Not Funny....

Came across this Youtube video of a Korean stand up "comedian" performing on the NBC show Last Comic Standing. I watched the first 2 seasons of this show cuz I love stand up comedy but I stopped watchinga after that because the number of unfunny comedians way outnumbered the funny ones.

Anyway, this Korean comedian (I think she said her name was Esther Goo) does an act that is all about her being an Asian and a Korean. I have always been a fan of racial comedy and applying stereotypes if used in the right way. Famous comedians such as Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, George Lopez, et al have all incorporated racial stereotypes into their material and have become famous for it. But they key is they satirize the stereotypes and exaggerate them to show audiences how absurd they are. It is a social message of sorts, a way for them to raise awareness of racism and how stupid it is. This kind of comedy works.

Then you have the comedians who just exploit racial stereotypes for an easy laugh. Jay Leno making a joke about Koreans eating dog on the Tonight Show a few years back is a good example (I still personally boycott The Tonight Show to this day because of this). There is no depth or commentary to the material and they are just in it for exploitation at the expense of a minority, even if it means selling out and making fun of themselves. I despise this kind of comedy. Granted...it's a fine line between the two approaches and a very subjective one at that. One person's comedy could be another's racism.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid this young Korean comedian falls into the latter category. It appears that she has no qualms about exploiting stereotypes of her own race and ethnicity just for the laughs and to appear on national TV. That's my take on it anyway....or is she really a comedic genius and a brilliant actor and really is providing some sort of social commnetary? Uh...somehow I don't think so.

Check it out for yourself...

I Now Have A Face.....

Facebook account that is...been getting a few requests here and there to join Facebook so I finally took the time to register and create a profile. I've been on Myspace for a while but kinda lost interest in it, only logging on when people leave comments on my page or send me PMs. Facebook is sorta similar I guess. Cool way to keep communicate with your social contacts.

So go and check it out if you're curious...My Facebook Profile. But you better do it while you can....I may become one of those peeps that blocks their profiles and only lets "friends" see it! LOL

The Producers

I wouldn't call myself a theatre "buff" but I certainly do enjoy live performances at the theatre whether they be concerts, plays, musicals, what have you. Wish I could get around to watching more of them but mostly I just pick and choose the major productions like Lion King. So when I was looking for something to do this weekend and read in the paper that Diamond Head Theatre was premiering their version of the Mel Brooks musical The Producers this weekend, it roused my curiosity enough to go check it out.

I didn't know much about the play besides the basic premise. A down on his luck producer and his accountant come up with a scheme to make millions by producing a Broadway flop but are shocked when it actually becomes a huge hit. And I knew that Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane played the two leads in the Broadway version and that it won a ton of Tony Awards. That was about it.

So I was going into this play pretty fresh and I have to say, it was very entertaining! If you like Mel Brooks's style (Spaceballs, Blazing Saddles, etc.), you'll recognize his writing all throughout the dialogue and lyrics. The actors were all very good and I laughed all the way through. The 2nd act after intermission did lose a little bit of steam but the play was very funny and the musical numbers were very well produced for a local theatre.

I especially liked the outrageous "Keep It Gay" scene. That was just classic Mel Brooks un-PC stuff. Hilarious!

And very affordable too! Even though I bought my tickets at the last minute, I was able to get 3rd row seats (was very lucky) and they only cost $22. Considering the play ran nearly 3 hours, that's a lot of bang for your buck! But I'd advise against sitting in the first row. Your neck might get a crick from looking up at the stage and there's a very likely chance you'll be sprayed with either saliva or sweat from the actors. Really.

So go check it out if you're into this kind of thing. The Producers runs until June 1st.

EDIT: Check out the glowing review at The Honolulu Advertiser - The Producers Review

City of the Future

I've been gaining more interest in becoming more "green". I'm signing up to take an exam to become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited and I also do the small things in everyday life that help save the environment. I'm no tree hugger by any means but I do the little things that everyone should be doing such as recycling, turning the water off in the shower when applying soap, bringing my own bags to the market, etc. So yeah, I try to be environmentally conscious when I can.

