Sometimes ideas strike when least expected. It started out as a bike ride around Mosman and morphed into a little video shoot. No agendas, no scripts, no stabilizing gear, just a camera and a few bikes.
Avocado vegemite toast is an Australian breakfast favorite here. Vegemite is sold by Kraft but it appears to be readily available only in this lower corner of the globe. It looks like chocolate and spreads like nutella but is actually salty yeast extract. The shocking taste is usually enough to turn most visitors off from embracing this local delicacy.
Mosman is a nice suburb of Northern Sydney, Australia where my aunt and her family lives and The Penny Royal Cafe is one of the more popular cafes here in Mosman. From 7am to ~2pm, the place is bustling with people. Most get their coffee and breakfast to go. The artwork on the walls were painted by the same artist who did concept art for the Matrix and Ren and Stimpy. My cousin who works at the cafe part time makes an appearance in the video.
Of the value we bestow on black liquids, oil will always be king, but here in Australia, coffee has been elevated to unseen heights of royalty. On any given district road in Northern Sydney, a person may find 3-4 coffee shops on the same intersection and all of them are brimming with patrons.
Starbucks maybe the standard of coffee in the United States, but down here even Starbucks has been closing shops at unprecedented rates after failing to cut a share of the market. After opening a flood of stores in 2000 in its quest for world domination, the chain ended up keeping only 23 out of 84 locations (source).
Australia and New Zealand have their own ways of naming drinks and here are a few terms any coffee drinker will need to acquaint themselves with:
Long Black: shots espresso over hot water with no milk or sugar
Flat White: a shot of espresso over hot water with steamed milk (similar to latte)
Cappuccino: espresso, hot milk, and steamed-milk froth
Affogato: scoops of ice cream or gelato topped by a shot of espresso
(left) caffe latte (right) affogato
All of this is to give a little context to my first cup of coffee ever. When in Rome…right? I opted for a cafe latte, which was not too bitter or too sweet. I did not need to add excessive sugar which was a plus. A good introductory drink I think when venturing into the realm of caffeine.
My first experience with coffee was great and the location of the coffee house overlooking the Sydney Opera House was quite memorable. Fortunately, I do not think I’ll be chasing the dragon with regards to this caffeinated black ooze. It’s tasty…but good enough to drink 3-4 times a day? A curious mystery I’ll happily leave unsolved.
Before my flight, a few of us decided to head down to Hillcrest for breakfast/lunch. The wait for a large table was over 1 hr and 45 min which meant our stomachs were growling by the time we were seated. Your wait may vary depending on the time you go and the size of your party. A house DJ spun some tracks and we found out we had come on “Santa’s Breakfast” day, meaning there were some specials on the menu today.
Despite the long wait to get seated, the food came out incredibly quickly after we ordered. Portions were massive and the food was incredible. I am not a breakfast person at all but this place made me think twice about that.
Once in a while, a perfect blend of amazing food and even better company come together for a dynamite eating experience.
(left) french toast (right) in Rich’s words, “a huge biscuit underneath a massive chicken underneath some eggs”
Rumor has it that this place is under rent control from way long days ago. Due to rent being extremely cheap, their profits go towards buying the freshest fish in SD. Which in turn attracts customers…which drive up the profits…which brings the freshest fish…and cycle on.
Not sure where I first heard this, but everything about this place seems to back up this story. There are a few true hole in the walls in San Diego and this definitely counts as one. Lodged in between a 7-11 and a used car dealership, you begin to see where the rent control rumor comes from. The rather unassuming exterior is in quite stark contrast to the clean, modern interior of the restaurant. It’s been years since I’ve been here and it’s a joy to come back.
Joshua Wu, Amy Lee, and Adam Wong
We ordered two bento boxes with an assortment of sashimi, hand rolls, fried rice, and a calamari salad. The special of the day was a sashimi dinner which included hamachi (amberjack/yellow tail), lobster, sardine, mackerel, sea urchin (uni), sea clam, and fatty tuna. A first for a lot of those things on that list.
A few of us had previous experiences of uni which left us hesitant to try it again. As one person put it, “it taste like the sea in your mouth”. It was surprisingly good though! Still not sure what the craze is regarding it, but I left with a better impression of it than when I headed in.
Josh, who is an avid fisher and a total fishgeek, was grinning ear to ear throughout the dinner and couldn’t stop saying “oh my gawwd”. It was just that good.
