It’s funny how the internet has changed all of our lives, what’s more interesting is all the methods one has to broadcast their opinions, thoughts, and in many cases - advice. Crystal’s currently stuck watching episodes of Xiaxue’s Guide to Life. Who is Xiaxue, or “Wendy” as she goes by for us Americans? From the snippits that I’ve caught here and there she’s the Singaporean version of Paris Hilton - except she’s somewhat hilarious.

If you’re curious, you can also catch Xiaxue thru her blog or via YouTube. Be warned - You’re going to lose a few brain cells.

However I must admit I’m not much better, Mike’s got me stuck on a cat in Japan named ‘Mugumogu.’ He’s like the Japanese version of Garfield, except possibly fatter and dumber. Mugumogu is a inbred mutt trapped in a feline’s body, and yes…he is very hilarious.

More Mugumogu on YouTube.

-Wallace

Lance Armstrong never really struck me as an artsy guy, in fact nothing I’ve seen of him or his Austin house stops me in my thoughts to think, “Hey…maybe Lance is into art!” From this assumption, it was quite a surprise to me to see Lance cycling on Trek Madones which rocked paint and vinyl schemes from many of today’s most influential artists; Kawz, Nara, and Fairy to name a few, however it was Daimen Hirst’s bike that Lance rode on Sunday that metaphorically knocked me off my feet.

Hirst was given a custom Trek Madone, of course one to fit Lance’s dimensions, but customized it with hundreds of once-living butterflies.

“Lance is an inspiration to many people on many levels. Bono first approached me about the bike and described Lance to me as ‘the greatest sportsman the world has ever known after Ali!’ It was a great opportunity to work with someone I admire and create the bike — something I’ve never done before. The technical problems were immense, as I wanted to use real butterflies and not just pictures of butterflies, because I wanted it to shimmer when the light catches it like only real butterflies do, and we were trying not to add any extra weight to the bike. Doing something crazy like this is ultimately about transportation and not simply transport, and what Lance does when he rides it is the same thing. I think Lance loves it!” - Daimen Hirst

Lance’s foundation, “Livestrong” has also teamed up with Nike in the Livestrong Stages collaboration. Stages was a global collaboration amongst leading artists to produce one of a kind pieces which will be auctioned off to benefit the fight against cancer. The tour features pieces from the following artists:

* Cai Guo-Qiang * Rosson Crow * Jules De Balincourt
* Dzine * Shepard Fairey * Andreas Gursky
* KAWS * Geoff McFetridge * Yoshitomo Nara
* Catherine Opie * José Parlá * Raymond Pettibon
* Lari Pittman * Richard Prince * Ed Ruscha
* Tom Sachs * Kenny Scharf * Eric White
* Christopher Wool * Aaron Young

Stages is currently on exhibit in Paris till August 8, 2009 at:

Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin
76 rue de Turenne 75003 Paris
T : +33 (0)1 42 16 79 79
Gallery hours: Tue–Sat, 11am–7pm

If you are like me and will not be able to make the Paris showing, Stages will be then travel to New York City for an October showing before moving to Los Angeles in November. Its final stop will be the Portland Art Museum at the beginning of 2010.

Even more inspiration to get to Manhattan in October right?

Livestrong Stages 09
Lance’s TdF Bikes

-Wallace

We did it! I did it! And I am not planning to ever do this again. Finally, after years of postponed, cancelled, and misplaced plans Sia, Navid, Stefano, Sam, Falon, Kia and I reached the summit of the infamous Half Dome. A familiar landmark, or landmass rather in Yosemite Valley. This mound of granite is some 4,737 feet above the valley’s floor and is such a vital part of Yosemite that it is featured on the back of California’s state quarter.

The actual trail is some 16 miles long round trip and most people who ascend split the hike between two days - backpacking up to Little Yosemite Valley to camp, however from my personal observations most of Friday’s climbers went up in one day just like us. Our actual hike began a few days prior to us arriving at Yosemite. We did our research and came to the conclusion that everyone in our group were to use harnesses, as preservation of life and responsibility to ourselves as well as to those around us superseded speed - just surviving this trek was gratification and accomplishment enough.

It was only 4am when Sia decided to stomp through our cabin waking each and every one of us hikers up. We would eat a quick breakfast of oatmeal, yogurt, granola and fruit before arriving at the trailhead at 5:30am. The sun was rising as we began our trek up the Misty Trail, a excited and breezy pace we set walking up the steep paved incline. By 6:45am we had reached the top of Nevada Falls, we celebrated by stopping to refuel and toast a goo cheer to a great pace. At this moment, we thought we were going to be celebrating victory back at the cabin by 2pm.

