All posts by Charles

Oof

I just received my newest purchase from Amazon.com… the Click DVD. I am not a big Adam Sandler fan, and I’ll admit I have already seen the movie in the theatre (with Bert and Jason) and it wasn’t a blockbuster hit. So you are probably wondering “Why Charles would you buy that DVD?”. Two words. Kate Beckinsale. Do I need to say more?

If you are interested in watching the movie or borrowing it, let me know. There is plenty of Kate to go around.

A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

I love to laugh. One time I was in a hotel (not feeling so happy at the time), and I saw this comedy duo on HBO from New Zealand called Flight of the Conchords who completely changed my mood. Their claim to fame is “New Zealand’s 4th most popular folk duo.” Well, thanks to our great friends at YouTube (well, now Google) I found the HBO segments!! Hope they make you laugh…

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I think laughing keeps me healthy. I think it will keep you healthy too.

CharlesSpot Ratings – Thanh Long

To give some background, Thanh Long is the first of the An Family restaurants which include another very popular establishment (and probably more well known) Crustaceans.  My overall experience from last night was pretty high up on my list.  Parking was easy (the place is kinda located in a residential area), it wasn’t overcrowded, and Laurie and I could have a conversation without yelling at each other.  Oh, and the food was pretty damn good too.  It included shrimp toast (a weird name, but delicious) and the standard roast crab and garlic noodles.  If you don’t order the garlic noodles, I would argue you are somewhat insane… or guess that you were allergic to noodles or garlic.  We ended up passing on dessert and settled for the banana & Nutella cake I made, which was sitting in the fridge back at Laurie’s place.

PROS:  garlicy food, pleasant atmosphere, hot girlfriend

CONS:  the Mark West Pinot wasn’t spectacular (but effectively turned my face red), distance driving for dinner

Again, for more opinions, check out Yelp.

I Spy With My Eye

I am not sure if you know how bright your desk lamp is but apparently my mom was so concerned about my eyesight (please refer to my previous post) that she wrote an email to my optometrist.

Dr. Kuo:
I would like to know the following:
Charles read the book by using 25W lamp, I have a comment that it is not bright enough and maybe not good for eyes. Could you suggest what is the best (75W ?) for eyes when he read book near bed during night.
Thanks
-Sophia

Another great email from my mom.  (For those that are still concerned, I upgraded my bulb to a 40W the other night. I was about to put in something higher, but the lamp instructions say it is a fire hazard.)

Silly problems?

There are a lot of problems in the world, but the ones I am about to talk about are probably not the most important. You could argue that these “problems” are silly and stupid, but I really wonder how many people these issues really end up effecting….

Silly problem #1: (from Lijen) Why does the car door get jammed when you try and open it too early after someone unlocks it? I know I always feel silly gesturing to the driver that I was too much of an eager beaver to open the door….

Silly problem #2: The annoying postcards that they put in magazines. I am not sure how many people respond to those things, but they always end up falling on the ground or make it more difficult to turn the pages…. I am no direct marketer, but how many people read those things? Considering I PAID for the damn subscription, how many ads do they have to show me? I mean, every other page has some type of product on it already.

Silly problem #3: Paying gratuity at a Shabbu Shabbu joint (or any other self service food establishment).  I don’t get it.  Maybe I’m just cheap, but when I am cooking my own food and all the “waitress” does is bring you raw food… exactly what am I paying 15% for?  Same thing applies for a buffet.  I guess it makes a little more sense because they have to serve you a drink and take away your dirty plates… not sure I buy that either….