I would like to take a quick moment and thank each and everyone of you who took the time, energy and effort to call me, or text me to make sure I was alright tonight. For those of you who don’t know a 5.6 magnitude earthquake silently ripped through the Bay Area a few minutes ago, and those of you who were concerned enough to contact me have already found out; I didn’t feel a thing. In fact I didn’t know what most of you guys were talking about at first, with opening lines such as, “Oh my God Wallace! Are you alright?” How was I supposed to react? I was sitting in Crystal’s car wondering, hmmm, do they know something I don’t? Did I get diagnosed with some terminal illness that I’ve yet to know? OMGIMGONNADIEARENTI!!!?!ONE!1!! Not quite, but yeah I’m okay, my folks are fine, the houses intact, no wine wasted, and I hope everyone’s alright. The only person I haven’t heard back from are Quang and Jenny who ironically live near the epicenter. I’m sure they’re doing fine, but I’d sleep better if one of them pinged my phone back.

What a week so far, I’ve had an amazing week so far and there’s no doubt this momentum will push me into next week. Margot’s now infamous San Francisco Chili Cook-Off took place this past Saturday and the usual faction did show up, along with more canines and crumb munchers this year. Along with some great chili (I’m usually nice, but the Hawaiian chili was pushing it, and the Sushi chili? That was pure failure. A for concept, B for execution, but F for allowing guests to taste such rancidness.). So aside from the amazing chilies the side dish table is always filled with interesting bits; last year it was the bacon candy and the red hot cupcakes. This year, aside from the wonderful cupcakes, it was the candied chilies, and yes they were habanero chilies. These little things looked innocent and a whole lot of fun. Small, petite sized peppers roasted and rolled in orange sprinkles, they looked cute, and harmless even though most people knew to shy away. I originally steered clear as well, that is… until my curiosity and Paul got the better of me. I found Zoli and told him if he did one, I’d do one too, he was game, it was on, there was no turning back now. We chose our victims, or I should say the Habaneros chose us, touched chilies as to toast then downed the hatch.

Now, mind you a Habanero rates 100,000 to 350,000 on the Scoville Scale. Your normal, commonly found Jalapeño Pepper only rates a 2500 to 8000 Scoville units. A Habanero is easily 12.5x hotter then those green things found in Vietnamese sandwiches, and I chewed and swallowed one. It tasted quite good actually; sweet, peppery, and great texture, I was wondering what was the big deal. About 30 seconds later, I found out what that big deal was, Oh my God I never felt such immense pain devour the back of my throat, my tear ducts opened and I was more flush then the fat queen. Wow this stuff was crazy, my chilled Pabst was not helping so it was onto the baguette, that didn’t work either, Crystal playing my support team stuffed Paul’s dense, sticky brownies into my gap and wow I was still strutting around like a headless chicken. My mouth was on fire, and my eyes were trying to put it out. Not one to miss an opportunity I took advantage of the tears and got a few laughs, telling Zoli that I heard the bad news, and Brooks that I missed him so much; all the while this was getting ridiculous, I wasn’t sure if the intensity was ever going to go away, I started to half panic, and half freak out, I thought I was going to pass out.

To my fortune, the heat did go away and the tears stopped flowing. That was definite stimulating. If you want to really wake someone up, give them a candied Habanero - just don’t expect them to talk to you after, or ever.

After my near death experience in Golden Gate park we made our way over to the Height. Crystal’s has actually never been shopping here, other then the single experience of rushing through Kid Robot to put a smile on my face. Therefore we squeezed into the tiniest space I’ve ever been in just to breeze through True, Villains Vault, Villains, Ambiance, and of course Kid Robot where I quantified my ever growing desk army even more. The picks of the litter are usually whatever ‘chase’ you obtain, and I did end up with the Flaming Labbit; however my prized pics from this night was the Kozik Dunny, and especially the Shane Jessup Lucky Cat Dunny pictured below. I hearts.

After a rushed spree though the Height, I had to postpone our Alexander’s RSVP a hour later to 9pm. By the time we finally arrived we were still inevitably late, however promptly seated, then reseated due to the awkward green glow the light gave off. With a bit of luck I bumped into Shawn from the Friday prior and our waiter happened to be Richard who also served us on that same Friday. Our dinner was absolutely astounding. Not only were we brought mini intermezzos to keep our meal’s momentum but served a taste of wine with every dish we ordered; starting with the standard Champagne toast to the Rose for the Hamachi Shots and finishing with the Tawny Port for the Souffle. An decadent meal without a doubt, and to top things off; Banana Cotton Candy along with the bill, now that’s a sweet meal.