So I was fascinated when a friend of mine (Thanks, Orbs!) sent me an article about Masdar, a city being built in Abu Dhabi. This city's aim is to be carbon neutral, meaning it will emit no carbon emissions such as burning gas or oil, thus having no contribution to the greenhouse effect.

Some aspects of the city's plan are to totally eliminate cars, recycle 80% of its water, and convert all waste into something reusable. The plan sounds very ambitious but if successful, it could hopefully be the leader for future city planning.

Check out the article and video here: The City of Masdar

Must See Maxim

Yeah, I used to be a fan of Maxim magazine back in the day when it first came out. Just like every other young guy, I liked to see hot, young celebrities in skimpy clothing, even if they were B-listers. But I haven't bought one is years as I think I've kind of outgrown the whole "Maxim mentality".

But as I was browsing through the newstand at Oakland Airport this past weekend the cover of the new Maxim caught my eye. Not only did it have the hot Elisha Cuthbert on the cover (star of the upcoming remake of the Korean film My Sassy Girl), but it proclaimed itself as the "Ultimate Movie Issue" and even had a list of the 300 movies you must watch before you die. Since I'm a big time movie fan, I figured reading the magazine would be a good way to pass time on the flight home.

So the magazine lived up to its hype and I had fun reading about the upcoming My Sassy Girl movie as well as reading about their 300 movies to watch list. But as I flipped through the magazine a little more, I was presented with a wonderful shock! There was a 5 page article on the history of my favorite movie of all time...True Romance! Holy s---! I immediately sat up in my seat and started to read as attentively as I ever have.For those of you not familiar with the movie, you must go watch it immediately. How does this sound for a cast?

Christian Slater
Patricia Arquette
Christopher Walken
Dennis Hopper
Brad Pitt
James Gandolfini
Val Kilmer
Gary Oldman
Samuel L. Jackson
Bronchon Pinchot
Michael Rappaport
Chris Penn
Tom Sizemore

Is that the coolest cast ever assembled or what? Not only that, the film is written by Quentin Tarantino, the genius behind Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. This was actually his first screenplay and it has Tarantino footprints all over it. And the cherry on top? The film is directed by action expert Tony Scott, whose resume includes Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, and Crimson Tide. The man knows how to direct a slick looking film.

I've fallen in love with this movie from my first viewing and is one of the few films I never get tired of watching. The dialogue, the action, the acting...they're all top notch. Just watch this scene between Walken and Hopper for a taste of this cinematic brilliance.
The article provides a summary of how this film came about and includes interviews with Tarantino, Scott, and most of the film's stars. It's a fascinating article that gives truly intersting insights. Here's a few examples:

- Scott read both of Tarantino's scripts - True Romance and Reservoir Dogs. Scott wanted to film them both. Tarantino told him he could only do one.

- Scott would slap Patricia Arquette in the face to help her prepare for a tough scene.

- Oldman didn't even read the script before accepting the part as Drexl, the pimp. All he heard was that Drexl was "a pimp who's white but thinks he's black" and that was enough for him to sign on.

- Pitt's funniest line - "Don't condescend me" was an adlib by Pitt.

So if the general coverage of movies in this Maxim issue isn't enough, definitely buy it for the True Romance arcticle. It's a film geek's dream come true.

Weekend in Oakland and Berkeley

Spent the weekend in the East Bay cuz I had to attend a LEED class on Saturday. My itinerary really sucked though. Scheduled to land in Oakland at 9:30pm Friday night, class from 9-5 on Saturday, and then fly out of Oakland at 9:00am Sunday morning. Virtually no free time!

So on Friday night, landed a little late and by the time I took the cab to the Marriott in Downtown Oakland it was 11:15pm! So I ordered room service for the first time in my life. Had a pepporoni and mushroom pizza...not bad! Also, let me take this opportunity to praise the Oakland City Center Marriott Hotel. They rock!

First of all, I loved the huge king sized bed. It was so comfy! Then, when I came back from my class the following day I was very impressed to find that the maid had organized all of my various toiletries very neatly on a small towel on the bathroom counter. Before she had done that they were strewn all over the place. And then to top it off, in order to make my 9:00am flight out of Oakland Sunday morning I wanted to be at the airport by 6am which meant I had to leave the hotel by 5:30am. I asked them to call a cab for me but after 15 minutes they told me that they weren't getting a response from the cab company and then offered to drive me to the airport! So I got a personal ride to the airport from one of their employees. How's that for service? Excellent! The only negatives to the hotel was that they had really thin walls so you could hear a lot of noises from the adjacent rooms. But overall, I loved my stay there.

