Aug 1, 2004

We used to laugh at double blogs. Well just me is probably more accurate. Yet I don't think I should be punished even if this fake plan went through. Did it ever occur to you that I have been blogging recently because of the mere fact it was dying? Besides a double blog is a blog and a bullshit blog put together. If you got nothing out of my poker stories...that three dollar average is probably about right. Haha. I still say you're a better card player than I am. I just get luckier with the idiots at Bay.

On another note, my financial advice was sound. I feel I didn't need to put in the most obvious shit in the world. I'm just lucky that clubbing ain't my thing. Which rules out drinks. Which rules out girls. Which rules out losing money on a slut. In the end, "I win." However, I think we will all agree that it is the little things that you don't think costs you a lot of money that will eventually kill your gangsta roll. Again on another note, I also feel that movies are a rip off. Yet calling people who do go see movies a sucker? If suckers are going to go see my movies (minus Jon of course) then I better go pay off the suckers who are going to be my bosses...it is all about paying your dues.

So to keep this blog alive I tested a conversation with T-Wrecks, Hapachan, Brendan and Andrew last night to see if this would fly. It got positive reviews and in fact made us laugh out loud for over an hour. The conversation was fun and made for some good arguments. So I bring it to Pooky. This isn't necesarily something brand new or unheared of, but as far as I can remember, Pooky never had a list like this before...

I would like to know what you feel is overrated. I want to hear why it is overrated backed by somewhat decent facts that can make people laugh at your intelligence or tastes. As with all overrated lists, Kirsten Dunst is a default so no one needs to blog about her. Yet for the sake of feeling better about ourselves...go ahead and bash her. So my list which will not be the last installment will hopefully get the ball rolling. Lists do not need to be in any paticular order, but let us know if there is something that really, really gets under your skin. Also for those that were in the conversation yesterday, there might be some reruns up in this mutha fucka.

PS: Hey Steve, I know you don't blog on here too much anymore for whatever reasons (which I know), but I think you would come up with some hilarious shit for this...let the poo throwin' start!

**Okay I would have started my list, but I got some stuff I gotta get done...so hopefully later tonight!

Jul 26, 2004

Okay so everyone now gets to see that my hot streak is over.  I just got back from Bay101 and realized that I walked out of there with 100 dollars less than when I walked in.  I don't know how that happened...maybe someone robbed me.  Or perhaps I decided to go ahead and try out my theory again.  Except this time I would play it exactly how I would play it before the theory.  Confused?  Basically I raised a lot more preflop with my premium cards...where as normally I would just limp in and see what develops.  Well I lost money.  So far my theory seems to work somewhat well...more testing will be done at the expense of my bankroll...since no one else seems to play.  Hehe.
 
So what made my barber so funny?  Why did the passing of my barber, Joe Love make me sad?  A tribute blog to the only person on this world who could cut my hair like no other.  (Yes that includes you to Reiko-chan)
 
1.  The first time I went in there I believe we found the place in the phone book.  We knew that the hairstyle I wanted had to be cut by a black person.  For all of you that go to some Fob...you don't even know what your missing.  Anyway, I walk into the barbershop with my dad and everyone in the shop kind of looks at us.  I just stepped into a black barbershop.  Of course when I was this young I didn't realize that a black barbershop was special.  I asked if I could get a haircut.  I think they all kind of laughed because I should have known to make an appointment...yet the woman who owned the shop, Belinda said that I should go talk to Mr. Joe Love.  About 20 minutes later I was sitting in his chair.  While sitting there I could remember being taken back by how everyone was talking and joking.  Jon will be happy to know that funk was surely being played that day.  This was the first memory I have of Joe Love.
 
2.  I still laugh at the fact that it took Joe about 6 months to realize that I wanted it shaved to the scalp.  Perhaps he didn't shave it to the scalp because he never cut an asian's hair and he thought it would look funny.  You could say that I should have just told him that I wanted it closer...more close...more close...until he got it right.  However, Joe had a funny way of talking...almost like Cedric in barbershop and everytime he asked me a question...for 6 months straight I had no fucking clue what he was saying.  He would say something...and this is how it sounded at the time, "yeeah dat hair is short, u wanna short'n up da fade or line up...damn I dunno bout dis right here...what u think'n young'n?"  I responded with, "..."  Joe responds with, "hey u listenin right?"  and I go "yeah that looks good".  He stands in front of me and says, "yeeah".  Before I knew it the neck apron was off and I was shoved out the door.  I didn't want them to think I was disrespecting them by not understanding what the hell they were all saying.  After 6 months I was fluent in black folk talk.  Haha.
 
3.  Before Joe had to go into the hospital for health reasons...for about four straight years he had to smoke 3 cigs while cutting my hair.  When I got into the chair he would go, "hold on 'dere", go outside...grunt and smoke and bring his butt right back into the store...after one side of my head was done...he breathed in heavily and went outside to smoke again...after he was done with my hair he would go outside and smoke another one.  Derek, another barber there, told me that I was the only one that caused him to smoke before, during and after cutting my hair.
 
4.  My hair is a bitch to cut.  My head is shaped funny.  He let me know it.  He asked why I had such a flat head and why my hair was so damn course.  One time he was cutting my hair and he stopped...he had to borrow Belinda's tweezers because he was getting hair stuck under his skin like splinters.  So one time he decided to try rubber gloves.  Everyone in the barbershop was laughing because they have never seen a brother cut hair with rubber gloves on.
 
