I don't tend to talk much about my music tastes because they're pretty eclectic in general. From rap, country, opera, to canto-pop I pretty much enjoy all types of music as long as it's good with a catchy tune or lyrics. Because I don't only enjoy a specific type of music, I find well-done mashups pretty nice. Here are two of the ones I enjoy the most so far. Let me know if you like them too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwJQy2BkJ-o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KQQwodIJ38
Friday, February 29, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
TV's coming back
I'm so happy that the writers' strike is over. As I've posted before, I watch a lot of TV. In fact, one of excuses that I always give as to why I don't want to move back to Hong Kong is that I probably couldn't stand the lack of good TV.
One of the few great shows that are still running new episodes is Lost, and with the ability to catch up on all 4 seasons online, I've gotten back into it. It's a great show if you can watch a whole bunch of the episodes in one sitting, instead of having to wait a week. One of the interesting things about this show is that there are so many fansites and fan forums with theories about what's going on. Some of these theories are quite well-developed in fact. Nowadays, you could probably write one of these TV shows, throw in all kinds of myths and subplots, and have fans bail you out without having to have a real plan in place. Supposedly the writers and producers already know how it's all going to end, as they've already signed on for an exact number of episodes.
Another great show that I watch is Boston Legal, and an interesting tidbit I learned is that even though the overall ratings for the show aren't that super, it scores highest amongst the higher income demographic (19-47 >$100k income) and that is why the show will continue to be on the air for a while.
One of the few great shows that are still running new episodes is Lost, and with the ability to catch up on all 4 seasons online, I've gotten back into it. It's a great show if you can watch a whole bunch of the episodes in one sitting, instead of having to wait a week. One of the interesting things about this show is that there are so many fansites and fan forums with theories about what's going on. Some of these theories are quite well-developed in fact. Nowadays, you could probably write one of these TV shows, throw in all kinds of myths and subplots, and have fans bail you out without having to have a real plan in place. Supposedly the writers and producers already know how it's all going to end, as they've already signed on for an exact number of episodes.
Another great show that I watch is Boston Legal, and an interesting tidbit I learned is that even though the overall ratings for the show aren't that super, it scores highest amongst the higher income demographic (19-47 >$100k income) and that is why the show will continue to be on the air for a while.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
I don't want to talk about it...
Of course as soon as I show some sort of confidence I get absolutely wrecked today. Career-damaging wreckage... I don't want to talk about it, but any good thoughts for me are appreciated.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Kung Hei Fat Choy
Happy year of the rat everyone!! (Sorry I'm about a week late)
It's supposed to be a good year for me according to the chinese zodiac, and I really think this will be a great year for me.
One thing that I just realized is that since I am no longer a RR for a company, I am free to blog about my trading. There's no guarantee that I'll be consistent in blogging about my trading, but I think I might put up a couple (after the fact) trades here and there. Some sort of best trades, worst trades, and biggest missed opportunities thing. It'll be good for me to have some record of my trading.
Hope everyone has a great year of the rat!!
It's supposed to be a good year for me according to the chinese zodiac, and I really think this will be a great year for me.
One thing that I just realized is that since I am no longer a RR for a company, I am free to blog about my trading. There's no guarantee that I'll be consistent in blogging about my trading, but I think I might put up a couple (after the fact) trades here and there. Some sort of best trades, worst trades, and biggest missed opportunities thing. It'll be good for me to have some record of my trading.
Hope everyone has a great year of the rat!!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Super Bowl picks
One of the beautiful things about the Superbowl is the incredible number of prop bets available. I think this year I've seen sites with about 400 props (I think there are more this year because of the larger number of worthy WR/RB comparisons). Because of this, it's much more fun to talk about prop bets than the actual Superbowl line of New England -12.5. I have a friend who would bet on the coin flip every year and kept getting killed when there was like a six year streak (I forget whether it was heads or tails) and he kept fading it.