Check out that wonderful bed!
After my class ended on Saturday I decided to make a little trek to my old stomping grounds in Berkeley. A lot had changed, and yet a lot had remained the same. The old staples like Blondie's Pizza, Amoeba Music, and Cafe Intermezzo were reassuringly still there. And Berkeley had always offered a wide variety of ethnic cuisine to choose from even when I attended 15 years ago but the selection seemed even more diverse now. In my little jaunt around the Telegraph Avenue area, I spotted restaurants serving Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Greek, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, cheesesteaks, pizza, burgers, Italian....you name it! They were all there.

Such a Berkeley sign...I wonder what makes the food "intelligent"?
Outside Rasputin's CD store
Made many a late night stop here for a hot dog. They're the best!
Sign says "Best Burrito In Town". This place was around when I was there but I'd always gone to the much better La Zona Rosa instead when I was in the mood for a burrito. But since La Zona Rosa was not around anymore, decided to grab a bite here since I love a good burrito. Have to say...burrito was pretty damn good...Cheap and big...Just like me! LOL
Sorry I couldn't take more pics but I forgot to charge my dica before the trip and my battery died on me. =(

Diner at Hoku's

First of all....sorry but no food porn pics. I don't know...maybe it's just me but I feel a little weird taking photos of food at fine dining establishments. Just a personal quirk I guess...I guess it depends on the mood of the evening....

Anyways, went to eat at Hoku's this past weekend. I've eaten there exactly once before about 10 years ago and haven't been back since. Not because I didn't want to...the opportunity just never came up. But I do remember enjoying my meal there the one time I ate there.

Reservations were for 6:45pm which was perfect for viewing the sunset over the ocean. Get there too late and you won't see anything out of their windows cuz it'd be too dark. The ambience of the restaurant combined with the spectacular ocean view was amazing and beautiful.

The service was impeccable. From the hostess, to the waiter, to the waiter's assistant, all were very friendly and hospitable. Our waiter Chris was especially pleasant and accommodating. When selecting a glass of wine, we had to turn away 2 glasses because they did not taste good. After turning away the 2nd glass, Chris even mentioned, "Yeah, that wine's awful." After finally finding a satisfying glass of wine, it was on to the meal.

The seafood spread that came with the bread was delicious and I could've made a meal out of just bread and that! It was that good. But I had to stop from eating any more bread cuz of the main items coming up.

The appetizer was foie gras and duck ($22). It was just one small piece of foie gras served atop Hawaiian sweet bread but it was really good. The combination of the foie gras with the bread really worked for me. The duck was very tender and seasoned just right. Awesome appetizer.

For my entree, I had the Prime Tenderloin of Beef ($40). This dish was excellent. First of all, the beef tenderloin was super super moist and tender and cooked exactly how I like it (medium rare). I knew I was in for a treat when I started to cut into it and the meat just parted like the Red Sea. The risotto that accompanied the beef was also very flavorful and I wished there had been more of it cuz it was so good. The plate was topped off with a beet garnish on the side and it was okay but I didn't really touch it.

I spent a good 2 hours at this restaurant and was never rushed. What a pleasant and comfortable dining experiennce. I also can't say enough about their service. After the appetizer, they scraped the table of crumbs like you're supposed to do at any fine dining establishment (Alan Wong's does this too). When I asked where the restroom was, the waiter escorted me there. The hostess stopped by during the meal to check if everything was okay. As I was leaving the restaurant, the hostess remembered my name and said "Thank you for dining with us and have a good evening, Mr. Choi". Now that's what I call service.

Having dinner at Hoku's was a great dining experience all around. Ambience, service, food....all were top notch. I definitely recommend dining there and hope to go back soon myself.

PS...thanks to Wayne's World for the Epitome Card information. Came in very handy. You're supposed to get a 10% discount at Hoku's but for some reason I ended up getting 15% off. Excellent! But don't forget to tip the wait staff on the original bill amount!