5.  Again my hair was so thick that I ruined one his favorite clippers...he was just going up the side of my head when it basically choked.  I'll never forget that day because he got all pissed off because everyone was laughing at him because I guess he never liked to buy new equipment.  I found out the next time I visited that he cleaned the shit out of it and it still had life in it and he still wanted my business.  That right there speaks volume about his character.
 
6.  One time Derek and Joe were talking about dancing.  Derek was the youngest barber in the shop and he was asking Joe how he used to dance.  Joe straight up stopped cutting my hair and went in the backroom.  He put on some EWF and started dancing.  Yet he was dancing like I dance which is not that good and Derek told him he's gotta stop before he breaks a hip.  To prove everyone in the barbershop wrong, he kept on dancing while cutting my hair.  The energy in that shop was crazy.
 
7.  Again Derek and Joe were arguing about some sports something or other and Derek told Joe he needs to stop acting like he knows everything.  I can't remember what Joe said, but he went off on like a 5 minute lecture and at the end of it everyone in the barbershop just looked at him.  He kept on cutting my hair and another brother that was waiting for his turn was like, "what in the hell did you just say?"  And everyone started laughing because no one had the guts to say anything to him...I started laughing and my head jerked and he messed up my fade.  Joe said I deserved it for laughing...haha.
 
8.  By the time I was in highschool, my cousin Miya used to stay with us.  She was then the person to drive me to get a haircut.  Man, when I first took her in there...all the guys in there were like, "who's dat dere?"  "who that be?"  Ever since then and even up to the time of my last haircut, Joe would ask where his girl is at.  Miya really did brighten up their day when she dropped my ass off.
 
9.  I asked Joe if there was some way he could brush off the excess hair on my head because my hair was beginning to give me splinters in the back of my neck...he tried using the barber's brush, but the hair kept on sticking...Joe mumbled something and he brought in the vacuum cleaner from the back...he straight up took that vaccum to my head and caught my big ass ear in the pipe.  The funny thing besides that is that he didn't even apologize and said, "damn you got some big ass ears...never noticed that before".
 
These are just some of the memories I have of this barbershop and I'm hoping that Derek will take me in since Joe passed on.  There are way too many to write about...you have to realize that I got a haircut every two weeks.  Over a decade that is a lot of visits.  The dynamic energy they had in there will be something I will never forget.  When Miya went in there recently she said it was quiet than what she remembers.  Hopefully they'll get back to where they were.
 
The final thing I'd like to say about Joe Love is that he took me in and watched me grow up.  He would always shake my hand and always made sure I was doing good.  He always told me to come back soon and to take care.  He always asked about my family and how my directing was going.  When he cut my hair for prom he said not to make any babies because I got too much stuff to worry about.  He really did care about all his clients...knew them by name...hell knew them by voice.  I remember that he would be staring at my hair with the back toward the door and someone would walk in and say, "hello Mr. Love" and Joe would always respond without even looking...with their name and a genuine how's it going.
 
Joe didn't just cut my hair well.  He didn't squeeze in as many people as he could to make more money...he loved what he did, he loved the people and he loved his life.  You guys could say that it was just a barber, but for the first real time thinking about how I will never see him again...he was considered a closer friend than I ever gave him credit for.  Thank you Joe Love for the fades and the memories.
Again I apologize for writing about poker (however this blog by me will definetely be on a lot more serious subject), but I am always trying (believe it or not) to make better poker players out of my friends.  I think Jon once told me something along the lines that he would love all of us to go to Garden or Bay and all come up big winners in the same session.  I agree with this so I'm trying to give you more insight into the game based on my observations.
 
Obviously we all know that playing with the best hand and favorite hand (yes there is a difference...and I don't mean favorite as in J7offsuit hehe) is key in low limit games.  I mean most of the time we need to show the best hand at the end to win the pot so why should we not play only premium cards?  Well an interesting situation came up when I was playing at Bay a couple of days ago.  I was in the big blind and someone raised it.  Everyone else folded so we were in a heads up situation.  Now my cards were exactly good but they weren't too bad either.  56suited clubs.  Well any other time I would fold this hand if I was up against a raise.  Even more so, Jon will tell you that the pot odds weren't exactly spectacular holding that kind of hand.  Most of time with suited connectors you want a lot of callers to pay you off if you hit big.  Thinking quickly I realized that I'm putting out one small bet (because I was the big blind) to win 3 bets plus the small blind.  Even if I was the underdog in the hand I was getting profitable odds.
 
So what?  I'm protecting my big blind.  Well the second part of my thinking is this...if the flop came out all rags I would probably have a good chance to steal this pot.  So the flop came out and it was indeed rags HOWEVER I did pick up middle pair with a 5.  The board was a 5, 3, 8 rainbow.  Now realizing this guy was kind of ridiculous in his betting from past hands I decided to check it...he paused for a bit and bet.  Does this really look like a raiser's flop?  Like I said though this guy could be holding anything...so I called.  Right when I called I saw him chuckle a bit.  This made me realize something...
 
We always think it is hard to play against someone who has a big hand.  If we put someone on a big hand and we have a decent drawing hand it is tough to figure out what actions we want to take...HOWEVER it is equally hard for people to play against someone like me who shows a lot of the best hands and then I check/call the flop.  Now this guy was probably thinking, "shit...he could be holding anything and he is a bit of a tight player."  Then again he could have been thinking, "I should have stayed in the jungle where I belong."  Either way I thought of the chuckle as weak.
 
