Accidents Happen...

The night after I wrote my entry, I was out skating again when an accident happened to a fellow skater. Coming down on the last ramp, he slid out on an oil slick, and hit his head on the concrete with considerable force. None of us knew it at the time, and we all thought it was just another small accident that comes with the activity. But when we turned around to see if he was ok, all we saw was him lying there motionless. We ran to aid him up, but when we arrived were all shocked to see him stiffened up and eyes rolled back. He was unconcious for another 30 seconds before finally waking up. He had a hard time breathing and was sweating profusely. Then he started feeling nauseaus and then started vomiting. At this time were all worried that he might be more injured than he himself though. Then he began bleeding from the nose which pretty much confirmed that he was in fact, hurt really badly.

After finally convincing him that going to the hospital was the best thing to do, we drove him to the emergency room where he received a CT scan. By this time he was puking blood and shivering. Eventually his father arrived where he was updated on the situation, and how it happened. Finally, the doctor called him and his father in. When his father returned, we found out that it was really serious. Fracture at the base of his skull, and two concussions.

After writing the last entry, this was a huge reality check for me and all my skate buddies. Safety is now a priority as we're scrambling to purchase helmets and other equipment.

So its not all fun and games...

The Day I get to do This...

The day I get to do this is the day I start living


Hope that day comes soon. Skating has become more than just a hobby to me now. Its become something that can take me away from all the worries, stress, and sadness. Once I get on that board and feel the speed, the wind, and the adrenaline, its as if nothing else matters anymore...

Finally Back!

Well I'm finally back in Miami after a long trip to Taiwan. The flight was pretty good considering the distance and amount of time I spent on airplanes, although the 2 flight connections in the US just seemed so...unneccessary. Anyways, I'm off to recover from the wonderful jetlag I've acquired, so I will talk about my trip after I've corrected my body clock.

Nearing the End...

So I'm nearing the end of my journey here in Taiwan. Overall it hasn't been what I expected out of this trip. Usually we have my parents around to take us to places and show us things from their past, but this time around they didn't make the trip over with us. So here I am with my younger sister, exploring Taiwan for the first time as legal adults.

There actually was not much exploring. Perhaps the exploring of food was done more, but in terms of travel and adventure... there was a certain thing to be desired. It wasn't that we didn't anywhere, in fact we explored pretty much all of Taipei. But we were much more used to traveling all of Taiwan.

Given that the Island is only about 200 miles from end to end,traveling was not a tough task. Especially with the recent advances on the island with travel. Not only has the subway system here been extremely easy to use, but it has become the most reliable in the world. My daily travels involve the subway, so I know for a fact that it is an amazingly easy way to travel, even with the limited English in the station.

Another new form of transport here is the awesome new bullet train system that runs from the north of the island, to the south. What used to take 4 hours of driving through mountain roads, or sitting on a slow train, now takes an hour and half with the German built trains. I had the priviledge of taking a ride in one of these, and it was a blast. At over 100 mph, it was the smoother than anything I have ever ridden on. Comfort wise, it was pretty much like an airplane but with more legroom.

The food here has been amazing. I've had some wonderful experiences and some odd ones as well. The most pleasurable was finally getting to try the famous Toro. Toro is blue fin tuna belly. Its the most fatty part of the fish, and the most tasteful. At about $18 US a piece...it is the most expensive as well. Was it worth it? Definately. With the first bite, my taste buds exploded from such a wonderful taste from all that fat in the fish itself. Honestly, words can not describe it. Never in my life have I experienced such flavor and pure enjoyment from food. My advice to everyone is: if you get the chance, take it. Sure its expensive, but if you go to a Japanese restaurant and you see this wonderful little delicacey sitting in the ice box at the sushi bar, good lord, buy a piece. You will not regret it.


In terms of wierd stuff, right before I had the Toro, I was presented with Uni (Sea Urchin) and a "special" part of a blowfish...which is poisonous by the way. The sea urchin was extremely fishy in taste. It was topped off with caviar which didn't help. However, the taste was so unique that it was a great experience. I probably would never get anything like it again seeing as how it wasn't my favorite, but I didn't dislike it either. Now for the blowfish...thing. I wasn't told what it was till after I had a bite, but apparently it was what we men would have as testicles, but the fish version. Now taste wise it was odd, but it wasn't bad. I didn't tell my sister what she just ate either. Eating these things aren't new to me though. I had rooster balls the last time I was in Taiwan.

To top off the that same dinner, we had the best Sake I've ever had. It was ice cold and had a distinctively sweeter taste than other Sakes I've had. Later that night, we had some Vodka with lime. Perhaps my favorite drink at this point of my life.