Congrats to Anthony Kim!

Anthony Kim won the Wachovia Championship yesterday for his first victory on the PGA Tour against a premiere field that included Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, and many other of golf's elite. Defending champion Tiger Woods was not present due to injury but the way Kim played, even the mighty Tiger would have struggled to beat Kim.

Kim absolutely blew away the field, winning easily by 5 strokes. He broke several of Tiger's tournament records along the way, including lowest 54 and 72 hole scores as well as margin of victory.

Kim is known to have an aggresive and brash attitude on Tour and I guess you can blame that on his youth (he's just 22 years old). At one point he even gave himself the nickname of "Lion" to match "Tiger". At least now, he has the win to back up his words.

Congrats to this young Korean American and I hope the best for his future.

Kruzin in Kailua...

Spent all day in Kailua yesterday. Started off with breakfast at Boots and Kimo's, then a hike at Kaiwa Ridge, and then topped it off with a visit to Lanikai Beach. Weather was awesome and it was a great day!

I had heard of Boots and Kimo's but had never gone there till yesterday. After reading internet reviews, I was anticipating a long wait, especially on a Saturday morning but I only had to wait 5 minutes before getting a table.

Their macadamia nut pancakes are legendary so my expectations were high since I'm a big pancake fan and boy....they did not disappoint! The mac sauce on the pancakes was a work of art. Believe me, there was none of that sauce left over when all was said and done. Check out those pancakes! So yummy!
What also impressed me was the quality of their pork links and their ability to cook my eggs exactly how I like them. I always order my eggs "over medium" but not too many places can get it just right. Boots and Kimo's did and I love them for it. The only negative of the meal was that the hash browns were not hot when served.
Overall, I loved my breakfat at Boots and Kimo's and would definitely go back.

After the hearty breakfast, went for a hike at Kaiwa Ridge (aka Lanikai Pillbox Trail). There are two old pillboxes along the trail where you can rest and check out the views, thus the nickname for the trail. The entrance to this trail is directly across from the Mid Pacific Country Club. The hike is short and sweet but offers killer views of the Lanikai area.

Beginning of the trail. This trail is dry and dusty so it can get a bit slippery, especially when coming down.
Some steep areas...
Still climbing to the first pillbox...
The 1st pillbox
View of Mid Pacific golf course from the 2nd pillbox
What a beautiful day!
Check out the amazing view of the coastline...
Da uddah side...you can see the 1st pillbox towards the right
View back down the trail. See the Mid-Pac parking lot towards the left? That's where this trail started.
Hiking Kaiwa Ridge was short but fun. You can get to the first pillbox within 20-30 minutes and then it's another 3-5 minutes to the 2nd pillbox. There are some short steep sections but overall a fairly easy hike. I definitely recommend it!

After the hike, went down to Lanikai Beach. Believe it or not, I have lived on this island for all of my life (except for college) and I don't think I have ever set foot on Lanikai Beach. Sure, I've been to Kailua Beach tons of times, but never Lanikai. Man, I've been missing out! This beach is beautiful!

Ain't it pretty?
Da uddah side...
View of the pillboxes from the beach
After a hot and active day, nothing beats one ono shave ice!
Was fun hanging out in Kailua for the day and will have to go back to repeat some time.

Day At Kaena Point Beach

I think that's what the beach is called...was gonna hang out at the Ko Olina lagoons on Saturday but of course there was no parking so decided to drive all the way to Kaena Point. This is the beach that appears at the end of Farrington Highway.

I haven't been to this beach in ages and forgot how nice it was. Super long stretches of clean, pure sand, crystal blue water, and best of all...no people! Seriously, check out the pics below and see how deserted it is. And this was Saturday afternoon!

There was also a cool tidepool area where there some kiddies playing around. Just some small fishies swimming around but a good time for the kids.

And the pics don't show it but the waves were pretty massive that day. Watched a bunch of the young boys get pounded as I was eating lunch.

Swimming was pretty fun too but be careful....there's a sudden and steep dropoff in sand level as you enter the water so I'd recommend only the stronger swimmers go out cuz you'll be treading water for most of the time you're in the ocean. But you can't beat a refreshing swim in clean blue water under the sun!