The flop came out a 2.  Thinking I have a gutshot I decided to try to get a free card and checked...he bet and I then realized that he might be trying to buy this pot.  I dunno...call me weird, but I just didn't think he could be holding anything...perhaps two overcards which leaves him with 6 outs...either way I decided to fuck it and raise.  He thought for a bit then threw his hand away.
 
No doubt I got lucky in him not having a legit hand after the flop.  Also the board did help my hand a bit so raising was exactly a total bluff...however it made me realize that perhaps a raise with 2 or less callers is worth me putting money in just to see the flop...not only because it was cheaper for me to do so when I'm on the blind, but because my opponents really have no fucking clue what I could be holding...and why would I call and raise with nothing in my hand when I've been showing them the best hands on the showdown?
 
On a more serious note my cousin Miya has just informed me that my barber that I have had for over a decade passed away about a year or so ago.  This came up out of the blue because Miya took someone to B-Pizzazz to get a haircut for my cousin's wedding about a month ago.  She used to take me to get my haircut when she lived with us and the barbers always loved it when my half black half japanese cousin came in to visit.  Anyway she went to the shop and asked where my barber, Joe Love was.  Another barber whom I have known since my first day going in there told her that he passed away right after I took a break from him because Ricki needed practice in cutting hair.  This just came out over dinner and my parents and I were like, "he did?!?"
 
So what is the big deal here?  Well I'm not exactly sure how many of you had a friendly relationship with your barbers (Jon you don't count because you cut it or your dad does), but Joe Love has watched me from middle school all the way up through last year.  I got a lot of memories from that barbershop and the conversations we used to have.  With all honestly that barbershop was A LOT more live than the barbershop movie.  On my next blog I'm going to go ahead and tell you about some of my memories because they in my mind pretty damn hilarious.

Jul 22, 2004

For the record in case some of you forgot...

The Disneyland trip when Jon and I met up with Steve and Helen was the most hilarious dinner I have ever had in my life.   Not trying to make you jealous...well yes I am.  Just thought you would like to know the hijinks of being a lil drunk at the most magical place in the world.

Also for the record...Steve ain't lying.  He really did eat a leaf in tomorrowland.

Jul 21, 2004

First off, I would love to go to Disneyland next summer.  That place is fun, though I dunno if I can handle the rides anymore.  I know they only go like 10 mph, but the last couple times I went to a theme park, I started feeling ill.  Maybe it's just the ones that are really spinny.  hmmm...

SF:
I hate the place...why?
  • Smells like piss
  • Crowded
  • Dirty - air and the streets
  • Parking there is a bitch
  • Too far away, but everyone loves it
  • Too fast paced for my liking
But today I realized that I did like something about the big city atmosphere.  I liked walking around on a nice 72 degree day and looking up at the tall buildings.  I though it was a really cool sight and I think I could've walked around all day, just staring at some of the buildings.  I also realized that I would hate to be a bus driver.  All you do is drive in circles all day, dodging cars, and stopping every five miutes to pick up people who are totally unappreciative.

My Status:
Everything else with me is going ok...I still not feeling "single" yet.  The freedom that it brings hasn't sunk in yet.  This week I was actually feeling ok because of stupid classes, but then I went to Friendster and saw Tiff's profile and she changed her status to being single.  *Sigh*  This may sound petty and gay, but like I said before the whole ordeal hasn't totally sunk in yet, so I was feeling kind of blue after seeing that.  After talking w/ her some more, I've realized that I think she's accepted the fact that she's single.  I wish I could....

One thing that I wish....it was common knowledge that her and I broke up.   I think I've been asked 3 times this week how things are going b/w us and I wish for each time I had an automated response saying, "We broke up, I needed some time to myself, she took it ok, we're friends."  It hurts explaining it each time, hope that ends soon.....

Last weekend:
Total fun!  Playing poker Thursday was great, though I was dead tired on Friday for work.  Then going out to Miyake's w/ Kristen, Kevin and co.  was a blast.  Drank one too many Sake bombs and I entertained the heck out of everyone in the car on the way home w/ my singing.  Then passing out @ brendan's was great as well.  Didn't lose any money playing poker and didn't go out and play pool, so I saved me some dough hehe.  Saturday, was fun as well.  Going to Obon and kickin it with everyone was great.

Highlights:
-Attendees - Bryant, Jonathan, Brian, Kevin, Andy, Sudhir, Anthony, Matt, Vikram, Martha (Sudhir's girl)
-Seeing Tiff...first time we've seen each other since the break up and it was great.  She looked great and I had a good time talking w/ her.  She hooked me up w/ a beer.  haha
-Meeting Jonathan's perfect match in eating -> Vikram.  They both were racing to see who eats slower and Vikram won by like 2 bites (meaning he ate faster) hehe.
-Andy Andy Andy
-When I first encounter Andy, I was talking w/ Tiff.  He comes over takes her hat, puts it on and starts walking around.  Then he puts it back on her and then bats it down.
-Tiff then starts to introduce Andy to her friend, his response "No, I don't want to meet her"  right in front of her friend.  He was kidding, and then he preceded to whisper something into her friends ear.  I think he offered to buy her a beer or something.
-Andy then goes and buys some fries, over does the ketchup because it's all over his hand.  This one fry drops that had massive amounts of ketchup on it and Andy kicks it.  It hits some lady, Andy says sorry, but no response from the lady.  He then says to her, "That's ok, it happens."  Or something along those lines (heard from Sudhir).
-Over by the beer area, Andy drops a dollar.  Instead of picking it up like a normal person would, Andy decides to hit someone in the back of the calf to see what they would do.  The person turns around, sees Andy's massive frame and turns around because he's smart.  Then Andy turns to him and pretends to kick him, while he's looking at Andy.  hahaha.
-I guess I had a couple entertaining moments, quoting Little John, Usher, "To da windows, to da walls!" was my theme song.   I also showed off some of dance moves that I would be displaying @ the club later that night.  My warm up dance was ....The Running Man.  LOCK UP YOUR LADIES BAY AREA, BRYANT IS ON THE PROWL (simpsons quote w/ a couple touch ups)

