It takes two to reach a point

What makes life tough? When you don't get something you think you deserve. As I age, I fear more and more things. I want less and less. But, it turns out my life becomes tougher and tougher. I don't know why. And I don't know if I will figure it out one day. Some unwelcome events came to visit me these days. I am like a scared child who just wants to escape from these events and be alone. I could not justify these events. But, today, when I heard someone said it takes two to reach a point. I suddenly understood. It takes two to make something tough or smooth. You give and take. But when only one gives and one stops giving, it never been able to reach that point.

Fed Rate Cut

Today the rate got lowered by .5%

It is the second time in this month. First time was on Martin Luthur King Jr. day. At that time, the rate got cut by .75%. This afternoon, the rate got cut second time. This time, the cut rate is a half percentage.

The key Federal Funds interest rate now stands at 3 percent. The new low.

Qtrax - free music download service

What a wonderfu day it will be if everyone can download music legally and freely from internet? In addition, no ads. Nice. Qtrax announced 75% of the big brands have agreed to provide contents to Qtrax a month ago. But, today, big 4, BMC, Universal, Sony, and Warner, together denied that they had any deals with Qtrax. It seems we have a long way to go before we can have free and legal music downloads.

Guitar Hero 2 - Freebird

Band: Lynrd Skynrd

My all time favorite. I post this in memory of yesterday, the day Totof passed Freebird in expert. I don't have the picture to show his success. So, I went to YouTube to find a similar match.

Leroy Jenkins

A classic to the World of Warcraft fans

Any one knows the world of warcraft should hear this name - Leroy Jenkins. For those who has no ideas about this video, let me give you a brief. This group was going to enter a room filled with dragon eggs. These eggs were highly sensitive. They would hatch immediately when they were touched. All magics would be invalid (not able to cast) in this room (maybe due to the presence of the dragons). This group had failed before. So, before their second attempt, the leader gathered the team in front the room and constructed a nice strategy. Through the conversation, you also hear someone jumping with statistics (see how serious these people are). This group planned well before they acted. But, a person named Leroy Jenkins destroyed all the plan because of a chicken sandwich. The yell, Leroy Jenkins, made this joke classic.

La Fondue

Cold weather is a perfect weather for fondue A chocolate fondue with goodies like strawberry. Just imaging this in my mind already made my mouth watery. Last Friday was bit chilly, a perfect condition for fondue. I asked Totof if it was ok to dine at La Fondue. We got ourselves a spot at 8:45. A bit late, but, good food worth waiting. La Fondue is in Saratoga downtown. I had never been there. The downtown looked cozy. I was surprised how La Fondue looked like (outside and inside). La Fondue dazzled me. Everything looks glorious. The decor is 19 century type. The interior designer must have spent much times for table uniqueness since each table has its own theme. The paintings and lighting made everything a bit unreal though. The waitress stopped by and asked us if we had been there before. Our answer was negative. She kindly explained how La Fondue worked. Indeed, we needed some explanation. Because... the menu looked confusing. We wanted to get ourselves a feast. So, we ordered a combination. A combination has salad, a cheese fondue as appetizer, an entrée, and a chocolate fondue.
We ordered - Spinach salad with honey mustard dressing and chef salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing: I liked my spinach salad very much. In my opinion, it was better than the chef salad. - Cheese fondue: We took "stinking rose - swiss - wine - garlic". It was an excellent choice. This cheese fondue was the best that I have ever had. - Surf & Turf entrée: We took this one due to the lobster tail. We were considering surf & turf or fruit de mer. Fruit de mer has too many types of shrimps. We were unsure if that fits our appetite. So, We took surf & turf. Once we chose our entrée, the waitress asked us what cooking method we liked. There were various methods available. We followed the waitress' suggestion - grill method. We got 12 oz meat (6 oz filet mignon and 6 oz lobster tail) with some shrimps. The waitress gave us 6 different types of dipping sauce: terriyaki, bbq, garlic butter, lemon curry, sour cream, and wasabi. The filet mignon went super well with wasabi. So good. The lobster tail was firm. So, it was hard to cook it evenly. We ended up cutting tails into small pieces and threw them back to the grill. Lemon curry added nice flavor for lobster tail. - Chocolate fondue: Up to that point, we were already 90% full. I knew the chocolate fondue part would be the best in this combination. So, I tried so hard to make sure I was not over full. Each table can select 9 different premade chocolate fondue ingredient packages. We didn't took any premade. We made our own package: bittersweet and Godiva. It turned out super well. The chocolate was not sweet to death. With 90% full, I could still appreciate the chocolate, the melon, the marshmallow, the grape, the crispy cookie, the soft rice cookie, the chocolate-peanut bar, and the strawberry.
La Fondue is absolutely an awesome choice for winter times. Just the price is not as great as the fondue. Before we ordered the detail items, we were thinking to order some exotic items like crocodile. The waitress asked us to hold off and she was right. We were so full after our entrée. If we had the crocodile meat, we would not be able to have any room to enjoy chocolate fondue. Next time, I would like to try some other combinations and leave more rooms for chocolate fondue.