That was an interesting night. Most of the time however, food was typical Taiwanese. Lots of pork, bamboo shoots, and sea food. Most unique about Taiwan is their night markets. You can spend a whole night trying different foods from stand to stand, without spending more than $10. Yes...food is that cheap here. If your a food officionado, then look no further than Taiwan.

Japanese food is really cheap here. In fact, probably the cheapest in the world. Even the Japanese cannot match Taiwan in price. $1 for 4 pieces of salmon sashimi? Absolutely unheard of anywhere else. 5 of us went to eat sushi, and only spent about $30, and came out extremely satisfied in terms of the volume of fish we just consumed. However, the one draw back to this is that I'm starting to get sick of it. What was once my favorite delicacey and something I would spoil myself with, has become nothing more than just "something around the corner". So I'm giving it a break when I get back to the States. Perhaps I'll get my appetite back.

Things I miss most about food in the States. Well burgers for one. Beef just doesn't seem to be a common meat used. Last but not least, its gotta be cheese. No body eats cheese here at all. Sure its on pizzas, but cheese is everywhere in the States, and boy do I miss it. In fact, tomorrow I'm going to McDonalds for a Big Mac. Probably the only thing thats the same on the menu here and in the US. That and fries of course.




Anyways, that it for food. Another post later on for travels and places we visited.

Crazy/Cool/Wierd

Its really odd when I log onto google from here and all the text is in Chinese instead of English...

Summer

So today I start my summer vacation. Its been a long semester, but when I start to think about it, school seems to get by quicker and quicker as each year goes by. Does this mean life is gonna feel shorter as I age?

Anyways, the semester is a success. I passed all my classes, and final exams went by in a breeze. Now I get to relax and hangout with people in Orlando till I have to head back to Miami, in preparation for my trip to Taiwan.
Its going to be an interesting trip indeed. Its been 4 years since the last time I visited, and a lot can happen in those 4 years. With the passing of my Uncle last summer, we all knew that it can happen at any time. So visiting the relatives has taken top priority this summer. I will not be taken any summer classes or working. Just going to go to Taiwan and spend time with the family, see my grandparents, and enjoy the atmosphere.
I've recently gotten in contact with my cousin in Taiwan through facebook. Through her I got to see pictures of the family. Boy has things changed. My younger cousins who used to look like children, now look like young adults. My darling nephews have grown so much. My one year old nephew is now 4, and he has a younger brother.
I'll also have the chance to experience teaching in a foreign country. Its kind of nerve racking trying to think up of a lesson plan for Taiwanese 1st graders. Thankfully I'm only teaching English, and if all goes right, it should be a joy to teach these students.
Anyways, I'm glad its finally the summer. The weather is getting warmer, and the shorts are coming out of the closet again. Mornings aren't cold anymore; I used to have to wear a sweater to go to my 9am class. Now I don't have to worry about waking up that early, and looking like a surf bum.
This summer should be amazing!

21st Birthday!

I'd like to thank everyone for a wonderful birthday weekend! Hurray for my 21st with no alcohol :D
We had a puppy party, and went to Aquatica!
More pics here.

Liam's 2nd Birthday!

Today I had dinner at my cousin's house. It was my nephew's 2nd birthday, and seeing as how I missed the party on Saturday, I couldn't possibly miss a second :)
Here are some more pictures.

CCW

Today I took my CCW class at the Orlando Gun Show. It was actually really simple to acquire and not at all complicated after I finished. Just sit through a basic lecture involving gun safety, gun operating and skills, and when we are allowed to use our weapons.
Honestly, it was all a big review for me. In fact the class was TOO easy. I honestly believe it should have been a little more challenging. The range time was also a bit insignificant. There were old ladies about 60-70 years old at the range trying to get their permit, and we were shooting itty bitty .22 LR pistols or revolvers. Just 6 shots at a target 10 ft away. Not really that hard at all.
Anyways, I guess I'm glad to finally go through with it. Just have to mail it in on Monday, go get finger printed, and wait.

This is Pretty Funny

So today I received a message on facebook from this girl with the same last name as me. Her name was Alison Tseng. My first reaction was: "Hey she's cute..."
Now I've been single for almost a year now...so don't look at me bad when that's my initial reaction.
She messaged me: "Hey do you know who I am." Which I don't. I don't think I've ever seen her in my life. She then replies, that she hasn't seen me in 4 years.
Turns out she's my cousin from Taiwan, who somehow has a facebook, which I thought no one used in Taiwan.
I felt so.....dirty.....
So yeah... gonna shoot or castrate myself. Actually shooting would be less painful....

