The Phil-Harmonics - Powerhouse
Ok, let's try and direct our attention away from the hilariously large sized novelty harmonica in the back (oh who am I kidding...how can you not notice that and not be amused?) and think about and appreciate the fact that these guys actually composed, harmonized, and performed a complex and fast paced piece on mouth organs.
Your welcome.
1/31/11
1/29/11
#11 Try 25 New Restaurants (4 of 25)
Try 25 New Restaurants
4 of 25
Jong Ga House
372 Grand Ave
Oakland, CA 94610
It's a well known fact that even crap Denny's food whipped up by some burly slob in a trucker hat can end up tasting like something that was cooked with exquisite care by the most elite chefs in the cuisine industry while you're drunk (I seriously just thought of that off the top of my head right now). I've been hard pressed to find some decent Korean food here in the Bay Area, and maybe coming down from a buzz from a beer binge probably biases my decision on how good all this food was.
That all aside, it was still oh so very tasty.
Standard Korean fare:
Standard Korean fare, meat class:
Oh but these. These. Seafood scallion pancakes. Not too greasy, not too seafood-y. The right texture, the right amount of crispiness interlaced with chewiness. Fun for your taste buds, inbebriated or not.
4 of 25
Jong Ga House
372 Grand Ave
Oakland, CA 94610
It's a well known fact that even crap Denny's food whipped up by some burly slob in a trucker hat can end up tasting like something that was cooked with exquisite care by the most elite chefs in the cuisine industry while you're drunk (I seriously just thought of that off the top of my head right now). I've been hard pressed to find some decent Korean food here in the Bay Area, and maybe coming down from a buzz from a beer binge probably biases my decision on how good all this food was.
That all aside, it was still oh so very tasty.
Standard Korean fare:
Standard Korean fare, meat class:
Oh but these. These. Seafood scallion pancakes. Not too greasy, not too seafood-y. The right texture, the right amount of crispiness interlaced with chewiness. Fun for your taste buds, inbebriated or not.
1/24/11
mm32
Vadrum Meets the Barber of Seville
If I ever conduct a band or an orchestra somewhere in my future, I'm recreating this. What better way to fuse my love of classical music with my love of some awesome drum shredding?
1/23/11
#11 Try 25 New Restaurants (3 of 25)
Try 25 New Restaurants
3 of 25
The French Laundry
6640 Washington Street
Yountville, CA
Ah, The French Laundry. Does it really need any explaining? Yes? Okay.
Located in the original structure of a former turn of the century laundromat, The French Laundry's cuisine has often been called "the best in the world" (3 times to be exact, in Restaurant Magazine in 2003 and 2004 and in by Anthony Bourdain in 2005). The 9 course meals are unique to each day, and no ingredient is ever used twice.
Now, I'm no foodie (I'll leave that job to my friend, here), so I don't think any description of the succulent joyride my tastebuds experienced today could be explained in my words. Like I've done so much in the past, I'll let the pictures do the talking:
Some sort of salmon pastry puff
Cauliflower "Panna Cotta" with Island Creek Oyster Glaze and California Sturgeon Caviar
Salad of Confit Marble Potatoes - Farm Onions, Brussels Sprouts and Horseradish Creme Fraiche
Moulard Duck "Foie Gras En Terrine" - Oregon Huckleberries, Celery Branch, Radish, and Aged Balsamic Vinegar
"Carpaccio" of Atlantic Fluke - Cucumber, Cashews, Haupia, Mizuna, Chili and Finger Lime "Aigre-Doux"
Sauteed Fillet of Spanish Lubina - Artichokes "a la Grecque," Jingle Bell Peppers, Castlevetrano Olive, Arugula and Meyer Lemon
Georges Bank Sea Scallop "Poelee" - Chestnut Puree, Salsify, Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash and "Truffe Noire"
Salmon Creek Farms Pork Belly "En Persillade" - Pole Bean "Cassoulet" and Smoked Ham Broth
Marcho Farms "Blanquette De Veau" - Sweetbreads, Nantes Carrots, "Champignon de Paris," Tokyo Turnips and Watercress
"Cavatina" - Honey-Mustard "Chiboust," English Walnut "Genoise," French Laundr Garden Beets and Red Ribbon Sorrel
Bartlett Pear Sorbet - Pomegranate, "Pain d'Epices" and Tahitian Vanilla Bean
Fuyu Persimmon "En Feuille de Bric" - Glazed Pecans, Molasses and Cream Cheese Ice Cream
Bittersweet and Ivory Chocolate "Pave" - Sicilian Pistachio "Pain de Gene," Poached Cranberries and Creme Fraiche Sherbet
Semi-Fredo Cappucino
Some sort of French donut-ish pastry
Chocolate covered macadamia nuts
Various Assorted Chocolates
So 9+ courses at the best restaurant in the world you would think would cost a pretty penny" Au contraire, mon freire. You see, my friends, the French Laundry not only boasts exquisite French gourmet, but for a price for four that is practically a steal:
(Disclaimer: this photo may contain images that have been deemed graphic and disturbing in nature. Discretion is advised)
Yeah. My heart dropped when I first saw this too.
