I’m too tired to write anything. Enjoy the photos.

-Wallace

Stoked and Ready at Big Sur Station

Last year I admitted that Sykes ruined us, this year I am proud to announce that we completely owned Sykes. The fresh faces of Ryan, Tram and Tu accompanied the veteran group of Jenny, Sunny and yours truly. We packed better, we left earlier, and we trekked at a ever snappier pace. We arrived at camp by 5:30pm on the first day, and was able to soak for a good 2.5-3 hours, which at that point the sun started to set. The next morning I woke up at 6:30am, without bothering anyone but Jenny who was already fidgeting around I made my way back to the hot springs; I discovered that this is really what Sykes is all about, the sun slowly rising, the water flowing, and the vacant springs. I was able to seize the essence of morning all by myself. Ryan actually woke up and caught up with me and we spent a good 3 hours soaking and chatting; how fortunate for him to experience such serenity on his first Sykes venture.

As we made our way back to camp we find the rest of the group already stirring and finishing up breakfast. After a quick meal, some laughs and smiles we packed up and set out. We got out within 5 hours as well including breaks, lunch, and random bathroom tangents. I thought I knew everyone but Tram in this group pretty well; as the day stretched and eyelids got heavy we push and prodded each other out of our comfort zones, and pretty soon we all learned new and fascinating things about each other. What happens in Sykes, fortunately usually stays within Sykes. With this being said, you’ll just have to come next year.

Thanks to Jenny, Ryan, Sunny, Tram and Tu - You were the ones that really made this trip what it was. It is my sincere pleasure to have you as my backpacking partners and I am extremely blessed to be in a position to call each and every one of you a friend.

-Wallace

this was a pic request. really.

It’s 6:30am on a Saturday morning. What the fuck? This is the second Saturday that I’ve been awake at this un-godly hour, although this Saturday I have more reason then last. We’re going to Sykes!!!! Just so if you are wondering if I woke up and thought, “6:30am?! WTF, I’m going to blog about this!” I did.

I had quite a bit of fun last night, I finally got a chance to check out the new BMW Z4 Coupe that’s been taunting me ever since I first caught it. It is a lot larger then it looks, and the price tag on the 3.0 is well…”ouch!” Maybe that extra $10k is worthwhile for the M Coupe. Anyways; Sia, Lucas, Jay, Sean, Sunny and the rest of the SCU Clubs ended up at Tied House in Mountain View where appitizers and an open bar greeted us. By the time Tru arrived I forgot how many drinks I’ve devoured, so not only am I awake at 6:30am, but I feel a little sick as well. Oh! Before I forget, Booker’s Bourbon is GOOD STUFF.

Alright…I’m going to take my last real shower until Sunday, and get a fresh cup of coffee from Peet’s before Jenny, Ryan, Sunny, Tram and Tu arrive. I’m stoked. I can’t wait. Hot springs await us!

-Wallace

pre-ride photo : patrick, calvin and i - fob pose.

My thoughts this Sunday were with Gary Lewis and his family. An especially hard Mother’s Day for the Lewis’ this year I’d imagine. However it was a gorgeous Sunday up here in the Bay Area and Calvin had gone out of his way to plan a ride from Ft. Mason and looping around downtown Tiburon. Ever since I became involved in cycling, crossing the Golden Gate was something that I’ve wanted to accomplish. However everytime I came close to doing so something came up, thus it becoming somewhat of a unicorn to me. This Sunday was different; Calvin asked me if I was interested well in advance and my calendar being free I gave him the green light. We met up at 11am in Ft. Mason’s main lot, geared up, and set out.

Now cycling across the Golden Gate could be described as visions of grandeur and what fantasies are made out of. Well was it? No…not quite. San Francisco utilizes a system known as “Mixed use trails,” what this meant was unlike the south bay where cyclists have their own lane to do what they wish and regulate themselves, San Francisco and Marin in an effort to conserve space and protect it’s environment pave one big trail for all kinds of cyclists (mountain, road, hybrid, recumbent, etc), roller bladers, joggers, strollers, tourists, and whatever else you can think of. It’s a navigation nightmere, as you do not want to collide with cyclists travelling the other way when you both are averaging 15 miles in skin tight spandex. There was a point where Patrick and I were breaking 26mph in Sausalito, imagine if one of us bailed. Anyways…the mixed use trails were only one concern, I do not recommend aero wheels on the bridge, the cross winds were insane and I had a hard enough time cycling straight with my non-aero/disc/dished training wheels. I’m not sure how the guy on Zipp 404’s and the Bontrager Aeolus tubulars were doing it. Despite the shitty conditions the views were indeed spectacular, the deep blue ocean dotted with cargo barges, sailboats, and a regatta. Each end of the bay is bordered with solid, majestic, deep green land masses. Stunning.

