Today I Learned How To Play Golf

For 12 years I've been swinging my golf clubs all wrong. Granted I've never taken a formal lesson in my life. But surprisingly, none of my friends never noticed a gigantic flaw in my swing (to be fair, no one likes giving or listening to amatuer golf advice). Basically I was taking the club back incorrectly with a closed face from the get go, thus leading to all sorts of problems including me having to generate all the power instead of letting the club do the work.

Well tonight my friend, BK, pointed it out on my very first swing at the driving range. He described what I was doing wrong and showed me a drill on how to fix it. I really struggled with the drill at first because after 12 years of habit, it took me awhile to get a feel of what was right. When I finally got comfortable with taking my club back, I worked it into a full swing...and BAM! (Well, maybe after the 3rd or 4th try). But that first solid contact was exactly like that euphoric feeling when you take your very FIRST swing ever at a golf ball and it goes straight. I couldn't believe how much work the club when you swing it right. I'm back to "hooked on golf" mode. Thanks, BK.

Unfortunately, there's 100 more things I still need to fix with my game. But at least I can cross #101 off the list.

How Sweet It Is

Another birthday gone by… And a “sweet” one it was. The day started off with a tin box of cookies sent by Susan and was delivered to my office desk. Little did I know it was rigged with electronic device that played a midi happy birthday tune when opened. Great think I work in a cube so that everyone around me could hear it.

And it gets even sweeter… In the evening Susan arrives with a birthday cake in hand. Carrot cake, my favorite. And then a gift I least expected…MLB 2K7. I will become a hermit for the next couple of weeks on the PS3.

Earlier in the day, I sent out an email to local friends to meet Susan and myself to Cuba Libre for drinks at 11pm. We were super late to dinner at Finn & Porter with traffic lights and parking not adding negating my birthday luck. The calamari was below average, but my main course in the sea bass was fantastic. We left the restaurant with a little time to spare. And with that time, Susan asked me if we could meet her cousin in Austin at Saba before going to Cuba Libre. Usually I can tell if she’s hiding something from me because she hesitates or looks another way when talking to me, but her delivery was flawless.

We walk into Saba a dozen friends burst out into a Happy Birthday chorus. I was completely embarrassed! Not because of the raucous singing, but the fact that I didn’t even see it coming. Clueless. The night continued with a few drinks at Saba (yes Rick, jager-minus-the-bomb). A stop to Cuba Libre to not hurt my feelings. Then a stop to one of my favorite bars in Red Fez. Not sure what the drink count came to but it was enough to keep me hungover until 3pm the next day.

29. Sweet.

One Down, Nine To Go

Coming back from vacation last Friday, I was curious to see how much weight I put on and surprisingly all I gained from an all-inclusive week long trip to Mexico was 3 lbs. Feeling sluggish from vacation, I've worked out the past 3 of 4 days, but nothing overly excessive. I don't know if my bathroom scale is off (the scale I've been going by for about a year now), the fact that I ate mostly seafood over vacation or some cosmic anomaly in the space time continuum...but I've been able to get under 170 lbs. for the first time in 5 years. Tipped the scales at 169.2 to be exact. I'm pretty sure it's a loss of muscle mass, but whatever, I'll take it. Achievement at its finest.

So, that knocks one resolution of my list. And I have 9 more to go in 2007. The next closest to being resolved is the cooking resolution. I've learned to prepare 4 new meals with 1 more to go. Other than that, I'm not even remotely close to finishing any of the others. Oh well, I'll celebrate in the moment. Cheesecake sounds good right about now.

Back To Life, Back To Reality

The first day of work after a long vacation is always the best…NOT. Oh well, the price of fun was worth it. This was the first time I’ve taken a week long vacation from a Friday to a Friday, and it’s the greatest because you have the weekend to recover and take care of errands. I hate that Monday morning exhaustion feeling when coming back from vacation on a Sunday. Today I feel well rested, and in good part to the many naps I took over the weekend.