3 of 25
The French Laundry
6640 Washington Street
Yountville, CA
Ah, The French Laundry. Does it really need any explaining? Yes? Okay.Located in the original structure of a former turn of the century laundromat, The French Laundry's cuisine has often been called "the best in the world" (3 times to be exact, in Restaurant Magazine in 2003 and 2004 and in by Anthony Bourdain in 2005). The 9 course meals are unique to each day, and no ingredient is ever used twice.
Now, I'm no foodie (I'll leave that job to my friend, here), so I don't think any description of the succulent joyride my tastebuds experienced today could be explained in my words. Like I've done so much in the past, I'll let the pictures do the talking:
Some sort of salmon pastry puff
Cauliflower "Panna Cotta" with Island Creek Oyster Glaze and California Sturgeon Caviar
Salad of Confit Marble Potatoes - Farm Onions, Brussels Sprouts and Horseradish Creme Fraiche
Moulard Duck "Foie Gras En Terrine" - Oregon Huckleberries, Celery Branch, Radish, and Aged Balsamic Vinegar
"Carpaccio" of Atlantic Fluke - Cucumber, Cashews, Haupia, Mizuna, Chili and Finger Lime "Aigre-Doux"
Sauteed Fillet of Spanish Lubina - Artichokes "a la Grecque," Jingle Bell Peppers, Castlevetrano Olive, Arugula and Meyer Lemon
Georges Bank Sea Scallop "Poelee" - Chestnut Puree, Salsify, Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash and "Truffe Noire"
Salmon Creek Farms Pork Belly "En Persillade" - Pole Bean "Cassoulet" and Smoked Ham Broth
Marcho Farms "Blanquette De Veau" - Sweetbreads, Nantes Carrots, "Champignon de Paris," Tokyo Turnips and Watercress
"Cavatina" - Honey-Mustard "Chiboust," English Walnut "Genoise," French Laundr Garden Beets and Red Ribbon Sorrel
Bartlett Pear Sorbet - Pomegranate, "Pain d'Epices" and Tahitian Vanilla Bean
Fuyu Persimmon "En Feuille de Bric" - Glazed Pecans, Molasses and Cream Cheese Ice Cream
Bittersweet and Ivory Chocolate "Pave" - Sicilian Pistachio "Pain de Gene," Poached Cranberries and Creme Fraiche Sherbet
Semi-Fredo Cappucino
Some sort of French donut-ish pastry
Chocolate covered macadamia nuts
Various Assorted Chocolates
So 9+ courses at the best restaurant in the world you would think would cost a pretty penny" Au contraire, mon freire. You see, my friends, the French Laundry not only boasts exquisite French gourmet, but for a price for four that is practically a steal:
(Disclaimer: this photo may contain images that have been deemed graphic and disturbing in nature. Discretion is advised)
Yeah. My heart dropped when I first saw this too.
1/22/11
#11 Try 25 New Restaurants (2 of 25)
Try 25 New Restaurants
2 of 25
Hapa SF pop-up pulutan at La Victoria Bakery
2937 16th Street
San Francisco, CA
Hapa SF is in actuality a Filipino food truck, a product of the recent craze of alternative/fusion-ish taco trucks. Every now and then, they have a pop-up restaurant event at La Victoria Bakery in the Mission. Hapa SF, in their words, is "modern organic casual Filipino cuisine blended with California sensibilities in the least likely of settings: a taco truck."
California sensibilities? That usually means a crazy attempt to infuse some sort of healthy spin on food that shouldn't be (i.e. most Filipino cuisine).
So this here is the "Sisig" Hodo Soy Tofu Ferry Plaza Market Vegetables. For those of you unfamiliar with sisig, it's a cubed pork and liver dish seasoned with calamansi and peppers, served sizzling hot under some egg. Hapa SF's theory is that if you serve vegetables using the same seasonings as a meat dish normally would be, it would be pretty much the same.
It wasn't.
But don't get me wrong, it was still good.
Next up, the Mechado sliders achara:
It's exactly what it is named: mechado (beef stew dish) in slider form. Yawn. But tasty.
