Harley Howie Blog!

Taiwan Trip Day 5

2010-07-05T23:04:00.011-04:00

Taiwan Trip Day 5

After running around between the banks and the government offices all day for 2 days, I wanted to take it easy on day 5 of my trip. So I decided to take a trip back to the neighborhood where I grew up, and stop by the school I attended when I was a kid.

To my surprise, my alma mater, Fuhsing Private School, has gone through a complete transformation. My memory of my school was a big playground with basketball and dodge ball courts by the front entrance and square looking 2 stories building in the back. Today those are the things only exist only in my memories. The playground is gone, so was the old building. Today all you can see is a very modern looking high rise building that pretty much occupies the area where the playground used to be. Even though I was a little sad to see all the old buildings are ancient history, but I think the students who attend the school today are going to get the best education with all the new modern technologies and facilities.

After I took a few pictures of the school, I started walking toward my old house, which is right across the street. My father wished my sister and me to receive the best education in Taiwan by enrolling us to private schools. He also wanted us to focus and concentrate all of our time and energy on schoolwork, so he moved the entire family to an apartment right next to our school. I remembered I can actually see my classroom through my bedroom windows. Today the building stood and looked exactly the same way as the day I left. However, it has brought me with mixed emotions.

Taiwan Trip Day 4

2010-06-26T21:19:00.011-04:00

Taiwan Trip Day 4

I spent a majority part of day 3 running around government agencies; day 4 is all about visiting the financial institutions. Due to my unique circumstances, I have to make several stops between the banks and the brokerage firms. Unfortunately, if I were going to take the bus, I am looking at least 2 transfers. Therefore, I figured I’d just walk. It really is not that big of the deal. People who live in the city do it everyday.

Actually it turned out to be a pretty good idea because I get to do a little sight seeing. It’s a wonderful opportunity for me to take a few photo shots when I see something interesting. For instance, on the way back, I noticed this building with a giant electronic TV screen in it. I immediately recognized that is the famous Taipei Arena (臺北小巨蛋 ). Originally this place used to be a baseball stadium. In year 2000 the Taipei government ordered to demolish the stadium and decided to build this multi-functional arena which seats 15,000 people. Construction started in year 2001 and it was completed in 2005.

In the evening, Ron, his girlfriend and I went to Keelung night market for some Taiwanese deli (基隆廟口小吃 ). Imagine hundreds of street vendors lined up on the street and all you have to do is walk up there and point to the food you’d like to eat. The portions are small but that’s the beauty of it. This way you get to taste 15 vendors instead of 5. I ordered a few traditional Taiwanese deli such as:

Tempura (甜不辣)

One-Bite Sausage (一口吃香腸)

Braised Eel Thick Soup (紅燒鰻羹)

Pig Intestine with Thin Noodle Soup (大腸麵線)

Dry Noodles (乾麵)

The pictures are worth a thousand words.

Taiwan Trip Day 3

2010-06-16T22:26:00.001-04:00

Day 3

Wanted to wake up late but couldn’t. This was a very important day for me. To be perfectly honest, this trip is not entirely about fun and leisure. I had some very important personal matters that needed to be taken care of which requires my presence. On the night before, I got the directions of the places I needed to go from my sister, looked up for the bus routes and schedules on the Internet, and still didn’t manage to get out of the house until 11am.

To my surprise, things went amazingly smooth and well. I got to give the Taiwan governmental agencies two thumbs up on how efficient and effective they handle their business. Has anyone been to the DMV or post office in the states? Imagine how long you have to wait in line before those people at the counter even look at your direction? Well, none of that is happening here. The wait is about 10 minutes or less and you get to sit in the lobby with magazines and newspapers. One worker even poured me a cup of tea while I was waiting. Try to top that in the states or anywhere else in the world!
Finally, I finished all the things on my check list for the day and I was officially off the clock. I called my buddy Ron again and we all went out for dinner. I forgot the name of that restaurant but I did remember they had very tasty dumplings, pot stickers and small steamed pork bun (水餃, 鍋貼 & 小籠包).

dinner we drove around the city for sight seeing. Taipei is a very beautiful city at night with lots of places to hang out. We drove around in the area near the Taipei 101 Tower and I managed to get one shot (not a very good one, it was too dark). I was exhausted because I’ve been running errands all afternoon so we called it the night.

Taiwan Trip Day 2

2010-06-09T20:57:00.002-04:00

Sorry, no pictures until day 3….

I woke up Sunday morning feeling great, did not feel a bit of jet let at all. I wonder if it’s because I was so looking forward to this trip, the excitement overwhelmed the fatigue. My sister suggested a Teppanyaki place where we could go for lunch and I was all for it. If my memory serves me correctly, the last time I tried it was at Benihana in Miami years ago, and it was very expensive. The place I went with my sister is located in mall, but when you walk inside it feels like a warm family type restaurant. No fancy decorations, no over-price menu. Everything tasted delicious and the price was very reasonable.

After lunch, I asked my sister where I could go and get all the things I need to buy on my “shopping list”, she suggested Kwanghua Mall (光華商場). Many of my Taiwanese friends must be very familiar with this place. Although most of the venders mainly sold used books when the mall first opened in the 70’s (see pic attached), today the mall has become best known for a place to shop for electronics such as computers and stereo systems.

The place is huge, hundred of mini-store fronts venders occupied in a 6 stories building. You can easily spend the whole day there and not feeling it. I called up my buddy Ron again and met him and his friend Paul there. I did manage to get something checked off my list but I figured I may have to come back again.

Taiwan Trip Day 1

2010-06-02T19:55:00.008-04:00

Finally, I got the pictures of my trip organized. I think I better jog down my trip in a journal as quickly as possible before I forget. My memory isn’t as good as it used to be. I know, I know…I got older!

I don’t think I have a photo entry for each day. If I were walking down the street trying to get something for lunch, I don’t think that was photo-worthy.

And, I wanted to thank my sister for making this trip possible, where I stayed at her place for 2 weeks. Plus, my sister pretty much paid for everything…

Also thanks to Ron for spending a lot of time hanging out with me, who also treated me a lot of my meals while I was there.

Okay here goes….

Day 1

When I learned that my departing flight from L.A. will be delayed for 30 minutes, I figured I will be arriving Taipei behind schedule. I thought I was being smart by calling my sister and telling her that I am going to be late for at least 30 minutes. But guess what? The “goody too shoes” captain of China Airline wanted to make it right by trying to catch up the lost time. As the result, we actually arrived on time at 9:30pm local time! Oh boy! I called my sister immediately after I landed and she was still stuck in traffic and wouldn’t be in for another 30 min. Luckily, Taipei International Airport has Free WiFi connection and I able to go online with my iPod. That is cool! I seemed to remember while I was in LAX, they wanted to charge you an arm and a leg for the WiFi connection. Uhm…I thought US has more advaned technology and free public services.

After my sister picked me up from the airport, we dropped off my stuff at her place and headed to Watami Taiwan (www.watami.com.tw) for a late dinner. It’s a pretty nice place where they serve casual Japanese cuisines. While I was there, I called my old buddy Ron and he and his girl friend were able to join us. I have not seen Ron for quiet a few years so there were a lot to talk about. After the meal, Ron suggested we go and hang out with another friend of ours Clark at the pub near by. It’s a pretty nice pub but most of the patrons are slightly older, in other words, people in my age. So, I felt right at home! Through out my first night in Taipei, conservatively speaking, I think I might have about…3 beers!

Taiwan Trip 2010

2010-05-30T14:50:00.000-04:00

Finally got the Taiwan trip pictures organized. Will be sending them out to you guys individually via email. Also, will post them on Facebook with my journal.

Just another typical S. FL Sunday Afternoon

2009-03-08T21:30:00.004-04:00

Today is a nice day for riding. The weather was just perfect. High 70’s with a little overcast. I was going through my same routines every time before I take the HOG out. Take off the bike cover, give the HOG a nice wash, dry it and start it up. Unfortunately, I didn’t take it out last weekend so the battery needs a little jump. That was no problem. The battery charger would take care of that. Then, my license has expired. In the great state of Florida, if you don’t have a personalized plate, you’ll get a new one every 5 years. And luckily, this is the 6th year, therefore, I need to take the old plate out of the bike and put the new one in.

You got to give credit to the people at Harley Davidson. They have invented ways to make sure to get every dollar out of you on anything and everything you had to buy for the bike. There are 4 screws holding the license plate. The bolts were okay but the screws were very….lets say “irregular”. I have drill bits with my power tools but guess what…? NONE of them fits!!! And the screw was neither flat head nor phillips head so the screw driver doesn’t work. And allen wrench..? Don’t go there, it didn’t work! OH geese, well, okay! Maybe I can take the wrench to hold the screw on one end and try to unscrew the other end with another wrench...well, no. The screw was rusted and if I could I’d use a hammer but it sill wouldn’t solve the problem. One only way out is to cut the screw with a hacksaw…which I didn’t have. So, took a quick stop at the Home Depot (by the way, it was so slow in the store it was depressing….guess the economy is REALLY BAD!) and finally saw the dame thing off. The whole experiment only took about 2 hours but I still get it done.