Half Dome’s trail is not at all too difficult, but it is very technical and somewhat demanding. The amount of granite takes a toll on one’s joints, and the constant thought of foot placement works one’s mind. However, the most difficult mental item on Half Dome is something that no one ever speaks about - sub-dome. Everyone makes it seem that you walk up the trail that leads you directly to the cables, and this is somewhat true, but the section prior to the half-dome cables is known as sub-dome - and as the name implies, it is a mini, yet massive, granite dome.

One needs to summit sub-dome before one’s able to even attempt half-dome. Navid was less then impressed upon this realization, but we coaxed him up the granite mountain. Once up the views, although very similar to other vista points within the valley, were plain spectacular.

It took the bunch of us some 14 plus hours to do the round trip, and by the time we gotten back to the cabin most of us were defeated.

The girls, aside from Falon, took a different approach to Friday. Theirs involved pizza at Curry Village, a brisk hike up to Vernal Falls, and relaxing in the sun while waiting for us to return. Upon returning we took turns at the shower and Stefano cooked up dinner. Fettuccine with sausage, peas and a cream sauce for the guys and a pesto spaghetti for the girls. Passed out then it was onto Saturday.

Tenaya Lake was on the agenda along with grilling up some koobideh and chicken thigh kebabs from Rose Market. This was a real lesson, we found out the hard way that koobideh is best cooked the day of, as we lost a few skewers as the meat gained additional moisture from the melted ice.

My most memorable take from this weekend however definitely had to be the Ahwahnee Dining Room. Upon pulling up the Valet/Bell Hop made Stefano slow down the minivan to the posted 5mph. Stefano did, but Kia in the back seat blurted out “Douchbag.” The valet turned around and shouted, “SIR!!!”

Getting out of the car and walking to the Ahwahnee was definitely a tense, but hilarious one - I could only imagine what Kia was thinking. The valet asked who the driver of the minivan was, to which Stefano admitted to. His over all response was that he still went too fast, we had a good laugh.

Aside from that little blunder, I highly recommend the Ahwahnee dining room - if Crystal and I find ourselves up there in the near future, I’ve already told her I’m taking her there. Three star food in a Five star setting was how one diner described the experience, and I have to admit to pull off food that delicious, fresh, and well cooked in the middle of one of America’s most visited National Parks is no small feat. If it is three stars in an urban setting, it’s definitely five stars given the location.

The affogato I had for dessert was not the best idea, but other then staying up till 3am the following morning dinner was stellar. Sunday was the usual pack up, clean up, tidy up and make up prior to starting the road trip home.

Thanks to Sia and Navid for being the real driving forces behind this trip, Stefano and Janel for being an awesome chef and a great backer in addition to our chauffeurs for the weekend, and the rest of the group which made this weekend a very memorable trip.

Rest of my photos on Flickr.

Also, check out those Nike Wildedges after some 18 miles of trekking.

-Wallace

It’s only two and a half days before a group of seven of us will attempt the fabled granite pinnacle. In preparation of this monumental trek I passed on traveling this weekend and trained by cycling through Sunnyvale and Mountain View as well as hiking in near 100 degree fahrenheit with Sia on Sunday.

Still unable to find a solid cycling route through Sunnyvale, I somehow stumbled upon Stevens Creek Trail from Crystal’s apartment on Saturday. It all started as I got lost and decided to see how far I could cycle through Moffett Field before security would stop me…well they never came and I cycled right past the original Nasa Ames Research center which was now undergoing a face lift.

Further though I ended up on some fireroad (I wished I had a cyclocross bike in such times), which took me out to the end of Stevens Creek Trail - this trail was awesome, a multi-use trail which is nearly all paved and takes one through the marshes that line our bay. Tall marsh grass grow in the stale ponds, and pelicans feed near the shoreline.

Half the time I was worrying that I would pinchflat, but I figure these Michelin Pro 2’s were the first clincher to win Paris-Roubaix, they hopefully could handle a bit of rough road - they did and what a reward it was. Incredibly scenic, fresh air, and a somewhat lack of people…that was until I turned around and joined the main paths. There joggers, families, other cyclists, and everything under the sun hindered my path including a woman doing push ups in the middle of the trail - yes, IN THE MIDDLE.

Gotta represent Sabin and Carbonlord.com - Love his handlebars, and his crank is not bad either.