A few weeks ago, while driving down from the gladiator run, a friend of mine pointed out “Del Mar Lights” as we passed the Del Mar fairgrounds. I told her that the previous year a few friends and I drove around San Diego and saw some of the best christmas lights the city had to offer. She told me to check out Xmas Card Lane and had me intrigued after explaining it for a few minutes.
So after dinner at Sushi Ota we headed over to Oviedo and Renato St in Rachno Penasquitos. Wiki had informed us of the large crowds and the congestion on Fridays and the weekends so we were a bit glad to avoid the mayhem by going on a weekday.
Each house in the community puts up large cardboard cutouts with season greetings with various themes.
An assortment of holiday wishes include Pixar, Disney, Marvel/DC comics, and Harry Potter.
Although we skipped out on the crowds of the weekends, it seemed as though enjoying the sights with the crowds would add to the entire experience. Articles online mentioned horse-drawn carriages, double decker buses with carolling choirs, hot chocolate, and santa/elf costumes (wiki). We saw none of that from people visiting the displays.
Some places in San Diego are reknown for their amazing xmas lights displays but those tended to be single houses in a community. The amazingness of xmas card lane is the collective community effort in putting up displays. It truly is a warming sight to see neighbors join together in celebrating something larger than themselves.
Last year none of my neighbors put lights up. I put some up and got a HOA notice for leaving them up in January. This year I said, “bah humbag” and didn’t do anything. All my neighbors have lights up this year.
It has been a while but you may remember the French guy from a previous post (here). At the last ever department (our dept is merging) white elephant, he decides to retaliate.
Ryan was about to give this to his kids. Good thing he opened it first.
Alex’s face is on a few things in the office. Now Todd’s is too.
Mud-Blooded
A few months ago a couple of my college bioengineering friends and I signed up for a mud run. At the time it seemed like a great motivational tool for us to get in shape and gauge where we were at fitness wise. Why we decided a mud run over a half marathon or bike event, who knows. Unfortunately, we lost one of our members (Mike Lau) to an ankle sprain and he wasn’t able to join us on race day. The event snuck up on us and before we knew it we were in car heading up to Irvine for a 5K mud run.
This was an event organized by Dan “Nitro” Clark (one of the cast from original American Gladiators) and I was really impressed how organized it was. It was the first annual event in Irvine and there were people ranging from first-timers (like us) and seasoned veterans. It had the same vibe as marathon events and it was great seeing people enjoy a healthy challenge.
The course started out with a 1-mile run from the Irvine Wild River park to the Amphitheathre. There we ran up the full flight of stairs in the amphitheatre, down, up and back down again (Stairway to Heaven). Heading back we grabbed a 50 lb bag of rice ~20 yards (Buddha’s Burden). From there it was a series of mini-obstacles and tire courses which were not too difficult. After ~2 miles we began to hit the mud obstacles and thats when the fun really began!
Slipping, sliding, and swimming in mud was more challenging than we had expected and running after the mud pools felt like we were carrying an 3-5 extra pounds. Had it been a hot day it would have been a bit more enjoyable, but the mud was thick and freezing. To top it off the mystery nightmare obstacle were a couple of guys with football pads crushing us into the bushes on the side. Never underestimate the difficulty of running in mud with mud filled shoes, it’s a face plant waiting to happen and boy were there a few close calls.
Results:
It appeared as though most people who came in a group ran together and encouraged each other through the obstacles. Us being a little more competitive, we decided to go for time and push ourselves to our individual limits. Either way would have been fun and gratifying.
Not bad out of 2000+ participants, but definitely room for improvement. The fastest guy was a 39 year old dude who finished in 22:12!
All in all this was a fun, challenging, and empowering event and I would definitely recommend the event to anybody who may be interested. Some groups dressed in matching costumes and some were incredibly unique. Check out their facebook page for more images. www.gladiatorrocknrun.com/ for information on events near you.
Dan Nitro from the American Gladiators. Past and present.
Eulogy:
Sherman Koon Ling Hui, son of Hung-Ying Hui and Yuet Pang, was born on September 10, 1950 in Baoan County, Guangdong Province, China. At the age of four, he immigrated with his family to Hong Kong. He was the oldest of five children. After graduating from the College of Education, he taught at Kei Wah Christian Primary School.
In 1976, Sherman came to the United States and earned a Bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University. He married his high school schoolmate Josephine in January 1980 in Hong Kong. Later they had two children, Lawrence in 1985 and Laurel in 1989.
