Another Low for Michelle Wie...+14 Over 16 Holes, Almost Banned!

Michelle Wie, in her first tournament back after a lengthy hiatus due to her wrist injuries, withdrew today from the Ginn Tribute Tournament after playing 16 holes at 14 over par. This included a 10 on the Par 5 3rd hole.

Michelle said that she tweaked her wrist during the round and that was why she withdrew, but ESPN is saying that the withdrawal may have been due to avoid the ruling that any non-Tour member who shoots 88 or higher is banned for the rest of the year. Since Michelle is not yet a full fledged LPGA member, this would apply to her and she was just 2 more bogeys from hitting that number.

I had no idea that rule existed but there's no doubt it played a role in her withdrawal. My question is, if she was so unprepared to return, why did she play this week? I'm assuming she played a lot of practice rounds leading up to this event. Did she really think she was ready? Auwe! This is just more fuel for the fire for all the Michelle Wie anti-fans out there and I have to admit, her career is on a serious negative swing in the last year or so. What was the last positive thing she's done on the course? Too long ago to remember....

Helio Ocean Getting Good Reviews...Shall I Get One?

The new Helio phone, the Ocean model, is getting solid reviews all around. Just saw one on the Yahoo! home page which piqued my interest again.

I first discovered the Ocean model back in April and wanted one then even though my new phone was only 1 month old. Now my Drift is 3 months old and I still want the Ocean...hmm...what to do?

Miss Universe is....Miss Japan!

아....참 아쉽다!!!!

Just got done watching my DVR of the Miss Universe pageant. Here's my running commentary...Keep in mind, I used to watch these things regularly as a kid so I kinda know the ins and outs. But I haven't watched for like the last 10 years or so. The internet buzz about Korea got me watching again this year. So here we go!

I'm glad I DVR'ed this. I can FF through all the nonsense such as the musical acts and the commentary by AC Slater and TRL girl.

What? No HD? Come on!!!

Here comes the costume parade. Got some really extravagant ones! How do they pack those things and get them on the plane? I can't see anyone's faces, what with all the packed on makeup, flowers, feathers, and dolphins, etc.

Here come the top 15...I hope Korea makes it!

Okay, only 3 spots left! Getting nervous!

What the hell? Don't tell me a bald chick (Tanzinia) is gonna beat out Honey Lee!

Whew! Okay, they finally called Korea with only 2 spots left! Safe...for now.

4 Asians in the Top 15 (Thailand, India, Japan, Korea). Pretty good!

Introducing the judges...Tony Romo? What a tool...James Kyson Lee...from Japan?!?! What the hell? Do your homework pageant producers! That just pissed me off. The dude is Korean! Ugh...I'm disgusted...

Swimsuit competition, here we come!

Thailand- TSP!...Slovenia - Eat a sandwich!....USA - Man, she's really pretty, got a great face...Japan - Overdoing it a bit on the "sexy" walk and the accentuated poses. Relax a little!....Korea - Good score! Yes, definitely in the Top 3.

Time for the Top 10...Korea gets announced 7th! Damn you announcers for stressing me out! But at least she's in!

Getting to know the contestants...Angola - "I am the face of HIV in my country"...Hmm....not sure that's the way you wanted to say what you meant, unless she's really HIV positive?...Korea - yeah, pimp that Carnegie Hall experience! And 4 CDs..you go girl!

Evening Gown competition...India - She got that "Yeah, I know I'm sexy look"...Japan - Very bold and original dress. I gotta admit, I like it!...Until she started showing off the "wings" every opportunity she got...Venezuela - Sultry, always a sure thing for the Top 10...USA - Oh no! She literally falls on her butt! But she gets up and finishes her catwalk with class. Yay! I feel so bad for her though...Korea - Looking beautiful and I like the dress. The bottom silky part reminds me of hanbok. Stunning!

Miss Photogenic - Phillipines...very pretty...Miss Congeniality - China! Wow, lots of Asians representin'!

Top 5 are...Venezuela, Korea, Brazil, USA, Japan...a very solid Top 5. Can't argue with any of those picks. Solid.

Here comes the all important interview...this is where you win or lose it...Venezuela's up first...hey translator! Wait till she's done talking!...Up next - Korea!