The rest of the day was history. Great day, great ride! We stopped by the biker bar, ordered a burger and a bucket of Miller Lite. Ran into a few buddies and one good buddy who we haven’t seen a while (the other of the 2 buddies I mentioned on the previous blog). It was really good to see him again. He looked as good as ever! That was a load off my chest. Now I just have to make sure I keep in touch with all of them. That should be easy enough…..you would think?

Risen for Redemption

2009-02-23T19:20:00.004-05:00

It’s been so long. Life has been taken unexpected turns. With all the craziness going around, plus the state of our economy, it’s not hard to imagine why people are feeling the blues. Yours truly included. Sometimes I though it might be a lot easier to find comfort by putting up walls around myself. I didn’t feel like seeing anyone or talk to anybody. It’s kind of weird because I am not like this at all. Until last Sunday I realized I’ve been mistaken.

Sunday morning Mrs. Harley Howie and I decided to take the little pony out for a ride. The weather was beautiful and there was no excuse not to go out and enjoy a relaxing Sunday afternoon on the Hog. We stopped at one of our favorite spot Café 27 for quick bite and maybe a bucket of beers or two to go with it. On the way to the potty before we got back on the saddle and hit home, we ran into our friend Bob.

Bob is a motorcycle enthusiast just like us and I have not seen Bob for a long time. It was great to see him but I was embarrassed running into him like this. We sat down and had a few more drinks, chatting about old times. This is where I got even more embarrassed when I listen to Bob talking about what has been happening to our old gang. One of our buddy just had a mild heart attack a few days ago and is now recovering. The other friend is battling against cancer remissoin. The more I hear about it the more I feel guilty.

Friends are supposed always be there to support each other and being here for each other. Especially when times are tough. In fact, exchange of advice and the sharing of hardship is what friendship all about. This afternoon during my lunch break, I decided to call the friend who just had a hear attack. I called and told him how ashamed I feel because I have not been in touch. He didn’t mind much of it and told me he was glad that called. He told me he has wondered how I was doing and hope that where I was I am happy. I apologized and told him I was wrong and will try to be in touch more often. I also wrote an email to the other friend since I don’t have his current phone number, and hoping that I can get in touch with him soon. And starting today, I hope whatever was eating me up will go away and I look forward to get in touch with more of my friends.

Forever our baby!

2008-05-08T19:17:00.006-04:00

May 6th has become one of the saddest day of me and Mrs. Harley Howie’s lives. This is the day our beloved “Gui Gui” passed away. Gui Gui (Chinese meaning Good Boy), who our non-native Chinese speaker friends call him “Bob”, is our 17 years old Maltese. We don’t actually know how old Gui Gui was because Mrs. Harley Howie found him 17 years ago. As you can imagine when you have a dog for this long, Gui Gui is not just a pet, he is family. Mrs. Harley Howie really took very good care of him. I always believed that it’s because her love and tender care that Gui Gui had such a good and long life.

The phone call from Mrs. Harley Howie came Tuesday around noon. I was at work and about to take a lunch break. I usually leave my cell on vibrate because my boss hates people making cell phone calls at work. Mrs. Harley Howie knows it and rarely calls me during regular business hours. When I see the phone call I knew it was something urgent. I realized something bad must happen.

Gui Gui has not been feeling well the past weeks. Even though Gui Gui had some health problems but he always has a very good appetite. Few weeks ago he stopped eating and started having diarrhea. In my mind I knew maybe that time has come, but neither Mrs. Harley Howie nor I wanted to talk about it. We just wanted to make sure to make Gui Gui feel as comfortable as we possibly could.

(to be continued....)

Law & Order Meets CSI - Fort Lauderdale

2008-05-02T20:15:00.000-04:00

So they picked me to be on the juror. I knew it from the start because lawyers from both sides didn’t ask me too many questions. Instead people who got the most questions were all excused. I knew my boss would not understand for me to be out of work for couple of days, but the judge offered to call my boss herself. What can I say when the judge made that offer? “Yes! Your honor. Thank you very much”. That’s abut all I can say.

The case was very interesting to say the least. I guess I can talk about it since the trial is already over. The DA charged the defendant for assault with a deadly weapon, in this case, a gun, and running away from police. But, there was no gun. The cops never found any weapons of any kind. Even the cop admitted that he didn’t see the defendant carrying a gun. He only said the defendant held something and pointed at him but he can’t be sure it was a gun. No physical evidence, not even a circumstantial evidence. The whole thing boiled over because, the defendant’s girl friend’s ‘ex husband told the police the defendant pointed a gun at his face. Uhm, do I think this eyewitness is creditable? Of course not! He had every reason to lie to the police because if the defendant goes to jail, he would get the girl all to himself. The girlfriend who was there during the alleged incident took place told the police she never saw a gun neither….

Tag! You're It!

2008-04-28T19:20:00.003-04:00

Very tired today. I got a summon a few weeks ago to report for jury duty which starts today. I don’t want to be picked to serve as a juror. Usually if I have a less demanding job I would. But this job has been very stressful for me the past 9 months. The thought of leaving the office for 3 days and leaving the staff unsupervised scares the pants out of me. But, during the jury inquisition process where the judge and the attorneys from both sides ask you if you can listen to the evidence presented to you without prejudice, dare I say no? Now, since it is a criminal matter, attorneys ask you tough questions. For example, I was asked if I have ever been arrested or convicted for a felony, or have any family member work in the law enforcement agencies, or have I ever subjected to unpleasant experiences with law enforce officers, and I replied no, I guess I fell into the “perfect juror” category. I should have gone the other way in this type line of questionings. What I probably should have said are things like, “Oh yeah! I love cops! I think they are all doing a wonderful job. And I held them to the highest honor, respect and integrity. I think they are the most creditable person over any other eye witness”. Now, imagine if I said that, the defense lawyer would probably want to get rid of my ass faster thank I can say “booshalaka”. Let that be a lesson for me for the next year and a day.

Dont leave work with it

2008-04-19T09:20:00.002-04:00

I had a horrible week at work. I think this job is really getting it to me. I never felt right from day one. I just didn't think I fit in and I don’t think I am the right person for the job. I don’t believe I gave up because I have received criticisms from the bosses. I am a big boy and that has happened to me before. But I am just very frustrated with duties I am asked to perform and what is expected of me. I understand we have to set goals with what we do on the job but, to be fair, these should be realistically “achievable goals”. I have been trying very hard to get things under control and up to speed. I truly believe I have my 100% efforts. However, many things have been ignored and overlooked for years, and they can’t be fixed overnight. I really don’t want to bring work home with me. I am beginning to feel it’s affecting my temper and frame of mind and it’s definitely the peace and harmony in my house.

Oh what a night!

2008-04-15T19:23:00.007-04:00

So, my sister was here for about a week and went back home to Taiwan last week. It’s been years since I saw her last. The funny things between me and my sister is that although we don’t see each other a lot, or talk to each other a lot on the telephone, maybe text messaging with each other through MSN messenger, but when we get together, we’re like old close friends. I don’t know how else to describe it, but its true. On the way down to Key West from Fort Lauderdale for example, that’s not a short drive. It took me about 4 hours to get there, but we did stop for lunch. Anyway, while we were in the car going south, I think we chatted the whole way through. I especially liked my sister kept telling Mrs. Harley Howie about the most embarrassing stories about me when I was a kid, or during high school years, or anytime what so ever. Mrs. Harley Howie just kept laughing and kept saying, “My God! How come you never told me that before?” Well, duh! The last night before she left, I took out an old photo album and we just kept talked about what had happened when that particular photo was taken. I saw myself living though the nightmare during the 80s all over again! The hair cut, the clothing’s, and that stupid geeky grin. Maybe someday when I lose a bet with Mrs. Harley Howie I’ll write about the funny (and stupid) stories happened to me in those days!

Key West 2008

2008-04-13T21:52:00.005-04:00

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I last updated my blog. I guess mostly is due to my laziness. But I believe majority is due to the hectic work schedule on my new job. 10 hours a day is just a normal day for me. Not to include weekends and holidays. Anyway, I hope to change that pretty soon.

Not much is happening since my last blog. The only excitement I could think of is my sister visiting me from Taiwan. It’s been a while since I saw my sister last. It’s not easy to travel half way around the world for a visit. Just to get here from Taiwan takes about at least a day. But I was glad to see her after all this time. And when I asked her is there any particular place she would like to see on this visit, she said, “Key West Of Course”!

We spent about a day and a half in Key West. Had dinner at Kelly’s for pretty good sea food and walked around Duval Street bar hopping. It was pretty busy for a Tuesday night I thought. But according to my buddy Mark who’s lived there for more than 3 years, he said that’s just what Key West is all about. People go down there to party no matter what day of the week it is.

It was nice to spend some time with my sister this week. We went places and took a few pictures. It’s too bad she only stayed for 5 days, but I hope I will get the chance to see her in Taiwan very soon.

Here are some pictures of my sister’s visit. They are pretty much self-explanatory.

Being lazy!

2007-08-16T21:51:00.001-04:00

Been putting off blogging for a few days. I’ve been working long hours at work this week. Wednesday I left the house around 6:30am and didn’t get home until 8pm. Today I didn’t get home until 7:30pm. Why? Well, being new to the job, there are lots of things for me to learn and get familiar with. Especially I don’t want to leave before my boss leaves the office. Also, the current CFO is schedule for retirement at the end of this year. Therefore, I am getting ready to step up to the plate and taking over some of his duties. That’s a big shoe to fill. I just feel physically and mentally exhausted when I get home everyday. But I know things will get better soon.