Location: 14510 Big Basin Way # 3, Saratoga, CA 95070

Energy plan

A 20% cut in the EU's greenhouse gas emissions by 2020

Global warming is impacting us. Sometimes, I feel like politicians just yell aloud about actions for global warming but do nothing. Today, I saw a news regarding EU's energy plan. Some unveiled ideas look cool. For example, EU proposed each country would have carbon allowances. Along with allowance, each country will be given a national target for renewable energy. I cross my fingers for this action plan becoming true.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7203514.stm

Rock Band - Number of the Beast

Band: Iron Maiden

Runs to the Hill triggers my interest in Iron Maiden. I looked into YouTube and found this Number of the Beast. I have not played this song yet. But absolutely I would love to. I meant drums :P

Human clone

Not the whole body, but embryos

How far are we from the clone age? I don't know. But I am curious with skeptical attitude on any human clone news. Today, on Times, there is an article talking about human cloned embryos. No harm to learn something, http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1704580,00.html

Another noticeble acquisition

Sun Microsystems is going to acquire MySQL AB

Yesterday, there was another huge acquisition other than Oracle - BEA acquisition. Sun announced an agreement to acquire MySQL AB. Some people might be interested in knowing more this, so, I published this on my blog.

BEA Systems will disappear

Oracle is acquiring BEA Systems

Oracle is such an acquisition machine. It has acquired many companies regardless of size since 2006. Today, I saw a news regarding this new acquisition deal. Oracle will acquire all outstanding shares of BEA for $19.375 per share in cash. You may wonder why BEA? According to Larry Ellison, Oracle CEO, BEA has strong knowledge in middleware. So, acquiring BEA will enhance Oracle's middleware suite.

MacBook Air

Today, Steve Jobs unveiled the world thinnest laptop. It is called MacBook Air. How thin is it? The thickest part is 0.76 inches. Its resolution is 1,440x990. Two colors: black or silver. With Intel GMA X3100 graphics. Exciting, right? But, MacBook Air's price is not as gorgeous as itself. In the States, it is going to be sold at $1,799.

Ski in Heavenly

Last weekend we went to South Lake for ski. Robin proposed to rent a cabin. The cabin was much nicer than we expected. With kitchen, big TVs, jacuzzi, and nice furniture. Besides, the location of the cabin is great. Just a mile away from the east entrance of Heavenly. So, every morning, we did not spend much time on driving. Just a minor complaint, Heavenly should construct more on site parking. The snow condition was gorgeous. I had not skied on perfect powder snow for some times. I highly recommend people to go ski in following weeks. Now we are just in the beginning of the snow season but the snow condition is already near perfect.