2 of 25
Hapa SF pop-up pulutan at La Victoria Bakery
2937 16th Street
San Francisco, CA
Hapa SF is in actuality a Filipino food truck, a product of the recent craze of alternative/fusion-ish taco trucks. Every now and then, they have a pop-up restaurant event at La Victoria Bakery in the Mission. Hapa SF, in their words, is "modern organic casual Filipino cuisine blended with California sensibilities in the least likely of settings: a taco truck."
California sensibilities? That usually means a crazy attempt to infuse some sort of healthy spin on food that shouldn't be (i.e. most Filipino cuisine).
So this here is the "Sisig" Hodo Soy Tofu Ferry Plaza Market Vegetables. For those of you unfamiliar with sisig, it's a cubed pork and liver dish seasoned with calamansi and peppers, served sizzling hot under some egg. Hapa SF's theory is that if you serve vegetables using the same seasonings as a meat dish normally would be, it would be pretty much the same.It wasn't.
But don't get me wrong, it was still good.
Next up, the Mechado sliders achara:
It's exactly what it is named: mechado (beef stew dish) in slider form. Yawn. But tasty.
1/18/11
#69 - Watch at least two TED lectures every month (Jan)
Watch at least two TED lectures every month
For those of you who don't know, TED, or Technology Entertainment and Design, is a global set of conferences by the Sapling Foundation. These conferences were formed to "disseminate ideas worth spreading.
The topics of these conference lectures range from a variety of topics in various subjects such as business, entertainment, science, technology, and design to other offbeat topics such as extreme sports, fish, and how to build a toaster from scratch.
Why I elected to only watch two of these lectures each month is beyond me (I think I may have just copied it from another 1,001 project). These things are fascinating, and I'm sure I'l be watching more than the two a month I've elected myself to.
So what new knowledge did I fill my noggin with this month?
David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization
David McCandless turns complex data sets (like worldwide military spending, media buzz, Facebook status updates) into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut -- and it may just change the way we see the world.
In other words...he make numbers pretty.
and
Derek Sivers: How to start a movement
With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two.)
For those of you who don't know, TED, or Technology Entertainment and Design, is a global set of conferences by the Sapling Foundation. These conferences were formed to "disseminate ideas worth spreading.
The topics of these conference lectures range from a variety of topics in various subjects such as business, entertainment, science, technology, and design to other offbeat topics such as extreme sports, fish, and how to build a toaster from scratch.
Why I elected to only watch two of these lectures each month is beyond me (I think I may have just copied it from another 1,001 project). These things are fascinating, and I'm sure I'l be watching more than the two a month I've elected myself to.
So what new knowledge did I fill my noggin with this month?
David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization
David McCandless turns complex data sets (like worldwide military spending, media buzz, Facebook status updates) into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut -- and it may just change the way we see the world.
In other words...he make numbers pretty.
and
Derek Sivers: How to start a movement
With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two.)
1/17/11
mm31
Who said that all my Music Mondays had to be actual recording artists and actual songs? I think this piece (aptly named 'Bored man in hotel') is still a demonstration of some awesome talent (as well as an example of why I just love the internets).
1/14/11
#36 - Participate in a Bike Party
Participate in a Bike Party
How fitting it is that my first bike party take place in my good ol' hometown of Hayward. The East Bay Bike Party Coalition plans massive bike rides called bike parties every month in different cities throughout the East Bay. The way that operate is not unlike Critical Mass in San Francisco or San Jose Bike Party in, well, San Jose. This particular bike party was the first to have ever been ridden through Hayward, so tonight had some sort of historical significance for the city.
The route started off at Bayfair BART station (which actually is in San Leandro, but who's keeping track anyway?). As you may have read in their blog post, the theme of the night was "Hillbilly Wedding," and people dressed up as so.
It was an eclectic smorgasbord (oh how I've always wanted to use that word in context) of participants of all ages and professions. The bikes were adorned with colorful flashing lights, the riders adorned in colorful flashy costumes. Every now and then one of the riders would be hauling speakers behind them that blasted music to fill the silence of the quiet suburbs. It didn't matter who you were, where you came from, or what you were wearing, the love was spread and tonight, everybody was each others' buddy.
The ride toured us through parts of Hayward I had never seen before, despite the fact that I had grown up there. Considering Hayward is a suburb, I'm surprised the organizers were able to find 12 miles of interesting enough streets to ride through. The halfway point brought us to City Hall, where riders were given more time to mingle over contests, music, and a strategically hauled keg.