One of our better dining experiences of 2007 and not a moment too late. Funny how a casual night out turned into one of the nights and meals that I will not soon forget. I want to end the post here, but some of you want to know what happened on Sunday. Nothing really, we woke up then went to Peninsula Creamery for brunch then split so we could do our own chores and finally met up again for Chinese food at Mayflower. Yep, a very gastroyummy weekend. Saturday was so epic I’m still stuck on it now.

So screw the earthquake, when you have a day as sweet as my past Saturday, nothing else seems to matter.

Hope all of you are safe, warm, and comfortable out there. Cheers.

-Wallace

One constant in my life has been Sunny Wang; an open mind, a carefree soul, a perennial spirit, and quite the entrepreneur. We met many years ago, nearly a decade now in Sunnyvale Town Center. Sunny worked at Express Men, we knew it then as ‘Structure,’ and I worked next door at Express Women (I swear this is true). Ever since then we’ve connected prodigiously well; sharing laughs, difficulties, advice, all the while forging memories. Since then, Sunny has played a immutable role in my cast of characters.

Sunny on Life - Sunny, for as long as I have known him, is an eternal optimist. He definitely did not have life given to him on a silver spoon. Starting life off in some fishing town in China, his mother and he was sponsored to the US just a little over a decade ago. During that decade Sunny has constantly grown and improved, he has matured, and learned what it takes to succeed in this world. He views the world without bias, and is as excited about the future as I am. He’s big on life. You can tell when he introduces himself, “Sunny Wang! Say it with a smile!”

Sunny on Business - Sunny has always been the entrepreneur; he is on an incessant hunt for the next million. I’ve pushed him through many a expenditure whether it be custom tailored suits, to financial planning, or to his latest idea: Rebounder’s World, a social networking website, based on the popular person to person model, that aims to change how we, and the world looks at failed relationships. He is headstrong, and critical of advice, but I have no doubt he’ll succeed in the end, and by succeed, I mean soon.

Sunny on Relationships - Sunny has dated a larger plethora of women then any guy I’ve known, part of this I believe is his mind is a lot more open then mine. I’m stuck on the slender, face, boob, bum type of girl while Sunny has full on knowingly chased water buffalo. He is also much more of a conversationalist then I am, he is willing to talk to pretty much everyone, and takes them for face value. This is truly a trait that I envy. However this has obviously lead to quite a few mishaps, they’re just bumps in the road as if he was telling you this they would just be grand stories. He’s able to learn from his mistakes, so my only role is to pick up the pieces. I say this, because I know he’ll be there for me when I need him. We’ve both been in those shoes, together many a time.

If you’ve been keeping tabs on this blog you’ll notice that Sunny appears in many places. He’s always up for anything, and more then willing to try new things. It’s no wonder we have such a good vibe; perpetually improving ourselves, unceasingly pushing our limits, and in a relentless pursuit of our next adventure. I’ve been extremely fortunate to be able to call Sunny a business partner, a confidant, and most importantly a friend. I’m looking forward to the memories we’ll forge in the near future, I’m excited that snowboard season is upon us, and I’m absolutely confident that one day, and one day soon, we will accomplish our current goals and set new ones.

-Wallace

I’m home on Friday night!!! To the best of my knowledge this has only been the second time this has happened and that I’ve blogged about it, the previous Friday is archived here. So just why am I at home? No real good reason, in fact I intended to at the very least go out grab dinner and a few beers with the guys as Crystal and co are having an short notice girl’s night out. Now…why can’t guys say, “Oh we’re having a guy’s night out,” and sound somewhat cool doing so? Ok, enough open ended questions. I think I kinked my back trailriding after work today, my back did not feel too great during the last section of the trail. It was pretty sore, but normal now…or at least I hope.

Believe it or not, I’ve never owned a pair of Van’s slip-on’s in my life, or to the best of my knowledge anyways. I came across these the other day and figured, what was there to lose? They’re a bit better looking then Crocs, so I picked them up. So far so good, I can’ t keep them off my feet. Incredibly easy to wear, and not really a care in the world. No laces to bother with, No velcro to get snagged on, No instructions to figure out, these are pure. Hipster Statusing.

Some of you know that I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a larger lcd or plasma television to use as a monitor. Not really for resolution, as we all know that’s crap…but to simply chat from across the room and to catalog movies onto a separate server. I borrowed a projector from the office and this was more or less the test result. Thoughts? I realized I’m not sure where I’d mount a television in this room (Actually I know where, I’m just not sure if I’ll have enough room).

At least it makes for a attractive slideshow. Ok…back to cleaning up this joint, and dreaming about chili. Enjoy your weekends!