Rock Band - Maps

Band: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I still remember how much I hated this song when I played the drum part for it the first time. I just chose medium level but already more than enough for me. This song by all means left a horrible print in my mind. But, guess what? After several revisits, my impression changes. This song is like a mellow person. When I talk to this mallow person, I don't feel "wow". But, the more I talk to this person, the more I discover I appreciate this person. Look at the drum part. If you have ever played Rock Band drums, you will understand why I had a horrible feeling toward this song initially.

Google Android

Friends talked about Android. So, when I saw "Android" appeared on today's tech news, I could not help clicking the link. The idea, Android, looks feasible to me (but I need to warn you first that I am not a tech savvy person). Today, one of the tech headlines was about A La Mobile, a start-up on the west coast. A La Mobile presented their software suit which runs on Android. Someone said A La Mobile made a history. I don't know if it is true. But, I would like to have it when available. it looks like we are going to have a new cell phone experience.

Android: a new open-source platform on cell phones

The best gadget in Consumer Electronics Show - IV

Imagine you can rock your songs any time, any where. How awesome does it sound? I am a Rock Band and Guitar Hero fan (you can tell from my posts). In the video games, you can buy air guitar for your characters. But, you physically have a guitar when you play the game. If I can have an air guitar, then I can rock like a star whenever I want to have some fun.

Source: Consumer Electronics Show

The best gadget in Consumer Electronics Show - III

How cool is it if you can share your pictures with others directly with a wi-fi embedded memory card? Without cables, without cameras, without computers, and without hassles. I like this ideas. At least I think this idea is creative.

A firm called Eye-Fi has developed memory cards that automatically connect to a wi-fi network and can place photos to a folder on a PC or upload pictures to a social networking or photo-sharing site. Want to take a look at it? http://www.eye.fi/
Source: Consumer Electronics Show

The best gadget in Consumer Electronics Show - II

Your GPS can find a parking space for you. How does it sound to you? At least for me it is a terrific idea. In CES 2008, Dash Navigation has drawn lots of attention. GPS devices are more and more popular nowadays. The GPS devices on the market are not only able to tell where to go, but also to tell you how to go there smartly. Some GPS devices can also be used as mp3 players or radio stations. But not many people need these features. At least not me. Dash's ideas caught my eye. Among these ideas, I like the parking space and fuel price ones the most. Parking space idea is quite practical especially for city residents or city visitors. I live not far away from San Francisco. But I don't visit it often. Why? Because parking is intimidating. If my GPS can guide me to find a parking space, I may come visit San Francisco more frequently. Another interesting point is that Dash can tell you where to find a cheaper gas station. As the petroleum price goes up, a feature like finding a cheaper gas station becomes more demanding. I would love to see how Dash handles these features.

Source: Consumer Electronics Show

The best gadget in Consumer Electronics Show - I

It is fun to know what best gadgets have been selected in this show. Normally, these gadgets are cool. I like cool toys. Who don't? Slacker's value proposition is that more people listen to music than buy music. So, Slacker player acts like a radio. You use wi-fi to help you discover new bands or artists. Each "radio" can hold up to 40 different stations which are equivalent to 4,000 songs. Slacker's ambitious. Perhaps, it is an alternative for iPod?

Source: Consumer Electronics Show 2008

Kirkwood lift ticket discount

Two-Day Adult Lift Ticket Only $99

Kirkwood is one of my favorite ski resorts. But, its lift ticket price is not lovely at all. I have been trying to find some good deals online and came across this website. 99 for two days sounds nice. If you are also a Kirkwood fan, you may take the advantage of this promotion. http://www.skicoupons.com/coupon.cfm/r/15/g/26/c/4727

Rock Band - Run to the Hills

Band: Iron Maiden

There is no easy song from Iron Maiden. If you played Guitar Hero before and you will know what I mean. Run to the hills is a tough song. Not just for guitarist. Try solo drums on this song and you will be happy to perform this song... Or curse a lot when you stuck on some sections.

New year eve party

An unforgettable countdown

Whoever sees this sub-header may let her/his imagination goes wild due to the term "unforgettable". My 2008 New Year Eve was sort of wild. With transsexual performers (my first time in person). But, not that wild. The night was special, at least for me.