Hot day for a bike ride!

2007-08-07T21:19:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday I took the HOG out for a ride with Mrs. Harley Howie. I figure this is my way of celebrating my first day on the new job on Monday. I did our normal routine: a long strength from our house to Café 27 for a bucket of ice cold Miller Lite, then stop by Flossie’s on the way home. Boy! It was it hot on that day. I think the temperature was around the high 90’s, but with the humidity it feels like in the 100s. At least there weren’t much traffic on the road. As long as we don’t have to stop and we can feel the wind brushing up against our face, it ain’t so bad.

As soon as we arrived, our buddy Salty Dog and his friend also arrived. They hang with us a bit shooting the breeze. I’d imagine Salty would be all dressed up in leather and riding boots, but he said it was too hot so he wore t-shirts and shorts. I’d probably never ride a motorcycle with shorts for the safety reasons. He says since he’s old and retire, there’s nothing to be afraid of.

After we wash down the bucket of Miller Lite, its time to visit our favorite biker bar Flossie’s. It was crowded as usual. I was lucky to get a parking spot as one guys was leaving when I got there. I was only going to get another beer, but Mrs. Harley Howie said it’s a much better deal when you buy a bucket, so that’s what I did. But on a hot day like this, its goes down quick and you’d never feel it. We sat on the bench and just “people watching”. We even saw a Japanese biker we ran into a while ago. He saw us and waved at us. I was surprised he remembers us. Mrs. Harley Howie said since there are probably only 3 Asian Harley bikers in the Broward County, we should be easily recognized. I guess she is right!

First day on the job!

2007-08-06T19:34:00.000-04:00

So today is my first day at work on the new job. I was actually very excited about going to work today. After a “not-so-good” experience with my previous job, any change would be a good thing. I went through the whole orientation process majority of the morning. And the company CEO and CFO took me out to lunch, which was a very nice gesture. Since the lunch took almost 2 hours due to a slow waiter and alleged computer problem, I didn’t get back to the office until 2:30pm. When I got back, I spent most of the afternoon with the accounting manager, who will be reporting to me going forward. I would say today was a very productive day. Of course I need to go over some of the notes I took and try to learn as much as I can. Tomorrow will be another brand new day.

2007-08-05T17:58:00.000-04:00

I guess it was a good day yesterday. Last night I went to the Air Supply concert at the Gulfstream Park with my good friends Steve and Wendy. The place is basically a horse race track with casinos. But for only $10 per person, I have no complaints. The concert was great! Air Supply was one of my favorite groups growing up. To me they were the leading long song stylists. When I hear their music, it brought me back to my high school days. They played the greatest hits such as “Lost in Love,” ”Every Woman in the World,” “All Out of Love,” “Here I Am,” “Even the Nights Are Better,” “Making Love Out of Nothing At All,” and “The One That You Love.”

Mrs. Harley Howie and I only went their for the concert. But our friend Wendy likes to play the slots. So, while Mrs. Harley Howie, Steve and I were drinking the $5.00 bottle of beers, Wendy was doing her things. But, she was doing quite alright. She actually won like $250 playing the slots. So, she gladly paid for the dinner and a couple of rounds of drinks. But the concert was phenomenal. Those guys must be in their 60’s, but they sound exactly the same as I remembered them from their CD’s. All in all, it was a wonderful night to remember.

PS: Mrs. Harley Howie won $11.50 playing the slots while yours truly lost $3.00.

I am back!

2007-08-02T13:45:00.000-04:00

Wow! I can’t believe how long it has been since my last blog. I guess it might have something to do with my previous job. No! Not that job. The job I left from after serving 5 years with my previous job. Sounds confusing right? Anyway, that job did not turn out the way I expected. I thought I could make a long term contribution with that company because I still believe that company has a lot of potential. OH well, after gone through a few major corporate restructuring, a business decision has been made, and my department has officially been relocated from FL to Las Vegas. That means….you guessed it. It’s time to search for another new job. But this time it took me just 4 months to find my ideal job. I’ll discuss the whole job process in a later blog.

So, nothing has really been changed. Mrs. Harley Howie and I still take the HOG out for a spin from time to time. Nothing exciting worth writing about it. But, since I think this new job will be less demanding, I’ll have more time to write my blog in the future. We’ll see how that goes.

Out with the old, in comes the new!

2006-05-17T12:07:00.000-04:00

Phew! What a week I’ve had. I’ve been keeping this news under on a low-profile because I waned to make sure it really happens before I make the important announcement. But now it looks like the time has come….yup! I found a new job. More money, more benefit and more exciting....yeah!

I’ve been working for the current job for almost 5 years. During this time I’ve learned a lot of vaulable experience on the job. I appreciated the opportunity the company has given me. But I think its time for me to move on (after working on the same duties on a "lateral movement"). I really didn’t go out of my way to drop my resume with job recruiters here and there. It just sort of happened. I’ve been working with the recruiters in the past but I have to say they don’t really work well for me. This opportunity came when I saw the job posting in careerbuilder.com. I didn’t think of it much at the time but I thought "what the heck, let me send my resume and see what happens". 2 weeks later I found myself on the way to the 1st job interview with the same company. After 3 more rounds of interviews with different directors of the company, I finally got the offer from them last week. And, the company is sending me to Las Vegas for training my first week on the job. How cool is that!

So I gave my 2 weeks notice to my boss. I told them I really appreciated the opportunity and thanked them for everything they’ve done for me. They didn’t like it at first but they can’t do much about it as I’ve already made my decision. They didn’t appreciated the fact that I was only willing to give them 2 weeks notice. They feel that I supposed to stay on my job until they have found a replacement for my position. In addition, I supposed to stay on and train my replacement until they feel the new person feels comfortable performing my duties on its own. Well, let me say this. It might happen if I were in Japan or Taiwan because the work environment and coporate culture is a little different back hom. But I’ve never heard of this in the US. First of all, no employers would give their new hires this kind of gratitude of delaying the starting date so they can help their previous employers. Most of the employers wanted their new hires to start working for them as soon as possible. It is simply not the new employer’s problem. Second, as many managers I worked for in my previous employments, they all said the same thing “No company would not survive without any individual”. I find it to be very true. If the entire company is depending on only one key individual, there is something wrong with this company’s organization. Well, perhaps unless you’re Lee Iacocca.

Well, I tried not to burn any bridges. In my letter of resignation, I tried to be very courteous and thankful. I offer my assistances to my boss when they feel they needed after I’ve gone. I was hoping to make the transition as smoothly as possible. To my surprise.... 3 days later, I found my boss in my office making me returning all company equipments such as laptop, cell phone. Plus, all keys to the office and the building. OH yeah, I also had to surrender my alarm code by calling the alarm company and void my name under the company account for deletion. Guess they didn’t take the bad news very well….

SNL: If Al Gore were President

2006-05-15T15:57:00.000-04:00

"Saturday Night Live," opened their show tonight with Al Gore addressing the nation as if he was the President of the United States. Gore was focused and quite funny in this entertaining spoof of the current administration and their long range of failures. He also struck back at the media (update: when they claimed he said he invented the 'internets') by saying that he invented an "Anti-Hurricane and Tornado Machine."

He touched on immigration, oil, the Middle East, judges and a host of other topics that have divided our country since Bush took office. I did enjoy GWB leading the charge to clean up Baseball's steroid problem: "But I have faith in baseball commissioner George W. Bush when he says, "We will find the steroid users if we have to tap every phone in America!" Do you have a favorite line?

He touched on immigration, oil, the Middle East, judges and a host of other topics that have divided our country sinc

Click here for video

Courtesy of Crooks and Liars!

It's time for the Air and Sea Show!

2006-05-08T11:33:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was the annual McDonald’s Air and Sea Show. It’s one of the world’s largest spectator events. During this 2 days event, you’ll see top military and civilian pilots performing amazing aerobatic stunts.

Sponsored by McDonalds (my favorite restaurant in high school days), the show takes the stage on the 4 mile stretch in Fort Lauderdale Beach which draws million and millions of people every year.

This year, of course you know I’ll be taking Mrs. Harley Howie to see this once a year event. Last year the show almost got canceled because the city of Fort Lauderdale and the sponsors couldn’t agree on the terms. In the very last minute they finally got the deal done and the tradition continues. Since the Blue Angels only come every other year, I couldn’t pass this opportunity. And, the best view area would be along the A1A (Ocean Drive) between Oakland Park and Las Olas Boulevard. Thanks to my buddy Greg who just happens to live one of those high rise condo buildings, we get to see the show from the top of the building with a clear view.

I tried to take a few photos of the show from the camera of my cell phone, but I can barely get a good shot. Plus, the quality of the photos taken by the camera phone isn’t that great. Therefore, I could only take the shots of the places which I was watching the show plus the crowd down below. Check out the link below for the photos and videos taken by the professionals, courtesy of The Sun-Sentinels. South Florida’s 24/7 news.

Click here for the photos taken by the professionals from Sun-Sentinels!

Click here for the videos taken by the professionals from Sun-Sentinels!