The last leg of the trip brought us back to my old hood around South Hayward, where the party finally convened at The Dirty Bird, the hippest joint to be at if you happen to be in South Hayward, supposedly. Needless to say, I think my first bike party experience was a good one, and I wonder why I never got into it before. Big crowds, strange costumes, drinking in public...definitely my kind of scene.
Oh, and as a reward for you for reading through this entire post, here's a few snippets of video I managed to catch throughout the night:
How fitting it is that my first bike party take place in my good ol' hometown of Hayward. The East Bay Bike Party Coalition plans massive bike rides called bike parties every month in different cities throughout the East Bay. The way that operate is not unlike Critical Mass in San Francisco or San Jose Bike Party in, well, San Jose. This particular bike party was the first to have ever been ridden through Hayward, so tonight had some sort of historical significance for the city.
The route started off at Bayfair BART station (which actually is in San Leandro, but who's keeping track anyway?). As you may have read in their blog post, the theme of the night was "Hillbilly Wedding," and people dressed up as so.
It was an eclectic smorgasbord (oh how I've always wanted to use that word in context) of participants of all ages and professions. The bikes were adorned with colorful flashing lights, the riders adorned in colorful flashy costumes. Every now and then one of the riders would be hauling speakers behind them that blasted music to fill the silence of the quiet suburbs. It didn't matter who you were, where you came from, or what you were wearing, the love was spread and tonight, everybody was each others' buddy.The ride toured us through parts of Hayward I had never seen before, despite the fact that I had grown up there. Considering Hayward is a suburb, I'm surprised the organizers were able to find 12 miles of interesting enough streets to ride through. The halfway point brought us to City Hall, where riders were given more time to mingle over contests, music, and a strategically hauled keg.
The last leg of the trip brought us back to my old hood around South Hayward, where the party finally convened at The Dirty Bird, the hippest joint to be at if you happen to be in South Hayward, supposedly. Needless to say, I think my first bike party experience was a good one, and I wonder why I never got into it before. Big crowds, strange costumes, drinking in public...definitely my kind of scene.
Oh, and as a reward for you for reading through this entire post, here's a few snippets of video I managed to catch throughout the night:
1/11/11
#11 Try 25 New Restaurants (1 of 25)
Try 25 new restaurants
1 of 25
The Brickyard
1787 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
The Brickyard is probably best classified as an upscale sports bar. Multiple tv screens tuned to the 17 different versions of ESPN, wide selection of craft beers, mini replica of the Golden Gate Bridge adorning the back wall...
Ya know. The kind of stuff yuppies in this city are all over.
We ordered the mac and cheese,
the mushroom with bechamel and shaved parmesan pizza,
and the prosciutto wrapped chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and creamed polenta
As tasty as these dishes look, only one of them wasn't excruciatingly bland (and even then, nothing will ever compare to the mac and cheese at Stanford's in Walnut Creek). I mean, I guess I shouldn't expect any less when it comes to the yuppie-ist district in the city (we were in the Marina, after all) wherein restaurants here invest more in their furniture than the actual quality of their food.
1 of 25
The Brickyard
1787 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
The Brickyard is probably best classified as an upscale sports bar. Multiple tv screens tuned to the 17 different versions of ESPN, wide selection of craft beers, mini replica of the Golden Gate Bridge adorning the back wall...
Ya know. The kind of stuff yuppies in this city are all over.We ordered the mac and cheese,
the mushroom with bechamel and shaved parmesan pizza,
and the prosciutto wrapped chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and creamed polenta
As tasty as these dishes look, only one of them wasn't excruciatingly bland (and even then, nothing will ever compare to the mac and cheese at Stanford's in Walnut Creek). I mean, I guess I shouldn't expect any less when it comes to the yuppie-ist district in the city (we were in the Marina, after all) wherein restaurants here invest more in their furniture than the actual quality of their food.
1/10/11
#88 Win Something in a Contest Because of Something I've Done
Win something in a contest because of something I've done, not just by chance
Actually completed 1/7/11
Telestream, maker of popular screencasting and video distribution software, recently had a contest in which contestants were challenged to add their own subtitles/soundtracks/etc to their painfully low budget production involving a guy in a santa suit and another wearing aluminum foil:
So this is what I did:
And this is what happened:
And now I'm $800 richer (software-wise).
This is big for me, people. I've never been 1st place in anything! The closest I've come before this was back in 8th grade during the schoolwide spelling bee. I ended up losing to a 4th grader.
Actually completed 1/7/11
Telestream, maker of popular screencasting and video distribution software, recently had a contest in which contestants were challenged to add their own subtitles/soundtracks/etc to their painfully low budget production involving a guy in a santa suit and another wearing aluminum foil:
So this is what I did:
And this is what happened:
And now I'm $800 richer (software-wise).