Janice called me in the afternoon and asked me if I was interested in a San Francisco party. Given my super free schedule, a party sounded perfect. So, I gave a positive answer to her. We took off around 8 and arrived at a friend's house around 9. (the friend is friend's friend's friend) We were the first guest group to arrive. The house was absolutely used for parties quite frequently. Two stories, many spacious rooms, loud music, approachable garden (you can walk out any time you want if you want to breath some fresh air), and all you can drink alcohol. I am not an alcohol person. Normally I don't drink. For this occasion, but, I got a cup of cocktail (Andrew, Janice's friend, made this for me). Not too strong. Did not smell alcohol. Something acceptable for my low alcohol tolerance stomach. The decoration was quite holiday. Many tinkling stuff and tons of balloons. The hosts must have spent tons of time on preparing this can and stocking party (this was this party's official name).

More and more people came. I met lots of friends through Janice and Andrew. Andrew seemed to know the majority of guests. Amazing. Through conversations, I found out most guests are either Stanford alumni or MIT alumni. Interesting. Around 11 PM, Janice told me we should go to Asia SF since some of her friends will be there. I was told some transsexual people would be there. Neither Janice nor I had ever seen transsexual people in person. We were excited. Amy's boy friend came to the house for us and then drove us to the club. Asia SF was super crowded. The entry floor had a professional transsexual performer. We did not stay there long since friends were waiting downstairs. The basement was insanely crowded. I felt I was in a human heat generator. The heat was not all from the heating system but mostly from the guests (not gas). Music was super loud. I could not talk to friends without shouting, yelling, screaming. After 30 min, Janice's friends called. So we went upstairs. Stephanie and Reilie arrived. We four people decided to go back to the house party. Fun conversations were non-stop in the car. Around the countdown, since we had not found a parking space, we were counting down in the car. Not that disappointing though. Since we could see fireworks through the rear windshield. The fireworks were quite pretty.

The house party was still on going. The entry level was not filled with people. So, it gave me illusion that lots of people were gone. When we went downstairs, here they were. All people went downstairs for fun. Loud music, projected image, lighting, and drinking. We had a better chance of knowing other guests. Interesting. I guessed alcohol and atmosphere opened up the communications. We left the party around 2:30. I had not party for that late for a long time.

Catan

Have you played computer based Catan?

If you like the Settlers of Catan very much or you have not played the Settlers of Catan but want to, this computer based game is a "why-not" choice. Look at the image, isn't it cool? The computer game is designed quite well. The layout looks exactly like the Settlers of Catan. The hex, the island, the settlement, the city, the robber, the harbor, and the dessert. The cool thing is that the computer computes everything for you: how many resource card you have, how many roads you have, how many settlements you have, how many cities you have, and how many dev cards you have. Not only that, the computer lists how many resource cards your rivals have, how many roads your rivals have, etc. Of course the game has some limits: for instance, you can give out one card and get five cards back if you play well. In reality, I don't think any rival will give you five cards for one card. Because you can compress four identical cards for something else. Regardless of limits, this game is a well done.

A farewell? A Bill Gates' farewell?

Gates is leaving his full-time work at Microsoft this summer

A sentence in this report cracked me up. "Bill Gates is like the pope of the industry" Well, he is influential and powerful. But, a pope? Preaching in public and blessing the ordinary people? I could not help having some interesting images when I saw that sentence. If you are interested in knowing Bill Gates' farewell or that wonderful sentence, click http://www.newsweek.com/id/85604

Rock Band - Won't Get Fooled Again

Band: The Who

A tough song across the band. If you are looking for something like this, "Won't get fooled again" is absolutely a good choice for you.

Before playing Rock Band, I did not know "the Who". I knew this band from Rock Band. I came across "Won't get fooled again" in my last city in solo drum mode. I somehow got a feeling that this song would not be a easy one before I played it. Indeed, this song was tough. But, luckly not as streneous as "Green grass and high tides". This song was manageble. I liked this song since it was fun to play with. I felt like acting like a real drummer when I played this song.