Post Obon:
-Jonathan, Brian and I precede to Loft 11, club in SF.  The place was small, hot, and not crawling w/ good looking girls.  There were a couple cuties though, but I was in no mood to put the Bryant Mack on if you know what I mean haha.  So instead, I drank. 
-Danced w/ Jonathan's friend Vy's roommate, most of the night.  She was an ok dancer, mediocre on looks (please tell me no Berkeley people read this), but she liked Kobe Bryant, so I was down with her.  I tried talking w/ some other girl, but she was 29 and ready to make out w/ some other dude, so I was ok with that. 
-Danced and drank and went to Denny's.  Got home @ about 4.  Went to pass out, but then Kevin decided it was a good idea to wake me up.  Boy was he wrong.  It was like he unleashed a monster.  I grabbed Kevin and started wrestling with him, but then I started hearing "I'm not wearing any pants."  So I then let Kevin go and that's when I got out my room and started dancing around the house.  I am guessing that the alcohol wasn't quite out of my system yet and also that I wasn't as tired as  I thought.  I probably didn't get my groove on enough either.  So I got on the couch and did a booty dance for everyone.  Gave Brian a personal dance, jumped on Kevin and Andy while they were in bed, and went all around the house.  I got rave reviews the next morning.  A quote from Sudhir, "Andy!  Bryant is ready to have his way with you."  Spoken by Anthony.  Sudhir and Martha thought I was so funny that they didn't mind that I woke them up @ 5 in the morning.  Kevin thought it was so funny he took pictures.  Him and Andy couldn't stop laughing.  Brian was as enthused as the rest..."you ever come that close to me again, I will kill you!" I know he's just messing around hehe. 

Overall I had a great time, mostly because my best buddy Kevin was around and I got to hang out w/ all my good friends.  (Minus some others, but I'm sure most of you wouldn't want to be around me.)  Though in telling this story, I am blushing and embarassed, I had a great time and my friends let me have a good time.  Funny thing is, if I was with Tiffany at the time, most likely she would've spent the night and most likely Kevin would've never come in my room and all this wouldn't have happened.  I did realize something, I did miss nights like this where it was just the guys having "silly" fun.  It's been a year and a half since I've had a night like this. 

Thanks to all for showing me a great time, it was exactly what I needed.  Steve, can't wait until you return so that you can join our good, clean fun.  Kevin, we have your camera so you gotta come back. 

Pictures will be on K I M C H E E F I E D when I get a chance. 

Another thing that was fun...class...only because it gives me time to doodle in my notebook.  Missed those days in college.  haha.

Peace out y'all.
Wsup people

That disneyland entry was fuckin' hilarious. I totally agree with Tony on the price of food. Remember when i heard that all the plants in tomorrow land were edible? Fuck yeah. I don't give a shit if they're peppers. They're still edible. 8 bucks for a sourdough bowl of chowder??? you better believe i'm gonna eat the bowl too!
I think it might be cool to take some cool pictures of disneyland. Especially at night. Cuz those "photo spots" they have (or is that great america) are bullshit. One part of disneyland that i want to check out more is the main street. I never spend any time there. I walk right past it all on the way in, and by the time i leave, it's too late to check out any of those places. Granted, all the shit there costs an arm, a leg, and half a kidney, but like B said, it's more about the environment. (i would have written "ambiance" instead of "environment", but i don't know how to spell "ambiance"). Oh shit i forgot blogger has a spell check now! ah fuck it i'm too lazy to click it.
The last disneyland trip was fun. Especially the panama punch at the rainforest cafe. Good shit. Now if i could only get drunk while INSIDE disneyland, now that would be cool. Nothing like throwing up while on matterhorn...that would be tite.

So i went to the local indian casino to play in a no limit hold em tourney. 13 buy in, with $10 add ons. I lost pretty quick...made it about an hour. I hate playing at those casinos tho..nothing but a bunch of ghetto ass mother fuckers, old filipino gambleholics, and people who do'nt care about the money. I swear, what's the point of giving everyone the same amount of chips when they can just buy more right from the get go. Fucking stupid. I lost to a river rat too, that fucking prick.
Oh wells, at least i wasnt the first person out the table. It was a good experience tho. It's alot different from limit hold em or a live game. I think i'd better read more poker books or just play more.

Anyone down for a reno trip come Sept or Oct?

Tight....free tomo's and poker. Sweet.

Home again in august. Not looking forward to it.

hope you guys are doing well.

werd.

Jul 20, 2004

Some recent things I have observed on my recent trip to Los Angeles...
 
