The Painting Party

When I was living with a friend in an apartment during my mid twenties, we decided to paint the living room. Because of the high ceiling, we had to use a ladder to reach the high areas of the wall. To prepare the room, we filled in the holes on wall, especially the holes made by our darts that missed the dart board. We used a combination paint and blue colored toothpaste to make the filler. The reason we used blue toothpaste because we ran out of the white toothpaste. The filler was darker than we liked, but it did the job. We started to paint the wall.

To reach the upper areas we placed the step ladder on top of the table. When we were halfway done, we had to move the ladder and table to another section of the wall. Someone had the bright idea of just keeping the paint bucket on top of the ladder, since we were only moving the table a small distance. We felt it would be a lot of hassle to remove the paint bucket and the ladder to just replace the ladder on the table again. With people on each side, we lifetd the table with the ladder on it and moved it slowly. With so many people moving the table and without proper coordination, the table moved erractically. In one of our sideways move and abrupt stop, the paint bucket on top of the ladder fell to the floor.

The bucket landed on the living room carpet turning it into a sea of white paint. My room mate, our friends and I was speechless for a minute or so. When we finally able to express our disbelief, my room mate provided a logical solution to the problem. He would buy a carpet to cover the white spot in case the apartment manager came to visit. Until I left to return to my parent's house, the white stain was still on the carpet. I heard he finally had it replaced when my room mate's Mom can to live with him.

Wild Carabao Ride

When I was in the 6th grade, one of my friend's family were farmers who owned a carabao, an asian water bufallo. They used it to plow the rice field and help with moving materials around the farm. On the weekends my friend, as one of his chores, would watch the carabao while it munch on grass in the pasture near my home. The pasture was a muti-level rice paddies were grass grew when the it was not planting season. He would take it by the river afterwards and let it cool itself in the water before leading the animal home.

One day, another friend and I saw him riding his carabao while it lazily grazed on the green grass. We talked to him and after a while asked us if we wanted a ride on the carabao. Since I never tried it before, I jumped at the chance and I had to convince our other friend to join me on the back of carabao. Since we can only comfortably fit two people my friend let us ride by ourselves. We carefully prodded the animal to move so we can feel how it moves. My friend was moving around the carabao while he talked with us.

The carabao was very gentle and it just snorted and kept munching on the grass. It would occasionally dart it's tongue into one of it's nostrils. The carabao was almost pure black except the gray where the mud clings on it's skin. The horn was massive and sweeping, unlike the bufallo in the U.S. with it's short horn. The body was covered with coarse hair that tickles when it came in contact with my bare legs. I have never seen a more noble animal than this carabao.

While day dreaming that I have mastered another skill, nothing short of riding a water bufallo, the carabao bellowed, snorted and started to gallop. My friend and I got frightened and held on the hair on animal's back trying not to fall and get trampled by the beast. It ran like a see-saw and on the down swing I kept sliding toward the carabao's neck. I saw the huge black horn looming in front like giant spears. The carabao jumped into a lower rice paddy and the really scared us because we thought we would surely fall of the animal's back. I was so happy when the poor animal stopped it rampage and we both got off it's back. We later found out that my friend went behind the carabao and used a rubber band to shoot the animal's "dangling participle." The carabao was so surprised that it ran away in panic with us still on it's back. I don't know why I was not angry towards my friend, but we all have a good laugh afterwards.

Nighttime Adventures

When I was around in my early twenties, Frank, my best friend, and I would drive around South Bay after work. We would take off after work on friday, point to a random direction of the compass and drive for hours. When we don't have to be back right away, we would usually park the car and slept before we headed back home. We discovered a lot of interesting places, like Big Bear, Laguna and San Bernardino, because of our nighttime escapades.

On one of our nighttime drive we ended up in a park in San Diego. It was late at night and we were both tired, so we decided to sleep before heading back home. Frank slept in the back of the VW Bug with a blanket, while I slept in the front seats with my own blanket. The car was parked in second gear in a slight slope near the water's edge. I kept twisting and turning trying to find a comfortable position when I knocked the gear shift into neutral. Frank and I noticed that we seemed to be moving. When I looked up I saw we were slowly rolling towards the water.

Frank and I were frantically trying to get ourselves loosed from our blankets, which after our twisting around, wrapped itself around us like a straight jacket. We were close into going into the water when one of my foot was loosed enough to step on the brake. We parked in another section of the park away from the water, but we could not sleep after the incident. We decided to just watch the people jogging around while the sun rised on the morning sky. We went home afterwards, but we continued our nighttime adventures.

Caught Red Handed

I started smoking when I was in my late teens. After the McDonalds restaurant I worked for was robbed, I smoked my first cigarette given to me by a friend to calm me down. I started to smoke regularly after the robbery, but I bummed cigarettes from my friends at work. Later, I bought my own cigarette pack, since I need to smoke after work. I kept my smoking a secret from my parents, since I knew they would be very upset about my picking up the habit. It worked for a few weeks until my Dad caught me.