P.S.
Ewwwwwwwwwww

WTF!?!

So I woke up this morning for work, went to my car and was surprised to see a parking ticket on my windshield. This is what I got a ticket for:



So apparently having more than 2 cars in the driveway is illegal now? How in the world are we supposed to fit more than 2 cars without blocking the sidewalk?

My roommate also received a "parked on sidewalk" ticket, but he was parked on the street. So it doesn't make any sense at all.

Theres an old man who's anal about everything in the neighborhood. Pretty sure it was him who reported are evil deeds.

New Member of the Family

My my... boy has my family grown in the last year. Just recently a third member has joined me and just yesterday, I finally took her out for a spin.

Glock 19

Anyways, I'm not officially broke. But hey, its not a cheap hobby, and I'm pretty happy about my new acquisition!

My Secret Identity

Up until recently, my only real hobby was photography. Taking pictures and sharing them to the world was my passion. When the time came, nothing else around me mattered. Just the camera, and the object, person, or thing I was taking snap shots of.

Then last year I was introduced to shooting. Not picture shooting, but firearms. I have always been fascinated with them. The history of firearms, the science, the engineering, and the physics. I'm a huge World War 2 buff. The idea of firing one for real intrigued me, but no one around shared the same interest as me.

The along came Norman. I met him randomly while longboarding down a parking garage. We eventually realized we shared many friends, and one profound interest. That being firearms. The rest is history.

A couple of weeks later I was in a shooting range experiencing the sheer noise, and power of a Glock 19, a 1911, and an AR 15. From then on, I was hooked. I would bug the poor guy every week to go shooting like a child. Until eventually the time came where buying your own gun would be more economical.

I started off with a Ruger 10/22 rifle which fired the very economical .22 Long Rifle cartridge. Eventually I spent around $500 on modification without even realizing it. Thats when I knew that it was becoming a serious hobby.

Now after about a year since that first encounter, I go shooting at least once a week. I own two firearms, and enough ammunition to last me a month. Not only does it help me relax, but it has taught me to become a responsible adult. After all, firearms are not toys. Far from it. They are dangerous, and can easily injure someone, or worse. But if you respect the firearm, it will respect you back.

Thanks to Norman, the master, this apprentice is getting better and better, thanks to his coaching. Who knows. Maybe eventually I'll get into competitive shooting, or some other kind of shooting sport.

Shooting my Walther P22
Picture Courtesy of MJ

CCW In Action

People think that people should not be allowed to carry guns on them. Politicians want to make it harder to obtain a gun, and some want to complete amend our 2nd Amendment, which is the freedom to bear arms. These videos might say otherwise:







Guns are hard enough to obtain legally. If we ban the 2nd amendment, it does not mean the bad guys out there cannot find some way to obtain an illegal firearm.
People might view firearm carrying people as a menace. Someone who will cause trouble. But if your held up by someone with a gun, trying to rob you or worse, won't you be glad if you or someone else has the ability to fight back? People with CCW Permits go through various background checks, and tests in order to obtain their permits. These people are usually intelligent, law-abiding, and mentally stable. The 2nd amendment and CCW is our true homeland security. Maybe not protecting our borders, but to make our homes, family and friends that much safer.

Other blogs

As everyone might have noticed, I have a Xbox Live Gamertag Profile on my blog. The reason is because I am a guest editor at my cousin's blog. He runs a video game blog that features all the latest news in the Video Game industry. Feel free to visit it at here.

Happy Blogging everyone!

Oops!

Well my hair was getting long and growing out all crazy, so I decided to give it a trim. Unlike any other sensible person, I would have gone to a barber for my trimming needs. But I'm an idiot so I cut it myself. Too bad I absolutely suck at cutting hair! So I messed up and decided to just shave it all with a #2. Oh well. It will grow back in...2 weeks time?

Movie Review: Cloverfield

Cloverfield

When I first saw the trailer of this movie, I was skeptical. Here's another monster movie full of building crashing to the ground, people screaming, and mayhem. The trailer showed the main character at his going away party to Japan. All of a sudden they see an explosion in the background which prompted some chaos and screaming. The end. That was the trailer. Now the mention of Japan and then the explosion of a building led me into believing it was another Gozdilla flick. Something similar to the remake filmed in 1998 starring Matthew Broderick. But boy was I wrong. This movie is much more than your typical monster flick.