-Wallace

ps. so i cheated, i did go out…couldn’t stay home any longer.

“no” - slinkachu 2007

On any given day there is constantly a few thoughts going through my mind, these days there are an abounding amount of thoughts, ideas, and complications flowing through my head. I feel like a genius! Well not really, more like a frazzled Newton waiting for his apple. I’m ambitious, on edge, forward thinking, motivated, within grasp, a bit fortuitous, and totally random.

Here I am sitting somewhat enervated due to current events, yet excited about what tomorrow holds. So what does tomorrow hold that excites me? Honestly nothing, except it is the end of this miserable week. However this weekend holds a quasi-holy journey to Kid Robot, Burton’s magical sample sale, Margot’s commoving chili cook-off in no better place then our very own Golden Gate Park and another, hopefully more pleasant visit to Alexander’s. That being said I’m stoked about this weekend. Finger’s crossed.

“Maybe This Time” : Exmouth Market area, London - Slinkachu 2007

So you’re probably wondering what the hell these photos are pictures of; they’re photographs from Slinkachu a photographer/artist based in London. I crossed his blog today and they definitely put a spin on not only perception, but he pushes comfort zones, politics, and they are distributive. Definitely a new view on life. I like it.

Speaking of London, without a doubt it is definitely the “it” city at the moment. I’ve always been a fan of Brit tailoring; James Perse, Paul Smith, and even Ted Baker. Then there are the Astons you see in James Bond movies, and of course the English riding boots so often associated with foxhunting and field polo. Wait…of course! Banksy, how could I forget. Aside from all this it truly is a destination on its own. Forget Seville Row, forget Hong Kong, forget the fashion giants in Milan for the moment…Focus, focus, focus on London.

As you can see my mind is racing faster then I my fingers could keep up. The other topic I wanted to touch on today is “routine.” Us humans thrive on routine - states Joe Friel, arguably the best cycling and triathlon coach in the United States. As soon as daylight savings time arrives I will begin training more systematically rather then spontaneous. About 7 months ago I was arguably in the best physical condition of my young adult life, since then it’s gone in a quite spectacular down hill fashion; gut sightings, pancreatitus, and viral infections. It’s been a glorious slide to toward the opposite of the health spectrum. I am planning on implementing a methodical and systematic training schedule to get me back on track. They ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ training schedule as Joe so eloquently puts it, is not going to cut it this time. Look forward to rants about 5:30am training rides and exaggerated weekend peregrinations. Cheers to better health.

Ok, gotta support Jenny with her Mass Mutual mixer. Later!

-Wallace

Current thoughts goes out to those living in and around Southern California. Hope all of you guys are alright.

-Wallace

Some of you guys crack me up. McDonald’s? You actually eat that? Yes I do. Not just a handful, but quite a few of you were surprised that I consumed a meal at the golden arches. I seem to have a perception of having golden taste buds, or a food snob’s palate. That’s not exactly the case; what I hope to convey in this paragraph is that I do appreciate food, I am passionate about food, and prefer quality over the masses; however I will never shun or look down upon food. Just like everyone else out there, many times I don’t have the time to sit down, order, and consume. Life calls, and as Tru stated last Friday at Alexander’s, “McDonald’s fries are the best.”

So just what went on this weekend? Friday night was actually quite exciting; I first caught up with Jean, her life being the jet-setting consultant is always non-stop excitement - although I’m not envious. Zagi and I also caught up over coffee in downtown Saratoga, and finally I met up with Tru and was introduced to her cousin and two friends over hamachi shots, fois gras, medium rare filets, and glasses of Stag’s Leap, and Catacula. Sadly, I did not catch Crystal, she was busy with friends, and I didn’t want to spend time with them, by the time we did connect over the phone she was too tired and I apparently relaxed.

Saturday started with a miserable training ride, I did exactly 20 miles but I felt my legs deteriorate with every crank. I just did not feel good, I’m sure it had something with the 2-3 lousy hours of sleep that I did manage the prior night. Crystal got her hair done then we were off to catch Glendy and Drew - a happy congrats to the both of them. The night ended in San Francisco at a bar called Vertigo, I got to meet Crystal’s co-workers and her ex-boss Steve. Friendly bunch, and I am happy to report that they had Arrogant Bastard on tap. Both of us left sober.

Sunday was full of errands; Crystal needed to get her tires changed, I needed to return a DVD player, Crystal wanted to go button shopping, I needed to pick up more Cytomax, Crystal needed to buy Sniffy more bedding, I needed go to the cleaners, etc. We got most of it done I believe; I’m also starting to question the effectiveness of running errands as a couple. Cute yes, effective? It also doesn’t help that I’m dating the world’s most talented sleeper. Waking up itself is a challenge.