This is big for me, people. I've never been 1st place in anything! The closest I've come before this was back in 8th grade during the schoolwide spelling bee. I ended up losing to a 4th grader.
1001
I was afraid of this. The moment my 365 project ended, any incentive to write in my blog vanished. Desperate to find an excuse to keep my blog from vanishing into oblivion, apathy, and irrelevance, I decided to pull yet another gimmick project to force me to write in here.
Enter the 101 things to do in 1,001 days project.
It's exactly as it sounds. This is a list of 101 things I would like to accomplish within the next 1,001 days. It's not an uncommon blog theme, but I'd have to say I got the most inspiration to do this from Julie (so you can claim me as one of your converts on your number 101 task, Julie!). Now I know I'm posting this list a bit late, but I would like to have the start date as January 1, 2011. Which would mean that 1,001 days later would be September 28, 2013.
That all said, the following list is in no particular order. I merely divided them into categories, and will post whenever I have completed a task, and explain to you all in detail how I came about accomplishing said challenge.
Oh, and I'm making one teensy eensy modification to the rules here. I have elected to give myself 3 (and only 3) chances to change one of the challenges on here. After those 3 changes have been made, I can no longer make any more changes. Also, if I change one of my goals to something else or more realistic, I cannot change it back to what it was before if suddenly I feel like I actually can accomplish it.
Food-related
1. Design, perfect, name, and memorize a cocktail (not including my sangria)
2. Concoct my own marinade and bottle it
3. Concoct my own salad dressing and bottle it
4. Eat a fruit I have never had before
5. Eat at the Wynn buffet again
6. Go at least one week without having a drink
7. Go vegetarian for a week
8 Make my own cheese
9. Make my own pizza
10. Purchase and drink a bottle of Dom Perignon (with others, of course)
11. Try 25 new restaurants
12. Try at least one new recipe at once a month
13. Try the Bellagio buffet
Do for the first time
14. Actually follow through on a post crossing
15. Become a Yelp elite member
16. Bet $100 on something
17. Complete a 26 things a month thing http://www.sh1ft.org/26things/
18. Complete a teeth whitening program and take before/after pics
19. Drive on a race track
20. Email Steve Jobs that would warrant a response from him
21. Finish a sudoku
22. Fire a gun
23. Fly a kite
24. Fly in a hot air balloon
25. Get my fortune read
26. Go paintballing
27. Go rock climbing
28. Go to a mixer for professionals in a field I have absolutely no relation to and try to play if off like I am
29. Grow my beard/goatee out again and keep for a month
30. Have a 1,001 days completion party
31. Have a tasting party of the wine I have made
32. Invest in an SLR
33. Keep a plant alive for at least 6 months
34. Milk a cow
35. Pariticipate in a flash mob
36. Participate in a bike party
37. Pay for something that costs $5 or more using only change
38. Pay the bridge toll for a stranger
39. Play laser tag (now that I'm old enough to appreciate it)
40. Put a message in a bottle and throw it into the ocean (without getting caught for littering)
41. Ride on the sidecar of a motorcycle
42. Ride to every end of BART
43. Spend a whole week in sweats (if I don't happen to have a job to go to)
44. Take a photo of the same place for every month or a year and then turn it into a calendar for the next year
45. Take a picture of myself on the same day each month throughout the challenge
46. Teach someone something (that I know) from scratch
47. Tie a secret to a balloon and let it go
48. Walk down a steep hill in San Francisco backwards
49. Work in catering temporarily just long enough to go to a couple of interesting events
50. Write a letter to myself to be opened when the 1001 days is over
51. Write a message in a public bathroom (this doesn't count, it's technically outside of the bathroom)
52. Write an actual Yelp review
Watch/play/listen
53. Go to a comedy club
54. Go to a major film festival, like Sundance
55. Listen to "I'm on a boat" while on a boat
56. Listen to 50 new albums in their entiriety
57. Listen to every single recording of the Beatles at least once
58. Play and finish Bioshock (and if time allows, Bioshock 2)
59. Play through Final Fantasy 6 and 7 again
60. Read 25 new books
61. See a Cirque Du Soleil show
62. Spend a weekend watching the Simpsons Season 1-10 with someone who knows it just as well as I do
63. Start a last.fm account
64. Visit 10 museums and look at every single thing
65. Watch 100 movies (I haven't seen yet) from the Top 250 on imdb.com
66. Watch a concert at the Hollywood Bowl again
67. Watch a Giants game from McCovey Cove
68. Watch all the best picture Oscar nominees before the Academy Awards every year
69. Watch at least two TED lectures every month