My Dad was a heavy smoker in his early days. After he had a heart attack, the doctor gave him a choice, either stop smoking or die. My Dad stopped smoking a couple of years before I started smoking. He was very sensitive to the smoke and he can not stand the smell of cigarette after he quit. I tried to hide the smoking from my Dad most of all, since I knew he would be very angry and disappointed.

One day while I was at home and my class was over early, I came home to an empty house. I decided that I would sneak a quick puff of smoke before my parents came home. I knew my parents would be home later and the tell tale smell of the cigarette would be gone by then. I was about halfway finished when I heard a car in the driveway. I quickly put out my cigarette and checked from the window who was in the driveway. My heart sank when I saw my father coming towards the front door. I panicked and made a quick plan to tell my Dad my friends visited and they smoked inside the house, if he asked about the cigarette smell.

My Dad came inside and sniffed the air and asked who was smoking. Out of no where, I heard someone say, "I was the one smoking Dad." I blinked twice and look around who in heaven's name would say that to my Dad. I realized that I was the one who said those words. I was trembling, my knees knocking, knowing anytime now my Dad would about to read me the riot act. Since physical discipline was part of my growing up, I was already rubbing my butt anticipating a very painful lesson I was about to learn. My Dad looked at me intently, you can see the scowl on his face. He opened his mouth and said "Next time you smoke. Smoke outside." My jaw dropped and I could not believe my luck. I left for my friend's house before he changed his mind and punished me.

I guess, my Dad realized that I was an adult now and I would make my own decisions. I also thought at the time since he smoked before, he does not want to come across as a hypocrite by telling me to stop. I started smoking outside the house after the incident, but it took me years before I even smoked my first cigarette in front of my Dad. My Dad was very happy when I informed him in the year 2000 that I quit smoking.

Blogshares: Steel Realm

Woohoo! We are in BlogShares. We are not generating much activity, but we hope to change that soon. I just hope we don't slide any lower in share standing. Hehehe! Peace!

Click here to see Steel Realm blogshare results.

Where's George?

I was about to insert a dollar bill into a change machine for some quarters when I noticed something unusual about the dollar bill. The bill has a smiling face and a text stamped on the face of the bill. The text mentioned the Where's George? website. I visited the website, registered and entered my dollar bill. I found out I was the first person that registered it after the initial entry on April 6, 2005 in Tucson, Arizona. I am spending the dollar bill and let it return to circulation. I am looking forward to my next bill and I might even release a few of my own into the wild for general circulation. I'll keep track of my dollar bill and report it here.


The smiling face on the front of the dollar bill.


The back of the dollar bill with the text.


See where I go next!
Track where I've been!
Enter my serial number at:
www.wheresgeorge.com


The front of the dollar bill with the text and the smiling face.


See where I go next!
Track where I've been!
Enter my serial number at:
www.wheresgeorge.com

Click here to see the tracking report on my one dollar bill.


Other Search & Hunt Resource Links

Eurobilltracker - Similar to Where's George?, but tracks Euro.

Where's Willy? - Similar to Where's George?, but tracks Canadian bills.

Canadian Money Tracker - Similar to Where's George?, but tracks Canadian bills.

Armchair Treasure Hunt Club - The Armchair Treasure Hunt Club is for people who like puzzles that lead to real buried treasure.

Letterboxing North America - LETTERBOXING is an intriguing pastime combining navigational skills and rubber stamp artistry in a charming "treasure hunt" style outdoor quest.

BookCrossing - The practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.

Geocaching - Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users.

Restaurant: Hong Kong Garden

Since the time Golden Pheasant changed owners and recipes, we were looking for another Chinese restaurant that could equal our demised old favorite. We found a couple of restaurant that not only equaled our old restaurant, but surpassed it in flavor and cost. The only drawback about these two restaurants were the distance we have to travel to eat great Chinese food. We had to find a closer solution.

My wife and I remembered about the rival restaurant of Golden Pheasant named Hong Kong Garden. We went there once with friends to sing karaoke, drink and try some of their dishes. The restaurant was on the same street and a block away from Golden Pheasant. I remembered how the food tasted and when my wife requested we eat there, I said okay. I also remembered a friend at work telling me he liked HKG than GP since he liked the noodles dishes better.

On our first visit, my wife ordered fried rice, sweet and sour shrimp and Hong Kong style chow mein. The fried rice was debatable, the shrimp was rock hard, but my wife loved the chow mein. On our next visit, my wife discovered boba, a tea drink with tapioca pearls, and Chinese sausage with vegetables. We have tried other dishes when we dined there and the result were mixed. The cost of the food was pretty high that it sometimes give my wife sticker shock. The taste of the food still out weigh the cost. We keep on trying, knowing that they may stumble on some dishes, but they have really good food. They still have a huge menu that we still have to try.

Hong Kong Garden
2178 South Vermont Avenue
Torrance, CA 90502
310-320-8802
310-320-8803

The Older Woman

When I first started at McDonalds restaurant, I worked in the dining room area. As the designated newbie, I got the glorious job of cleaning the tables, emptying the trash and cleaning the restrooms. I don't know why, but I loved working there. I guess because of the people and the management are so friendly and helpful. I always give 110% effort on whatever I do and I take pride in my work. I kept an eye on the area and always tried to be helpful to the customers.

