happy moon festival

happy mid autumn moon festival (zhong qiu je kuai le!) guys!

enjoy your moon cakes!

mike

typhoons abound!

it's typhoon season...

i think this is taiwan's third so far.

weeee....

enjoy your no typhoon weather,

mike

taiwan update

hey guys. sorry about the lack of updating. classes have started at the mandarin training center, but i will definitely update as much as i can.

taiwan has been good to me so far, weather has definitely cooled down a lot, and i have been out and around taiwan a lot. just yesterday i went to the water park here in taipei. pretty much like any water park in the states, but still an awesome time, and perfect timing since the cold weather is coming in.

well back to work. i'll keep you guys posted.

later,

mike

my new baby (this thing is pretty sweet!)

hey guys. so if you haven't already known my laptop crashed, and basically i needed to buy a new one here in taiwan. so after a frustrating week of trying to find the right laptop for me, i finally found the one:

meet the acer aspire 4741G with intel core i5 processor that in total was about $850 in taiwan rather than over $1000 in the states. i think i got a pretty good deal!

some pics of my new baby:

oooooooooo....

ahhhhhhhh (btw that's a picture i took of danshui, a seaside suburb in taiwan near the capital taipei)

the laptop closed

look how thin is it!

comes with free bag and mouse.

yes i'm a happy guy!

enjoy your weekend,

mike

taiwan update (about freaking time!)

hey guys. yes this post has been long in the making, so sorry it took so long... T_T

this post will also take a few days as i have a lot of photos i wanna put up (i told you this was pretty big)

anyways here are some pictures of my neighborhood in taiwan:

the park near my apartment building (you can see taipei 101 in the background)

some cool lights i saw

lots of scooters here in taiwan...

like i said

a lot of 7-11's here (food is a lot better in here than in the states)

a favorite store of mine. you can get anything and i mean ANYTHING here

another 7-11, on the same street...

taipei 101!

typical day on mrt (taipei's metro). can't complain though, one train comes every 5 minutes

OMG MISTER DONUT!!!!

love this place!

the strawberry bear i bought. it had cream in it. delicious!

some things i can't do at a park i jog at... hmmm...

more to come in the coming days!

enjoy,

mike

sick... ugh...

hey guys the big post i hoped to put up today will have to wait. i'm sick with a cold and not feeling very well

hopefully will get that post up soon.

until then enjoy this picture i took of taipei 101 at night:

later guys,

mike

taiwan update

hey guys. sorry for the delay in posting. with classes and everything here in taiwan, things have been getting a bit busy.

right now is 7:45pm here and it's raining cats and dogs. yet it is still hot and humid as heck...

i also was able to meet up with some locals here in taiwan and get a drink with them (which was a large beer. delicious).

so far things are pretty good here. the weather just kinda sucks.

later,

mike

taiwan update

hey guys. so i started my first class for my refresher course before i start my class at the university here. if you want more info on the class i'm starting in september here's a link.

so some facts about taiwan so far (according to me):

-everyone and their mom drives a scooter here
-the drivers here are all freaking crazy!
-public transportation is so much easier here
-as long as you're in taipei, you can see taipei 101 ANYWHERE!

so that's it for now. will try to update as much as i can. stay tuned!

mike

ouch...

greetings from taiwan again guys. (july 29 11:20 am)

so got chewed up by mosquitoes last night, and i found out for my refresher class in mandarin chinese, i basically have to start from the bottom up. so i'll be in a class with "adults" or teenagers.

yah not a great today...

hope your day is better in the states,

mike

in taiwan!!!

hey guys. i am now currently in taiwan after a marathon 9 hour flight from sfo to tokyo, then 2 hour layover in tokyo, then another 3 hour flight to taipei. let's just say yesterday i was about to pass out. it's currently about 10:17am of july28th in taiwan as i am writing this so keep that in mind. trying to get used to the time change here, and let me just say it's not easy.

also it's freaking hot as hell. i literally have been sweating non-stop since i came here. haha but i kinda expected that.

hopefully i'll post some pictures of my room here in taiwan and my first day of classes here as i did bring my camera (of course i would).

anyways keep checking here for more updates. i'll try to be as prompt as i can as i have to walk to the local library for internet access which is kind of a pain.

btw fyi, google is automatically in chinese here. who would have thunk?

enjoy your week guys,

mike

nervous...