Improvement
70. Finish my homepage on Flavors.me
71. Get my first job in the television/video editing/multimedia industry
72. Get my own pet other than my "pet" potato
73. Get rid of enough possessions of mine so I don't need to rent a storage space every month anymore
74. Make my linkedin account 100%
75. Pay off my credit cards
76. Save all of my change for 1001 days and cash it in when the challenge is done
Learn
77. Learn a new song on piano (one I don't already know or have perpetually memorized thanks to jazz band)
78. Learn Flash enough to confidently put it on my resume
79. Learn Illustrator enough to confidently put it on my resume
80. Learn Photoshop enough to confidently put it on my resume
81. Learn more than the 2 dance moves I already have memorized in swing
Make
82. Build something with legos again (one of those really advanced kits)
83. Complete a puzzle (one of those 3D ones, maybe)
84. *Private*
85. Make a stop motion video
86. Make my own -opoly
87. Make my own cheese
88. Win something in a contest because of something I've done, not just by chance
Visit
89. Attend a meetup and/or conference for bloggers
90. Go to an Oktoberfest celebration
91. Go to another multi-day music festival other than the jazz reggae fest
92. Go to the Gilroy Garlic Festival
93. Make another cross country trip by either car or train
94. Meet my nephew in the PI
95. "Move away from the Bay Area (if only temporarily, even!)"
96. Spend a New Year's Eve in NYC (perhaps in 2012, since it'll be the end of the world anyway)
97. Take a segway tour
98. Visit 10 national parks
99. Visit a winery where you have to pay to taste (and not flinch at the cost)
100. Visit my brother in China/the PI
101. Visit the CES at least once
Enter the 101 things to do in 1,001 days project.
It's exactly as it sounds. This is a list of 101 things I would like to accomplish within the next 1,001 days. It's not an uncommon blog theme, but I'd have to say I got the most inspiration to do this from Julie (so you can claim me as one of your converts on your number 101 task, Julie!). Now I know I'm posting this list a bit late, but I would like to have the start date as January 1, 2011. Which would mean that 1,001 days later would be September 28, 2013.
That all said, the following list is in no particular order. I merely divided them into categories, and will post whenever I have completed a task, and explain to you all in detail how I came about accomplishing said challenge.
Oh, and I'm making one teensy eensy modification to the rules here. I have elected to give myself 3 (and only 3) chances to change one of the challenges on here. After those 3 changes have been made, I can no longer make any more changes. Also, if I change one of my goals to something else or more realistic, I cannot change it back to what it was before if suddenly I feel like I actually can accomplish it.
Food-related
1. Design, perfect, name, and memorize a cocktail (not including my sangria)
2. Concoct my own marinade and bottle it
3. Concoct my own salad dressing and bottle it
4. Eat a fruit I have never had before
5. Eat at the Wynn buffet again
6. Go at least one week without having a drink
7. Go vegetarian for a week
8 Make my own cheese
9. Make my own pizza
10. Purchase and drink a bottle of Dom Perignon (with others, of course)
11. Try 25 new restaurants
12. Try at least one new recipe at once a month
13. Try the Bellagio buffet
Do for the first time
14. Actually follow through on a post crossing
15. Become a Yelp elite member
16. Bet $100 on something
17. Complete a 26 things a month thing http://www.sh1ft.org/26things/
18. Complete a teeth whitening program and take before/after pics
19. Drive on a race track
20. Email Steve Jobs that would warrant a response from him
21. Finish a sudoku
22. Fire a gun
23. Fly a kite
24. Fly in a hot air balloon
25. Get my fortune read
26. Go paintballing
27. Go rock climbing
28. Go to a mixer for professionals in a field I have absolutely no relation to and try to play if off like I am
29. Grow my beard/goatee out again and keep for a month
30. Have a 1,001 days completion party
31. Have a tasting party of the wine I have made
32. Invest in an SLR
33. Keep a plant alive for at least 6 months
34. Milk a cow
35. Pariticipate in a flash mob
36. Participate in a bike party
37. Pay for something that costs $5 or more using only change
38. Pay the bridge toll for a stranger
39. Play laser tag (now that I'm old enough to appreciate it)
40. Put a message in a bottle and throw it into the ocean (without getting caught for littering)
41. Ride on the sidecar of a motorcycle
42. Ride to every end of BART
43. Spend a whole week in sweats (if I don't happen to have a job to go to)
44. Take a photo of the same place for every month or a year and then turn it into a calendar for the next year
45. Take a picture of myself on the same day each month throughout the challenge
46. Teach someone something (that I know) from scratch