Unfortunately, I just discovered my least favorite chore; it used to be ironing clothes, but pulling weeds has surpassed it by leaps and bounds. I should have fertilized my lawn before I went on vacation thinking I had an extra week before anything would start growing. Big mistake.

Back to the grind. I’ll blog a recap of my vacation another time…

Adios, El Vacationo

The next few months are going to be eventful to say the least. The vacation spree begins this weekend with a week long trip to Cancun, Mexico. I’ve been trying to get to 170 lbs as a personal goal by working out pretty much 3-4 days a week for the past 3 months. I tipped the scales at 171.5 lbs this morning. Amazing what dehydration can do. However, the weight loss has all my boardshorts in sag mode. I’m sure I’ll be back up to a hearty 180 by the end of this Mexico trip because we are staying at an all inclusive resort. Eat and drink, and drink some more. March doesn’t end there. The week after we get back, a half dozen of us from Austin have 2-day tickets to the South NCAA Basketball Regionals at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. Let the March Madness begin.

Then comes April! A special someone will finally visit me. We plan to go to an Augustana concert the first weekend of April. The rest of the weekend is TBA. Then mid-April, I bought a ticket for ONE to see Blaze of Glory: Pacquiao vs. Solis. I know what you are thinking, “One ticket? What a loser.” This may be my only chance to see one of the greatest Filipino boxers, Manny Pacquiao, in the history of the sport live in person. Going by myself allows me to spend a little more on a better seat, so I’ll be fine. Then at the end of the month, it’s my birthday. Boring.

May what?!? Cinco de Mayo weekend, the Dallas crew wants to go “camping”. Details are to be worked out. But if things come together, I immediately have to bounce to Hawaii. Darn. I’ll be spending a week long cruise with my family. Happy 60^th, Ma. Goodness, my tan is going to be deep brown before summer even starts. Yikes. Then there will be this “Money” wedding I may be attending at the end of the month. Oops, I think my invite just got retracted (not the first time that’s happened).

Oh June, can I get a break? NO! My childhood friends from the Seattle area will be coming to visit a second time. I’m hoping for Schlitterbahn Part Dos, but it might not be in the cards. They want to have a bachelor party, and what better place than a water park? Okay, I can name a few other places. Then at the end of the month I will fly back to Seattle to attend that wedding. Who is not getting married? Oh wait…

In July, I will return to my former residence in Minnesota to attend a former roommate’s wedding. Is that it? Well for now…

August, be a pal and let me rest.

Filipino Cooking 101

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to learn 5 new cooking recipes, where one of them had to be Filipino. So far, I've learned 3 new ones this year and they all have been Filipino dishes.

My first dish was Pancit Canton (the Filipino chow mein). I added too much broth the first time, and realized it right away when the noodles cooked really fast. So I started spooning out broth like a boat taking on water. I need to cut the mushrooms better, and maybe add either shrimp or Chinese sausage the next time around. I give it a 6 out of 10, a modest score to improve upon.

The second dish attempted was Pinacbet (a vegetable medley with pork - optional). The recipe called for bittermelon, and I almost put it in until I tasted it on the side. Holy bitter, Batman. I also didn't know you had to remove the inner core of seeds and pulp. I think I can do without the bittermelon. I might have had too many vegetables the first time around because it was a bit watery, thus came out a bit bland. Not sure how to improve this dish, but I'm sure it'll taste better the next time around. First attempt score, 5 out of 10.

Yesterday I cooked Ginataang Alimasag (crab in coconut milk sauce). This I knew I couldn't get wrong in making. Though I wasn't sure if I should pre-cook the pre-cooked crab. Turns out my instinct was right, and didn't need to. 3rd dish was a charm. 9 out of 10 because nobody's perfect.