Below are the pictures I took.....not that clear but you get the idea where I was.

Dave Mason on the beach!

2006-05-03T12:27:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Mrs. Harley Howie and I went to The Annual Pompano Beach Seafood Festival with our good pals Steve and Wendy. Other than the McDonald’s Air and Sea Show (which is taking place this coming weekend), it is one of South Florida's most popular and unique events. The festival took place right on the city's beautiful beach. For 3 days you would get food, live entertainment, BEERS and a few arts and craft. The seafood was supposedly prepared by South Florida's finest restaurants and culinary artists. But take my words for it, it wasn’t that great. Perhaps we didn’t know what to order. Mrs. And I ordered Shrimp Kebabs, which wasn’t that bad. Some crab cakes but they were burn on the outside and cold inside. To top them off, it was the Spicy Mahi-Mahis. OH my God was it awful. It was supposed to be crispy outside and soft inside with a spicy flavor. Not only it was charred and hard outside, the fish was dry and bland. If it was'nt for the 2 Miller-Lite I ordered, I have nothing to wash them down.

At least there was good music. Wendy knows a guy who works in the backstage so we all got free backstage pass.

Everybody else had to sit on the sand under the scorching sun, we sat comfortably on the folding chairs under nice shades while gulping down cold beers bottles after bottles.

And of course, with The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Dave Mason rocking with the band playing songs like 40,000 Headmen that was a weekend to remember.

Hallelujah! Crestor saves the day!

2006-04-28T10:40:00.000-04:00

I just got my blood work back. My previous Cholesterol level was at 244. Since I’ve been taken Crestor and in addition Mrs. Harley Howie making me eats oat meal (taste like rubber by the way) every morning, my Cholesterol is now at 148! That’s’ pretty darn good!!!

The doctor said since Crestor seemed to be working I should keep taking it. He also said Crestor might cause some side effect to the liver and I should go back for more blood work in 3 months to check the liver function. But he did not see anything wrong with my liver function on this blood work.

I am much relieved. I actually do felt better. I guess Mrs. Harley Howie is going to make me eat Oat Meal every morning from now on, despite of the fact that I still get nightmares from that Old Amish man on the box. Hey! Come on now! Let's be honest. I am sure may of you guys out there feel the same way I do about this Quakers old man. I guess I better learn to live with the old man if he can keep my Cholesterol low and healthy!

Thanks to the folks of Alternative M/C!!!

2006-04-25T13:14:00.000-04:00

Just want to give my thanks to the fellows at Alternative M/C. I was riding my bike on the way out from Fort Lauderdale Harley Davidson last Sunday. But what I didn’t realize was that the air in my front tire was pretty low. A few guys from the Alternative M/C were gathering around the parking lot and noticed my front tire was flat. They immediately attracted my attention and point it out to me. If it wasn't for them, I probably would be in big trouble on the I-95 with the possibility of blowing my front tire while riding at 75mph. I didn’t get the chance to give my thanks but, thank you guys very much whoever you are.

Little Boy on a FAT BOY - part 2

2006-04-21T10:36:00.000-04:00

Hence looms the problem. This beautiful beast just might be too “FAT” for a little guy like me. It was the same reason why I picked Sportster to be my first Harley. I just can’t imagine myself riding a Fat Boy. Not only I thought I probably would not able to handle a big and heavy bike like Fat Boy, I also was afraid how I might look riding it. You know, it’s like one of the stories I heard about how a girl decides on picking her first new car – It’s got to look pretty, drives pretty, and I look pretty in it! That’s how I went through my first Harley purchasing process. I finally settled for a Sportster because it’s still a pretty big change from a Rice-Rocket to a cruiser. I would not want to ride a bike which is so big and bulky, that might makes it look like a monkey (me) riding on an elephant (the Harley).

But, when I took the Fat Boy out for a spin, I realized all of my worries were exaggerated. Not only the bike handles very smooth, especially when you’re making turns. It’s also not very “top-heavy”, thus giving you a lower point of gravity. That’s good news for guys with short legs like me. I don’t have to worry about tipping the bike over. Especially bikes like mine which has a pretty high ground clearance (which I hate to admit I did drop it a couple of times). The Fat Boy’s got a lot of torque. When I took it on I-95 I immediately crank up on the throttle. The bike just took off to 75 mph in no time. I think I must’ve went as fast as 125 mph and didn’t even feel a thing (do not tell that to the Florida Highway Patrol).

So….what’s next? Well, first Mr. Harley Howie needs to pay off the car loan (which the last payment will be in 6 months). Second, need to get the A/C fixed on Mrs. Harley Howie car. You don’t want to know how much the repair shop tried to rob me just because it’s a European import. Last but certainly not least, need to take Mrs. Harley Howie on a real nice vacation. Since we kind of made our wedding ceremony in the last minute, we never really went on our honeymoon. So, a trip to the Bahamas on a cruise might be a good idea. As for my Fat Boy, don’t worry. I’ll have my Fat Boy soon.

Little Boy on a FAT BOY - part 1

2006-04-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

My good friend Wendy’s brother in law, who works at the Board of Education in New York, was in town for the Spring Break. He also likes to ride motorcycles. So Wendy and Steve found a place where he can rent a Harley for the weekend. And we all went on a very nice bike ride last Saturday afternoon.

Pat is a pretty big guy. I imagine him to be at least 6’2” and probably 280 Lbs. So, a tiny bike like my Sportster probably wouldn’t suit him very well. Since it’s a rental and he’ll have it for a couple days, he asked us which Harley we most likely would like to take a test-spin. After many rounds of discussion among ourselves, we all agreed that Pat should rent a Fat Boy.

I’ve always been fascinated with this bike. I first saw the bike in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (I can’t believe I actually spelled his last name) hit movie “Terminator 2”. In the movie, The Terminator (the current governor of California) had just arrived from the future thru Time-Travel. As he walked into a biker bar naked (only life form can go thru time-travel), he “kindly” asked a biker for his clothes and his motorcycle which was parked outside the bar. When the biker laughed at his face, sticking a hot burning cigar to his chest and refused Arnold’s request because The Terminator didn’t say “please”, Arnold broke his arm, threw him over the bar, breaking like 50 glasses, took his clothes and rode away with his motorcycle. And what a beautiful motorcycle it was. That was the Fat Boy’s debut.

When you wrap your eyes on around this bike (if you can), you will notice its big and fat front forks with solid front wheel, a huge head light and a wide handle bar, all chromed and shinny. Generous floorboards on each side of the bike make you feel you can just put your feet down and ride it for hours and hours (no matter what boot size you wear). But don’t let the “beauty” fool you, it’s also got muscles. It’s got an 88 cubic inch Twin Cam engine with your choice of carbureted or easy-no-choke-no-brainer EFI (Electronic Fuel injection). I personally would not want to mess with the carbureted engines again after what I’ve gone through with my Sportster. Last but not least, with a set of shotgun pipes that would even wake up the dead. I immediately fell in love with the bike. Everything about this bike is: big, FAT and big!

(To be continued tomorrow)

Yeah...I know! But...

2006-04-13T11:21:00.000-04:00

Boy! I had a very hectic week. Most of my agonies are work related. I didn’t think I accomplished a whole lot of what I wanted to do this week. Instead, I ended up finishing up lots of “busy work” which took most of my time. We recently opened up a partnership with an existing customer of ours. It’s a good thing for the company because we’re getting more orders from them. But the bad thing is: I don’t have enough people in the warehouse to help fulfilling these orders. And, this deal struck so sudden that I did not get the chance to plan on my inventory forecasts. This means, some of the items in my warehouse will be depleted very soon. And you know who is going to get the blame when the customer called and complain? That’s right! You’re looking at it. Yours “unworthy”….me! If I could get at least a week “head-start” on this deal, I’d have plenty of time to analyze exactly what I needed to stock in my warehouse so we will not ended up with back-orders. Of course, I couldn’t say that to my boss. That’d be “not taking my responsibilities”. I should be a team player. Shut up and get the job done.

The only comfort I could take my mind off work is ride with Mrs. Harley Howie. We now make our motorcycle riding a weekly must routine. For example, last weekend we took rides all over town. We’ve been to so many different places last weekend that I don’t even remember where we’ve been. Actually, I have a very bad short-term memory where I can’t even tell you what I had for dinner the night before. This happens pretty regularly especially after 2 beers into my gas tank. When we make a “pits stop”, Mrs. Harley Howie often likes a cold Margarita (with salt). I like to stick to my regular drinks: Miller Lite or Coors Lite. NO Budweiser’s. Somehow I just don’t like its taste. Don’t ask me why cuz I can’t tell ya. It’s just a matter of personal preference.

In addition to cold beers, I also enjoy a nice piece of cigar with my cold drinks. It’s so refreshing. I used to be a smoker but I quit a couple of years ago for the wrong reasons (the story behind it could be a totally new blog). The funny thing is ever since I kick the habit, I never had the urge to smoke another cigarette. However, I do love the taste of cigars. I kept fooling myself “Its okay! As long as you don’t inhale it’s alright….” Nevertheless, I can’t begin to describe the feeling when you hold a cigar in your hand with the smell of a good cigar in your breath. Guess I’ve been watching too many God Father movies. I am not trying to “look cool”; I just like the feel and taste of it. I am not trying to be the devil’s advocates here but if you get the chance, try it! See if you know what I mean.