On one occasion, I was working the dining area alone and the place was busy. I would jump from one empty table to another cleaning and wiping them. I removed all the trash and threw them in the trash cans. I did not noticed that one woman was watching me while I was doing my work. I liked the tables to be really clean and I put some elbow grease into wiping them down. I guess, not realizing it that my whole body was moving and swaying in my effort to clean the table.

When I was near her table she greeted me and I smiled back. At the time, I was really a very shy person and I get embarrased easily. She kept talking to me and I finally started to talk to her. She sounded like a very nice person and we conversed while I kept cleaning the tables near her table. I was surprised when she asked me what I was doing later that night. Innocently, I answered that I would probably sleeping since, I would be getting out late at 10 o'clock that night and I was very tired. She smiled and asked me if I want to go on a date with her after my work. I thought to myself, it was a silly question since all the places were closing about the same time I was leaving work. Where can we go for a date? When I realized what she meant I was momentarily stunned and speechless . When I recovered I smiled nervously and made a hasty retreat for the kitchen.

My manager saw me run into the kitchen and thought something was wrong. He followed me into the back of the kitchen where I was pacing back and forth nervously. He asked me what happened and I explained about the lady in the dining room. He went to the front counter to checked on the lady. The lady was finished her meal and was walking out of the restaurant. I was standing behind my manager and glanced at the woman. This was really the first time I looked at her, she was in her early twenties and very good looking. She greeted me again and told me her name, I just smiled and just stared down. My manager asked if she wanted a date, he is free for tonight. The lady just smiled and walked out the door.

Now that I am more the wiser, I would sometimes think back to that time and imagined what would have happened if I acted differently. There are so many ways to answer her question and I pretty much imagined them all. What would have happened if I did say yes to a date? Would my life changed by that one incident. I always like to think that I did the right things.

Restaurant: Tom's Burgers No 1

This restaurant has the best chili cheese fries in the whole of Southbay. They don't serve it in puny cups but in huge to-go dinner plates. The fries tasted delicious because they used their special seasoning instead of just salt like other restaurants in the area. I always ordered mine with extra cheese and onions. I know the cheese is process cheese, but it tasted great. Why eat it? Because since I was a teenager, it was the most affordable restaurant that you can eat in. Even with a few dollars, you can eat like a king and burp like one, too. Some of my other favorites on the menu are chili burger special (chili burger, fries and soda) and pollo asado (half chicken, fries, salad and rice).

Tom's Burgers No 1
Carson
626 East Sepulveda Boulevard
Carson, CA 90745

Restaurant: Diana's Mexican Food Restaurant & Deli

When I want good mexican food, I always visit this restaurant. It was usually after work, very hungry and don't want to make a mess and noise in the kitchen, that I would swing to pick up some to-go food. I have two favorites that I always ordered, either a wet beef burrito or albondigas soup (meatball soup). The wet burrito was delicious as always and it comes in a red sauce or a green sauce. The flour tortilla was wrapped around the tasty chunky beef, flavorful rice and perfect beans. It was a big meal, but I always found room when I have a craving for a Diana's wet buritto. My other pick was an albondigas soup, which was great on cold nights, ok, even not so cold nights. The soup came with 3 flour or corn tortillas, Mexican rice, chopped onion, cilantro, wedge of lemon, chips and salsa. They have a great menu and I would like to try them all.

Diana's La Bonita Mexican
Food Restaurant & Deli
Carson
300 East Sepulveda Blvd.
Carson, CA 90745
310-834-4886

River People

I remembered when I was young and on vacation with my family in the province of Hagonoy, Bulacan. The people were superstitious and tended to believed in certain myths about the area. One of the myth that was floating around was about how the river always took a life every year as a tribute for people's safe usage of the river. I have been told that the river always took people who are not native to the area. I always felt that we belonged to the area since my family always visit my grandparents, my Mom's parents, during school vacation. I often worried when my Dad swam the big river, but he was a good swimmer and the river knew him.

My grandma's house was in a small community at the junction of a busy major commercial river and a tributary stream. The stream was just behind my grandma's house, while the river was about 50 yards away. The stream was 20 feet wide on low tide and around 30 feet wide on high tide. When the tide slowly came in, the flow of the stream was reversed. There were small docks on each property that lined the stream.

The neighborhood kids always swam in the river when it started to get hot in the afternoon. The older kids would swam back forth and play games, while the younger kids would sit at the dock watching the older kids. The first sign that there was a problem was when some of the kids started screaming. At first glance I saw a piece of drift wood floating where they were pointing. When I looked a second time, I realized it was a human body, a man, floating faced up. The kids scrambled to get out of the water and climbed into the docks. The body started to float closer to the docks. The kids climbed the carved steps on the side of the river bank to reach safety. I climbed the steps and ran to my grandma's house. I ran into my Mom who asked what was happening. I told her that there was a dead man floating in the stream. My mom asked next where was my sister, who went to watch me at the dock while I swam with my friends. That was when I realized my kid sister was still at the dock and I told my Mom. My Mom ran to the dock grabbed my little sister and ran back to my grandma's house.