hey guys. so it's the eve of my leave to taiwan. i really don't know what to think. i'm nervous, excited, and other emotions all rolled into this weird gut feeling.

keep checking here for more updates of my adventures in taiwan.

here goes nothing!

much love,

mike

goodbye to college...

today i leave behind my college life. i had packed my car, went back to look around my now empty room to see if i had missed something. it felt very weird, and it almost felt like i was losing a part of myself.

but so is life...

and now on to a new chapter.

here i come taiwan!

mike

i'm fine...

hey guys. was just in an accident. i'm fine but my poor camry's a little busted up... T_T

they make stop signs for a reason...

mike

what came first the chicken or the egg? YES there's an answer!

here's the answer. i won't give it away here. hehe...

enjoy,

mike

the coffee fix? might not be...

this is for all you coffee lovers who drink way to much coffee

this is why i don't drink it,

mike

wicked!!!

i am now the proud owner of a wicked playbill signed by the whole cast of wicked san francisco. so excited.

enjoy your weekend,

mike

update in life...

hey guys. hope you had an awesome 4th of july.

in recent news in the next three weeks i'll be preparing to move to the other side of the pacific ocean to live with my grandparents in taiwan for about a year. why? to get my chinese up to par. haha. really more nervous than excited about it. but everyone i have talked to really want to be able to live there for a year like i am. i hope so.

wow july 26 is coming up really fast...

mike

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!

alright guys new topic:

at the e3 conference activision announced that goldeneye007 from the old days of the n64 is now being remaid for the wii.

omg not only did i find out that marvel vs capcom was getting another sequel, nintendo came out with the nintendo 3ds, now this?????

my nerd brain just exploded...

click here for a video demo of marvel vs capcom 3

click here for a video demo of the nintendo 3ds

and finally click here for more details on goldeneye007 wii

must now rest from all this,

mike

food fight!!!

nothing like a good old fashion food fight.

check it out here

enjoy,

mike

new look!

hey guys hope you guys like the new header (made by me but has to be redone to make it bigger) and the background (thanks to google... haha)! sorry for the lack of posts but since i've graduated college, i'm partying it up. will be back in a bit.

enjoy the new layout,

mike

takeout... on an app!

there's a new cell phone app that helps you order food from some chains like subway, outback, etc. called snapfinger, you order using the app, send it through the mobile-verse, and pick it up at the restaurant.

check it out here

enjoy your takeout,

mike

customize your pizza for the next nba season!

for all you pizza and basketball lovers out there, your loves are about to become one in the form of customizable pizzas. for five bucks more on your pizza order, the decals are made of sugar, starch, and food coloring and are made to melt into the cheese.

check them out here

enjoy the finals,

mike

sorry not in right now

be back tuesday until then, check this out

enjoy your memorial weekend,

mike

love beer much? this is for you!

do you like beer? would you drink it everyday? a london based company is offering the job of a lifetime: beer taster!

read the article here

if you're interested, the deadline is TODAY!

enjoy your pint,

mike

tavern on the green coming back???

were you a fan of new york city's restaurant tavern on the green? sad that it closed recently? well you're in luck! there are negotiations to reopen it, though maybe not be in the way that you would expect...

read it here

enjoy,

mike

loud restaurants make us drunk... seriously!!!

came across a really interesting article about how restaurants are becoming increasingly louder. essentially it makes us feel like the place is happening, full of life.

read it here

enjoy,

mike

restaurant review: davis sushi buffet

alright i know most of the restaurants i have reviewed have been good or great ranging from a score of 3-4. well this restaurant takes the cake on a restaurant i don't think i will frequent. you might ask why i would put a less stellar review on my blog, but i think it's important to have some restaurants that are rewarded for their efforts in making great food, and some that need to improve upon their business and it's important that people know. so here we go:

davis sushi buffet in davis,ca opened in 2008 offering a variety of rolls, sashimi, and other items any sushi lover would love. back in 2008, the campus newspaper the california aggie gave it a great review, remarking on the great quality of the food. however over the next few years i've been there, that seems to have changed dramatically...