1.  Every single time we ride Pirates of the Caribbean, we get stuck on a boat that seems to be going back to China.  As a reminder I think the cast members at Disneyland should realize I don't have a brown backpack, pink hat, pink shoes and a nasty of a color plaid shirt.  I mean c'mon...put me with the white folks.
 
2.  I'm getting old.  My feet hurt after 2 hours of walking around.
 
3.  Space Mountain is on track to be opened in 2008.  Big Thunder Mountain keeps killing people (operator error though), Matterhorn needs some serious oiling and Splash Mountain is where you go to see Tony without his shirt on.  (As we are going up his shirt is on...after we splash down I turn around and see his shirt off with a big grin on his face)
 
4.  No one takes good pictures around Disneyland.  They are all the cheesy, stand in a line in front of a bush and smile.  I think for the first time in my life I'm going to take a real 35mm camera in there with black and white film and take some dope ass pictures for about 2 hours.  (No more because no one wants to lug that thing around)
 
5.  Those tram people DO NOT sound like Homestar Runner.
 
6.  Tony hates paying quality money for quality ramen in San Jose.  He'd rather eat branches and pho.  So you should see him try to save money in Disneyland.  I think his cheeseburger cost 8.50.  He drank the water out of Splash Mountain.
 
7.  Out of all the sluts...er princesses I saw there, I think that Belle (yes the French one) and Jasmine looked the best.  I wonder if they can take those costumes home.  I could do some fun stuff with the Minnie's head.
 
All in all I still stand by that Disneyland is a awesome place to go with friends.  Sure it might not be Vegas or be on the same level of getting piss drunk, but the ambiance is bar none.  You can never find trouble and everyone is out to have a good time.  I talked to Shannon and we decided that we are all (I guess Jen, Aaron and Linds can come...hehe) going to go next year.  It's Disneyland's 50th anniversary.  Hopefully Space Mountain will be up again, you can ride Tower of Terror (fucking dope) and we can even go clubbing around LA...and stop off at the Best Western where our heroes, the Swingers ate.  Of course this trip is about a year and half away, but I thought I'd mention it now only because I'm sure rooms are already being reserved for the celebration.
 
Hope all of you had fun at Mountain View and Steve...for your shameless plug of Tomos...I will treat you...we can go up to Fresno for the day and play cards (they don't have a button charge there either).  Peace.

Jul 14, 2004

So here it goes...Jon told me that I played this completely wrong and call me an idiot at the card table...needless to say I went home crying...fashioned a pistol out of rubberbands and leftover wood after watching Honey and made a gun then killed him. Unfortunately admin will not be with us for a while. Okay Jon didn't make fun of me, but instead gave me a Hallmark card on my mom's discount and gave me a hug...the more I think about it the more I should have flat called...

Since I know some of you guys don't give a rats ass about my beats I'll keep it short.

Table 23 at Bay 101::3-6

Brendan - 300 dollars (about)
Trung - 175 dollars (about)

Brendan's Hole Cards - KK
Trung's Hold Cards - XX (that means you don't get to know yet)

5 callers preflop with the betting capped.

Flop is K 7 7 (of course at this point I don't give a shit about the suits...in fact I hope they are all the same suit)

Trung is doing all the betting for me. This is a very important point so remember that. The betting gets capped with Trung, some other dorky guy in a hat and myself (the other dorky guy in a hat).

Fourth street shows a blank card. In fact I think it was a three.

Here is where it goes crazy. To spare you all the trouble...Trung and I went back and forth over and over again until he was tapped out. You do the math on that and I guarantee you that you haven't seen a pot like that at 3-6.

Here is my thinking...The third guy who got sucked into this must have had an over pair or more likely another seven...but his kicker was bad which is why he stuck around for about 2 bets, but let go when it was three to go.

Now you know I got beat at this pot. The question is...without knowing Trung's card who I considered to be a tight passive player (another reason why I'm questioning my aggressiveness) would you flat call this bet or tap him down to the felt? I'll reveal the answer of what he had in his hand tomorrow...

Jul 12, 2004

so you whip up about a dozen or so eggs, add in about half a cup of 1/2, some tyme, and finally half of a lemon's zest.

Pour it into a saucepan, but keep it on medium heat. Cooking eggs over high heat can make them tough. Cook for about 5 minutes, then put it in the oven and bake for about 15.

Cut and serve.
- - -
Today I went to work and i drank 8 cups of water. I had to piss like every ten seconds.
- - -
Remember, pants first, THEN shoes.

Jul 10, 2004

Brian I totally feel you. So you don't have to go through this alone...I am going to erase my whole bankroll with all my winnings. Even all the times I won at Garden...and Bay...and online...Haha! I'm such an ass. Speaking of Excel spreadsheet...how bout Jon share his spreadsheet with us. That way you can see what a winning poker players swings are. You can then compare your own with his to see if you are sitting too long, playing too many hands etc. If you ask Jon nicely by licking around his ass he just might give it to you.

But seriously I think I have a solution and a reason why you can't lay down some hands. Of course I need to find out exactly what you aren't laying down against what is on the board, but I actually in a way have a similiar problem. More from me later...or perhaps a big long argument at Obon. That way this blog means nothing. Except for the top.

If it makes you feel any better...after you left...we all lost money. Jon did too. There lies the fact that you can be a solid player who studies the game but still lose. So don't beat yourself up. (When I lose it's because the Charlies at the table are colluding against me)

Jul 9, 2004

So here I am at 11:30 at night, still bitter at today's losses... I went out to the local arcade to get it out of my system, but some of it still lingers. Why the hell am I not disciplined enough to fold to a solid player?