The body was fished out of the water and the ambulance took him to the hospital. We later found out that the man did not drown, but had an epileptic seizure. He was walking along the river when he had the seizure and fell into the water. He was very lucky that he was floating faced up and able to breathed air. We also later found out that he was slowly kicking one of his leg underwater which pushed him into our little stream. It was a while before the kids went swimming again in the stream, but a few weeks later the incident was already a distant memory. The kids went back swimming and playing in the stream the next school vacation. I guess, we are truly the river people, we are a part of the river and the river are a part of us.

The Great Robbery

I worked for the McDonald restaurant in my area when I was a teenager to earn some pocket money. I worked for the company for 3 years. It was the longest I ever stayed with a company at that point. It was one of the best experience I ever had at that point in my life. My co-workers were so close that we treated each other as family. We celebrated together, we partied together and yes, we even cried together. I think outside my own family, this were some of the closest and precious people at that stage in my life. So, I have a lot of stories concerning this stage of my life.

One of the story was when the restaurant was robbed at gunpoint. The manager asked everyone to keep calm and keep doing what we were doing. I guess, as a procedure, it was easier to replace the money than someone's life. The management staff cooperated with the robbers and have everybody herded in the kitchen. The robbers were helping themselves to the money in the store and the safe. Everybody stayed calm and everyone kept quiet.

When the robbery started I was on the grill just laying down some hamburger patties. When the manager told us to cooperate and I stayed by the grill and watched the restaurant being robbed. Let me tell you, I was scared, but for some reason, I kept cookig the hamburgers. When the buzzer went off warning that the hamburgers were ready, I needed a cheese count. Yes, I need a cheese count, how many hamburgers need cheese and how many plain ones before I placed them on the buns. When I turned off the buzzer, I automaticaly asked how many cheese from my manager. My manager jaw dropped because of our situation and I still asked for a cheese count on the burgers. To her merit, without missing a beat, she gave me a cheese count. I placed the cheese on the hamburgers, placed them on the buns and placed them on the top counter ready to be wrapped.

I stayed quiet after that and the robbers left with their loot. We started to check on each other making sure nobody was hurt. The sheriff came and started to take statements and they interviewed our managers and the people closer to the robbers. We all sat at the tables in the dining area and we were told to write down everything we remembered about the robbers. I was not able to tell much, because I was mostly facing away from them while cooking the hamburgers. My friends knew I was upset and a little scared, so one of my friends offered me a cigarette to calm me down. If I knew then what I know now, I would have said no to that first cigarette. I forgotten about the robbery after a few weeks and everything went back to normal.

My Internet Resources & References

The Exodus War - A great space novel about mankinds struggle with each other and the unkown. The story is enhanced by the fact that it is brought to life using lego blocks. You have to see it to believe it. Read the historical archive to understand the story behind this great website.=)

Joseph Wu's Origami - A great place to learn about the art of folding paper. This person is very talented and creative. Search his website and try to find the origami of a flying pig.

Starship Modeler - If you want to know how to make a ship from your favorite space movies and tv shows. I always liked looking at the Mitchell-Hyundyne SA-23E Starfury from Babylon 5.

Equipped To Survive - The Definitive Source for Independent Reviews & Information on Outdoors Gear and Survival Equipment and Techniques. See Doug Ritter's Mini Survival Kit for an example of what you always should carry in case of an emergency.

Kevin Kelly - A lot of cool information. Try looking into Cool Tools for some innovative but very useful gadgets.

Ex Astris Scientia - Bernd Schneider's Star Trek site. A great Star Trek site for ships, equipments and personnel.

Federation Starship Datalink - Welcome to the Federation Starship Datalink your best source for starship information on the internet. Since 1998 the FSD has continued to provide only canon starships and classes facts, including a brief explanation about each individual starship and the episode/series/movie it appeared in according to the Star Trek Encyclopedia.

Jury Duty

Most of you probably was wondering what happened to me since I was not online yesterday. I went to sleep early as I was supposed to serve as a juror in our courthouse in the morning. I went to sleep at 3 A.M. but tossed and turned and fell asleep at about 5 A.M. in the morning. I got up at 7:30 A.M. and promptly got ready and left for the courthouse.

Since I was visiting an area I have never frequented, I checked my local map book for the location of the courthouse. I have been searching for 5 minutes when I spotted on the map a courthouse. To make the story short, I had 1 hour to get to the courthouse since I was told it is a 20 minutes drive, I thought I had plenty of time. I would be working on my webpage on my laptop while waiting for the jury to be assembled and presented to the judge.

First off, the courthouse, well what I presumed as the courthouse on the map turned out to be a movie theatre. I stopped, asked direction and a young lady pointed me to what I would later find out to be the city hall. So for the second time I asked direction and I was finally given the right address of the courthouse. Since I arrived when the court was just starting it's morning session, the parking lot was full. I ended up parking at the farthest spot away from the courthouse so I walked briskly to the building's entrance.