As we reached the tip of Sausalito there is a SHARP descent from the bridge, when you’re travelling as fast as the speed limit for automobiles (35mph) you know you’re going a bit fast. Being that these roads were new to me I was checking my brakes the entire time. If you look at the green line on the above graph that tracks altitude, and the two bumps at either extreme shows the descent and ultimately the biggest hill climb of the ride. The ride into Tiburon was rather relaxing and I was glad I loaded up on my allergy medications. Flowers blooming, and thick patches of green grass - children playing and couples strolling, if I could work/live here I’d do it in a heartbeat.

Although the Golden Gate is a bit sketchy and the concept of mixed use trails is new to me I was comfortable by the end, especially racing through the Presidio and into Ft. Mason. I just waiting for the next group ride.

Happy Mother’s Day.

-Wallace

Friday…

photo credits go out to ryan. i dig.

We last left off with me rambling about how my weekend was going to unfold, well did it unfold as such? In the shortest of words, no. It didn’t go exactly as planned but I did have a rather amazing weekend and one of the most relaxing weekends in quite some time.

she took advantage of me

Before I get to the good stuff I just want to mention that Loft 11 is a shithole. Lack of service in every possible way, perverted bouncers and a crowd that made K-Fed and Britney look cultured. We arrived shortly past 11 and drunken land manatees were roaming the dance floor. Haw and I were trying to get inside, and explaning that we were on the list. The fact that we arrived late we were penalized $10!!! Meager? Yes, but a minor annoyance at best. It gets better! As soon as we make our way up the stairs we head straight for the bar where I proceeded to learn the definition of shot glass and rocks glass has changed. Did you know a thimble doubled as a shot glass for patron silver and a shot glass is able to fill in for a rocks glass? I can go on and on about my umbarge, but I believe we all ended up to have a decent time. I mean…look at the photos. Hilarious.

i take off carol’s shoe, ryan bites carol’s foot, crystal grabs carol’s bum, poor carol

Saturday…

leela and a tired shriya

Leela’s son, Anish, turned one and she threw a party complete with Barney and home cooked traditional Indian fare. Anish was restless and I didn’t get many pictures of him, therefore Shriya will have to do. Always good to see Leela and her family, especially at their home. After many years and countless hours I think the remodel is finished and she actually made use of her backyard. Awesome.

Sunday…

Sunday did not go as planned at all, my original thoughts were to catch brunch with Sunny and Lauren at Southern Kitchen then just stroll around mindlessly in downtown Los Gatos or Saratoga. Instead we head north and have brunch at Stacks in Menlo Park then proceeded to the Filoli Center in Woodside only to learn they close at 2:30pm on Sundays. Shucks…so now what? Back down the peninsula we went and fortunately for me it was the last day for the photographic exhibit at Stanford. We spent the majority of the day here looking at photographs, and Rodin castings. We ended up drinking ice teas on the manicured grounds and freaking out over the furry catapillars that just happened to be everywhere. Tired, sweaty and ready to be replenished we headed to Pluto’s where Rob finds us muching down a quick, no frills salad which brings the weekend to a close.

That was my weekend in a nutshell. Those that I saw this weekend, you were all awesome and totally made my weekend that much more fulfilling. In no particular order: Ryan, Haw, Tu, Carol, Nancy, Jen, Barry, Tram, Sunny, and those forementioned in this entry.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

-Wallace

oOoo new stuff! solidworks origami (clickable)

A few months ago I overheard a group of people talking about Bahn Mi, “Bahn Mi this…,” “Bahn Mi that…,” “Oh the Bahn Mi at so and so is so good,” and “You have to try the Bahn Mi there,” I thought Bahn Mi was some exotic Vietnamese dish. Excited I got back into the office and Google’d “Bahn Mi” what came up were rows upon rows of Vietnamese Sandwiches. If you haven’t drawn the conclusion yet “Bahn Mi” is Vietnamese for Vietnamese Baguette Sandwiches, the ones that sold for $1.00 or $1.50 per when I was a kid. A little disappointed and actually feeling a little dumb I found myself craving one, that craving lasted for a good couple months.