All of that aside though... I am now determined to see my worth as a poker player. Excel sheet has been made, and I'm starting with $100 in the hole. I'll start with a bank roll next week and go from there. If I tap, I know something is seriously wrong. If not? I'll just blame it all on swings :)
Well this blog is going to be a bit lopsided since I will be talking about a relationship and also poker strategy. Yet this one won't be too long so don't worry.

Bryant I respect the time and effort you put into making this decision. Everyone understands that it was not an easy one to make any way you look at it. Of course there will be talks filled with the usual "it takes time" yet not matter how cliche that sounds...it really is true. I know I told you this on the phone, but I wanted to say it again here so you can look back on this in case you need it and also because I am the smartest person on this blog. Hehe.

You will probably start to feel guilty. Not necessarily for the decision you made (that is a whole 'nother story) but for the fact that "in time" you will start to accept the single life. I just wanted to tell you that knowing what I know about the situation...you made the right decision even though right now it might not seem like it. You made the right decision for you and that is something no one can take away from you. You have worked hard for what you have accomplished so far. You work harder than anyone else I know of (well maybe not Andy hehe.) and you deserve everything you worked for...so embrace it. Live life and when the time is right you will be ready.

Ready to make money that is. Okay so that transition wasn't the best and no the importance of each subject is not shown in length...Poker takes a lot more explaining which is why I took more time in writing this second section than discussing Bryant's situation. I think if he needs to talk we'll talk personally so with that being said...This is regarding the post Brian put up. Once again he shows everyone that I think about cards way toooo much. In case you didn't know about my theory and no I didn't just read that book Brian is reading on advanced hold em...I actually tried this at Bay101 when I noticed this for the first time...

If you read Lee Jones or even attempted to finish it you will know that he is a big believer in ramming and jamming the pot when you got a strong starting hand in hold em especially in late position. I like to think Jon and I are a couple of young kids who like to punish the old folks at the table...however I recently discovered that perhaps raising your hands might be questionable at the table even though it is what you know.

For example let us take the AK...shit let us even hope that you get to overcome the 331 to 1 odds and the AK is also suited. Now from what you know (and hopefully you know this) you should raise it up...perhaps it is even worth a reraise. The odds are very good that you are going to hit your A or K on the flop giving you a very strong hand. (The odds are about 2 to 1 against or roughly 30 percent to hit) So why shouldn't you raise?

Well the reason you shouldn't raise is because you aren't playing in limits high enough to play sneaky poker. Even if you cap the bets, people will now just call to make the game exciting to them. Remember most of these people are here to gamble. The raise is supposed to protect against people playing garbage...but when your limit is so low at the table...people play garbage all the time for the thrill of it. Now AKs makes more sense in this situation where you might want to just call the bet on the flop but what about huge pairs like QQ or KK? (AA speaks for itself...you stick in as many bets as you can no matter what...how you play on the flop is where the skill comes in and yes I myself have had the discipline to lay them down after the flop).

QQ and KK is a huge hand I admit. Yet the chance that someone holds the ACE that will trump the sluts and cowboys in a 9 handed game is around 83 percent (yes I had to look that one up) so I would recommend raising perhaps once to see where you are at. If you have that crazy chance to flop a set then you can ram and jam the pot since no one will put you on a set. This is where my whole being a pussy theory comes in...

The argument Brian, Jon and myself were having was the fact that I stated that you can play softly before the flop because if you do hit a strong flop you can now build up the pot because people are crazy and will call your bets. Yet what about protecting your hands? Well what good is protection if it costs a shitload of bets and it doens't even work? In some cases you might want to play your big pairs or AKs softly because what if the garbage that they are holding gives them some slim draws or perhaps even middle pair?

I'm not going into a huge statistical argument on this. For the most part I will admit that Lee Jones is a solid teacher and played a huge part in the foundation of my knowledge of Hold em...so I leave you with this...

Put yourself in one of two categories...

If you see Poker as a hobby AND doesn't play that much too often in card rooms - You should give this a try. You will save bets and you might also risk losing to some garbage cards...but remember if you start off with a strong hand, the chances of you winning is greater than someone who plays trash and winning against you. I'm not saying to totally be a pussy..you still need to be aggressive...but remember that betting to protect is in my mind overrated before the flop in these smaller limit games.

If you see Poker as a hobby BUT keeps records for the long haul - Play your normal aggressive game...go ahead and reraise with the AKs for instance, but remember that your bankroll is a bit larger (I don't mean bankroll as monthly income...I mean it in the winning vs. losses dollars) so you can go ahead and take your chances on some things. Yet even though while testing this theory I have won just over 550.00, so I will take my observation to heart while still mixing it up with my aggressive game.

Now reading back on this blog I realized I have stated something that seems a bit confusing. I said "...the chances of you winning (if you hold strong preflop hands) is greater than someone who plays trash and winning against you." So why would you not want to stick in bets before the flop? Here is the thing...