I got back, passed out then Crystal and I had a date through Santana Row. Starting at Cielo where she hand a mojito and I, a stella - flirted as the sun set and the sky the color of a ripe peach. Then we found ourselves comfortable at Left Bank, a smorgasbord of french appetizers and a couple of libations we started to fill our empty stomach cavities. I had escargot and Crystal her fromage. Absolutely Divine, or Duan pointed out “very decadent indeed.”

Sunday while Crystal went shoe shopping with Laurie - Sia and I went on the craziest local hike I’ve ever been on in Los Altos. This was a trailhead near Hidden Villa, and it literally went completely uphill until the first summit - no gradual switchbacks or flat spots it was an incline all the way up then split into 3 or 4 separate trails on the other side of the mountain. Great hiking area, just need to be in better shape - which brings me to the realization that I’m going to have to work extra hard to make things easier on Friday.

After the hike we dropped by REI to pick up safety gear, although many have mentioned that a harness is overkill - we kind of like living, and am not going to let a huge chunk of granite get in our way of life. Hence, I picked up a Black Diamond Mammoth AL harness, Black Diamond Runner and a couple Petzel Carabiners to connect us to Half Dome’s steel cables.

I also scored a pair of limited yellow Nike Wildedge’s. I first spotted these Nike ACG shoes on SneakerFreaker, and thought that if I were to pick up another pair of light hikers these would have to be it. Made with a light and very breathable upper, but water resistant due to Gore-Tex they seemed to fit the requirements perfectly as most Gore-Tex boots are H E A V Y.

These also feature Nike’s 0.44 super sticky rubber soles as well as a large comfortable toe box. No more jammed toes, and hopefully translates into an overall comfortable trip this Friday.

I’m excited.

-Wallace

A few weeks ago I wrote about saving California’s State Parks, not much has changed since then as our state is deadlocked in budget negotiations and I’m sure you’ve heard have issued IOU’s rather then cash backed checks. However as you can see our state parks have remained open and as of July 9, 2009 over 95,000 people have risen to the occasion and sent in letters, expressed their concerns to their legislators, signed petitions, or have called/emailed their elected officials.

I have to admit that I was overly ambitious for this trip - deciding to create a homage to our Outstanding In The Field dinner the evening prior really pushed my culinary knowledge, know how and energy level. I began the awful process soon after the office - going from Whole Foods, to BevMo, to Safeway then the prep started. Washing the carrots, trimming off the vegetation, preparing the fresh squid ceviche, skewering then marinating the shrimps, trimming the pork tenderloin, stuffing the tenderloin, wrapping it in bacon and amongst other things stuffing everything into coolers and packing it with ice.

Long story short - I did not finish the prep work till 3am Saturday morning. The next thing I knew Zoli was calling me and I had to scramble out and onto the road. We all arrived at Henry W Coe State park around 10am and started to set up camp. I never realized that such a pristine and gorgeous park was located in such close proximity.

Andersen Lake was just gorgeous and from the top of the hilltop, where our camp was situated one really garnishes a whole new appreciation on otherwise dry, over grown grass. From up top, especially while we were hiking they had their own eerie calm about them - pleasantly synchronized swaying in the warm afternoon breeze, and providing a hiding place for the foxes, coyotes and deer that roam these hills.

Aside from this great outdoor setting we had that overly ambitious culinary feat of a menu. We ate something like this:

Lunch: Bleu Cheese stuffed burgers, topped with slab bacon and sandwiched between a kaiser roll - paired with a plethora of bottled beer.

Dinner: Grilled Romaine topped with Monterey Squid Ceviche and crostini | Grilled lemon garlic shimp skewers | Grilled Gorgonzola stuffed Pork Tenderloins wrapped in slab bacon, served with roasted organic carrots | Mixed berries and mint - served with a variety of wines.

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Slab Bacon, Mixed Berries with Mint, Pineapples & Blueberries, Oatmeal, Italian Sausage | Mesquite Buffalo Wings (These were really for lunch, I totally forgot about them)

In short, we ate like royalty. I don’t think anyone went hungry - nor sober for the matter. It was a day and night full of laughs. We even got our neighboring campgrounds involved.

Although I know Zoli, Sunny, Tru and Katie well enough it was a chance to really get to know Mark and Anthony. Someone once said that one doesn’t really know a person until they’ve spent time together intoxicated - and although we were all at different levels of soberness throughout the evening there was one who stood out - Anthony. This guy was a riot, he just kept going, and going, and going…and g o i n g. Said anything on his mind, was clearly open to suggestions, and provided an evening of laughter - usually at his expense.