My favorite prop this year is any prop that has to do with the Patriots and rushing touchdowns. Yes we all know about the Patriots' potent passing game and the clear weather down in Arizona that they will be playing in for the first time in well over a month. We also know that they run those plays for Vrabel as well. But the Pats have given the ball to Maroney a good deal of late and Brady has run a good number of QB sneak touchdowns over the years. I think getting anything better than 2-1 on the first Pats TD being a rushing TD is just fantastic odds.
My favorite prop this year is any prop that has to do with the Patriots and rushing touchdowns. Yes we all know about the Patriots' potent passing game and the clear weather down in Arizona that they will be playing in for the first time in well over a month. We also know that they run those plays for Vrabel as well. But the Pats have given the ball to Maroney a good deal of late and Brady has run a good number of QB sneak touchdowns over the years. I think getting anything better than 2-1 on the first Pats TD being a rushing TD is just fantastic odds.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Restaurant Week Report Card
Furthering my increase in weight were multiple excursions to restaurants for Restaurant Week, which is now a biannual thing in NYC. I've always tended to avoid Restaurant Week (see posts half a year ago), but I was pleasantly surprised by the few places I've tried this year. It's certainly better when I choose the restaurants and see the menu in advance.
Since most of these were only lunch excursions, there will not be much details in the reports. Mostly it'll be a quick synopsis of the food items, and will be followed by overall ratings in the categories of taste, value, service/ambiance (all rated out of 5), and a prix fixe category indicating whether they normally serve a similar prix fixe without restaurant week. Restaurants are listed in chronological order of my visit.
River Cafe (Brooklyn) Lunch
Went there 6 months ago, and the menu was pretty much the same. This time I went with 3 other people, so we pretty much sampled the full lunch menu. The starter choices were a house smoked salmon with crispy scallops, colorado lamb meatballs with potato puree, and a grilled sirloin salad. I had the lamb meatballs which were just as good as they were when I had them last year. Nice solid meatball texture and definite lamb flavor. The main courses included salmon, crisp duck breast, and ricotta ravioli with wild boar sausage. I had the duck breast which was cooked well and the sweetness of the red currant sauce and sweet potato puree worked well with it, but there was no real wow factor. Last year I had the ravioli and it was a wild boar ragout, this year it was just sausage on the side and the boar flavors weren't as strong. For dessert was a trio of chocolate marquis cake, vanilla creme brulee, and pineapple sorbet. The sorbet was very refreshing and I really liked the chocolate cake, and the creme brulee was well executed. When you go to River Cafe, you go for the view and the ambiance, but they wouldn't let us outside so we barely snapped any pictures.
Food: 4 Value: 3 Ambiance: 4 Prix Fixe: No
Mesa Grill (Union Square) Lunch
I didn't even know before I looked that Mesa Grill was just one block away from where I now work. I have never really heard any good things about Bobby Flay's restaurants (though I think their reputations are better than Emeril LaGasse's restaurants), so I thought restaurant week was a perfect time to try it out. I started with the spicy salmon tartare which had a nice little kick to it and was perfectly matched with a refreshing avocado relish. My friend had Sophie's chopped salad which didn't look very pleasing to the eye. The colors of the vegetables were not vibrant and fresh, and I didn't bother asking my friend how it was since after all it's a friggin' chopped salad. For mains I had the sixteen spice chicken which is one of the staples of the regular menu and it was actually really good. The spice mix had real flavor and the mango sauce was another refreshing touch for good balance. The chicken was cooked well and not dry considering it was not accompanied by a lot of sauce. My friend had the wild mushroom quesadilla which was nice but I did not feel that it wowed me like the chicken did. For dessert we had vanilla crunch profiteroles in a hot mexican chocolate sauce and banana rum bread pudding with sour cream ice cream. Executed well and tasty, it was a good finish to the meal. The restaurant is actually quite large and our food came pretty quickly and service definitely didn't lag.