She draws...James Kyson Lee! How fitting! Question - If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Hmm...obviously tying in to his show Heroes. The translator is talking over the contestant again! Come on, wait till she's done before starting! Korea's answer - "My dream is to be a missionary so I would use all my power, money, etc. to help people." or something like that. Couldn't hear with the two voices at once. Hmmm....not the best answer. I'm getting worried. But then she adds in a joke "I wish I could have a wallet that doesn't dry up so I could help the needy". Nice add in and maybe saved her score a bit. But still, her answer was awkward and stilted. If she had started with the wallet joke, woulda been much better. That translator sucks too. You could tell she was nervous. Wish they had someone better. Korea's interview....not great, not terrible. I'm not smelling a win...

USA - The crowd is totally booing her. What the hell? Is it because they think she took Mexico's spot in the Top 5? Or is it politically motivated? Still, Mexican audience showing great lack of class to the USA girl. She's so pretty. And good for her for making the Top 5 after that disastrous spill.

Japan - Answer was not 100% related to the question (something about what lesson you learned as a kid you still remember now) but she answered with great confidence and poise. As Kramer says...it's all about POISE! She's got a great shot at winning since the winner is based solely on the interview answer at this point. Think about Brook Lee - "I would eat everything in the world! Twice!" Might as well have given her tiara at that point already. It was hers.

Okay, here's the top 5.

5 - USA
4 - Korea. Aw...disappointing, but I'm still proud of her. She did great.
3 - Venezuela. Wow, Japan's got a 50/50 chance!

2 - Brazil
1 - Japan! Wow, Japan's the winner. Not really shocked after she delivered her interview answer the best, but still...her scores in the preliminary rounds weren't the greatest. I guess Kramer was right!

Congratulations to Miss Japan! It's Japan's 2nd Miss Universe winner. I don't think Korea has won yet, but I do remember Korea finishing 2nd to Thailand in the late 80s.

Honey Lee did a great job as Miss Korea. I'm proud of her. She appears to be a very interesting, intelligent, and talented girl. Not to mention drop dead gorgeous. Hmm...I wonder if I can get her to appear at the Korean Festival this year? LOL

Overall, the pageant brodcast pretty much sucked. That musical act went on forever and Slater and TRL talked way too much. Thank goodness for DVR! I watched the whole 2 hour show in 40 minutes!

Give it up for Korea y'all!

Miss Korea is Miss Universe!....according to Global Beauties

The Global Beauties website, an online magazine about international beauty pageants, has proclaimed Miss Korea Honey Lee as their winner of the Miss Universe pageant.

Here's the rest of their Top 5:

1) Korea
2) Venezuela
3) Japan
4) USA
5) Spain

Of course this is all unofficial but hopefully their judging sets a precedent for the real judges tonight. The pageant begins live at 3PM HST but won't be shown till later in the night locally. Check it out!

Miss Korea! 파이팅!!!

And in honor of this accomplishment...more pictures!

Korean Actress Jeon Do Yeon Wins Best Actress at Cannes

Congratulations to Jeon Do Yeon for winning the Best Actress Award at the highly acclaimed Cannes Film Festival. She won the award for her performance in the film Secret Sunshine, directed by Lee Chang Dong who's also directed Oasis and Peppermint Candy. This guy really knows how to draw out top notch performances from his actors.

Jeon is the first Korean to win this award at Cannes and the 2nd Asian (first was Maggie Cheung) to do so. This is a really huge and prestigious accomplishment for Koren film and she deserves all the accolades as she is one of Korea's finest actresses.

Congratulations!

Stanfurd Impostor

An 18 year old freshman at Stanfurd University has been caught for basically faking being a student at the University. Azia Kim from Orange County was finally caught after spending the last 8 months posing as a student. She attended classes, bought books, slept in the dorms, and even talked with friends about the stress of tests and such. Since she wasn't a real student, she couldn't get issued a dorm key card so she convinced other students there to allow her to stay with them and also to keep the windows open so she could enter the room.

Wow, this is pretty amazing. Not only that she could get away with this for so long, but because you have to wonder what would drive a person to do such a thing! She must have really wanted that Stanfurd experience! But I have a suspicious feeling that it stems from pressure from the parents. Korean parents are so addicted to the "name" schools that there's a good chance that she did this for them. I can just imagine her parents proudly bragging to all of their friends that their daughter was a Stanfurd girl. Imagine their shame when this story broke. How embarrassing!

Of course, needless to say that she would have never gotten away with this for so long had she attempted this at Berkeley! LOL

Here are several links to articles:
LA Times
SFGate
San Jose Mercury News
NBC

Gotta Love Technology!