Another Pride of Taiwan!!!

2006-04-05T16:16:00.000-04:00

Born in Tainan, Taiwan, the young 25 year old right handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang will be pitching for the Yankees in the game against the Oakland A’s tonight.

Wang had a very good rookie season for the Yankees last year. Due to the numerous injuries the team had suffered with its starting pictures, the coaching staff had put him in as the number 3 pictures in the rotations for the team.

He had 8 wins and 5 losses with an ERA of 4.02 in 17 starts last season. Most amazingly, he started in Game 2 of the AL Division Series against Los Angeles. Even though he recorded a loss in the game, he became the youngest picture to ever start a Yankees postseason game in nearly eight years.

Wang has never face against Oakland before. And I can’t wait to see what he can do. However, he was hit by a batted ball in a spring training game on March 26, but the X-rays were negative. I just hope this youngster would not try too hard in the game tonight.

The game is playing in the West Coast, which means it’ll be my bed time by the 2nd inning. I guess I’ll just have to Tivo it

Bike Show!!!

2006-04-01T23:03:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Harley Howie and I just got back from the bike show. Even though I saw one of my favorite bike builder Chica, I must say I was somewhat disappointed about the show. Personally I think the Fort Lauderdale Bike Show is getting worse every year. Last year I could still remember seeing lots of dealers and vendors. However, this year there were only a few. First off, I did not see any Harley dealers there at all. Second, I hardly saw any motorcycle accessories vendors. I did however bought Mrs. Harley Howie a very cute "elmo" patch for her vest. However the inscription on that patch is rated "PG-13" Basically it's Elmo fliping you the finger saying "Tickle This"! I got myself a patch of "Jack Daniels Taste Drinker". That's about the highlight of the show I am afraid. But be sure to check out the pictures Mrs. Harley Howie and I took.

Choppers from Broward Motor Sports.

26 in. wheel trike.

A V-Rod with 300 rear wheel.

Chica and me of course.

Possible future bike - a Victory.

Here are a few of the bikes Chica build. Its totally "Old-Skoll": rigids for true hard cored bikers who are not afraid of their butts get sored from riding with no rear suspension.

Can't find the strater on the handle bar? Try the original kick start in the rear by the oil tank. And finally, a sucide-shift for riders who are looking for a little challenge handling the bike.

I love these original "Old-Skool" designs and looks.

And somehow Chica can still find ways to put today's technology on motorcycle parts and integrates them into his vision.

Chica Fever!

2006-03-31T10:27:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the 3rd annual Fort Lauderdale Bike Show. Of course Mrs. Harley Howie and I will be attending. I remember I went to a bike show in West Palm Beach, FL a few years ago and saw one of my favorite bike builders: Chica. The reason I like his bikes so much is because since I considered my self as an “Old School” kind of guy, I particular enjoyed his designs of late 60’s and 70’s bikes.

Chica has a shop located in Huntington Beach, California. He has been seen on TV shows such as Bikers Build-Off on the Discovery Channel. The bikes Chica builds have a very unique styling: clean, mean and hard core (most of the bikes he builds are rigids). He is considered one of the top bike builders in the West Coast.

Chica was originally from Japan. He used to work for Honda in Japan as a mechanic but has a real passion for Harleys. After worked for Honda for a couple of years, he took a shot toward his dream by opening Chica Motorcycle Service with a couple of his friends. In the beginning, they did mostly service works and not much custom works. When the opportunity came to work in his friends shop in U.S., he moved his family from Japan to Diamond Bar, California. He worked there for a couple of years and realized that he can build the bikes by himself where he can incorporate his ideas and designs. And, that’s how Chica Custom Cycles in Huntington Beach, California got started.

It’s no surprise when I found out Chica will be at the bike show this year in For Lauderdale, I planned on meeting him again. I can’t wait to see what other bikes he has created since the last time I saw him. I am looking forward to take plenty of pictures. Also, it’d be interesting to see other bikes at the show. I’ve been thinking of trading my Sportster up for a Softtail. In addition, Mrs. Harley Howie and I are in the market for a couple bike accessories such as saddle bags. I’ll be posting a few more pictures when we get back!

Mrs. Harley Howie with her new sissy bar!

2006-03-30T13:13:00.000-05:00

Needless to say, Mrs. Harley Howie was very happy about this purchase. Even our oldest son "Bob" shares his joy with her!

New York, New York! The greatest city on Earth!

2006-03-30T10:24:00.000-05:00

Wasn't Angel the drug dealer killed by Mr. Alig in the lounge with a hammer, at least in the Clubland version of Clue?

Pansy French Water Canon!!!

2006-03-29T15:29:00.000-05:00

People don't seemed to be running for their lives!

Harley Double!

2006-03-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

Back in the days when I was still single, I used to ride solo all the time. I even bought a solo seat to show off the rear fender of my bike. But, after I got “hitched”, I no longer can do that anymore. I have a passenger now. Its my responsibility to make sure the passenger, i.e. my lovely wife, can ride safely and comfortably in the back of my bike. After putting it off for several weeks (actually months but who is counting…..), we finally went to a local motorcycle accessories shop and purchased the necessary parts for the backrest or what we call it a “Sissy Bar”.

You gotta handed to those folks at Harley Davidson. How those engineers at Harley came up with a thousand pages catalog for its motorcycle accessories is beyond me. First you have to locate the type of the bike your looking for in the catalog. Then, to purchase “one” product, somehow you need to need to buy 4 or 5 “components” in order to put together the “one” product you want. For example, for my sissy bar, you need the following components:

2 side plates (Left & Right),

sissy bar upright,

backrest pad,

and docking hardware.

Now, for a motorcycle mechanics, it might make perfect sense to them. But for a motorcycle accessories novice like me, I was confused as hell.

I decide I would like to install a detachable sissy bar. I figured when I ride solo (which I think will happen very rarely), I can simple take it off. Also, if it is not detachable, I would not be able to put the bike cover on my bike since the backrest is setting up high. So you need to pick one out of 10 side plates that’s available in the catalog for your bike correctly otherwise it wouldn’t work. Second, you need to pick up the upright correctly otherwise it would not fit the side plates you just picked up. It may ended up too wide or too narrow depending on the size of the rear wheel of your bike. Last but not least, this is my favorite part. You need a docking hardware! Why? How could anyone possibly put all those components on the bike without the nuts, bolts and screws? OH YES! Harley charges you extra for that! You’d imagine the parts you purchased comes with necessary hardware, just like when you purchase a TV stand from Targets it comes with nails and screws in the box. OH NO! You need to purchase them from Harley additionally. And, somehow they figured you already knew that. So if you did not order the docking hardware, you are “SCREWED”!

But, that’s no big deal. The docking hardware, which consists of 4 bolts, 4 spacers and 2 washers (as seen in the illustration above), is a steal for merely $24.95. Now if I were go to ACE or Lowe’s, I can get them for less than half of the price Harley charged me. And, the hardware from ACE would be chromed rather than galvanized like the ones I got from Harley! Believe me when I tell you, you’ll notice the differences when you see it.

The much anticipated 4 “components” I ordered finally arrived last Saturday. I went to the bike shop and picked them up. I figured I can do this on my own. How difficult can this be? 4 bolts go into the tail bone of my bike, slide in the side plates, insert the upright and screw the backrest pad in and “fini”! Can you imagine my surprise when I found that I can’t even take the screw on the rear fender out of my bike? But, not to worry. I got friends. My buddy Steve, who is good with the tools, came to the rescue.

Steve is a biker himself. He has installed (and removed) many accessories on and off his own bike. For him to install a sissy bar is piece of cake. When I called him for help, he replied, “Get your little butt over here and I can do it in no time.” He then went on and said “But hurry up because you are already 3 beers behind. You would want me to do this for you while I am still sober, wouldn’t’ you?”

So, I rushed over there, took out all the parts (including the screws from the docking hardware). And that’s when we realized: the screws from the docking hardware are way too long! Its at least 2 inches too long and the screws are touching the rear tires thru the fenders. Well, I guess I still need to make a trip to Lowe’s after all. Both Steve and I were cursing all the way to and back from Lowe’s. You’ve got to be kidding me. Don’t the engineers at Harley measure the required lengths to install any accessories before they put them in the catalog? Can anyone please explain this to me because I am totally baffled?

Anyway the sissy bar came out fine at the end. Steve with his wisdom and aptitude with the tools figured out a way to put it on. To thank him for his assistance in this little project, which took approximately 4 hours, I took him out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. As to Mrs. Harley Howie, she is as happy as she’s ever been. We finally can take longer bike rides, not just to our neighborhood biker bars. On Sunday we took a trip to Delray Beach, FL, which is about 30 miles north from where we live. We stopped in a bar / restaurant in the downtown area for lunch. Ordered a few hot wings, French onion soup, fries and couple of cold draft beers. Ironically, the final check for our lunch came out less than the price of the Harley docking hardware.

Evian is "naive" spelled backward!

2006-03-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

A recent “Tap Water Challenges” conducted by Corporate Accountability International in 5 US cities demonstrated that the bottled-water industry has been exploiting a misleading and manipulative marketing strategy to dupe the general public.