47. Tie a secret to a balloon and let it go
48. Walk down a steep hill in San Francisco backwards
49. Work in catering temporarily just long enough to go to a couple of interesting events
50. Write a letter to myself to be opened when the 1001 days is over
51. Write a message in a public bathroom (this doesn't count, it's technically outside of the bathroom)
52. Write an actual Yelp review
Watch/play/listen
53. Go to a comedy club
54. Go to a major film festival, like Sundance
55. Listen to "I'm on a boat" while on a boat
56. Listen to 50 new albums in their entiriety
57. Listen to every single recording of the Beatles at least once
58. Play and finish Bioshock (and if time allows, Bioshock 2)
59. Play through Final Fantasy 6 and 7 again
60. Read 25 new books
61. See a Cirque Du Soleil show
62. Spend a weekend watching the Simpsons Season 1-10 with someone who knows it just as well as I do
63. Start a last.fm account
64. Visit 10 museums and look at every single thing
65. Watch 100 movies (I haven't seen yet) from the Top 250 on imdb.com
66. Watch a concert at the Hollywood Bowl again
67. Watch a Giants game from McCovey Cove
68. Watch all the best picture Oscar nominees before the Academy Awards every year
69. Watch at least two TED lectures every month
Improvement
70. Finish my homepage on Flavors.me
71. Get my first job in the television/video editing/multimedia industry
72. Get my own pet other than my "pet" potato
73. Get rid of enough possessions of mine so I don't need to rent a storage space every month anymore
74. Make my linkedin account 100%
75. Pay off my credit cards
76. Save all of my change for 1001 days and cash it in when the challenge is done
Learn
77. Learn a new song on piano (one I don't already know or have perpetually memorized thanks to jazz band)
78. Learn Flash enough to confidently put it on my resume
79. Learn Illustrator enough to confidently put it on my resume
80. Learn Photoshop enough to confidently put it on my resume
81. Learn more than the 2 dance moves I already have memorized in swing
Make
82. Build something with legos again (one of those really advanced kits)
83. Complete a puzzle (one of those 3D ones, maybe)
84. *Private*
85. Make a stop motion video
86. Make my own -opoly
87. Make my own cheese
88. Win something in a contest because of something I've done, not just by chance
Visit
89. Attend a meetup and/or conference for bloggers
90. Go to an Oktoberfest celebration
91. Go to another multi-day music festival other than the jazz reggae fest
92. Go to the Gilroy Garlic Festival
93. Make another cross country trip by either car or train
94. Meet my nephew in the PI
95. "Move away from the Bay Area (if only temporarily, even!)"
96. Spend a New Year's Eve in NYC (perhaps in 2012, since it'll be the end of the world anyway)
97. Take a segway tour
98. Visit 10 national parks
99. Visit a winery where you have to pay to taste (and not flinch at the cost)
100. Visit my brother in China/the PI
101. Visit the CES at least once
mm30
Radiohead - Nice Dream
I hate to be one of those pretentious music snobs (but why lie...I am), but I was absolutely sickened at the fact that the most upvoted comments on the youtube video of this song referred to the episode of How I Met Your Mother that this track appeared on. Don't get me wrong, I like the show, but ::in my best, most snooty hipster tone of voice:: I was enjoying this song years before it was shown on some mainstream sitcom.
But since we're on the subject, Nice Dream was one of the tracks released on Radiohead's 1995 album The Bends. The Bends happens to be my second favorite Radiohead album, behind OK Computer. Other tracks to put on your heavy rotation list from The Bends: Planet Telex, Bullet Proof (I wish I was), My Iron Lung, Street Spirit (Fade Out)
1/3/11
mm29
Beastie Boys - Groove Holmes
Bet you didn't know the Beastie Boys are still releasing albums, albeit they don't actually sing anymore. But you have to admit that unlike many aging artists who don't realize their voices just aren't what they used to be (::cough:: Mariah ::cough:: and ::cough:: to ::cough:: a ::cough:: lesser ::cough:: extent ::cough:: Boys2Men ::cough), they've been able to showcase their talents in some other form. The result has proved successful for them, as you can hear in The In Sound from Way Out and more recently, The Mix Up.
1/1/11
three six five
Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes later, my little 365 project is finally over.
It's strange. This is one of those moments in your life that you know is approaching, yet it always seems perpetually far away from happening that you never stop to think twice about how soon it actually is coming up, not unlike graduation day, or the day of your wedding, or something. Once it's finally here, you're not sure what to think. The wait is over, it's happening, or it's happened, and after the fact suddenly you're left with one lingering question:
What the hell do I do now?