Upon graduating with an MBA from Florida State University in 1981, Sherman and Josephine moved to Houston, Texas. There he worked as a Certified Public Accountant. Both Sherman and Josephine came to know the Lord and were baptized on September 8, 1985.
As a born again Christian, Sherman was devout in his faith. Whether in Texas, or after moving to California in 1986, Sherman always found ways to serve the church body. He actively pursued a life that reflected his gratitude for salvation, and his roles in church included serving as a Sunday school teacher, church accountant, and deacon board member. A scholar by nature, he earned a Master of Divinity from Western Seminary in 2001.
Sherman loved sports, music, singing, food, and traveling. He picked up martial arts at a later point in his life and found great enjoyment. An educator at heart, he was infectious in his love to teach others. He was passionate about many things, but at the top of his list was his fervent dedication to God and his family. He was always a steady force to his family through the uncertainties of life.
In November 2007, Sherman was diagnosed with liver cancer. He underwent a series of chemotherapy and radiation for more than two years. The overflow of support from family, brothers and sisters in Christ during these times provided Sherman with much comfort. He continued to testify of God’s unfailing love and proclaim his trust in God’s unerring provision. His faith gave him the strength to live a life that would not be dictated by physical limitations.
On October 31, 2010, Sherman passed away peacefully in the presence of Josephine, Lawrence, and Laurel and is united with the Lord. He now rests in the arms of his Savior and in communion forever with the Creator. Praise the Lord.
In the last month of my father’s life, he wrote a song called “Climbing Mountains”.
My words about my father
Christ once told a story in the gospel of Matthew about two men building homes. These homes can represent their lives, it’s particularly relevant because my father loved remodeling homes. In good seasons of life, when the sun shines and the clouds are nowhere to be seen, all homes can look great. When things are going well, it is easier to be a good person. When times are good, it is easier to be a benevolent and caring person. It is easier to be a good husband and father. But when the storm comes and the river floods, that is when you find out what a house is truly made of.
I remember one time when I had oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth. The surgery went late into the night around 8-9 pm and all the pharmacies near by were closed so he ended up driving around for an hour to find an open pharmacy so I could have pain killers that night when the anesthesia wore off.
I remember during one of the toughest stretches during his seminary years, my father planned a trip through western Europe. We were at thrilled to be at the Vatican city. We forgot that there was a rule that men have to wear long pants when visiting. It was really hot and my father and I were stopped at the entrance by the Vatican guards because we only had shorts that day. Possibly seeing the look of disappointment on my face, my father would not be stopped. He pulled out a rain jacket out of his backpack and slipped on one sleeve as one pant leg and the other sleeve. And with the hood dangling between his legs, he walked straight up to the guard and was let in. It was so embarrassing, but I ran in right after him. As we both looked at the Pieta in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, I realized the sacrifice my father had just made so that I could see inside. In those seemingly trivial times, my father’s true nature was magnified. I have so many memories and stories of my father. Through the good times and the trying times, it became more and more evident to me that my father’s house was built on something unshakable.
If there was any doubt where my father had built his house, it would be most evident in the last few years of his life. Of the many storms in his life, cancer may have been his biggest…the rains came pouring and the wind roared, the earth shook, and the hurricane swept against my father’s house. I am so proud to have seen that his life was built on solid rock.
and on that solid rock, my family and I will carry on.
Thanks to a high school friend, my faith in my high school alma mater is a bit restored. I was so impressed with an article that was written by my former journalism newspaper I actually wrote a letter to the editors. First time I have ever been prompted to do that!
As an alumni of SHS quite a few years removed from high school it is with great joy to hear that our football team has finally defeated our cross town rival.
On Monday morning (10/25), after hearing rumors of a Saratoga victory, I tried googling the results and found very little information regarding the game until I was able to finally confirm it on losgatosfootball.com. However, I wanted to hear Saratoga’s side of the story and not some coaches’ take on handling losses with pride (link).
My search led me to saratogahigh.org which had perhaps the most muted announcement of the game ever (link). I thought perhaps it led to a story after the link (link). I could not believe my eyes. Was 3 measly sentences all Saratoga had to say about such a historic win? In an age where news spreads faster than ever before, it was a bit disappointing that I struggled to find information online regarding the game.
