8 years. 8 years worth of birthdays, graduations, and other big events that I steadfastly passed up the opportunity to get even. Only one night would be momentous enough for me to strike back.
Sweet revenge takes patience. When planned meticulously and executed flawlessly, the reward is refreshingly unparalleled.
The Result:
” Do not f… with us” -Tyler Durden
Location: Lestats Cafe