Check out this paper thin TV screen created by Sony! It's only 0.01 inches thick and is flexible enough to be bent like a piece of paper!

Here's a video demo of it:
What could be cooler than that? Howzabout a Transformers T-shirt that lights up! Oh yeah, baby! These bad boys are gonna go on sale a few weeks before the movie opens on the 4th of July. Bring out your inner geek and show up at the movie theater wearing one of these guys and you're guaranteed not to go home alone!
EDIT: Okay, the light up animation won't work on this blog page but if you click on the pic, it'll show. There are also other designs at the link I provided above.

All I Can Do Is Shake My Head...America Is Going Down The Tubes

Saw this article in this morning's The Honolulu Advertiser.

Apparently perfectly fit and able people are renting mobility scooters to get around casinos in Las Vegas. I mean, come on! How lazy can you get! The next thing you know, they'll invent something that'll feed you at the buffet tables so you won't have to lift your fork yourself.

This is just really sad. If I saw someone young and fit using this just out of laziness, I'd be really tempted to just bitch slap them.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story OST - A Collector's Item?

I was just making a comment on Gee Why's blog about not being able to find a copy of the soundtrack to Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story so I went online to go search for it at the usual places. What a shocker! This thing is like a collector's item or something!

I actually had a copy of this CD back in college cuz I loved the film and thought that the music was amazing. But I've lost it somehow over the years and now that I'm trying to track one down, I'm discovering that this thing ain't cheap!

eBay has it for $20. Sounds high, right?

Well, try Amazon. Their prices start at $39.50 for used copies! Whoa!

If I can't find a better deal somewhere, I may have to go with the $20 eBay one. Jeez! I can't believe this!

Miss Universe Update

Miss Korea Honey Lee has just been voted "The Face of the Universe" by the website Global Beauties. What is Global Beauties? Well, according to their website, they are the leading online magazine for international beauty pageants. Their "Global Beauty" awards are known as the "Oscars" of beauty pageants. What that means, I have no idea. But it's nice for Miss Korea to get some recognition. Check out her traditional costume! Nice!

Also, was pleased to see that James Kyson Lee, who plays Ando, everyone's favorite non-hero on Heroes, will be a judge! Cool!

Miss Korea Honey Lee

이하늬, aka Honey Lee is this year's Miss Korea entrant in the Miss Universe Pageant. Not bad! She's got that sexy while still yet cute thing going on. She's also quite an amazing person according to her interview. She's an accomplished player of the 가야금 (gayageum), a traditional Korean instrument and has even released 4 CDs as well as played at Carnegie Hall. She's also a 3rd degree black belt in taekwondo! Not to mention she's a great athlete as well as a graduate of Seoul University, arguably the top university in Korea. I think I just found the perfect woman. Oh, did I mention that she does work for UNICEF and has dreams of working for the United Nations? Could she be the next Ban Ki Moon? You go girl!

In celebration of this great woman, I present some photos!!!

Fashionable!Homina homina!Nice dimples!She golfs (or at least she rides golf carts)!
Here are some of the other Asian contestants:

Miss Thailand Farung Yuthithum - Wow!Miss China Ningning Zhang - Hmm...not feelin' itMiss Phillipines Anna Theresa Licaros - Nice!Miss Japan Riyo Mori - Sexy!Good luck to all!

24 Hour Fitness Downtown

Went to work out at the Downtown (Bishop Street) 24 Hour Fitness today for the first time. I was on my way to the usual Kapiolani branch after work today but on my way there from my Airport Industrial Area office, traffic was too blocked up and I remembered that there was a Downtown branch so I took the Vineyard exit and headed to Bishop Street. I was really glad to get out of the mean traffic.

Since it was my first time there, I had to call them to ask where the parking was. There's a $1 gone for calling information to get their number! Parking turned out to be in Executive Centre and it cost a $1, same as Kapiolani.

Walking into the gym, there's nothing on the entry level floor except for the check in counter, a small pro shop, and some offices. All of the workout equipment and everything else is located on the lower floor.

I walked downstairs and it took me a while to figure out where to go. I needed to go to the locker room first since I was still in my work clothes. Luckily another guy was right in front of me and I could tell he was heading for the locker room too so I just followed him. Located in the back corner, it might've taken me a while to find it myself if I had had to.