I have to say that this 365 project almost gave me a sense of purpose everyday. It gave me a reason to blog. It gave you a reason to check my blog. Since January 1st, 2010, I had wired myself to always be on the lookout for what would be an "awesome picture of the day for today." Now that it's over, I'm stuck wondering what I'm going to blog about now.
Well, to be honest, I've been planning for this day for awhile. While I shuddered at the thought of writing actual blogposts again (not that I don't enjoy it...it's just that if I have nothing of substance to say for 2 months, I won't), I realized that this project doesn't have to die. It can be reincarnated in another form.
As such, I want to continue taking pictures of the day because its just so damn fun to chronicle everything that (sometimes isn't) happening in my life. It gives me something to look back on and reminisce on. It gives me an incentive to look for some intriguing part of my day that I wouldn't have found if I hadn't been spending so much effort on making sure I have something to post. I don't think I'll hold myself to the strict have-to-take-a-picture everyday standard I've had for the past year (and it was hard to find a picture to take if I did nothing but sit at work all day) this time around. Instead, my picture a day blog will resemble something more along the lines of the work of Jamie Livingston, in which he took a picture everyday until the day he died tragically young at the age of 41. He did his best to have a picture everyday, but would have a "placeholder" non-picture on days he didn't. In other words, I'm continuing the 365 project, but with less pressure.
With all that said finally out of the way, I wanted to give you guys a sampling of the my 2010 with what I believe are best pictures of each month. Enjoy.
January
Day 10:
Honorable Mention:
Day 26:
February
Day 45:
Honorable Mention:
Day 51:
March
Day 86:
Honorable Mention:
Day 70:
April
Day 103:
Honorable Mention
Day 116:
May
Day 128:
Honorable Mention
Day 143:
June
Day 154:
Honorable Mention
Day 179:
July
Day 206:
Honorable Mention
Day 209:
August
Day 234:
Honorable Mention
Day 240:
September
Day 247:
Honorable Mention
Day 252:
October
Day 283:
Honorable Mention:
Day 277:
November
Day 307:
Honorable Mention
Day 317:
December
Day 338:
Honorable Mention
Day 358:
It's strange. This is one of those moments in your life that you know is approaching, yet it always seems perpetually far away from happening that you never stop to think twice about how soon it actually is coming up, not unlike graduation day, or the day of your wedding, or something. Once it's finally here, you're not sure what to think. The wait is over, it's happening, or it's happened, and after the fact suddenly you're left with one lingering question:
What the hell do I do now?
I have to say that this 365 project almost gave me a sense of purpose everyday. It gave me a reason to blog. It gave you a reason to check my blog. Since January 1st, 2010, I had wired myself to always be on the lookout for what would be an "awesome picture of the day for today." Now that it's over, I'm stuck wondering what I'm going to blog about now.
Well, to be honest, I've been planning for this day for awhile. While I shuddered at the thought of writing actual blogposts again (not that I don't enjoy it...it's just that if I have nothing of substance to say for 2 months, I won't), I realized that this project doesn't have to die. It can be reincarnated in another form.
As such, I want to continue taking pictures of the day because its just so damn fun to chronicle everything that (sometimes isn't) happening in my life. It gives me something to look back on and reminisce on. It gives me an incentive to look for some intriguing part of my day that I wouldn't have found if I hadn't been spending so much effort on making sure I have something to post. I don't think I'll hold myself to the strict have-to-take-a-picture everyday standard I've had for the past year (and it was hard to find a picture to take if I did nothing but sit at work all day) this time around. Instead, my picture a day blog will resemble something more along the lines of the work of Jamie Livingston, in which he took a picture everyday until the day he died tragically young at the age of 41. He did his best to have a picture everyday, but would have a "placeholder" non-picture on days he didn't. In other words, I'm continuing the 365 project, but with less pressure.
With all that said finally out of the way, I wanted to give you guys a sampling of the my 2010 with what I believe are best pictures of each month. Enjoy.
January
Day 10:
Honorable Mention:
Day 26:
February
Day 45:
Honorable Mention:
Day 51:
March
Day 86:
Honorable Mention:
Day 70:
April
Day 103:
Honorable Mention
Day 116:
May
Day 128:
Honorable Mention
Day 143:
June
Day 154:
Honorable Mention
Day 179:
July
Day 206:
Honorable MentionDay 209:
August
Day 234:
Honorable Mention
Day 240:
September
Day 247:
Honorable Mention
Day 252:
October
Day 283:
Honorable Mention:
Day 277:
November
Day 307:
Honorable Mention
Day 317:
December
Day 338:
Honorable Mention
Day 358:
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