Spoiler Alert:
The movie is filmed in a style that only can be described as "Blaire Witch". Basically the whole film is a documentary, filmed on a home video camera. This is somewhat of a good thing. The movie becomes extremely intense after the first 15 minutes of the film. The use of the home video camera helps every scene feel like you are actually there with the characters. Your there with them when they are running for their lives, and through the mayhem of a devastated New York City. The scenes in fact rival those of the film captured during the 9/11 attacks, when the WTC fell. That being said however, the scenes become at certain points too intense. If you easily get motion sickness or have a heart condition, I would highly suggest not watching this film. I have a high tolerance to motion, but even I felt like puking my dinner out during the movies. Its so intense that at one point my hands would not stop shaking.

Back to the movie though. The plot was very simple. Just an average day in the NYC. Average people. Monster attacks. Everyone is on the run. Monster kicks everyone's a**. Nothing revolutionary, but with the way the film is made, no real complicated story was needed.

Here comes the spoilers:
The monster itself was nothing everyone would have imagined. At first it gives the impression that its a large sea creature. At first I thought it was some sort of giant squid because it destroys the Brooklyn Bridge with one swipe of it's tentacle...or what I thought was a tentacle. But then they throw a monkey wrench in the mix, in the form of what are like spawns of the monster, or offspring. They looked almost arachnid, or spider-like. Imaging if you took the bugs from Starship Trooper, shrunk them to about German Shepherd size, and made them all gray, and a wickedly rough and sharp exoskeleton, then you have a pretty good image of what these crazy things looked like.
The big monster itself didn't really get revealed until the last 5 minutes of the movie, when one of our main characters is eaten by it. Take a vampire bat, add a really long tail, and give it a set of T-Rex like arms on the torso, and thats what the monster was. Not scary when you just read the description, but watching it on film is a whole different experience.

At the end, this movie was good. I'm glad the director stuck with the documentary format because if it didn't then it would have been just another monster movie.
I recommend watching this movie if you want a adrenaline-pumping experience. Just bring a barf bag just in case.

S.H.T.

Reminiscing...

I was pretty bored today, so I decided to play around with Google Earth a little. I looked up all the places I visited during the trip to Costa Rica. Trying to remember all the fun things I did while I was there. Such a beautiful country it is. If you ever get a chance to go there, don't pass it up. If your a nature lover, then it is a must. Hiking, rafting, bird watching... its an incredible experience. Sure I wasn't too optimistic after my first day in San Jose, in fact I still stand by my opinion about the big city. Its no fun. Get out into the mountains. Experience the fresh air, unique wildlife, and environment. I will gladly go again. This time more prepared with a good pair of hiking shoes, binoculars for the beautiful birds, and better rain gear for those long, wet, rainy hikes.

The hotels I stayed at were all pretty nice. Nothing high-class or 5 star, but hey, if your going into a rain forest, you shouldn't expect too much. All the hotels we stayed in were air conditioned, clean, and had great food. One of them even resembled Taiwanese styled construction, which was significant to me because it made me realize just how much influence Taiwanese people had in this country. As we drove through different cities, we would see various establishments with Chinese symbols at their gates. None of these establishments were small by any means. There were Taiwanese churches, restaurants, and even social clubs. It was really interesting to see these things that would usually be pretty alien in a Latin American country.

The people of Costa Rica all seemed pretty nice, and well mannered. Its almost as if American culture has not influenced them much. Comparing the Hispanics of Miami, FL, to the citizens of Costa Rica, is like oil and water. Even their language reflected this. Its still Spanish, but vocabulary-wise there were some differences. The term Pura Vida is still stuck in my head. Literally translated as Pure Life, the Costa Ricans use it the same we may use "Awesome". Whenever we say "Gracias" to someone, they respond with "Muchos Gustos" which seemed a lot more proper than the Cuban "Denada" which means literally as "Nothing". Our tour guides were examples of perfect gentlemen, and you can tell that they loved their job. We all could see it in their eyes. They all had this sparkle in their eyes as they explained to us the various cultural aspects of their country. Their knowledge was also top notch. They had an answer for almost any question we had. What suprised me the most was without a doubt, their English. Compared to the English speaking immigrants of Miami, FL, our tour guides only had English lessons in high school, and a year or two in college. They have better English than probably most of the population in Miami. The accent is still there, but considering that we were in a Spanish speaking country, it was exceptionally good even by American standards. Hear that Miami? Thats called English. Not you fresh off the boat Spanglish.

Overall the trip to Costa Rica was an absolute joy. My weight gain of 10 lbs over the Winter break is proof of that. So are the 1,000 pictures I took. I would even say this trip was better than the Alaskan cruise. Actually, yes, it was. Would I go back? You betcha.

Pura Vida,
S.H.T.