food: 2. whatever the aggie believed was good has been soiled by what the restaurant has done in the past two years. the rolls are now just a rendition of the same thing over and over again, using the same mixtures of green and red sauces on EVERY roll, using the same ingredients in every roll, etc; basically you are eating the same thing over and over again. what was once fresh meat skewers and tempura is now put under a heat lamp buffet table, which is SACRILEGE!!! probably what might be the saving grace here is the above average sashimi, which for a sushi buffet, is not bad. also, though this may have been discontinued, davis sushi used to also serve chinese food, which any amateur foodie would INSTANLY know is frozen, making davis sushi buffet fall under the serving-two-styles-of-food-that-are-made-badly-which-makes-the-overall-experience-bad restaurant trap. unless your restaurant can make quality food in both styles, DO NOT SERVE TWO STYLES OF FOOD! overall my experiences of the restaurant in the past year has made me skip this place entirely.

ambiance: 1. a flat screen tv displays an assortment of specials which have ranged from christmas music played by a chinese band (when it wasn't even christmas), to celine dion's past las vegas show. yah, not really what you would expect from a sushi buffet. also, the tables are crowded, making getting up to order food from the sushi bar a challenge in itself. overall, bad.

service: 1. terrible, i have been left wondering when i will ever get my glass of water filled again for a pretty long time. when i did get my water eventually, my disappointment and displeasure has pretty much been peaked.

price: $$. please go to my previous review on sushi nobu to see the difference in price. now where would you want to go now? nobu??? how did you get to that conclusion??? (it's obvious guys, nobu is so much cheaper for better quality. plus, davis has many sushi buffets to choose from so you are DEFINITELY not missing out).

final score: 1. i was thinking of being nice and giving davis sushi buffet a 2. however, i have been there once where i was so disappointed with the food and my overall experience, that i left before my friends could finish; that's how much i disliked it. plus, davis has many sushi restaurants to choose from, so again you're not missing again special. unless davis sushi gets their act together, i don't think i'll go there ever again unless i am told it has improved.

enjoy sushi nobu instead of here,

mike

ummm... i must have this!!!

so i was recently watching tv with my parents when this little machine came up on the screen:

photo courtesy of cuisinetechnology.com

this awesome little piece of equipment is called the antigriddle. according to cuisinetechnology.com, it:

• Quickly freezes sauces and purees into solid, unique forms — or freezes just the outer surfaces while maintaining a creamy center
• Minus 30°F 'griddle' temperature ensures almost instantaneous results
• Approximately 1 square foot high-endurance cooktop provides an ample, easy-to-clean work surface

ummmm... can you say i want???

if you want this awesome device check it out here

enjoy,

mike

restaurant review: el sombrero

yep finally my restaurant review is up. still in school guys. so been busy as always. here's my latest review:

recently i was able to dine at a mexican restaurant owned by my friend here in college. located in southern california in el monte, el sombrero offers classic mexican food that is, according to my friend, frequented constantly by the community.

food: 4. delicious and extremely filling. but maybe that's because of the mounds of sour cream and guacamole they put on my crab enchiladas, which pretty much masked a lot of the flavor of the enchiladas itself. portions are large and i was full for the rest of the day.

ambiance: 4. very nice. my friends and i went during some festivities that were taking place in the banquet hall, including a live mariachi band. seems like a very family orientated place including arcade games for the kids and bar area for the adults.

service: 4. good. relatively quick and the service was nice, especially since they were my friend's relatives.

price: $-$$

final score: 4. good atmosphere and good food. just make sure to go easy on the sour cream and guac.

enjoy,

mike

whoops! - -;;;

hey guys. sorry i haven't posted in a while. jeez i need to get better.

been busy with school. got one more class to go so i'll be done by the time june comes around. really excited.

got a restaurant review coming up so look forward to that.

until then,

enjoy,

mike

finals... T_T

hey guys. so unfortunately i have finals on friday. as such i won't be able to update until after. will get a summary of my la trip up soon and another restaurant. look forward to it.

enjoy not studying for finals (unlike me T_T),

mike

back in a few...

hey guys. so after that emotional roller coaster...

i'm off to anaheim for the weekend. hopefully will encounter some awesome new things and restaurants. then it's finals, and then who knows!

back in a few!

mike

restaurant review: iroha restaurant

hey guys. here's another restaurant review. this time a japanese restaurant in japantown in san francisco. was in the city for the annual chinese new year parade. pretty cool but my friends and i left after seeing my college marching band march pass haha. anyways onto the review:

situated in the heart of japantown, iroha sits on top of another restaurant, serving up ramen, sushi, and other japanese favorites. there are also a few lunch specials to choose from.