After changing, I took a walk around just to scope the place out. Very interesting. They pack a lot in a small place. Did my usual warmup mile run on the treadmill and then proceeded to lift. The batcave like back room was pretty interesting. Surprisingly, the weightlifting areas weren't too crowded so I got through my workout fairly quickly. The fitness machines were pretty packed though.

The one thing I didn't like was that there was only 1 water fountain for the whole place. I was dying of thirst after my run and it took me a while to find the fountain.

Overall, not a bad place to work out if I'm too lazy or tired to drive all the way to Kapiolani. Was kind of disappointed in the lack of scenery though. Where were all of the young Downtown yuppies at? ^^;;;

Also, since it was my first time I felt like the new guy at a new school. I felt like people were looking at me. But not in a weird way. In my head, I was thinking that everyone was probably thinking, "Who's the new guy? Not bad!" LOL! Vanity, thy name is Myong! Yeah, I have to admit these are the kinds of things that run through my head. Like WW says, my perspective of reality is a bit skewed, but hey, it makes life fun, right?

Thai Massage

Last week I went to get a massage for the first time in my life. A real massage by a professional. Although I had a few minor kinks in my muscles I wasn't particularly sore or anything but I just always had been curious about professional massages cuz everyone's always saying how good they feel after.

So based on a recommendation from a friend, I went to get Thai massage at Thai-Issan which is located on the 2nd floor at Samsung Plaza. Their address is 655 Keeaumoku Street, #204. They offer Thai massage, sports massage, deep tissue, rolfing (I have no idea what this is), lomi lomi, hot stone, and Swedish massage. I opted for the Thai massage which was $65 for an hour. You an also do it for 90 minutes for $90.

I walk in, and the ambience was as expected. Dimly lit, with soft music playing, and Oriental style furnishings. I was given the option of stripping down to my underwear or wearing one of their house shorts. Since I was wearing boxers, I just stayed in my skivvies since who knows who's worn those house pants.

Then the massage started with me lying on my front. Deep kneading of the back commenced. And I mean, really deep. Not to the point of painful, but pretty close. She also did this thing with hot stones at the same time. Then she had me turn over and proceeded with leg and arm massages. Man, she really stretched me out like Plastic Man. I guess also because I'm really flexible that she was really able to pull my limbs to their extremes. She would also put me in these kung fu grip / judo like positions, locking her arms and legs with mine and pulling me in all directions. That felt pretty good. I was amazed at how this tiny woman could have the strength she displayed.

After the massage was over, I got dressed and gave her a $10 tip. I have no idea what the going rate for massage tips is but I know you're supposed to give something so I figured $10 was good enough.

So what did I think? I have to admit...after the massage I did feel really loose, limber, and relaxed. But did I feel significantly better after the massage than I did prior to doing it? Not really. Maybe cuz I wasn't sore going in? Not sure. I was just expecting to feel like, "Whoa! That was awesome!" rather than "Good, but not great". Bottom line...did I feel $75 better after the massage? Can't say that I did so that means I probably won't be going to do it again. Maybe I'll try another type of massage next time.

I Just Filled the Cup.....

Brownie points for whoever gets the above film reference.

Anyways, just saw the new Transformers trailer. This is going to be the best. movie. ever.

Check out the trailer in hi-def here.

And try not to soil yourself.

Dinner at Ideta

Went to celebrate a belated Mother's Day tonight so I took my folks to eat Japanese food at Ideta restaurant in Kalihi. Since I have lived in Salt Lake for practically all of my life my family and I used to frequent this restaurant a lot when I was a kid and all the way through high school. For some reason, I hadn't been back since. I guess because there are so many Japanese places to choose from and of course you want to try them all. But tonight I decided to go old school and check this place out again.

Went in at around 7:30pm and the place was pretty empty. Just one other party of 4 in the restaurant. The interior looked smaller than I remembered but that's probably because it's been almost 20 years since I've been in the place and I was a smaller dude then.