Food: 4 (5 for the dishes I had, 3 for my friend's dishes) Value: 5 (especially compared to their normal prices) Ambiance: 3 Prix Fixe: No
Tocqueville (Union Square) Lunch
Practically hidden by the big Au Bon Pain right next door, this small French restaurant with very high ceilings is a nice little escape from the hustle and bustle of Union Square. Of the three appetizer choices, both my friend and I were only interested in the house cured Hon Jake salmon (I don't know what hon jake stands for I googled and got no relevant results). It was very tasty with a perfectly matched meyer lemon-caper dressing and some toasted brown bread. We found a better selection in the entrees. I had the cast-iron skillet roasted Daurade served with spinach puree, marrow flan, and sauce grabiche. I didn't (and still don't) know what kind of fish Daurade actually is, but it was executed perfectly with a delicious crispy skin and fish that didn't just disintegrate when cut into with the fork. My friend had the lightly smoked berkshire pork tenderloin and which had just a great bacony flavor and beautiful texture (from the smoking) and it was a nice light flavor (not overly salted like a lot of pork dishes tend to be). The desserts were rather disappointing however, as i had the apple beignets and my friend had the bitter chocolate pudding. The service was very good though there weren't many people when we went.
Food: 4 (5 for the food, 2 for the desserts) Value: 4 Ambiance: 5 Prix Fixe: Yes, at same price, but the selection doesn't look as good (only 2 choices per course).
Japonais (Union Square) Dinner
Having eaten there before (not during restaurant week) and finding the appetizers and rolls to be very good while the main courses were a little disappointing, I found that my verdict is exactly the same this time around for restaurant week. My friend and I sat in the lounge which I thought was a much better vibe (except for the lower tables) as 80's music played in the background. For appetizers we had a crispy shrimp and salmon maki and "the rock", thinly sliced steak cooked on a hot rock. It's a pretty cool presentation, and the soy ginger marinade was quite tasty. For our entrees my friend had the chestnut roasted chicken with shiitake rice stuffing. The chicken was actually quite dry, and the flavors did not stand out. I had the 6 oz filet mignon with uni butter and truffled potato puree. The uni butter and truffled potato stood out to give the nice tender beef very good flavor and I was pleasantly surprised, though not knocked over. For dessert we had the selection of homemade sorbets in a watermelon soup which was light and refreshing and a japanese pumpkin cheesecake with pineapple mouse and almond cookie crust which was really really tasty. Best dessert I've had all of restaurant week. I think this is a great place if you sit in the lounge and only order rolls and appetizers.
Food: 4 Value: 5 (their regular prices aren't that expensive either) Ambiance: 5 Prix Fixe: No prix fixe dinner
Bluewater Grill (Union Square) Lunch
The most disappointing restaurant experience I had during restaurant week was here. While I'm sure it's a nice place to go for some fresh seafood and jazz at night, the food they put out for our restaurant week lunch just wasn't good. For starters my friend had the golden split pea soup with smoked ham confit. Hard to go wrong with ham and pea soup, but there was nothing brilliant about it either. I had the spicy salmon maki roll, which was the worst salmon dish I've had during restaurant week. There was just nothing to show off the salmon flavor, and I didn't like the texture that the crispy haricot verts provided the roll. For our entrees, I had the seared jumbo scallops which were big and cooked well, but there was just the tinyest taste of grit, and the polenta cake and orange sauce were just a horrible combination in my opinion. My friend had the caribbearn style shrimp stew which had good amounts of shrimp fish and clams, but was overall quite bland. The lobster coconut broth had just a little curry taste and not much else. I think it needed a lot of saffron. For dessert my friend had the creamsicle parfait and I had the chocolate fudge torte. Nothing great.
Food: 2 Value: 3 Ambiance: 2 Prix Fixe: I wouldn't care
Japonais (Union Square) Lunch
Having had a good dinner I decided to try the lunch menu to see if maybe the entrees would be a little less disappointing. Nope. I had the same "the rock" starter as last time, and had the Japonais burger for my entree. The burger and the sweet potato fries were just overly spiced and I couldn't taste anything else. The meal was still saved by the cheesecake which was just as good. I guess I should have stuck to my original plan of appetizers only.
Food: 3 Value: 3 Ambiance: 3 Prix Fixe: They have a 2 course $21 lunch consisting of an appetizer and a choice of sandwich.