Just this past Wednesday I got my chance to go to Lee’s Sandwich (on another interesting note I’ve never actually been in a Lee’s Sandwich until this day). This particular location had a bus stop right in front and off the bus came a young mother and her daughter. They snuck in line right in front of me and the daughter shot over to the candy under the counter. Softly her mother said, “No Marie, not today we don’t have enough money. I promise next time.” Instead of throwing a fit or questioning her mother the child accepted her mother’s hand and stood patiently next to her mother. I was impressed, for I see most children as little monsters waiting to be unleashed. They didn’t order much just a sandwich and a bottle of apple juice, as the cashier asked if they would like anything else I took the oppertunity and inserted my order along with the fruity candy her daughter wanted. The mother looked at me with those, ‘What are you? Crazy?,” eyes, her mouth gapped in shock and eyes in bewilderment, before she could mutter a word I complimented on how well behaved her daughter was and that lunch was on me that day. That folks…is my first Lee’s Sandwich experience; Service was good enough, my sandwich tasted great, but I’d skip the eggrolls next time, and wow everything in there was amazingly cheap.

I’m not writing this to gloat but they do say one good deed begets another, that being said I hope I have inspired you to put a smile on someone’s face today. Then again it probably wasn’t that much of a good deed as Crystal and I went to Gordon Biersch last night to grab a bite, I swear we got drugged. We both only had one beer, her a marzen and I a maibach, and left more tired and dizzy then we’ve ever been drunk. I didn’t even bother washing up I just fell on my bed and passed out; fully clothed. Crystal on the other hand woke up in her closet with her cell phone stuck to her face. Apparently she fell asleep right after speaking with me. Definitely not the way I wanted to start my weekend…but at least we’re ok now.

So what’s planned for this weekend? Ryan’s back on the mainland and turns 26 today, we’ll be celebrating his birthday tonight at Loft 11 in the city. I expect not only the Bomb Dingo group but also Carol, Crystal, Haw, Jeff, Sunny, Tram, and Tu in attendence. I’m going to go cycling in a bit but will have on my drinking shoes tonight! Leela’s son, Anish, turns 1 on Saturday and I finally get to check out her newly remodeled home. I’m excited. Finally there’s Sunday; we plan on sleeping as long into the day as possible, well I’m actually going to catch the group ride in the morning, then maybe brunch at Los Gatos Cafe and just lounge the day away. Then it’s Monday!

I’ll let you guys know how the weekend goes next week. Until then, put a smile on someone’s face. A stranger or a loved one, all the same.

-Wallace

PS. I finally got my AID Expedition Application in today. Totally STOKED. I’m going to bring back some third world parasites for you city folk.

giggity giggity

To sum it up this weekend took quite a toll, although not the same caliber as Gumball 3000, or any modern rallye it sure felt like it. The fresh motor in Zagi’s R32 travelled a smidge over 2000 miles in the past 3 days, starting its course at HPA Motorsports with Marcel & Melodie at the wheel. Zagi picked it up in Newark, Ca after a rough 934 miles then continued the trip down to Los Angeles. With a fresh turbocharged power plant and KW V3 suspension the car is running better, stronger, and faster then ever. I’m glad to see his car work again, although it’s been quite an experience. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on a roadtrip or spent an extended amount of time with Zagi and this weekend I remembered why, the dood is intense and at many times not logical. He’ll realize his short comings after the fact, but won’t listen to logic prior to the mistake he’s about to commit. We stayed up both nights past midnight wrenching on the car and the dood wakes us up at the crack of down with some voodoo magic energy. Redbull definitely gives him wings, too bad it takes coffee and sunshine for the rest of us. The weather, lack of shade, and environment also got to me, but other then that (yeah I know that sounds like everything) I had a enjoyable time. Definitely good to see some of the guys Jeremy and Mirsad again, as well as meet a few new faces and getting to know familiar faces better. Dunno if I’ll go next year, but I’ll definitely think about it.

losing my mind at advanced motorsport solutions

Looking forward to my own bed again and a good night’s sleep. Also wishing Ryan a happy birthday, and also Anish who turns 1 on Saturday. Should be a good, comfortable, relaxed weekend. I hope so anyways.

i’d like to see those two black cars in my garage - RS4 bodied S4 & HPA TT R32

-Wallace