All 3 of us ordered the same thing - the combination dinner A which comes with butterfish misoyaki, tempura, and sashimi. I know, it's kind of weird to have everyone order the same thing but hey, we all like all 3 of those items! And since I felt like eating some sushi too I also ordered an order each of hamachi and unagi for all 3 of us. That's a lot of food!
First came the miso soup and tsukemono. Miso soup was good and hot. I hate it when it's just warm. The tsukemono was a little weird to me so I didn't eat it and the soybeans were kind of flavorless. But no biggie, that's not what I came for anyway.
Then the hamachi nigiri arrived. Yum! Hamachi is my favorite and this fish was melt in yo mouth oishi! In fact, the fish was so moist and tender that it almost went down TOO easily! I wanted to savor it some more!
Then the unagi came. My 2nd favorite sushi. Nice and crisp skin, with the soft and tender unagi flesh. The sauce was done well, but I have to admit that I have had better unagi elsewhere. But this was still really good.
Then the combo dinner! Now this was a super deal. First you have the huge portion of butterfish misoyaki. This was sooooo good. The fish was nice and fatty and the misoyaki sauce was muy delicioso. Then there's the sashimi. 3 pieces of ahi, 2 pieces of hamachi, and 2 pieces of king clam. All very fresh and yummy. The tempura featured 2 nice large pieces of shrimp in light but crispy batter as well as carrot, kabocha, and fish tempura pieces. But I was so full from all of the eating that about halfway through the meal, I knew I wouldn't be able to finish everything. So I took evaluation of the table and made an executive decision. I opted to eat the sushi, sashimi, and butterfish and regrettably had to leave a few pieces of tempura behind. Just couldn't get it all down!

Overall, Ideta is a nice, quiet Japanese restaurant that features good food for good prices. The combination dinner we ordered was just $24! The sushi was a little on the high but still within reason range at $7 an order. There's also plenty of parking and all you can drink hot tea. Check it out!

Yau Man....Still a Class Act

So the Yau Man didn't win the million on Survivor due to Dreamz going back on his word. So some people took it upon themselves to create a website to raise money to buy Yau Man a truck to replace the one he gave away to Dreamz. The website is truckforyau.com.

But when Yau heard about the website, he emailed the site creator a letter saying that he is grateful for the thought but he is quite comfortable in his current economic situation and that the funds the site raises should go to charity. What a class act!

Here is the rest of the content of the letter:

"... as for the donation, I think it would a greater good for you to use the money make a contribution to charity. While the million-dollar win would have certainly changed my life, I am quite comfortable in my present economic condition. I do thank your for your generosity and kindness.


As for Dreams, I think Shakespeare said it best in "Julius Caesar" Act 3, Scene 2 with Mark Anthony's soliloquy: Friends, Romans .... Etc, " The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.? Dreamz will have to live this decision down for the rest of his life. I wish him no ill will and for his sake hope that he can do enough good to make amends for this "slight" moral infraction committed in front of 20 million people.

As for me, yes, I did sign up for this show to win a Million Dollars - for what other reasons would I want to go through so much pain and suffering? Yes, it a game. Yes, I want that million as much as any other contestants. But yet, it is very important to me to be able to face my teenage daughters when I come home, with or without the million, and be able to look them in the eyes and say to them without hesitation or reservations, "When you watch the show, you will be proud of your dad; you will not be embarrassed to ask your friends and schoolmates to watch each and every episode with you." In playing a game where there are no rules - a game which involve living in a situation without moral codes, how I think my daughters will see me became my moral compass."

My two charities are the American Lung Cancer Association - my mother is suffering from lung cancer and has just gone through radiation therapy. She was able to travel with me to the Reunion Show last Sunday. The other is the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association which promotes the sport of table tennis at the Collegiate level."

49er Goodies

Just got a package from my uncle the other day and to my surprise, it was filled with San Francisco 49er goodies! This is the same uncle that hooked me up with luxury box seats at a 49er game last year. Thanks again Uncle Kevin!

When I opened the box, I found a SF jersey and football signed by QB and former #1 overall draft pick Alex Smith. He's been doing okay so far, but now that I have this stuff, I hope he becomes a Hall of Famer and this booty would be worth a small fortune! LOL

Too bad my uncle left that company to move on to other interests so I can't get any more comped luxury box seats at NFL games but I sure am glad that I got to go at least that one time!

Blood Types and Personalities

When I spent my week with the guests from Korea last week, there was lots of talk about what blood type a person was. Why? Because in Japan and Korea, lots of people believe that a person's personality is dictated by what blood type they are. In Korea, there was even a movie called My Boyfriend is Type B about how type B guys are jerks (I'm also a type B by the way, and my last girlfriend even went as far to say that I was just like the main character in this movie. Of course, I highly disagreed!).