As day slowly melted into night I realized that I had forgotten the s’more supplies - oh. what. tragedy. I’m pretty sure we replaced s’mores with Jack Daniels, Ketel One and Grey Goose. In fact the only person in our camp who was not intoxicated was Metzger Scrappy Doo - Katie’s pet chihuahua. Once the moon rose over the adjacent hill, our campsite turned into a bunch of star struck aborigines collectively going oOooOoOoooo and ahhHhhhhHHhhh…

The moonrise was absolutely gorgeous and the fact that I somehow operated my camera, tripod, and manual settings during this moment was nothing short of a miracle. As night became day, and I have to say it was not an awesome night - never have I fought so much with the tent. Those winds were obnoxious and pushed the wall I slept by way in, almost wrapping me in tent wall, the morning was a slow wake up call; wind blew our stuff everywhere, and what the wind did not blow the animals got. Our cooler was dragged into one of the fields, our sausages stolen, and Metz’s leash/treat bag found in the middle of nowhere. The welcome squad didn’t look too great either.

All in all I had quite the weekend, I wish to do this again but don’t wish to plan or prep it. Incredibly fun, and happy that our state parks remained open for us to take advantage of. So, for the moment…I’m looking forward to Yosemite in a week!

More photos on my Flickr.

-Wallace

We went to iFly SF Bay in Union City this afternoon to break away from our already distracted work weeks and see what the whole indoor sky diving movement is all about. Our instructor reminded me of Jeff Daniels, or I should say Harry Dunne of Dumb and Dumber fame - however he was more then patient with our group of misfits and as an instructor quite good.

I had to man up and take the day-glo pink suit as no other guy wanted it and jumped into the ginormous wind tunnel. I have to say, this whole experience is a whole lot more difficult then it looks. Makes one really appreciate those synchronized skydiving videos on shows like ‘world’s most amazing videos’ and the like. It was quite fun, looking forward to doing this again and maybe even stepping out into a tandem jump.

-Wallace

This past Monday was Club Sportiva’s inaugural Exotic Car Experience and if pictures could talk; they would tell you that it was an event that was absolutely not to be missed. However if you did miss it the world’s not over, they’ll be doing these events throughout summer and into fall.

Club Sportiva’s Exotic Car Experience entails 6 vehicles and over 150 miles of mixed twisted backroads, breath taking scenic routes and freeway sprints. Each participant will be able to experience each vehicle’s power band as well as handling characteristics. One can compare numbers on paper all day, but it’s not until one gets active seat time behind the wheel of one of these vehicles that they can truly appreciate what they have to offer. This club has really changed my opinion about a few vehicles, for example the Shelby GT that we took out a couple weeks ago.

So just what does all this cost? I won’t bore you with the details, but it comes in just a smidge under $1000. If you are truly interested contact Club Sportiva directly, or ping me and I’ll put you in contact with the appropriate persons.

Click Here for more photos.

-Wallace

We came, We watched, We cooked, We ate, and We prepped. This essentially sums up our July 4th weekend, no fireworks, no abundance of bodies, and no need for a separate post-weekend weekend to recover.

Sunny and I met up with Zagi who was helping Dave crew for his AMA race this weekend. Rather then having outrageous triple degree weather we had a mellow day of qualifying. Being Sunny’s first Moto GP race he was excited and taken back by everything that was happening - from the Moto GP bikes, vendor row, customs and of course the stunt bikes.

I personally thought the Specialized booth interesting, they were not pitching their latest and greatest - in fact I was kind of excited to see what mountain offerings they had, and maybe demo the Stumpjumper. Instead they had motorcycle racer’s personal road bikes on display; including Tom Boonen, Roger Lee Hayden, Nicky Haden, Tommy Hayden, Casey Stoner and Ben Bostrum’s personal bikes.

Dave also let me get on his superbike - the same bike that he takes up to ~140mph on this course. He made his goal of Top 20 this weekend during the AMA qualifications. Not sure how he did in the actual race today.

Way to go Dave!

After we got home I celebrated Independence Day with Crystal over home made burgers, mac salad, and a bottle of Opala “green wine.”

Today we ran a bunch of errands, mostly because Crystal was helping organize Laurie’s upcoming Bachelorette party. However we also cooked up a couple filets, sweet potato mash, and haricot verts.

Toasting the weekend away with a 2003 Santa Barbara Winery Zinfandel. A bottle which we picked up the same weekend as Walter & Jill’s wedding in Santa Barbara.

After dinner I edited photos and Crystal started an assembly line of “survival bags,” ironic as they’re staying in hotel rooms this weekend were as a few friends and I are camping south of here.

I thought they were very well made. Cute. Just not sure how she’s going to get all these up to San Francisco come Friday.

Happy Fourth!

Moto GP via Flickr.

-Wallace