Yesterday, Totof and I were trying to boost our band, October. Both of us liked this song. It was tough for sure. But you will gain tons of fun from this song too. We played this song over and over. Ha

Rock Band - Tom Sawyer

Band: Rush

If you are a drum fanatic, you will love this song. The drum part is quite fun, even in medium mode. I never knew I had any talents at drums before I played Rock Band. Now, I am amazed by myself sometimes.

Rock Band - Move Along

Band: All American Rejects

This song is not included to the game set. You need to go to Xbox market place to purchase it. We have not done it yet. But we saw this info online. I bet you must have heard this song before. Perhaps around 2006 or 2007 time frame. If you don't recognize the band or the song name, just click the clip below. Your memory will come back shortly.

Liou's House

Want to try a place whose chef used to cook for famous Taiwanese politicians

People talk about this restaurant. But, for some reasons, I did not have a chance to visit it. The sub-header might be cheesy. Ha.

Last Friday, Janice called me to see if I was interested in dinning there. Of course, I wanted to. I met many people there: Janice, Solomon, Winnie, Lily, Phil, and another friend (sorry I forgot her name). Winnie had been there before and was familiar with Liou's dishes. So, we relied on her opinions and ordered. I was really impressed by the dishes. This place does not have a specific specialty. For me, I like it since the dishes are just right. Just like the ones that I had in Taiwan. Dishes are not too salty. Not localized (covered by excessive sauce). This place is quite authentic. I will say Liou's house is among the top good restaurants with Taiwanese touch in the bay area. All dishes are with big quantity. So, you may need to go with at least 3 friends. This place's setting is good for family style dinning. 4-8 people will be good since you can order a variety. We ordered Shrimp wrapped in lettuce cups, Veggie wrapped in lettuce cups, Hunan tofu, Sticky rice with pork served in bamboo, Taiwanese chow-fun, and Shanghai style soup.

What impressed us

- shrimp wrapped in lettuce cups

Quite authentic. Like the good ones I would have in Taiwan

- sticky rice with pork served in bamboo

The best sticky rice with pork I have ever had in the States. The sticky rice is not Cantonese style. The chef cooked the rice with hands not with rice cooker. It must take at least 3 hours to make the sticky rice that tender and flavorful. The pork part was quite tasty. Phil was so impressed by the pork and kept saying this pork was the best one ever in the bay area. The dish was served in bamboo. Beautifully served.

- Hunan tofu

Good tofu should be cooked but still with tender inner part. This dish has been dashed with tasty sauce but the sauce was not too strong. The sauce was not overwhelming so that you can still have the chance to know how good the tofu was.

- Shanghai style soup

All of us were amazed by the soup. This place is not a Shanghai restaurant but its soup is at least as good as the one from a good Shanghai place. I did not try the pork inside the soup. But the soup base was well done.

Location:

1245 Jacklin Road, Milpitas, CA

PRECAUTION:

The place is hidden. If you are not a resident around Milpitas, you may need to have a good GPS or good co-pilot to guide you.

From the day forward vs. since then

A question suddenly flashes over

Which term do you like to use in your writing and talking? The first one for me is more preferable. Why? You may ask. I just feel the first one sounds more beautiful. It sounds more poetic. When I hear or sees the first term, I can picture something. But, when I hear or sees the second term, I just cannot think of any pretty scene. Interesting, funny, or weird, you name it..

Hammer ons and pull offs

You wonder what this means

So here comes the answer. In my blog, I mentioned this term dozens times. If you are not a guitar or guitar hero person, you may have some questions on this term. I found a good article online. Hope this info helps.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/guitar_techniques/hammer_ons_and_pull_offs.html

Guitar Hero 3 - Cities on Flame with Rock n Roll

Band: Blue Öyster Cult

The hammer-ons and pull-offs parts are quite fun in this song. This song is also a good choice in Co-op. If you have Guitar Hero 3 and have not tried this song. Don't miss it.