This kind of importance on blood type is only relevant in Japanese and Korean culture for some reason. Here are the typical traits for the various bloodtypes:

Type A:
People with blood type A have a deep-rooted strength that helps them stay calm in a crisis when everyone else is panicking. However, they tend to avoid confrontation, and feel very uncomfortable around people. A types are shy and sometimes withdrawn. They seek harmony and are very polite, but all the same feel that they never really fit in with others. A types are very responsible. If there is a job to be done, they prefer to take care of it themselves. These people crave success and are perfectionists. They are also very creative, and the most artistic of all the blood types, most likely because of their sensitivity.

People with blood type A are also likely to be considered classic "type A's": stressed and conscientious.

Type B:
People with blood type B are the most practical of the blood groups. They are specialists in what they do. When they start a project, they spend extra time understanding and trying to follow directions than others might. When they are doing something, all of their attention is focused on it. They tend to stick to a goal and follow it through to the end, even if it seems impossible. They tend to be less than cooperative, as they like to follow their own rules and their own ideas. They are individualists. B type people pay attention to their thoughts a little more than their feelings, and therefore can sometimes seem cold and serious.

People with blood type B are often considered more relaxed, freewheeling, and unconventional than other types, although not necessarily to an unacceptable degree.

Type O:
People with blood type O people are outgoing, energetic and social. They are the most flexible of the blood types. They easily start up projects but often have trouble following through because they give up easily. They are flighty and not too dependable. O types always say what's on their mind. They value the opinion of others and like to be the center of attention. Also, people with O blood are extremely self-confident.

Type O, the most "average" blood type, is considered the best type in Japan.

Type AB:
People with blood type AB are hard to categorize. They can have characteristics on both ends of the spectrum at the same time. For instance, they are both shy and outgoing. They easily switch from one opposite to another. AB people are trustworthy and responsible, but can't handle it when too much is asked of them. They don't mind doing favors or helping out, as long as its on their own conditions. People with this blood type are interested in art and metaphysics.

AB is considered the worst blood type. In predictability-loving Japan, they're loose cannons. They also like to set their own conditions and reserve the right to drop out when things don't meet their expectations. They're known to be sensitive and considerate—at times—but it just isn't enough to balance out the flaws in this blood type. For a while, some companies tried dividing their employees into work groups based on blood type, and no one wanted to work with the AB group.

Like I said earlier, I'm a Type B and I have to admit that the description above is pretty damn accurate. But of course, there are traits from the other blood types that apply to me too. These are kind of like horoscope readings I guess. Very general, but also appearing to be quite accurate at the same time.

Type B people are also generally very strong minded and combined with my last name of "Choi", that's a dangerous situation. Why? Because in Korea, people with the last names of "Ahn", "Kang", and "Choi", in that order are considered to be the most stubborn. So for me personally, both of my parents are "Choi"'s, and together with my Type B blood, I guess there ain't no changing this mind once it's made up! LOL

So what blood type are you, and does the above description match your personality?

Greatest Survivor Ever is.....

Yau Man! I'm so rooting for this guy. He continues to amaze me. At first, I thought he'd be a knock off of Cao Boi, the older 1st generation Asian guy with weird habits and who's there more for comic relief than as an actual contestant.

But Yau has proven from the very beginning that he has come to win! First, finding the immunity idol, then teaming up with a good alliance to get this far. Even when one of his key alliance mates (Michelle) got the boot, he adjusted and is still alive. Not only that, he kicks ass in challenges! Not bad for an old guy!

But yesterday was the best. First, he makes a unprecedented deal with Dreamz. He wins the Ford truck in the reward challenge, but then makes a deal with the foresight challenged Dreamz. He basically offers to give the car to Dreamz if Dreamz promises to give Yau immunity when they get to the Final Four if Dreamz wins the immunity challenge at that time. Genius! And then, he sends himself to exile island (another Survivor first) so that he can get the next clue for the last hidden immunity idol. Of course, he then teams up with Earl to find it. Brilliant!

Yau really wowed me though at Tribal Council. After making the deal with Dreamz, he knew that he was on the chopping block and was getting bad vibes that his alliance may turn on him, which indeed they had. So he pulls out his immunity idol, thus giving Stacy the boot (good for her!). That was amazing. This guy is the shiznit!

Go Yau Man!

Kim Tae Hee CF

Take a look at actress Kim Tae Hee's latest CF (Koreans call commercial ads CFs and it stands for Commercial Film. People are buzzing about it because the actress with the normally proper and reserved image is showing a sexier, carefree side of herself.