I am not writing this to tell you how to play poker. I'm not saying this is the only way to play your strong hands pre-flop. What I am telling you is that if you decide you want to go play one afternoon with 100 bucks...even with 200 bucks in your pocket and you want to come out a winner you need to tighten up your game preflop because if you keep raising and reraising you are liable to lose a lot of money on gambles...before you know it your money is gone and you only played for 3 hours. You simply don't have the bankroll with you to be all out aggressive. Now if you set lets say...1200 bucks aside for nothing but poker you can play your hands more aggressivly since you are hoping your payoffs are huge...yet I can't say this enough...if you want to make money one afternoon playing cards you have to treat that 100 or 200 bucks like it is your last because you just want to come up some money that afternoon, you aren't going to reinvest that money back into your bankroll.

If you are confused and have any questions go ahead and blog...I know this observations doesnt' seem clear but so far my winnings have given this argument some validity. In case you were wondering I tried this out during the 24 hours this past week I played cards. I'll probably play on Friday so I'll let you know how that goes.

Jul 8, 2004

Well, I was told by Brian that I need to post. He informed that it had been a while...so here we go...

I know I've written posts in the past about my relationships, so to keep consistent, here we are again.

Tiffany and I just broke up. Well, we're taking a break until, pretty much until I can get back in control of my life. It was easily the hardest thing I've ever done to date. How can I break up w/ someone that I truly love and enjoy being around? I can't explain it the reason why I was feeling this way, but for some reason for a while now, I was just feeling like I wasn't ready to be in a long term, long distance relationship anymore. It felt like there was too much work involved and energy being put in, where I didn't have time for myself. Time for myself to figure out who I really am and what I really want to do. I felt like I was concentrating my whole life on my relationship and honestly, I think my body was breaking down. Add in work, parents getting older and going to the hospital, finding a house and I think both physically and mentally, I was getting drained. I had to take the risk that I may never be together with Tiff again, so that I can just take a breather in life. It's the toughest call I've ever had to make and I just can't believe I did it.

Ever since high school, all I wanted was a stable relationship. I was called Mr. Stability by all and had everyone shocked when I told them about my dilemma. I always dreamed of just being with one girl and being with her forever. For some reason, in the past few months I've learned that forever is a hella long time. I will probably be together with someone for the rest of my life, so I saw being single for a year or so as not being too bad. I saw being single for a little bit as a time for me to stop growing so fast and just to take things one day at a time.

I've realized this was the first time I've broken up w/ a girl since high school. Except 6 years later, it hurts ten times more. I guess that's what happens when you truly care about someone. I've just realized that I've never cried so much over a girl. Even with the others, I was just depressed, never really cried. It's just weird to think about, you know?

While talking with Tiff, she became understanding to why I had to do this and what sucks is that's what I love about her. How understanding she is, how much she cared for me, and how she wants what's best for me as well. I realized how much our personalities really matched, how I finally found a girl that can tolerate Brendan and friends, and how much I can truly care about a person.

The good thing is we talked things out more and decided that both of us would love to stay friends. She's become one of my best friends and I would really hate to lose that. I'm so serious on this one when I say I want us to be friends and I will try my best when the dust settles to do that.........it's just going to be so hard.

We also talked about getting together again and we both have said that it'll probably be some time before we get back together. On my part, I definitely have to be ready and sure that I'm ready to go for the long haul in a relationship. Things happen for a reason and I hope in time that fate has a plan for Tiff and I.

The hardest part of the night was hanging up the phone. We both realized that we wouldn't be a couple after that. We became "friends" and it was evident when Tiff said, "Good night Bryant." Usually she says, "Good night babe, love you." Sorry for the sappinest, but it truly donned on me that it was the first sign of us being friends. I didn't think this would affect me this much, but I have been wrong on a lot of things.

I guess the ball's in my court to figure out my life and just to relax a bit...

Life's going to be different starting tommorrow (today actually)...first time I'll see Tiff again is Obon, I hope it's not too weird.

Thanks to those who talked to me and gave me advice. I really needed someone to listen and none of you hesitated to hear me out. I'm truly lucky to have friends like you.

I keep asking myself, "How could this happen?" Steve's right, you can't control emotions, I surely wish I could.

Sorry for the depressing post, but I thought my best/good friends should know about this.

Good night all and take care.

Jul 7, 2004

Page 159 in the Hold 'em for advanced players:
"In a loose passive game where many people see the flop and then play poorly after that... You should: .... Frequently keep it to a single bet before the flop more than most people think because you gain a lot when bad players make incorrect calls on the flop and beyond, as long as the pot is kept small....

With a hand that is pretty good but not great, if you don't raise and thereby cost yourself a little bit of money at that point, you gain it back plus some because had you made the pot bigger there would be less opportunity for your opponents to make significant mistakes later on."

Not very well worded, and it took me 2 or 3 times of reading it to understand, but it proves Brendan's point exactly.

Jul 2, 2004

Alright you got it. It's the new Apple monitor. One can suggest that all flat panels are created equally...but I think if you saw these in person you would easily see that NO OTHER flat panel comes close to the brightness and resolution of these monitors. I wish I was rich. I'd probably buy three for shits and giggles.

So Bill Cosby who we are going to see in September is calling out all blacks to get off their asses and make something of themselves. I'm not going into a long debate on this, especially since I'm not black...but I am a minority and that gives me some right to comment. Kevin you can comment also, but if you say something wrong then you will be considered a racist. Haha...a racist like me.