Ok, more errands ahead. Till next post.

-Wallace

I was chatting with Ryan today and he goes, “When you don’t update your blog I’m incredibly bored. I’ll go on there and omg wow it’s Crystal’s face for the fourth day in a row now.” This got a laugh out of me, so here’s something fresh and breezy.

Remember Ron and Kari? They finally got their children’s boutique off the idea board and into reality. Little Artika opened its temporary doors in the Biltmore Fashion Park in Scottsdale. Their slogan: “Cool Stuff for Little Humans,” I’m not sure where they got the name from, but now you know where to shop for all your little human needs. I’m definitely going to drop by if I find myself in Scottsdale, not to mention checking out their quasi-modern home with the Philippe Starck bathroom. Congrats.

The Dream - Salvador Dali (1973)

All of us have dreams, ambition, and some form of motivation; or at the very least I would hope so. Most of you have been born into a privileged existence, by this statement I mean you were not forced to glue synthetic Nike soles to the faux leather and cloth uppers as a child, nor have a deed attached to your birth certificate, or in the middle of some revolution (at least I hope not). Most of us were given an ample chance of success; and to make something of ourselves. Many of us also got caught up in the 9-5, fell in love, spawned crumbchasers, or lost in a corporate maze. This being said, I’m not sure where I’m going with this besides the fact that I’m thankful for every opportunity that I’ve crossed paths with.

When I got back from a client meeting this morning I found the desk next to me bare, and the remaining pack of Crane & Co cards on my desk. I did not have a good feeling, the first thing I did was check my Gmail, then my company email, and then looked around my desk for a note, even underneath the Crane’s box. Nothing. Well, I sat and sorted through work hoping for the best. My phone rings a short time later, it’s colleague’s name shows up; with a bit of hesitation I pick up. “Wallace, I am no longer a part of the firm.” was the first thing that flowed from his lips; shitty. I did see this coming, just not this sudden. However this puts him in probably the best position he could possibly be in at the moment. I won’t go into detail, but in some regards I’m happy for him. Chase those dreams, and make one’s imagination into reality type of stuff. Good stuff.

Last but not least, I am thanking all of you who chipped in for this thing last Christmas. I figured it’s my responsibility to keep you up to tabs on what’s going on with it. So far I’ve replaced the stem and bars with a vintage Raleigh quill and flipped & chopped vintage Raleigh drops. The front brake is a Diatech Goldfinger; yes, BMX hottness, the seat a white Fizik Arione, a Shimano 17t freewheel on the other side of the flip flop hub, and some Crank Brother’s Eggbeaters to crank through traffic. A couple other things I’ve been meaning to do, but low on the priority list are a set of deep v’s and replace the fork to tighten things up. So Thanks Again; I’m enjoying this orange hottness very much.

Have a good weekend folks. Be Safe Out there.

-Wallace

PS. GO JENNY!

What a gloomy looking week. Here I am cramped up inside the office with the Stumpy next to me ready for a fresh track. I think I’m going to take it out in about an hour regardless of the overcast. I have come to accept and actually become thankful for this mentality of mine, when all seems lost I somehow always seem to have hope. Either that or I’m just incredibly impatient that I’m willing to risk illness for the sake of gratification. It’s going to be a good ride regardless, I’m that excited.

I had a lazy weekend, Saturday morning began with me prepping the Stumpy as documented in the post below. However I also took my free morning to catch up with Melinda out there on the Eastern sea board. Through our hour or so long conversation I realized a couple things; Rose was getting married in Hong Kong and I was supposed to be in Costa Rica or some other tropical location with Larry. It’s funny how fast and how subtly things change; as Larry is in NOLA with Clara visiting this weekend, and Crystal and I went wine tasting at Ridge Wines and Uncorked in Saratoga. An extremely relaxed and enjoyable Saturday.

Sunday was another story; Crystal actually got the cold (yes, I passed it on), so we stayed in and finished 24, season three. She rested up and I wasted away. I had a good weekend.

Looking to stay busy and active despite the rains this week. It’s optimism that keeps me going, and it’s friends like you who continuously cheer and support me and my antics that I source my motivation from. I also got the surprise of a lifetime this weekend as Glendy called me and told me that Drew finally proposed as they were holidaying in Hawaii. A huge congrats to the both of them, I can’t believe my only oldest cousin is finally engaged. My mother, and many of you, is asking me when I’ve going to cross that threshold. To answer that quite frankly is like the sky right now; unclear.