food: 4. the sushi roll we ordered was delicious. i ordered a katsu (deep fried prok cutlet) curry, while my friends both ordered ramen bowls. my curry was good but nothing beyond that. i also tried my friends ramen which was as equally passable as my curry.

ambiance: 4. pretty good. since the restaurant was situated on the second floor, customers can be treated to nice views of japantown and watch people pass by. unfortunately we weren't given a seat by the window. but the dining area was clean and well kept.

service: 2. bad, though i think they were short staffed. still they took almost forever to get our order, the waitress got my friend's order wrong (he ordered ramen with no green onions but it came with green onions even though the waitress WROTE IT DOWN!), we were left waiting for drinks, and we were handed our utensils without setting them. my friend said she came with a friend a year ago and it was perfectly fine. what happened in that span of time???

price: $$. seriously, not worth it. that's all i'm going to say.

final score: 3. the food is good, but because of the service and price, i don't think i'll be coming back. plus there are many other places to go in japantown (such as tanpopo, which is right next door, and has far better ramen for a far better price), so you really aren't missing much.

enjoy,

mike

to love and tigers...

happy chinese new year and single's awareness day aka valentine's day. yes, i'm single and i'm ok with that. spent it grocery shopping with my parents, which was fun nonetheless.

this chinese new year is the year of the tiger. i was born in the year of the rabbit which will be next year. cool!

enjoy your red envelopes,

mike

restaurant review: ralph brennan's jazz kitchen

here's another restaurant review guys (and just in time for valentine's day if you're in the anaheim area):

ralph brennan's jazz kitchen, located in the downtown disney district, offers a taste of the big easy, serving up delicious new orleans cuisine. the building itself is reminiscent of French Quarter architecture and offers a jazz club and balcony seating.
i came for dinner with a group of friends celebrating a birthday.

food: 4. it's good. the crab cakes i had were passable, the sides i had were for the most part good (i had mashed potatoes, which were ok, and the grits, which i wished i'd made a meal out of; they were THAT GOOD!). i tried a bit of the zinfindel reduction from a friend's dish which blew me away. since it was my friend's birthday, we shared birthday beignets, which were light and excellent.

ambiance: 5! loved it. we sat in the jazz club part of the restaurant so we were treated to low lights and a jazz piano player playing in the background. definitely felt like being in new orleans (though i've never been so i wouldn't know - -;;;).

service: 4. good service, though i do remember waiting for refills on drinks for a bit, but the music helped keep our minds off the waiting.

price: $$ their website states the prices are cheaper for lunch, though we went for dinner. definitely a bit pricey.

final score: 4. i'll go back for the great music and those grits. god they were so good! a bit on the pricey side, but definitely a good place to go for a romantic evening.

enjoy your valentine,

mike

restaurant review: choi's kitchen

hey guys. i promised you a restaurant review so here it is:

today's review is a restaurant that i went to over the christmas break which serves korean food called choi's kitchen.

located in santa clara, ca, this restaurant is said by many locals to have the best korean food in town. one of their signature dishes, besides a wide range of lunch specials, is the seafood pancake, which is a pan fried pancake with all kinds of seafood in the batter.

food: 4. the seafood pancake rocks! as did my bulgogi (korean bbq beef)

ambiance: 3. was like eating in a cafeteria but very clean

service: 4. good. my mom was even able to get a side dish from them that wasn't even on the menu

price: $$

final score: 4. it's excellent korean food. hope to go there again!

enjoy,

mike

o when the saints...

yay for the saints. i'm genuinely happy for them even though i'm not a saints fan (go niners!). and the footage of drew brees with his son at the end of the game was really touching. i could see tears welling up in his face. awesome game.

more restaurant reviews and other stuff to come guys. promise!

enjoy the rest of your super bowl sunday,

mike

all nighters... T_T

ugh so tired guys. pulled an all nighter to finish off a paper. was just procrastinating like crazy and paid the price. completely missed all my classes because i literally crashed after turning it in. so tired...

enjoy some rest,

mike

stormy weather...

hey guys. wow has it been more than ten days past since my last post? i gotta get better at updating. anyways, there's storms in and out of davis and the weather's just been crazy.

been to a couple restaurants in the past few days so i'll post those reviews later.