Fortunately, SaratogaFalcon.org came to the rescue. Your online recap of the game was incredibly timely, having been posted on the Sunday (10/24) after the Friday evening victory. It did not go unnoticed that NLCS Giants vs. Phillies game 6 was on Saturday (10/23), and it would have totally been understandable had the article taken a back seat to watching that exhilarating game. It meant the sports editor and writer had to sacrifice their weekend to interview, write, copy edit, and get the proper sign offs to have it posted online in less than two days. The dedication and professionalism your staff displayed in delivering the article is deserving of high praise. A special thanks goes to Annaamalai and Venkataramana, whose thorough interviews and well written article captured the essence of the game and the aftermath.
As a former staff member of a university newspaper, it gives me great pride to know the Saratoga Falcon operates at this high a level of professional journalism. Perhaps an even greater pride than the victory over Los Gatos itself.
Thanks from a grateful alumni, L.Hui (Class of 2003)
The end of the article pointed out a pretty neat fact that not necessarily all of Friday night’s madness resided soley in Saratoga-Los Gatos. Shout out from former Toga parent Pete Carroll (current Seattle Seahawks coach) below!
twitter.com/PETECARROLL
In the end I’m still left to wonder. 28 years? 23 years? 27 (Falcon article)? or 29 (Pete Carroll)? In the end I guess it does not matter, it was a long time coming. Maybe the Giants can get some streak ending magic going too.
Q: What happens when you pit a school full of academics against a school full athletes?
For 23 consecutive years, my high school Alma mater has lost to our cross town rivals in football. The last time Saratoga High beat Los Gatos High in football, I was 2 years old. The last time my school beat Los Gatos, the cost of gas was ~0.95 cents/gal, our president was Ronald Reagan, and the biggest hit singles that year was Los Lobos “La Bamba” and yes…Rick Astley’s enduring “Never Gonna Give You Up”.
A brief background: our district has two very distinct high schools. If you had any chance of playing collegiate sports you typically went to Los Gatos, the only sports accolades Saratoga seemed to win were scholar athlete awards and badminton championships. Even our headline crimes are different. Saratoga made news in 1997 with an AP cheating scandal and again in 2004 with a high-tech cheating scandal (article). Los Gatos made news with a 17 person drug ring bust by a student/undercover cop in 2001(article) and another 22 person undercover sting in 2003. Same area…different schools. You get the idea.
We faced Trent Edwards (former starting NFL QB) and the likes and each year we gritted our teeth and hoped next year we’d get just one point closer. I’m inclined to believe we came close a few years but every year the game against Los Gatos was hyped to galactic levels…only to end up being some sort of train wreck.
Now to be clear, our basketball team routinely challenged Los Gatos and we beat them handily my senior year. Just wanted to make that clear distinction…this streak only existed in football. 23 years is a long time to lose to the same school year after year after year.
Well, on Friday October 22, 2010…the streak ended.
screen shot from www.maxpreps.com
It’s been a few years since I wrote anything sports related. I used to be a column writer for my school newspaper and decided this event was enough to dust off some of the cobwebs. Rather than comment on the game which I wasn’t present to witness, I am going to just highlight the reactions I found online.
Los Gatos’ coach writes about the loss in a very well documented football site (here). I’m sure the coach is going to face a whole lot of ridicule for this loss but it looks like their recent string of losses including a 42-0 shutout loss to Palo Alto means they’re really licking their wounds right now.
screen shot from www.losgatosfootball.com
A few years ago U of Michigan was doing so badly (2007) in football that even my friends who went to Ohio State, and Purdue felt a little pity. Sure they enjoyed watching Michigan lose but you can only enjoy your victory to a certain extent when the opposing rival is doing that badly. So to put that into context…Michigan = Los Gatos, Appalachian State = Saratoga.
Meanwhile.
I would think that Saratoga would be all up and happy. Maybe like that scene in ‘Remember the Titans’ when the Titans make it to the regional finals and the town goes crazy. Check out the school website in the aftermath.
screen shot from www.saratogahigh.org
One lousy corner on the far right! Oh maybe it gets better. Maybe it’s a link to the actual full story…
screen shot from www.saratogahigh.org
nope. well, congratulations Falcons.
Oh wait! After some more internet digging…well finally! A site that depicts the joy of winning possibly the most significant game in recent school history!
Wait what is that?! 28 years?! Los Gatos’ website has it at 23 years and we have it at 28?! Either Los Gatos recognized that Saratoga won a game 23 years ago or Saratoga became so used to losing that they just stopped keeping track of the years. Considering Los Gatos’ pure supremacy and relentless focus on football, I’m inclined to believe their records over ours. Seems that even in our celebration we can’t seem to do that right…and we’re the good students! Sadness.