When I entered the building, right in front, three deputy sheriffs were checking people for weapons, scanning their bags and making the people walked through a metal detector. I placed my bag on the x-ray scanner and promptly taken off all metal objects from my body. I was waved as okay but when I try to retrieve my bag, I was told that my bag contained a weapon and they ask me to produce it from my bag. I showed them a folding knife that I stuffed in my bag a year ago and forgot since that time. I also produced a can of pepper spray and another folding tool with a plier attachement. I was told that I can't enter the courthouse and I have to go back to my truck and leave my knife and pepper spray in my truck. I complied walking back all the way to the end of the parking lot and leaving my knife and spray in the glove box.

I then returned to the courthouse entrance and went to the ritual of removing all metal objects and placing them on a tray at the table separating the entrance and the lobby of the courthouse next to the metal detector. As I was about to walked through the metal detector, one of the deputy sheriff noticed that I have a small pen knife on my keychain. He told me that I have to go back to my truck to secure my pen knife since any type of pointed object is not allowed in the courthouse. I made a second trip to my truck and to make sure I did not have to go back again, I removed all metallic object from my body and any possible weapon from my bag.

The third time was a charm since I passed the inspection with flying color. I proceeded to the fourth floor and went to the Jury Assembly Room. There I was told that I was late and they can't use me now since the potential jurors are being instructed already and I have missed a good portion of the instructions. I left the building after 10 minutes of entering it. I will let you know how it turns out. At least, now I know where the courthouse is located and also not to bring my knives into the courthouse again. It can only happen to me..LOL..=)

February 6, 2001
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The story was moved here from my website.

Special Award

When I was attending kindergarten on Easter School in Baguio, Philippines, I used to drive my teacher crazy. She reported to my Mom that I would talk all the time and I would not complete my work. When we were doing our classwork, I would finish the quiz, except I would leave one question unanswered. It occured everyday. What drives her crazy was the fact that I would get all answered questions right, except for that last one that I did not answer. I would then turn or walk around and try to help my classmates answer their own quiz, while talking to my classmates in the process. At the end of the school year we have a graduation ceremony for the kindergarten students. I was called for my diploma, but they also gave me an extra certificate. The certificate proclaimed me as the Most Talkative Person In Class. I was so proud of the title. Imagine it, if my teacher did not liked me, I might not have received the title.

Geek Code

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Carpenter's Breakfast

When I was around six years old, my grandfather built a vacation house for my uncle in Baguio, Philippines. My mother, my sister and I stayed there to watch the house and eventually stayed for three years. My father worked as a civil engineer at a nearby river dam project. Instead of travelling all the way to Manila, he would make the short trip to Baguio instead. We stayed at the guest house at the back of the property, since it was built first.

I remember waking up early in the morning with a white fog mist blanketing the hills and the construction site. The smell of the mist and the dew on the grass and the evergreens was always peaceful and welcomed. My grandfather's workers, his closest friends, were cooking their breakfast. I could smell the wood burning heating up their pots and pans. They were huddled around the fire for warmth and trading stories. One would be cooking the rice, while another would be readying the fish and while a third would be getting the water for the coffee. It felt like they were boy scouts camping in the woods.

I saw that they just removed the pot, with the cooked rice, off the fire. The rice smelled so fresh and clean. They were frying some tuyo (salted dried fish) and the strong odor of fish cooking floats in the air. I knew people that say that fried tuyo smelled bad, but it smelled wonderful to me. They also have coffee brewing in a coffee pot. Now let me tell you, Pilipino coffee is so strong it could walk and pour you a cup. They also have sliced tomatoes as condiment for the dried fish.

They would see me watching from the porch and they would always invite me to eat with them. I guess, after a while they would cook an extra portion just for me. I would be listening to all their stories while sharing their food. Except for my Mom's cooking, I have never tasted food as delicious as the ones on those foggy mornings. I still eat tuyo with white rice and drink strong coffe from time to time. It always reminds me of those days when simple food taste so great.

Restaurant: L & L Hawaiian Barbecue

I am always on the lookout for great fast food. If I don't eat rice during my meal time, I would be hungry in about an hour. I found this place after I had enough of the food from the lunch truck at my work. I laughed the first time I read their menu board because I saw grilled spam served with their saimin (noodle soup) and musubi (giant rice sushi). I ordered the sesame fried chicken wings, since the food reminded me of my wife's version of Korean chicken wings. I also tried their saimin with spam, chicken katsu (chicken tonkatsu) and their seafood. I also discovered that they have a restaurant near my home.

L & L Hawaiian Barbecue
Torrance
24223 Crenshaw Blvd. #G
Torrance, CA 90505
310-326-0810

Carson
272-274 East Sepulveda Blvd.
Carson, CA 90749
310-549-2913

Restaurant: Johnny Rebs' Southern Roadhouse & Catering

I have been passing this restaurant in my travel around town. I have always wondered how the food tasted. My sister seemed to have the same thought and invited me to try it with her. The bbq was great and delicious. I don't think I have better smoked bbq baby back ribs. I liked the idea of the drinks being served in mason jars. The restaurant is a small shack with peanut shells on the floor. You have to make sure you arrived before the crowd or you will be parking down the street.

I introduced my wife to the bbq and she fell in love with the food. She ordered the bbq pork sandwich at one point, but she loved the smoked tritip sandwich. I liked my baby back ribs with cajun rice and fries. The next time we visit, I'll try their blackened prime rib. When we are hungry for bbq, we made a point to eat there. I am in hog's heaven when I eat good bbq ribs.