The group urges these water bottling companies to stop promoting their products as purer or safer than general tap waters. Products such as Aquafina and Dasani (bottled by Pepsi and Coca-Cola) are basically tap water, with a few minerals tossed in for taste.

But, apparently the consumers love their bottled waters. For the bottled water industry, in 2004 was a 9.2 billion dollar business, which in terms translates to about 6.8 billion gallons of water. That’s a LOT of water! But, do bottled waters really taste “better” than what it comes out of your tabs?

In Philadelphia, people who participated one particular test were blindfold while test conductors poured 4 different types of water into their plastic cups. The blindfold then was removed and participants were tried to match each numbered cup with the “source” of its water. The waters being used for this test were: Nestle's Poland Spring, Coca-Cola's Dasani, Pepsi's Aquafina and you guessed; plain old boring city tap water!

And what was people’s response? One lady correctly identified the tap water and said she liked it. She also added that sometimes the bottled water tasted a bit “salty”. Another gentleman, who happened to be a doctor, thought he had a bit luck going for him that day, got 60% correct. He’s not too sure the tap water is just as “safe” as bottled waters, as public waters has to travel through miles of mental pipes in the city water system and are bound to leach contaminants by the time water exits the spigot. One other guy expressed that he would only drink bottled waters because they taste better.

In the end, actually, no one bothered to keep score in this bottled vs. tap challenge. Activists felt they made their point. And the point is that bottled-water drinkers are being bamboozled by bottled-water companies who marked up this basic human commodity of hundreds of times its true cost!

"American Idol": Who deserved to go next?!

2006-03-23T12:49:00.000-05:00

Okay! Yeah! I am still watching this season’s “American Idol”. I am a fan. Not embarrassed to admit that. And to make it perfectly clear, I did not participate in the voting aspect of it. I simply love watching this “reality show” rather than so called “singing competition”.

Why? Well, let me tell you how I feel. This really is a "reality show" not a singing competition because not all the top 12 finalist are that talented. There are a few people who in my mind are gifted artists and probably would go all the way to the final 4. But for some of them… well, I feel the producers put them there for merely “entertainment” value. For example, Kevin Covais A.K.A. “Chicken Little” shouldn’t be in the top 12 at all. I’ve seen many more talented singers who got booted off during Hollywood week. But don’t blame it on Kevin. It’s not his fault for being there. If your life long dream is to become a singer, wouldn’t you want to take the opportunity? I think even though the producers tried to create a “hype” for Kevin, the “underdog” on the show, his welcome has been wearing thin each week as he got out-performed by the other top performers. Don’t you feel sorry for Kevin, he’s gone much further than we expected, and he probably knew that too!

Who should I backlash on next? Well, I think it's going have to be no other than, Kellie “please pick me” Pickler. I think she is a Jessica-Simpson-Wanna-Be. When I first saw the little profile the show did on her, I felt there is a girl who’s had a tough youth. She has been fighting against all odds and finally made a spot on the show as one of the 12 finalist. What a wonderful this story is? I find myself helplessly rooting for her. But when she decided to attempt playing a role as “The Next America’s Dumb Blonde”, I was totally disgusted and embarrassed by her. She has become more and more disingenuous every week I see her. This week when she made a comment to Ryan Seacrest “What’s a ballsy”? has pushed me over the edge. If there is an “Anti-Pickler” club out there somewhere, please sign me up!

Finally, as for the judges; someone please stop making Randy calling all the gals as “Dudes”! Sober-up Paula before she goes on the LIVE show because she looked like she was either drunk or on Paxil. And toss the t-shirt Simon is wearing into the trash and buy him a $19.99 shirt from The Gap!

Dangerlously Incompetent

2006-03-17T14:22:00.000-05:00

Well, the joke is on you, Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. The picture is worth a thousand words. And the message is full of irony by itself!

Glory & Pride of Taiwan!

2006-03-06T11:03:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Taiwan’s own Ang Lee, who becomes the first Asian to even win an Oscar for best director. This is a glorious day for all Chinese all over the world. Evan though his movie “Brokeback Mountain” did not win best film of the year, instead “Crash” pull an upset. However, “Brokeback Mountain” did pick up 2 other awards: adapted screenplay and musical score. Does the conservative Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences felt it's too soon to give out an award for best picture to a film about gay cowboys? No one would know that for sure. But, one thing is for certain. This movie has already made an impact on Hollywood and America.

Congratulations again to Ang Lee for his amazing achievement.

The "Big Date"

2006-03-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

For a while I have not been writing much on my blog. Mainly due to my laziness. But, that’s not the entire story. I recently went thru the most important phase, a chapter if you will, of my life. I got married!

On January 26th, 2006, I said the word “I do” to the most important woman in my life. Amanda, A.K.A. Mrs. Harley Howie. As you can see, there were a lot of things going on in preparation for this wedding. Even though we did not have a very big and formal wedding. We both kind of decided to proceed with it at the last minute. However, there are still many small details which require a lot of our attention. I don’t know how most couples go thru the big traditional wedding. Can you imagine the planning and preparation the couple has to go thru? I certainly can not. After my own small and private wedding, I don’t think I can do that.

Even thought our wedding was small and private, but it was warm and cozy. We originally planned on obtain the wedding license and get married by the Justice of Peace in City Hall. Then, we thought it does not feel right without Amanda’s mom being there. Also, her sister and niece, who live in the Bay area, also wished to be there for us. I figured since most of Amanda’s family will be here, we can not have them to see us getting married at City Hall anymore. That would not be right. Then I found a small wedding chapel not too far from our home. It’s not Vegas but it’s got certain charm to it. After getting the “OKAY” from Mrs. Harley Howie, we set the date and now we are husband and wife!

Super Sunday...Blah Monday!!!

2006-02-06T16:32:00.000-05:00

Uh yes, it was Super Bowl Sunday yesterday. The day of the big game! This year it was the Pittsburg Steelers vs. the Seattle Seahawks. I am not a fan of either team, but I always tend to root for the “underdog”, which it was the Seahawks this year. I mean, if I had to bet my own money, I’d put my money on the underdogs. To me, that’s the only way to win. But I am not a gambler (too cheap) so it was a non-issue.

My buddy Big Dog Don invited me and Mrs. Harley Howie to his house for a big Super Bowl party yesterday afternoon. Don already threw a big New Year’s Eve party where there was plenty of food (which I mentioned on my blog earlier). This time it was no different. He quietly said to me, “Come early or those Stone Crabs will be gone!”

Mrs. Harley Howie and I are big “fans” of Stone Crabs. We just love crabs! (Somehow that didn’t sound right…). To those of you who are not familiar with Stone Crabs, they are only available from Oct. 15th to May 15th. And, in order to assure the continued survival of the species, only one claw may be removed so the crab can defend itself. The claws make up half the weight of the whole crab; they are removed by carefully grabbing from the rear and twisting. The crab is returned to water and the claw regenerates. It takes between 12 to 24 months to reach legal size again. Additionally, egg bearing females are not allowed to be declawed.

But, this is not a blog about the crabs! It’s about the party! The party was great! There were about at least 30 people. Full liquor bar of course, along with all the beers you can drink! (Same thing at every party). And when the game starts, the whole house was rocking! Most of the people at the party were Steelers fans. I tend to be neutral: root for whichever team makes good plays. It was a pretty tight and close game before the half, but after 2nd half Pittsburg just took off and never looked back.

It was great to be at the party and see all of those people which I haven’t seen or heard for a while. Everybody was pretty busy around the holidays: for me especially (which I’ll explain later). I left the party sometimes during the 4th quarter. I was pretty exhausted (so was the Mrs.). And I have to work on Monday. I am pretty sure many people will skip work today — whether they scheduled it or not. Others will merely stagger into work at their usually early morning time, relying on caffeine to get them through the work day because they have been drinking pretty heavily the day before. One report said companies nationally lost about $780 million in productivity last week, for reasons ranging from gambling pools to workers chatting about the Steelers vs. Seahawks showdown. And, just imagine how much money these unscheduled absences, such as those sparked by the Super Bowl, can cost companies in lost productivity nationwide? Billions???

American Idol - Season 5

2006-01-17T15:14:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah! Here we go again. The new season of “American Idol” starts tonight. I did a blog about the show some times ago. That’s right; I am addicted to the show. I don’t know why but I just love watching the three judges fighting over their opinions about any particular people on the audition. I don’t particularly like Simon, one of the three judges on the show. But, I got to admit, he is honest and gives the best advises to the people who went on audition. Sometimes those advices could be cruel, but it’s better than making people to believe they are good but in reality they are horrible. To me, that’s the best advice I could take. If I was one of those people who went on to the audition, and if I was really serious about pursing my career in the business, I do not need people to lie to me and say things to make me feel better. I got to give Simon for that. But then again, sometimes I feel Simon actually enjoys making fun of those “horrible” singers. Paula is one of those judges who just can not be mean to anyone. She is always smiling and even the worse singer gets her “moral” support. And Randy I guess kind stay neutral and serve as a mediator between Simon and Paula. And yes, watching those horrible singers making a total fool out of themselves on national TV is also fun too.