Live as if you’ll die tomorrow, and Dream as if you’ll live together - right? I’m sitting here with a smile, I hope you are too. As for the pictures “munny is over rated” - a decoupage of torn dollar bills on a 6″ munny & useless gifts by luke; a footless rabbit creature receiving a pair of shoes. I like it, maybe I’ll add it. Who knows. I’m excited for what tomorrow has in store for me.

-Wallace

Update: I ended up making it to Fremont Older in Cupertino this afternoon, and despite the overcast and rain baring weather I decided to go for it.

I parked in the lower basin lot, set up, then got on the trail. The first mile or two is nearly straight up hill, it was ridiculous. I haven’t pedaled this hard for a long time, not even Old La Honda compared to the technical difficulty of some of these climbs, as keeping my butt on the saddle is essential for traction. Climbing out of the seat was tricky.

During the descent my front tire caught what I believed to be a stump or old root, this sent me into a endo. As I felt my rear wheel lift I instinctively unclipped but somehow managed to bunny hop out of it, resulting in a bit of fishtailing but no dirt digging. I ended up cycling a total of about 5 miles, I’m looking forward to the next ride.

As you can see from the picture, last night was quite a night. The rains put a stop to our Friday night plans, but that didn’t stop us from having one of the more entertaining nights of the month. I caught Jenny late in the afternoon and she invited us to bowl with her friends at Strike, a new bowling establishment in Cupertino. After a quick checklist of our options we decided that we should go bowling, after all none of us could remember the last time we laced up a pair of bowling shoes and tossed some balls, besides…Strike had a fully stocked bar with Guinness on tap. How could we go wrong?

Upon our arrival we discovered that Strike was more of a Dave & Buster’s but with a bowling alley, this was fantastic. While Jenny’s friends bowled and we waited for the next game we got competitive on the air hockey tables, I’m proud to say…I won every round. Our lane finally opened so we made the game a little more interesting by betting drinks. Jenny, apparently already had too much to drink, she definitely was the star of the party.

Slipping and sliding all over the bowling lane, she was in good spirits (as always). We wrapped up the night over pints of Smithwicks at Dukes of Edinburgh. I woke early today and wanted to cycle, to my better judgment I decided not to, as the last time this happened I ended up with pancreatitus. I figured once was enough, instead Jenny offered to take us trail-riding this Sunday so I spent all morning prepping up my Stumpjumper.

I haven’t written much about this bike as I haven’t ridden it much, and the thing needed new tires so I figured it wasn’t too safe to ride. I got a pair of Michelin all-mountains for it, a whopping 26×2.00 tire - FAT (ok, not really, but it’s pretty wide for this frame). I also finally got a chance to crank on the Crank Brothers eggbeaters; I just love how Crank Bros packages and embellishes their components. The matted box with fitted sponges, anodized metal bits and bling gold cleats…so sweet!

Now that it’s all tuned up I’m ready for what Jenny has in store Sunday. I’m ready for that trail, so’s the Stumpjumper.

Now I’m just waiting for Crystal to arrive. I think she got pretty hammered last night at her roommate’s bbq. I guess a good cure for a hangover is more alcohol, in our case, it’s Ridge Winery. Yum. See you all later!

-Wallace

ps. Breakaway Bike Shop in Saratoga is flippin sweet. Those Shimano SPD pedals were cemented to the cranks and even they admitted it was the hardest set they’ve ever had to remove. After all the work and sweat they only wanted $5. I thought it was a joke, but no they were serious. I left quite a bit more; great guys, I definitely will be going back for maintenance.

Recovering well from last week’s cold; partially thanks to Crystal who took the opportunity to learn how to make chicken soup from scratch. I was useless all weekend, I didn’t do anything but lounge around, eat whatever Crystal fixed up, and go on a 48 hour 24 season three marathon. Crystal is hooked too, her “Jack Bauer! *Punch*” is becoming a bit of a concern, and her “24! 24! 24!” excitement reminds me of my first contact with Jack Bauer and CTU.

I spent sometime along the coast last week for work. Walking along Carmel’s infamous beach in leather lace-ups was a bit of a bummer, but having the opportunity to breathe in fresh sea salt and take in such world class views was nice. Sure beats a day in the office - such as this entire week.

I found this more modern beach house of interest. I wonder how it looks from inside, the blue must make things incredibly bright. Probably better looking inside then the outside, it’s definitely maximized for beach front views.

Ok, I have nothing else to report. Just excited for the SF Chili Cook-Off and Oktoberfest this Saturday. Finally catching up with Sia, Jonathan, Brooks, and the rest of the mash up.

-Wallace