Johnny Rebs' Southern Roadhouse
4663 Long Beach Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90805
562-423-7327

"Reminding Me"

Your eyes are so blue
Reminding me of cool water
It is reflecting you true
Making me wish to drink of it's water

Your smile is so sweet
Reminding me of sugar cane
It's taste is a treat
I'll look for it even in the rain

You are a person for me
Friendship is the key
Close to me I want you to be
This I hope for you to see

3-21-96

The Perfect Shot

When my friends and I became obssessed with an object or activities, we would pursue it until we got it out of our system. This was the case with foosball in the late 90's. We would visit our favorite pool hall every weekend just to play foosball. We tried some pick-up games from the locals that played foosball. We pretty much kept away from the hustlers, those tournament class players that suckered you into a money game. If there are many players, we would place our quarters on the table and wait out turn on the table. The rule was that whoever won controls the table and the players next in line pays for the next game.

In one game, Frank, my best friend, and I played against two locals. They were pretty good, but Frank and I were better than our opponents, since we have been playing doubles for some time before the game. We worked well together and we anticipated each other moves giving us an edge on our opponents. I was playing the front men, while Frank was controlling the backmen, as well as, the goalie. Everytime I controlled the ball, I would set the ball on my three-man for a power shot. I would set on the left and pull or hit the ball towards the center before using a wrist flick to power the ball into the goal. The opponent goalie would guard at the corner preventing an easy shot and then raced his goalie and two-men to the center to protect from being scored.

I would always set the ball on my three-man and wait for my opponent, asking him if he was ready before I continued play. I would face the opposing goal making my body perpendicular to the foosball table and I would extend my right leg out for balance. Once the opposing goalie was set, I would make my move and slammed the ball into the goal. Frank was exceptional working the goalie preventing our opponents from scoring on us.

With only one point away from winning the game, I got control of the game ball. I positioned the ball in the same place before I made my power move. My opponent knew what would occur next and he eagerly anticipated it. When I asked him if he was ready, instead of pulling the ball for a power goal, I gently ficked it from the corner. The ball rolled slowly at an angle to the goal. Our opponent over committed his goalie and two-men into protecting his middle. When he realised the ball was rolling from the corner he tried to move his men to intercept the ball. He over compensated and he missed the ball, he erratically shifted the men from side to side to no avail. The ball slowly rolled into the goal winning us the game.

The oppossing goalie was flabbergasted at what just occured. After some time, he smiled and laughed and gave me a high five. It was very satisfying win and one that I will remember fondly. I think maybe it is time that I introduce my nephew to foosball. He might make a good goalie or better yet, a great three-man player. Set, soft shot and score, a game plan to a perfect shot.

Steel Realm FAQ

• What is the meaning of the name Ariel?
  
  The name Ariel means "Lion Of God", "Hearth Of God" and "City Of David".
  
  
• Where did you get the name Lord Steel?
  
  I got the name Lord Steel from a Role Playing Game that I used to play when I was younger. In one of the books there is a story of a Lady named Steel who defended her city against an evil horde. She and her compatriots died defending the city. I liked both the story and the name so from that day on everytime I needed a name for a character I end up using the name Lord Steel. Alexander "Temogen" Steel is the full name I used but I used it as Lord Steel most of the time.
  
  
• Where did you get the nickname Jojo?
  
  When I was baptised the priest insisted that the name Ariel was not in the bible. To satisfy the requirement that a saint's name be a part of each child's name that was baptised in the Catholic Church at that time, I was given the baptismal name of Jose or Joseph. I really did not use a nickname until I was in high school. My friends and classmates have a hard time pronouncing my name correctly so I told them to call me Jojo or Jo. I took the name Jojo from Jose which is easier for people to say. I was also glad that I was known as Jojo by the time the Disney movie "The Little Mermaid" was released, since the main character's name was Ariel. I guess I am one of the lucky ones that was able to choose their own nickname instead of being given by other people.
  

Gone Fishing

It has been a while since I went fishing. It some how removes me from the hustle and bustle of the city and let the serenity and sweet song of the river and ocean perculate into my soul. There are only a few activities that seemed to affect me this way and fishing is one of them. I always associated fishing with friends and family. It was always an occasion when the fishes start to appear in abundance. Mackarels and bonitos were the catch of the day when we fished near the Queen Mary's Wharf. While fishing on the lakes and stream, trout and bass would be breakfast during a camping trip. Fishing is and will always be a part of me.

When I was younger growing up in the province of Bulacan, Philippines, my grandmother thought me how to fish. In those days, my fishing pole was a long and thin ten foot bamboo pole. A strong white store string would be tied to the end and the string would run the length of my pole. I would attached a store bought fishing hook at the end of the string. My grandmother would mix corn meal as bait and we would shape the bait into a nice pear shaped on the hook.

When the sun was not hot, my grandmother and I would walked to the big river and fished at it's banks. I always catch one big fish or two small fish, but after that I would never catch anything else for the rest of the day. I caught early and after catching my limit of one fish, I went home. My catch would always be part of our lunch or dinner the same day, since being in the farm very few houses have a refrigerator to keep the food fresh. The fish you caught with your own hard work taste a whole lot sweeter than the ones bought from the market. The freshness makes the fish taste better that even plain salt grilling surpasses gourmet prepared food.