Since most of these were only lunch excursions, there will not be much details in the reports. Mostly it'll be a quick synopsis of the food items, and will be followed by overall ratings in the categories of taste, value, service/ambiance (all rated out of 5), and a prix fixe category indicating whether they normally serve a similar prix fixe without restaurant week. Restaurants are listed in chronological order of my visit.
River Cafe (Brooklyn) Lunch
Went there 6 months ago, and the menu was pretty much the same. This time I went with 3 other people, so we pretty much sampled the full lunch menu. The starter choices were a house smoked salmon with crispy scallops, colorado lamb meatballs with potato puree, and a grilled sirloin salad. I had the lamb meatballs which were just as good as they were when I had them last year. Nice solid meatball texture and definite lamb flavor. The main courses included salmon, crisp duck breast, and ricotta ravioli with wild boar sausage. I had the duck breast which was cooked well and the sweetness of the red currant sauce and sweet potato puree worked well with it, but there was no real wow factor. Last year I had the ravioli and it was a wild boar ragout, this year it was just sausage on the side and the boar flavors weren't as strong. For dessert was a trio of chocolate marquis cake, vanilla creme brulee, and pineapple sorbet. The sorbet was very refreshing and I really liked the chocolate cake, and the creme brulee was well executed. When you go to River Cafe, you go for the view and the ambiance, but they wouldn't let us outside so we barely snapped any pictures.
Food: 4 Value: 3 Ambiance: 4 Prix Fixe: No
Mesa Grill (Union Square) Lunch
I didn't even know before I looked that Mesa Grill was just one block away from where I now work. I have never really heard any good things about Bobby Flay's restaurants (though I think their reputations are better than Emeril LaGasse's restaurants), so I thought restaurant week was a perfect time to try it out. I started with the spicy salmon tartare which had a nice little kick to it and was perfectly matched with a refreshing avocado relish. My friend had Sophie's chopped salad which didn't look very pleasing to the eye. The colors of the vegetables were not vibrant and fresh, and I didn't bother asking my friend how it was since after all it's a friggin' chopped salad. For mains I had the sixteen spice chicken which is one of the staples of the regular menu and it was actually really good. The spice mix had real flavor and the mango sauce was another refreshing touch for good balance. The chicken was cooked well and not dry considering it was not accompanied by a lot of sauce. My friend had the wild mushroom quesadilla which was nice but I did not feel that it wowed me like the chicken did. For dessert we had vanilla crunch profiteroles in a hot mexican chocolate sauce and banana rum bread pudding with sour cream ice cream. Executed well and tasty, it was a good finish to the meal. The restaurant is actually quite large and our food came pretty quickly and service definitely didn't lag.
Food: 4 (5 for the dishes I had, 3 for my friend's dishes) Value: 5 (especially compared to their normal prices) Ambiance: 3 Prix Fixe: No
Tocqueville (Union Square) Lunch
Practically hidden by the big Au Bon Pain right next door, this small French restaurant with very high ceilings is a nice little escape from the hustle and bustle of Union Square. Of the three appetizer choices, both my friend and I were only interested in the house cured Hon Jake salmon (I don't know what hon jake stands for I googled and got no relevant results). It was very tasty with a perfectly matched meyer lemon-caper dressing and some toasted brown bread. We found a better selection in the entrees. I had the cast-iron skillet roasted Daurade served with spinach puree, marrow flan, and sauce grabiche. I didn't (and still don't) know what kind of fish Daurade actually is, but it was executed perfectly with a delicious crispy skin and fish that didn't just disintegrate when cut into with the fork. My friend had the lightly smoked berkshire pork tenderloin and which had just a great bacony flavor and beautiful texture (from the smoking) and it was a nice light flavor (not overly salted like a lot of pork dishes tend to be). The desserts were rather disappointing however, as i had the apple beignets and my friend had the bitter chocolate pudding. The service was very good though there weren't many people when we went.
Food: 4 (5 for the food, 2 for the desserts) Value: 4 Ambiance: 5 Prix Fixe: Yes, at same price, but the selection doesn't look as good (only 2 choices per course).