2 cents stamps

2006-01-12T11:54:00.000-05:00

Here is another session of me venting. The new postage rate went into effect on January 8th, 2006 (On a Sunday, which there is no mail might I add). That means, the next time you lick to seal the envelopes and the stamps, you had to fork over an additional 2 cents. How come the price of everything went up but my paycheck remained the same? Well, that’s the subject on another discussion. But what’s the big deal about the 2 cents you ask? Well, let me tell you why my good friends. It’s a pain in the butt!

I’ve just purchased a roll of stamps (which is about 100) just the past December. And, I purchased in the post office after waiting in line for about 43minutes and 17 seconds. Yes! I was counting. You would too after you wait in line for more than 13 minutes and the line does not move! When I was purchasing the stamps, at no time did the postal employee inform me about the rate change. You would think a reasonable (or helpful) person would remind me about the rate change so I can either can buy the new rate stamps (which is 39 cents), or buy additional 2 cent stamps in order to avoid the hassle of buy the additional stamps after January 8th. NO! Not government employees. They just do not care! They probably laughed at me after I left the counter and went “there goes another sucker who is gonna learned the hard way!”

So, since I still got bills to pay, I figured I’ll just go back to the post office (again) and get some more 2 cent stamps. No biggie, right? WRONG! I don’t know how the government agencies do it. If they run their business in the private sectors, they will be out of business just like that! Can you say “Customer Service”? Or “Customer Care”? Or “How can we help you?” It’s obviously not in their training manuals. After the rate change, you would think the post office will take premeditated measures of ensuring the general public can adapt the new post rate change easily and smoothly, right? I would think by making sure of purchasing the 2 cents stamps convenient and painlessly would definitely accomplish that. Ha!

There I was, walked into the post office. The line is at its usual length, which is about 3 times over the ropes by the counter. I figured, conservatively speaking, it’s about a good 37 minutes and 52 seconds wait. So, I looked around and found there is an automated stamp machine. Oh boy, what a break I told myself. An ATM machine for stamps?! That’s unprecedented! I happily walked over to the machine thinking this will save me at least 45 minutes. Guess what? Of all the different denominations of stamps displayed in the machine, the only kind that was sold out was….you guessed it! The 2 cent stamps! Upon learning my fate, I figure the only option I have is get back in line and take it like a man. That’s when I realized I’d just tendered my doom when I saw the line had grown longer!

Shocked, dismayed and heart-broken, I walked back to my car shivering. This can not happen to me. First there was no “Holiday bonus”, and then the USC lost to Texas at the Rose Bowl, then this? I went over to the same post office 8am the next morning and finally got my 2 cent stamps (100 pc to be exact). But, needless to say, this has not been a pleasant experience!

"Thunder and Lightning" turning pro!

2006-01-12T11:06:00.000-05:00

Just as I expected, both running backs of USC, often referred to as “Thunder and Lightning” are turning pro for the 2006 NFL draft. . Even though it’s very hard for me to see them leave USC, but I totally understand and respect their decisions. Matt Leinart, the USC’s quarterback, finished his USC career after played his last college game at the Rose Bowl, will also be joining Reggie and LenDale at the draft. That means USC had lost 3 of its best starting players on its football team. Wow! Can you imagine a football team losing 3 of its best players, 2 Heisman Trophy winners might I add, and go from making a history by winning a third consecutive national championship to just perhaps an average team next year? As a true USC fan, I really don't want to see this happening, even though its probably the best for both players. However, after losing so many talent, how culd USC ever bounce back into national contention next season? I really think will be facing a tough season ahead.

Then again, its unfair for me to make this assumption that USC’s football team will be just “average” next season. However, I dont have any clue on the high school recruits USC acquired for next season. Given the success of this season, it's probably reasonable to assume that good high school football players would like to attend USC. But its really hard to remain on top after losing 3 of your best players on the team. Lets see what the “Thunder and Lightning” accomplished in their years at USC: In the past 3 season, Bush rushed for 3,169 yards, and LenDale rushed for 3,159 yards, which helped USC won 37 games (34 straight before losing to Texas) with only 2 loses. Both running backs scored a combined of 99 touch downs, breaking the NCAA record of 97 set by Army's Glenn Davis and Felix "Doc" Blanchard from 1943-46. Well, one thing is for sure, I can’t wait to see what these guys can do playing in the big league. It sure will be interesting to see what they can do in the NFL. I wish them best of luck!

Go Trojans!

Memoirs of a Geisha - A Movie Review

2006-01-09T10:42:00.000-05:00

I did not want to see this movie at first. Especially after reading the book, I figure there is no way this movie could be as good as the book. Also, Hollywood has not done good jobs remake a movie from its original novel. But, after I have heard so much about this movie, I figure I better see the movie before I come up with my own conclusion.

First of all, this movie should have been Japanese spoken with English subtitles. It’s a Japanese story taking place in Japan about 50 years ago. When all the actors were speaking English with Japanese accent, it feels like watching bad Kung Fu movies.

Second, all casts are somewhat popular and established actors from China / Hong King. I do not buy the argument that the producers should have cast Japanese actors only. I figure the roles should be played by actors which the director thinks its best fitted for that particular role. Non-Japanese actors (if they are good) should play the roles just fine. However, I was very disappointment after seeing their performances.

From the top, Ziyi Zhang, all of the sudden has become one of the Hollywood's favorite international movie star, did not do a good job in her role. Her English speaking skills still needs a lot of improvement, but I guess it does not make any differences in this movie. Her acting in this movie is substandard at best. Ken Watanabe did a terrific job in this movie. After seeing his performance in The Last Samurai with Tom Curise, I thought he's a great actor. He did not disappointment me in this movie. Gong Li, another famous Chinese actor, did a decent job in her supporting role. But I feel the best performance through out the movie was by Suzuka Ohgo, who played Chiyo (or young Sayuri).

The character of Sayuri had a tough childhood and Suzuka played the role well with great perfection. She made me feel so sad for the little girl and wanted to just give her a hug. Great job by the fine young Japanese actor.

Over all, I was disappointed by how Hollywood as once again portrayed one of the great novels poorly in a movie. The producers misrepresented the essence of the story in the effort tying to tailor the American audiences. A few actors in this movie could be Academy-worth (Ken Watanabe and Suzuka Ohgo), but that’s as far as I'd give my credits to this movie.

Blurrrrr.....!

2006-01-06T14:09:00.000-05:00

Its gonna be a cold one this weekend. Some place in S. Florida temperature might get as low in the 30s, which is pretty COLD in my book. I better start digging out all of my heavy down jackets in my closet. Since I moved to FL from CA, I pretty much packed up all of my heavy jackets, thinking that I probably never get the chance to wear them anymore. I even thought of giving them away to charity. But then again, since its pretty much warm all year around, even the “socially challenged” and unfortunate people would have no use for them as well. I cant believe I am beginning to write correct “politically”…

We Lost!

2006-01-05T09:06:00.000-05:00

Tough game...but we came up short. Oh well, we'll be back!

It's Finally Here!!!

2006-01-04T11:28:00.000-05:00

Here it its! The most anticipating college football game of the season. # 1 Southern California Trojans take on the # 2 Texas Longhorns tonight at 8pm EST. I do not want to trash talk too much about the Longhorns as everyone can see I am a very passionate USC fan! I guess due to the fact that I graduated from USC in 1994 has something to do with it. When I used to attend USC, I used to go to every home football game. And I know we have a very special team this year. I know Mrs. Harley Howie probably would not like this but I’ll be glued to the TV set tonight!

New Year's Blog!

2006-01-04T10:47:00.000-05:00

My buddy Big Dog (we call him big dog because he rides a “Big Dog”) called and invited Mrs. Harley Howie and I and a whole lot of our friends to his new place for an open house party on New Year’s Eve. The Mrs. and I had no other plans so we gladly accepted his generous invitation. I have not seen Big Don for a while. It’d be a great to catch things up and see all of our other friends as well.

Big Dog is a very serious and experienced boater. I used to go to his old studio apartment a lot. He has a sixty-footer sail boat which he’s working on it constantly. He used docks right in the back of the studio apartment but he had always stayed on the boat. He had to move because his landlord had just sold the building recently. We used to make fun of him because he is endlessly working on the boat and spending way too much money on it. We all used to call that boat “The Money Pit”. We’d her one day hear he had put in a brand new sail, which I’d imagine would cost a few pennies or two. The other day we’ll be hear him complaining about how much he spent on replacing the plumbing of his bathroom. I guess it all adds up. We all assumed he will fix the sail boat up and then sell it or trade it in for another one. When we got to his house, we realized he had bought another 55 footer cruiser-fishing boat. He actually docks both of this boat right in his back yard deck.

He invited us inside to take a look and boy, was it nice! Flat screen TVs are all around the main cabinet, which consists of the living room, dining room and kitchen. As you walk further inside, which is the lower deck, you’ll see the crew member’s bedroom, a guest bedroom, bathroom (with a shower) and the master bedroom. When we went on the top deck of the boat, you’ll get a clear view of the ocean all around the boat. I am sure this new boat cost a few buck or two. He offered to take us up to Daytona during Bike Week, I told Big Dog I’ll try to get my sea legs together and get back to him.