My next goal is to learn how to fly fishing. The homemade or the store bought flies, the colorful mixture of feather, threads and metal, that helps lure the fish to your dinner table. The way you follow a clock when swinging your fly fishing pole, back and forth, until at the right time, releasing and easing the line to present your fly to the hungry fishes. I am attracted by way fly fishing is presented as a gentlemen's way of fish angling. I am learning more about fly fishing day by day and I hope that I can try it soon.

"We Are One"

I am only a whisper away
I am only a breath away
I am only a sigh away
I am only a smile away

You are just an inch away
You are just a call away
You are just a dream away
You are just a kiss away

My mind is of you
My heart is of you
My very soul is of you
My love is of you

You are my love
You are my sunshine
You are my everything
You are my life

The very air whispers to you
The very earth blossoms for you
The very sun shines on you
The very water reflects you

We are happiness
We are truth
We are purpose
We are one

Sweet Taste Of Victory

When I was a sophmore in high school, I joined the men junior varsity tennis team. I joined because I assumed that it would have looked better in a college application to have a sport as one of my activities. I have been told that it would add to your entrance evaluation points and I have a feeling that I would need every point I can get my hands on. I was not really a sporty type of a person, so I joined the one of the few sports I knew. I owned a tennis racket and other needed equipment because my Dad and I used to play on the weekends.

I knew I was out of shape so I tried to workout during the off season hoping to slim down and build up endurance. I had this crazy idea of working out with the school football team to build up my muscles. I hit the weights and even did exercises with the football team. I liked the workout so much that I have even thought I might go out for the football team. That fantasy came to a halt after I was clobbered flat on my back on a scrimmage line play by one of the players. I guess, football was not my game, but I finished the summer training.

I was glad that I took time to train that summer because all we did for a couple of weeks were run and exercised. I don't think I ran up and down so many stairs, before or since tennis opening week. If I was in a worse shape, I might not have made the tennis team, heck, I might not have survived the opening week. The team was wonderful and I was surprised that the coach was a real great guy. They really gave me a lot of support even if I was the worse player in the tennis team.

I played doubles and singles. My partner and I always came close to winning, but we never won a match. When my coach made my partner played singles did he finally won a few games. I, on the other hand, was still on a losing streak. I tried to work harder, chase after all the balls, and even dive after them. I only improved in winning a few sets, but I never won a game. I thought I would close the season with a skunk, a losing record.

It was the last game of the season. My coach knew that I was really bummed out because I never won a game yet. Everyone was very supportive, but nothing they do really get me off the track to loser ville. My coach had me scheduled for a singles match with a girl player on the other team. We were playing pretty even at the start of the game, but I noticed that I was winning more sets as the game progressed. When we played the game ball of last set, I was ahead, I was so nervous, I was afraid I would missed the ball while serving. When she returned it and it hit the net, I yelled out so loud and pumped my arms in victory. When my coach found out I won a game, he congratulated me, smiled and gave a heart felt celebration. The whole team celebrated also when they found out I won my match. The albatross that was hanging on my neck was finally removed and I celebrated. There was no other feeling like it in the world. The sweett taste of victory.

"Holiday"

I will be gone for the holiday
But you will be on my mind
I will miss your smile that greets me everyday
But memories of you will keep it fresh in my mind

I'm hoping you will also miss me
You are a true friend indeed
By your side I want to be
Remember I'm your friend in time of need

Though the parting wouldbe bitter sweet
My days would race one after another
Until your sweet smile, myself again greet
Then those days apart will not be a bother

3-27-96

Restaurant: Buono's Authentic Pizzeria

We have been ordering from this restaurant for sometime now. They happened to have one of the best pizza in the Southbay. I first learned of them on the internet when I was looking for some recipe. They have their first store in San Pedro, but I learned later that they have another store near my home. The restaurant looks like it belongs in Italy and the smell is heavenly. The pizza is one of the best I tasted and my wife loves it also. She would order a family size italian sausage, pepperoni and mushroom pizza, with an order of buffalo wings. Don't ask me why, but I love buffalo wings. I would usually eat the whole pizza in about two to three days. It is good eats.

Buono's Authentic Pizzeria
401 West Willow Strret
Long Beach
562-595-6138

Restaurant: Mami King

My wife and I order take-out from this Pilipino restaurant from time to time. They cook and sell a lot of Pilipino based comfort food. Today I ordered pork mami noodle soup, pork asado siopao (steam buns) and savory chicken plate. My wife ordered Lomi noodle soup. They are always fantastic and they hit the spot.

