To sock or not to sock

Last night the Astros was defeated in the Baseball World Series. I am still trying to cope with it today.

I do not think that I am a superstitious person but for the last week or so, I have watched the World Series baseball games on the tube, while sitting in every position possible. I have sat on the right side of the sofa, the left side of the sofa, with the batting helmet on, with batting helmet on my son, leaning side ways… I think I have tried to sit upside down with one finger supporting my entire body weight at one point. Unfortunately, no matter what I did, the Astros still could not squeeze out a win against the Chicago White Sox.

Boy! I am sore from sitting in all those bad position.

Today, I am still deciding if I am going to wear socks ever again. (True Houstonian had not been wearing socks during the duration of the World Series…)

It stinks a little from gotten swept by the Chicago White Sox… well, maybe it’s from all these folks in town not wearing socks.

100 years

I am going to share with you a song that meant quite a lot to me for the last few years. Especially this year... well, before I had my birthday. After my birthday... I will have to wait another twelve years before it becomes as important again.

The song I talked about is non other than 100 year by Five For Fighting.

Let me share the lyrics with you.

I'm 15 for a moment, caught in between 10 and 20
and I'm just dreaming, counting the ways to where you are

I'm 22 for a moment, she feels better than ever
and we're on fire, making our way back from Mars

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

I'm 33 for a moment, still a man, but you see I'm a they
A kid on the way, a family on my mind

I'm 45 for a moment, the sea is high
And I'm heading into a crisis, chasing the years of my life

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy, time to lose yourself, within a morning star

15 I'm all right with you
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

Half time goes by, suddenly your're wise
Another blink of an eye, 67 is gone
The sun is getting high, we're moving on...

I'm 99 for a moment, dying for just another moment
And I'm just dreaming, counting the ways to where you are

15 there's still time for you
22 I feel her too
33 you're on your way
Everyday's a new day...

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to choose
Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 year to live

The Houston Astros

The mighty Astros have finally done it. Back from one the gravest moment in baseball history… i.e. The Moonshot by Albert Pujol… (someone told me it just landed in somewhere in Iowa)

Instead of hanging their heads, they have the look of determination last night. Everyone played with guts and vengeance. Even the reliever, Qualls and Wheeler and that nasty look in them, in fact they were standing there at the bullpen gate, could not wait to be call on to replace Oswalt.

That’s the of spirit of a winning team. Full of confidence and wanting to bring it to the other team.

Houston Astros have finally made it to the World Series, facing the blue collar White Sox.

Go Stros!!

The Bermuda Depths

This is one one the movie that I can never get it out of my system. I saw this movie when I was just a little boy.

It was a movie about a boy who was fell off his boat into the sea. Somehow, he was saved by a girl and they became friends, hang out together and one day carved their initials on to the shell of a green sea turtle.

The boy grew up. One day due to some some interesting event (sighting of a sea monster), went back to the Bermuda. There he met a beautiful young lady and they fell in love. A local friend of his however said that he should be careful because of a legend about the girl's name, Jannie Haniver.

Well, in the end of the movie, the friend went to try to kill the sea monster with his harpoon, never to return. In the parting scene, the friend was dangling in the harpoon ropes while the camera zooming away, showing a giant sea turtle with a tiny harpoon on his scale with the initials of the the boy and the girl on it.

For some reason, that parting scene never faded after all these years.

Somehow, I wish to see it again.

Two tyrannosaurs and two apples

Last night, while my 3 years old son and I were reading our books, (Tyrannosaur Canyon was my reading and Power Touch Book: Grade 1: Dinosaurs was my son’s) for a long time it was just the sound of dinosaurs roaring in his Power Touch Book. It’s fun to see him concentrating on his “book” while trying to imitate me reading.

Tyrannosaur Canyon is a good book, but it is not as good as a Crichton as it claimed on the book cover. It’s a little annoying that a chapter averages 2.5 pages (I think he tried to boost pages… he only has 365 pages even with that trick). And I hate the lingo he used, as if he needed to impress the readers that he browsed the internet while he was writing. But then again, it’s a good read and it’s the one I have now. Well okay, my son’s book is just a little better than mine.