Don is single but he knows his way around the kitchen very well. He almost handled the entire meal all by himself. We had chips and dips (which I am sure I could also manage), few delightful appetizers, and of course, prime ribs, honey baked ham and all the trimming to go with it. There was an open bar but I stayed with beers all night. I ate so much I don’t even remember how many plates I had. Then after dinner, we all sat around the deck and just chatting.

We sat around for a while and I realized it’s almost 11pm. The Mrs. and I did not stay for the New Year count down because I thought maybe it’s much safer to go home before midnight. But, I already had a bottle of champagne chilled and ready for us at home. The Mrs. and I turned in to Regis on TV and pop the bottle right at mid night.

Happy "Holidays"!

2006-01-03T11:35:00.000-05:00

Happy new year everyone! I was going to say “Merry Christmas” but didn’t want to be “politically incorrect”! I remember people used to say Merry Christmas all the time, but nowadays people say craps like “Happy Holidays”. What the heck is that? Weather you are Christian or not, we all know its Christmas. By greeting people with a warm “Merry Christmas” does not mean I am stuffing Jesus Christ down to your throat. So, just relax and chill. It supposed to be a joyful time of the season, no matter what types of religions you believe in.

I had a great time this “Holiday Season”. I don’t remember all the details, because who could remember everything if you’ve been drinking all day and all night. But I did remember we (me and Mrs. Harley Howie) went to a buddy of mine’s house for a “Christmas Eve Drinking Fest”. We drank, shot a few rounds of pool, played a few round of darts. And I think we had a barn fire or something. On Christmas Day, we had a real nice, traditional Christmas dinner. Another buddy of mine made everything. We had turkey breasts, rack of lamb, honey baked ham, sweet potatoes, something and something. We did not drink all that much because most of us (especially I) was still recovering from the night before.

The day after Christmas while everyone else was clutching in the malls and trying to get their Christmas presents returned in the stores, Mrs. Harley Howie and I took a nice and peaceful ride. We ended up in Seminoles Hard Rock Casinos in Hollywood, FL. We walked around the shops and took a nice picture in front of the Christmas tree (as seen above).

Tune in tomorrow for all the fun festivities Mrs. Harley Howie and I encountered during New Years Eve and New Years Day. (Is it politically correct to say that???)

NYC Trip

2005-11-17T11:10:00.000-05:00

Just got back from a quick trip from NYC last night. I was there to testify for the government against one of our company's customers in a Medicare fraud trial. So, they flew me in to NYC Monday afternoon for the Tuesday court appearance. I landed in NYC at about 8pm. Checked in my hotel at about 9pm. And then immediately I was picked to meet with the District Attorneys (DA) for a late Monday night meeting before the Tuesday morning trial. I was so tired and exhausted when I finally got some sleep about 1am. The next day, I was told to be reported in the DA office by 11am, which is not too bad. However, I thought I'll be called in the court room soon but instead I kept waiting for a very long period of time. Other than me testifying that day, I saw a few doctors there along with some elderly people. They were the victims of this case. I don’t think I can go into the details but I feel so sorry for these old people. They were there with me the whole day. Since I don’t know when I'll be called, I can’t just take off and get some lunch in the cafeteria. Instead I just try hanging there (even though I wasn’t too hungry) and hoping I can get out of there soon. Nope. Wrong. I was the last one on the list to testify that day. Oh well. But, these old folks were forced to stay in this small office, with no place to go. I guess they must be hungry. And the DA said to them "Don’t worry; we'll get you some food and something to drink". Oh, big spender Uncle Sam said we're getting fed, that can’t be so bad. Ha! Wrong again. The "food" the DA was referring was actually bags of chips. "Something to drink" was just bottle of water. I felt bad because I can see these old people are hungry and all they had to eat was bags of chips. Some of them are so old they had to push in and out by wheelchairs. Finally the doctors said something, "Maybe what they need more is a bathroom break” This is when I really started to feel sorry for them. Okay, so can’t go on Tuesday, not too big of a deal. Other than I wasted of a whole day waiting in the small DA's office with no food or water, everything is cool. The next day, I finally get to testify. The whole thing didn’t take more than 30 minutes. I started to wonder if this is worth it. First of all, the DAs do not really need me to be appearing in court to verify these invoices are indeed ours. They don’t need me tell them which products are approved by Medicare since we got the approval letters for all of them. But, they flew me in, put me in the hotel, and paid all the cab fairs. I wonder how much they spent on me along, and it also puzzles me on how the money we paid for our taxes are at work. Finally got back home around 11pm Wednesday night. I am totally exhausted, both physically and mentally. It was not a very pleasant trip; it certainly was not a vacation. If I ever got to do this all over again, they better send 2 FBI guys here and make me.

Just another day at our local biker bar!

2005-11-10T12:24:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon bikers gathering. Free buffet when ordering a bucket of beer.

Thanks a lot, Wilma!

2005-11-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Oh boy, am I glad the hurricane season is almost over. Right before Wilma makes landfall, I had a very bad feeling about it. I was going back and forth about should I put the shutters up or not. Boy am I glad I did! Even with the shutters up I can still feel the hurricane force winds pushing against my windows thru the shutters. And, need I say more "FPL SUCKS"! I was lucky because I was only out of power for a week, but what a long depressing week that was without power. Makes you wonder how you used to take the very simple little things for granted. Now, even before the power is fully restored in our county, FPL had the nerve to ask the state for a 10% or so rate hike! Come on! At least fulfill your promise to fully restore all electricity back first before you ask us for more money. My god, how would I feel if I found out I need to pay even more money to this god dam FPL before I even get my power back? And to make things worse, the state actually gave FPL more money it had asked for it. So, instead of 10 or 12 percent, the state went, "okay, lets see, how do we get you more money out of this....oh yeah, lets it, lets give you 18% instead of the puny 10% you ask for" OH geeze, thanks for nothing. I know who I am NOT going to vote for come around the next election. Well, I am done venting....

One Day at A Time

2005-04-26T14:46:00.000-04:00

Oh boy! What a week! I am extremely exhausted. I guess the pressure is really getting into me. Hopefully I’ll be hearing some good news pretty soon. I am so sick and tired of trying to please everyone: trying to be a nice guy, trying to be helpful and trying to be diplomatic. I do not really want to live like this. When will I ever get the chance to do the things I like and the things I wanted without pissing everyone else off? I feel a tremendous burden on my shoulders and I couldn’t get out of it. Maybe things will change for the better after the good is announced.

American Idoit

2005-04-21T10:08:00.000-04:00

Yeah! I watched the show last night. And somehow I can’t stop to think about the show is somehow rigged! I’ve been reading a few message boards on the Internet (yeah, I really did). And, most people on the message boards have expressed their displeasure toward Scott. So, let’s be honest, if all these people hated Scott so much, how the hell did he get to stay week after week. I personally don’t like Scott, not because of his past criminal records, but his singing abilities. And, if Scott really got these “votes”, then I think I am out of the place in America!

2005-04-20T16:27:00.000-04:00

Yup! Thats us! Mr. & Mrs. A Guy Who Likes to Ride. LOL We often take leisure bike rides to the beach and enjoyed a bucket of ice cold Miller Lite! Even though I used to ride my bike a lot more often.!

My Blog - Day 2

2005-04-20T09:54:00.000-04:00

Post a message on American Idol message board on AOL last night and expressed my presonal feeling toward contestant Scott. He did sang okay last night, however, my favorite is still Bo. I cant believe I am hooked on this show like some teenagers. I definitely hope I am not the only person in his / her early 30s who also enjoys the show in the Southeast United States.

American Idol

2005-04-19T17:50:00.000-04:00

I probably shouldn't say this, but I am a big fan of the show. Every Tuesday night, me and my fiancee would watch the show together, critizing every candidates. We both like Bo, and hated Scott. Last week when it was announced that Bo was one of the bottom 3, we were shocked! We were not surprised that Scott was voted the bottom 3 because we both think he is a horrible singer. During his last week's performance, he was way off key on the low notes. But we were surprised that was one of the three. Maybe Bo's fan got lazy and didnt bother to call in for the votes. In any case, I am sure Bo will be making a big comeback in tonight's performance. And, lets see if Scott get voted off on Wednesday night.

A penny for my thought!

2005-04-19T12:18:00.000-04:00

This blog thing is really got me hooked! But then again, its only day 1....so when things started to wear off, you'd lucky to see my blog a couple of times a week! I begin to wonder what would I be writing on my own blog. I guess I'll be bitching and moaning about how much I hated my job most of the time for starters! Then, I guess I'll be blogging stories on my biking trips. Of course, I'll be blogging about things between me and my Fiancée Amanda! (God knows what would happen to me if I forgot to mention her) :)

2005-04-19T11:48:00.000-04:00

Can't call it a blog by a guy who rides without a picture of me and my bike!

This aint so bad!

2005-04-19T10:42:00.000-04:00

So, I started surfing this blog web site and played with it a bit. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I can pretty much navigate the site with a great ease. I updated my profile with a picture, and just tried to post another blog to my site. We’ll see what happens next!

My blog - Day 1

2005-04-19T10:11:00.000-04:00

So, everybody is starting their own blog...why not me? I may not have a lot of interesting things to say everyday, but I do have a few thoughts here and there once a while. I mean, isn't this waht blogs are for? Check back soon to see what I have to say.