Mami King
22222 South Main Street, #106
Carson, California 90745
310-830-3828
10 A.M. to 9 P.M. Daily

Food: Pork Bistik

Ingredients

4 pork chops
½ cup of soy sauce
2 lemons
1 large onion
vegetable oil

Directions

Rinse pork and pat dry. Slice onions into ¼ inch thick rings. Juice the lemons. Combine lemon juice with the soy sauce in a bowl. In a skillet brown the pork chops on both sides on high heat. Remove from the skillet and let them rest. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoon of oil in a bowl after cooking the pork chops. Remove and clean any residue and excess oil in the skillet. Return reserved oil in the skillet. Preheat skillet on high heat. Add onion until transluscent. Return pork chop into the skillet arranging them carefully. Add the soy sauce/lemon mixture. Let it come to a boil then lower heat to low medium and cover the skillet. Cook another 10 minutes. Serve pork chops and sauce over white rice.

Add button mushroom if desired. Slice mushroom the same thickness as the onion. Cook after the pork chops. Remove from heat and let it rest. Add mushroom when pork chop is returned to the skillet.

Easy skillet clean up tip: Place a plate of white rice into the skillet. Let it soak the remaining sauce while stirring the rice. Add more sauce if you like a stronger taste.

Serves: 2 to 4 people

The Chess Gambit And The Ring

When I was around twelve years old I finally asked a long time childhood friend to become my girlfriend. The girl was from the province of Bulacan, Philippines. Her house was just across my grandparents and my parents knew her parents very well. The night that I asked her to be my girl was the time of the big dance at the local school during the summer festival. When she answered yes, I jump off the balcony and was very happy. We sat together the whole night just holding hands and flashing silly grins at our friends. We spent as much time together as possible before I have to leave for Marikina to return to school.

During the school year my Mom informed me that we were leaving the Philippines to fly to the USA to join my father in California. Our papers were ready and that my Dad paid for our plane tickets. My Mom informed me that we would be visiting my grandparents in Bulacan before we leave for the USA. I was really despondent at the time. I don't know how I can leave my new girlfriend when I just asked her to be my sweetheart only a few months ago. I decided after a while to leave something special for her to remember me. I did not that much money and my treasures were few. I have a couple of Matchbox toy cars, a few marbles and a chain of rubber bands, but nothing worth leaving behind as a reminder to my girlfriend.

During the school year to past the time when not in school, my friend and I would play a few games of chess. He lived in the house behind our home in Marikina. He was sixteen years old at the time and very big for his age. We were pretty much even in our skills playing chess and we pretty much split the victories evenly. We would go to the corner store and borrow their chess board. We would sit there playing a few games until the sun was setting before going home. We were very serious with out chess and we were very competetive with each other. We played each game like it was the most important game in our life.

One day while we were playing I noticed he was wearing a ring on one of his fingers. The ring came from a crackerjack box, but it looks like a diamond ring to me. Trying not to let him know of my interest on his ring, I asked him about the ring like I just noticed it. He was smiling when he started to talk about his ring. I said that why not make the next game of chess interesting by putting something on the line. He said he did not have anything of value and this was when I mentioned why not bet his ring. I told him he was a really good player and we are pretty much even in our skills. I told him I would place my new crisp five peso paper money against his ring. I held my breath for the longest time not daring to exhale afraid he might realize I was setting him up. It was a big relief when he said yes. I can see it in his eyes he lusted after the money. Gotcha!

The game was very stressful since I might come out with nothing after the game. We both played at the top of our game and we did not give an inch to each other. We took our time and thought real hard about each position, each move and each decision we made. It took us a while to finish the game, this game lasted longer than a few of our previous games combined. Only when I heard myself say checkmate did I realized that I won the game. It seemed very surreal.

When we visited my grandparents' house for the last time, I searched for my girlfriend, but my best friend told me that she was at her grandparents. She was not coming home until after we left for Manila. I was really sad at this time, I wanted to personally give the ring to my girl. I finally did the next best thing. I gave the ring to my best friend and told him to give it to my girl. I told him to tell her that I would never forget her and that this is a symbol of my promise. I left Bulacan for the last time not knowing that I would not be able to fulfill the promise I made to her.

When I was around in my early twenties, my mother went back to visit the Philippines. She went back to the province to visit her relatives there. She met with my girlfriend's mother and they talked about us. Her mom was very nice to remember me and she gave my Mom a picture of my friend. She was very nice and I heard she was very industrious. She was sending herself to school by working her own business. I did not know what to do since at the time I was involved with my high school sweetheart. I decided that it was better that I did not contact her since it might complicate things. I heard that she graduated and she married a really wonderful guy. I still cherished the memories and friendship with my friend. I hope someday that we could meet and talked about the old days.

"Promise"

In a mid summer morning
Intruder in this place of mourning
Where love ones wait the day
When they are called to say
Their testimony of their love
On that day when they are released like doves
Idaho sunshine lit the way for three
We have walked to a marker pass the tree
Intent in respect quiet are we
When we were close there we see
There on the grass a rolled parchment with a rose
We went and pick the paper and read it up close
Tears welled in our eyes our heart in our throats
For their in the parchment a simple note
"This is for you Grandma
My graduation diploma
I have kept the promise I made
To me a long time ago you bade
In the time we are together I know I said it never
Now I hope it is not too late to say I love you then now and forever"

3-21-95

This poem was based a true story. My friend, his aunt and I read the letter and the diploma that his cousin left at his grandmother's grave site who died a few months before his cousin's graduation.