Japonais (Union Square) Dinner
Having eaten there before (not during restaurant week) and finding the appetizers and rolls to be very good while the main courses were a little disappointing, I found that my verdict is exactly the same this time around for restaurant week. My friend and I sat in the lounge which I thought was a much better vibe (except for the lower tables) as 80's music played in the background. For appetizers we had a crispy shrimp and salmon maki and "the rock", thinly sliced steak cooked on a hot rock. It's a pretty cool presentation, and the soy ginger marinade was quite tasty. For our entrees my friend had the chestnut roasted chicken with shiitake rice stuffing. The chicken was actually quite dry, and the flavors did not stand out. I had the 6 oz filet mignon with uni butter and truffled potato puree. The uni butter and truffled potato stood out to give the nice tender beef very good flavor and I was pleasantly surprised, though not knocked over. For dessert we had the selection of homemade sorbets in a watermelon soup which was light and refreshing and a japanese pumpkin cheesecake with pineapple mouse and almond cookie crust which was really really tasty. Best dessert I've had all of restaurant week. I think this is a great place if you sit in the lounge and only order rolls and appetizers.
Food: 4 Value: 5 (their regular prices aren't that expensive either) Ambiance: 5 Prix Fixe: No prix fixe dinner
Bluewater Grill (Union Square) Lunch
The most disappointing restaurant experience I had during restaurant week was here. While I'm sure it's a nice place to go for some fresh seafood and jazz at night, the food they put out for our restaurant week lunch just wasn't good. For starters my friend had the golden split pea soup with smoked ham confit. Hard to go wrong with ham and pea soup, but there was nothing brilliant about it either. I had the spicy salmon maki roll, which was the worst salmon dish I've had during restaurant week. There was just nothing to show off the salmon flavor, and I didn't like the texture that the crispy haricot verts provided the roll. For our entrees, I had the seared jumbo scallops which were big and cooked well, but there was just the tinyest taste of grit, and the polenta cake and orange sauce were just a horrible combination in my opinion. My friend had the caribbearn style shrimp stew which had good amounts of shrimp fish and clams, but was overall quite bland. The lobster coconut broth had just a little curry taste and not much else. I think it needed a lot of saffron. For dessert my friend had the creamsicle parfait and I had the chocolate fudge torte. Nothing great.
Food: 2 Value: 3 Ambiance: 2 Prix Fixe: I wouldn't care
Japonais (Union Square) Lunch
Having had a good dinner I decided to try the lunch menu to see if maybe the entrees would be a little less disappointing. Nope. I had the same "the rock" starter as last time, and had the Japonais burger for my entree. The burger and the sweet potato fries were just overly spiced and I couldn't taste anything else. The meal was still saved by the cheesecake which was just as good. I guess I should have stuck to my original plan of appetizers only.
Food: 3 Value: 3 Ambiance: 3 Prix Fixe: They have a 2 course $21 lunch consisting of an appetizer and a choice of sandwich.
Back to Black
It's been almost a month since I've posted, and I apologize to anyone who was hoping for football or basketball picks. I went into a slump trading and I just couldn't get my mind focused on anything. The losses were approaching the brink and it was just wearing down on me. I gained back a lot of weight because I just stopped watching the amount of food I was eating and I haven't been to the gym in a month.
The good news is that I'm back in the black (positive) and I'm feeling better than ever. The last few days I've been more confident about my trading, gaining my aggression again, and having a better sense of what I'm doing on my trades. I'm still far from trading at my best, but at least the bleeding's stopped and I'm heading back in the right direction.
So hopefully I am back on track and moving in the right direction. The coming Chinese year is the year of the rat, which should be a very good year for me. I'm looking foward to the coming year with great expectations.
The good news is that I'm back in the black (positive) and I'm feeling better than ever. The last few days I've been more confident about my trading, gaining my aggression again, and having a better sense of what I'm doing on my trades. I'm still far from trading at my best, but at least the bleeding's stopped and I'm heading back in the right direction.
So hopefully I am back on track and moving in the right direction. The coming Chinese year is the year of the rat, which should be a very good year for me. I'm looking foward to the coming year with great expectations.
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