Kim Tae Hee is one of Korea's top and most popular actresses. I'm definitely a fan!

Keone'ula Elementary School Dedication Ceremony

I had the pleasure of attending the dedication ceremony for Keone'ula Elementary School yesterday. The ceremony started at 9:00am and featured several speakers including the Principal Eileen Hirota, Lt. Governor James Aiona, Mayor Mufi Hannemann, as well as a few other local politicians.

The crowd (including DOE staff, the architects, contractors, our team, etc.) gathers
Grades K, 1, and 4 perform Pearly Shells for the guests. That's the Royal Hawaiian Band in the background.
The school's Fife/Drum/Flag Corps performs
Ribbon cutting ceremony
The school's official logo
The best part by far was the food! All of it was prepared by the cafeteria manager (Daryl) himself and his staff in the school's kitchen! Only the pig was cooked elsewhere. I spoke to Daryl briefly and he said he reported in at 2am to prepare the feast. I seriously thought the food yesterday was better than the food at some weddings I've been to!

My favorite...roast pig! Complete with white buns with hoisin sauce! So yummy...
The salmon station. There were 2 salmon dishes offered. I forget the names of both of them but both were excellent.
Braised beef with sour cream and chicken breast bruschetta. There was also a soup offered which I didn't sample.
The dessert offerings - I think I had one of each!
I am pretty proud to have been a part of this project and was really glad to see the kids and teachers as well as community members really embrace this new school. I look forward to more projects like this in the future.

Summer Movie Preview

So what do you think are going to be the big movies of Summer 2007? I just went to go see the first big banger, Spider-Man 3 last night. Entertaining, but not mind blowing in any way. Actually, it was a bit sloppy in the story telling. They could have come up with better ways to introduce plot devices (there were a lot of convenient coincidences) and the Osborne family butler popped up out of nowhere with a secret that totally was out of plot convenience.

These are my predictions for the Top 5 box office grossing movies of the summer:1) Spider-Man 3 (already in theaters) - Already grossed $151 over opening weekend. It's gonna be huge.2) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (May 25) - The 2nd installment made big time bank and this one probably will as well. Plus, it's got Mr. Hard Boiled cop Tequila himself, Chow Yun Fat!3) Shrek the Third (May 18) - Won't go see this myself (not really a fan of animated films) but no doubt it'll scoop at the box office.4) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (July 13) - I haven't seen a single Harry Potter film and don't plan on starting now, but the kids love this stuff, as well as some adults. Meh, not my kinda movie.5) Transformers (July 4) - I think this will draw both the kiddies and their 80s raised daddies. I have trust in director Michael Bay and think this movie is gonna be just a wild, crazy ride. I can't wait!

Other films I will definitely try to catch:

- Ocean's 13 (June 8): Fun film franchise and this one shouldn't be any different
- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (June 15): The trailers showing the Silver Surfer look so cool!
- Live Free or Die Hard (June 27): Detective John McClane is back! I just hope they keep this as an R rated film instead of going safe with PG-13.
- The Simpsons Movie (July 27): I have a feeling this is going to open big and then die real quickly. But I'm still curious...
- The Bourne Ultimatum (August 3): This is a really well made action franchise and Matt Damon is great in this role. Very smartly directed action scenes.
- Rush Hour 3 (August 10): Gotta love the Jackie/Tucker combo! I thought Rush Hour 2 was better than the original and hopefully this one exceeds that one.

What summer films are you looking forward to?

Hiking at Mariner's Ridge

Went hiking this morning at Mariner's Ridge with a couple of friends at around 9:30am. The last time I went hiking was a few years back at Hawaii Loa Ridge and I thought I was gonna die! So I was a little apprehensive about this trip but I figured my friend was bringing his 3 year old daughter along so it couldn't be that bad.

The beginning of the trailLots of little flat rest areas like this along the wayNot too bad of a climbWalking through the forest...ooh...scary!!!Typical trail sectionGetting a little steeper near the top!Finally at the summit! View of Waimanalo from the topView of the marina areaOverall, it was a fun day. We took our time and it was a pretty leisurely hike. None of the areas were especially difficult. For me personally, however, going downhill was kind of hard due to my bad left knee. I had to traverse down steep areas with my feet perpendicular to the slope to avoid stress on my knee. That was the only humbug part.

But if an out of shape guy like me who's been smoking and drinking for the past week can do this trail, I'm sure anyone else can do it easily as well.