After about an hour reading, (My son finished 6 books at that time span) I decided to interact with the little guy. I started to create trivias and problems to get his brain juice going. He answered the first few questions correct and the I decided to give him his first math question.

“Close your eyes, and imagine you have one apple on your hands.”
“Okay.” He replied, while closing his eyes.
“Now can you see your apple?” I asked.
“Yes, I want it to be a red one.” He said.
“Sure, and now, I will give you another one… now how many apple do you have?”
He frown, holding up a peace sign with his right hand and simultaneously open his eyes.
He was right, it’s two… but what he said next made my day.
My 3 years old said, “Papa, I cannot finish eating that many… can I put one apple in the refrigerator?”

I nodded and gave him a hug.

Astros won! Astros Won!

With no positional player left in the dugout. Roger Clemens came out to pitch 3 innings relief. In the 18th inning, he swung with all his might hoping for a homerun... he struck out.

Then the unlikely hero #2 Chris Burke came in. A ROOKIE with a hitting average of only 0.248 and 5 homerun for the season... dug in and waiting for the pitch.

Well, the rest was history. He put the baseball out of the ballpark and the golden homerun sealed the game and the Houston Astros won the game 7-6, as well as a ticket back to the NLCS to meet with St. Louis Cardinals coming Wednesday.

What a game!!

I was jumping in my living room, it was amazing!


"He might have thrown 10, 20 innings... and I'm honest with you when I say that. I think he was prepared to do whatever it took. And that's the way the man is. I've never seen anybody like him. He's amazing."

-Astros' general manager Phil Garner on Roger Clemens.

Arya Svit-kona

I bought this tennis racket about 14 months ago. She is a racket that is softer than most, high in control and reduced in power. I love it because I use a big long swing to hit, and pin-point control is what I am looking for.

This is a little adventure of my racket and I.

I have played K. S. before. He is stronger, better coached, better form and hit the tennis ball better than I have ever did. I have sparred with him for about a couple months now, and everytime we finish I felt that my hitting was too soft. I tried to hit the ball harder but I can never measure up to his skill in identifying the sweet spot.

A week ago, he challenged me to play a set with him and I agreed. I hit the tennis ball as hard as I could trying hard to match up with his speed and harder hitting. We went toe to toe and tied at 4-4. But by that time, I was exhausted. I have not played my normal game and was then paying for it. I can't moved my feet and K. S. broke my serve and then hold his serve to beat me 6-4.

A few days ago, we decided played again. This time, I decided that there's no way I can beat him with power. He is just naturally stronger than I am... so I decided to play directional counterpunch. That will save me some energy because I can use his power against him... and hopefully he will run from side to side more than he used to.

Well, I won 6-2... :)

After that game, I decided to award my racket with a name. She is now called Arya Svit-kona, after an elve from The Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini.

New Shrimp Recipe

Food, food, seafood!

I am going to share a new shrimp recipe that I tried yesterday. Inspiration? Well, cans of mandarin orange from the vegetable catagory my Hurricane Rita stock.

What you need:
12 jumbo shrimps
2 slices of mozzarella cheeze
1/2 can of mandarin orange with juice
1 teaspoon of white pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of water
1 teaspoon of butter

That's it!

Heat up a pan, put the butter in. Let it melt with the heat first then add water and mandarin orange and the juice. Stir it carefully, so not to release all the pulp. Cover with a lit.
Let it the liquid boil.

Then put in the de-shelled shrimps, stir a little and wait till all the shrimp change color to the well done red color. Turn the shrimps and then put in the 2 slices of mozzarella cheeze. Let it melt and stir it slowly. This will make the very liquid, slowly turn into a thicker saucely liquid.

Add salt and pepper. Do not add too much of these, because we want the taste to be sweet then a little sour, coming from the shrimp and the orange. Not a mixture of confuse taste.
There, display the shrimps nicely on to a place, sauce it and then finish with a branch of basil.

Serve with rice or angel hair... yam! yam! That's what my 3 year old said.

After that we watched an anime called Steamboy. Turns out it's a little to violent for his taste. It's a good film. I would recommend it to anyone other than a 3 year old.