Also included in my Filipino cooking arsenal from the past are Arroz Caldo (rice chicken soup) and Chicken Adobo. Both dishes still need some work, but at least I know how to make them. I always ask my mom the secret to cooking, but never get a straight answer because it just comes naturally. Sometimes doing something routine can feel like no secret at all. So I guess I'll just keep practicing my timing and measurements, and maybe one day I'll be a step closer to having a secret of my own.

Anyone hungry? Cause I need a victim to get a real opinion of my cooking.

I Live In An Igloo

I officially hate winter. The office has been closed the past two days due to ice storms hitting the Austin area. I did venture out yesterday to the gym before the ice tooks its toll on the roads. Why did I risk going out? Because it's a brisk 60 degrees in my house...at least downstairs. I have a two-zone heating system, one for upstairs and the other for downstairs. The one upstairs works 75% of the time. The one downstairs works 0% of the time. Compound that with the freezing temperatures outside, I basically live in an igloo.

I'm too cheap to call a repair man because it will probably cost an arm and a leg to have my heaters checked out at a time I'm sure they are charging above premium prices. I would start up my fireplace, but I have no idea where the tool to open up the damper is and I think having some wood would help. I guess my space heater and layered clothing will have to do.

How did I ever survive in Minnesota?

One (Less) Step Closer To Home

Great news...Austin will have a direct flight to/from Seattle in April 2007! No more stops in LAX, DEN, MSP, ORD, MEM or DFW.

December 19, 2006

New Seattle-Austin nonstop flight announced by American Airlines

AUSTIN, TEXAS - American Airlines announced today it will begin new, nonstop service between Austin, Texas, and Seattle on April 10, 2007. American will operate one round trip a day on the route with its 136-seat MD80 aircraft featuring 16 First Class and 120 Main Cabin seats.

"The Austin and Seattle markets are important to American and its customers," said Henry Joyner, American's Senior Vice President - Planning. "We've done very well with our other flights between Austin and the West Coast - we expect this one to be a success as well."

Here is the schedule for American's service between Austin and Seattle, effective April 10, 2007 - all times local:

Flight 1893 Departs Austin: 8:15 a.m. Arrives Seattle: 10:25 a.m.
Flight 1960 Departs Seattle: 3:35 p.m. Arrives Austin: 9:35 p.m.

"This has been a highly sought nonstop route," said Jim Smith, Executive Director, City of Austin Aviation Dept. "There is strong support in business travelers between these two high-tech cities. The schedule allows one to fly to Seattle for business and return in the same day. Additionally, it's easier for leisure and recreation travelers of Austin to enjoy the American Northwest. We also expect a strong response from travelers in Seattle coming to Austin."

Sorry for the bait & switch.

My 10+1 Resolutions

Here are my 10 resolutions for 2007:

1. Get to 170 lbs. I currently weigh 180 lbs, which isn't bad, but I've always wondered what I'd look like if I lost a bit of weight.
2. Run a 10K. This may help Resolution No. 1. The most I've ran is a 5K and I was dying after that. Plus I'm getting over an Achilles injury that plagued me in 2006.
3. Develop a six-pack. I hate doing abdominal workouts. But this year I'll be going to Mexico in March and Hawaii in May, and would like to look beach ready.
4. Buy a dining table. I have the money, but there's no point in buying a table for just one person.
5. Cook at least 5 new recipies. Hopefully, one of those will be Filipino. Pancit time! I have the magical touch of turning gold into lead...no Midas talent here.
6. Sing one Karaoke song. Sounds easy, if you don't have stage fright or trouble remembering words or beats to songs.
7. Jump cleanly wake-to-wake on a wakeboard. 2006 was my rookie year.
8. No alcohol for one month. I think I better choose February.
9. No meat for one month. This might not be doable, thus all the way at No. 9.
10. Read three non-fiction books. Boring.
11. Follow through with at least 4 of these resolutions. Thus this will count for one, and make it look like I got half of my resolutions to pass. Winner = me.

Happy New Year!!! 2007 is already one better than 2006.