until then,

enjoy staying dry,

mike

friends...

had an awesome dinner potluck party with friends and homemade food.

i feel so blessed.

enjoy your friends (and food!),

mike

if yan can do it...

oh man oh man oh man!!! i saw martin yan cook in the flesh. i've met him before but just watching him cook live was amazing. his knife skills are incredible!

just tells me i got a lot of work cut out for me if i want to be a chef. but if yan can do it, so can i!

enjoy,

mike

restaurant reviews!

hey guys! i got an awesome idea to add to the blog. since i love food and love trying out different restaurants, i going to start writing restaurant reviews of restaurants i've tried. this will just depend on when i go to those new and exciting restaurants...

anyways, these are my usual criteria in judging restaurants:

1. food: obviously the most important. how is the food? fresh? greasy? is the restaurant using good ingredients? etc.

2. ambiance: what is the restaurant atmosphere? relaxed? how's the lighting? are the premises relatively clean? etc.

3. service: how's the waiting staff? do i need to remind them fill my water glass when it's empty? is the staff nice? etc.

4. price: how much is the food?

here's how each category is judged: i will give points on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the lowest possible and 5, the highest.

price will not be judged per say, but will be given points by price range:

$0-$10: $
$11-$30: $$
$31-$60: $$$
$61+: $$$$

the first three criteria will be added and averaged for the final score, which again will be scored from 1-5 with no 1/2's. whether i average up or down is my decision, and usually will depend on what score i gave in price. in terms of recommendation through scores:

1: not recommended
2: average
3: good
4: excellent
5: extraordinary/ HIGHLY recommended

well then let's try one restaurant i go to all the time with friends while i'm in school:

sushi nobu.

sushi nobu has been regarded as the best sushi buffet in davis. many people tend to agree that nobu serves the freshest sushi out of all the sushi buffets in town, and has been voted best many times. sushi nobu has a large variety, ranging from different kinds of sashimi to many popular rolls, such as california, dragon, etc. they also serve some of the best donuts i have ever tasted.


food: 4. while it is very fresh, some of the rolls come with a little too much sauce on top

ambiance: 3. clean, but a pretty small space. pretty ordinary

service: 3. pretty good; food comes relatively fast, but depends on seating. also sometimes i have to remind them of what i ordered.

price: $ all you can eat for about $11 on weekdays?? sign me up!

final score: 4 the price definitely helps. all you can eat fresh food for cheap? you really can't beat a combo like that.

hopefully you enjoyed my first restaurant review. i'll review more restaurants when i get the chance.

until then...

enjoy,

mike

waging war!

that's what i get for not throwing away my used ziploc bags into the real trash can...

DIE ANTS DIE!!!

enjoy your bug spray,

mike

school...

started my first day of school today... got about three more months to go. i think i can handle it.

try to enjoy your monday,

mike

dim sum!

off to dim sum soon with one of my best friends (and if you've been reading my old blog, you know i love dim sum :-D). he transferred from davis to go to michigan so this is one the few chances i get to see him. should be fun.

enjoy your lazy sunday,

mike

EDIT:

racked up a $90 bill at dim sum today. ouch... i now owe my friend lunch tomorrow.

here's to the new blog...

sorry guys. google has been giving me a headache. therefore i'm starting this new blog. this was my first post of the old one:

i've been meaning to start a blog after seeing so many of them popping up. so here we go this is the first post ever of my blog.

so about myself: i am currently a college student finishing up my degree in international relations. but as you can see from my title, i love food. being a chef has been a dream of mine since i was a kid. i grew up watching cooking shows on pbs such as cooking secrets of the cia, julia child, and others to name a few. i wished i could be like them and have my own cooking show.

but that dream fell away as i became a well known age group swimmer, turned 13, went into high school, trying to discover myself through drama classes, swimming all year round, and eventually going to college. those aspirations resurfaced again as i realized... i hate what i'm doing, what i'm studying. having a job holed up in a cubicle, working for the government is not what i want to do.

so this my journey to make my dreams become reality. and also about my life as i make the journey to reach that goal.

so here's to the road ahead. let's eat out on the road.

haha how cheesy was that.

enjoy,

mike


eating out on the road was nice. but i guess it doesn't give me a lot of options; maybe you think i'll eat all the time (which i do haha). anyways, here's to my new blog and my adventures.

enjoy the ride,

mike