We Japs (especially of our generation) haven't really had to endure too much racism. Of course there were always those kids that stuck out there teeth and made slanty eyes. I didn't mean to offend anyone...really. I always thought that was funny. Anyway, I also haven't had to endure the racism that the black people had to endure...NOW I AM IN NO WAY COMPARING THE PROBLEMS OF THE AMERICAN-JAPANESE TO THE AFRICAN AMERICANS...HOWEVER I THINK THE SOLUTION IS ONE OF THE SAME.

A lot of young black people are getting pissed at Cosby because he said they can't read. I don't know where that came from..."Who you came with" (Nelly, Pimp Juice Expert), but I do think that black people that believe that in blaming "The Man" is going to solve their problems need a wake up call like Cosby. Yes there is racism. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE RACISM AS LONG AS THE CANADIANS GO AROUND WITH THEIR SHITTY MONEY THAT TRIES TO BE PENNIES WHEN I COUNT DOWN MY DRAWER AT NOAHS BAGELS AT THE CHEAP JEW STORE..AHEM...excuse me. There will always be racism in the world. To think otherwise is downright ingorant...however there comes a time when you need to learn to deal with racism. With your mind. To succeed in making something of your life...to give to the community and change the world. Yes one person can make a difference. I firmly believe that. The black community doesn't want to hear this...but I do find it interesting that a lot of the older generation that endured the most racism everyday agree with Cosby. The Japanese Americans had their lives taken from them. Not to the extent of slavery, but were a victim of racism nonetheless. However, I am very proud of what my family has accomplished after being sent to these internment camps...which goes into my next point...

My mom's Aunt passed away this week. I fear that in the next five years we will lose a lot of loved ones in my family. My mom said it best when she pointed out that my extended family (mainly my mom's aunts and uncles) which usually would have taken up like 3 tables were down to one at my cousins wedding. They are getting older and as they all pass on it is up to my generation to realize the dreams they never got to have. Of course I'm not saying that they didn't live their lives to the fullest...but they made sacrifices at the hands of racism. They sacrifed themselves to make our lives better and for that...I can never repay fully...but I can try to change the world by making my life mean something.

Cosby is not denying that racism is a problem in America. He is not dismissing "The Man" for contributing to the problem. What Cosby is saying is that racism will always be here so it is up to the young black community to rise above that racism and the stereotypes that are given to them. Become intelligent. Do your family justice that had to sacrifice so much to give you what they probably never had...a chance.

**Yes Jon I realize that I'm probably making Cosby cringe at my own "educated" syntax.

Jun 29, 2004

30 inches...I'm completely turned on. If you can guess what I'm talking about...you know me very well.
Wow it has been a while since I've last blogged. Where to start...I guess with the important stuff.

My cousin Jennifer and Allen got married this past weekend. It was pretty awesome. First off it was very cool to see all my cousins and family whom I haven't seen in quite a while. I can't believe all my cousins' kids are growing up so fast. Of course my side of the family tore up the dance floor...I can't tell you how lucky I am to have the type of family where my grandparents (on my mom's side) are raising the roof on songs from Little John or Usher. So thanks Allen and Jennifer for an awesome evening filled with dope ass dishes from Fung Lum...spelling? Thanks to Allen's parents who own the restaurant in letting us eat some awesome dishes. Haha, next time you might not want to have it open bar when the Tazumi clan comes knock'n on the Chinese doors. Oh yeah and congrats! Hehe.

So how good was this party? You fuckers that went away to college think your parties could stand up to the wedding? Well how about this then...did any of those parties want to make a baby come out 1 month earlier to get this party started? I didn't think so. I now have a new cousin (the last of the grandchildren for the Tazumi side...the grandchildren span decades...at this rate they will have great great grandchildren) and Sydnie has a new brother to torment. For those who aren't around...Sydnie has called him Stitch since my Auntie Mimi's stomach started getting ridiculously big (kehkehkeh). So Stitch heard all the comotion on Saturday night and saw how frigg'n awesome this family is and decided that one more month was too long to wait. So Stitch was born on Monday at around 8:30 am. Stich is a healthy baby boy...well until I pollute his head with my thoughts. I can't wait to see Sydnie and Stitch duke it out...although it wouldn't be a fair fight. Sydnie would get all 15 of her friends...of course they are all imaginary. Reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbes strip...and only Hapachan or Eecs know which one I'm probably talking about. So congratulations to my Aunt Mimi and Uncle Joe for having the balls to do this again...and congrats to Sydnie. You now have a slave for the next 6 or so years. Just rememeber he will probably be bigger than you in about 20 years.

The director of Dodgeball is 25. Jesus shit.

So now for my financial secrets. How just how do I have money to do shit? I only work 25 hours a week. I get paid next to nothing. Of course I'm nowhere near Bryant or Jon but both of them are stressed so I win. Haha. Steve here is a rundown of how I think of my savings and spending...I actually think this might be of some use to you...I mean we're both in jobs that pay us not in cash, but rather those little plastic eyeballs that you use in kindergarten to make your alligator look like a fucking cross eyed bitch.
Remember also that I don't know what rent is or what it even means. But I think this still might be helpful...who am I kidding...it's not.

1.) I sleep so much that it seems I get a paycheck every other day rather than every two weeks. Before I know it I slept for three days and I only got 11 more days to go until I get paid again.

2.) Those who know me know that I'm lazy. I currently have five paychecks that aren't cashed, but sitting in my drawer. This actually prevents me from thinking that I have less money than I really do have.

3.) I have enough in my savings where I could buy 10 videogames. That is how I see it and it works. Everytime I have a game in my hand...I holepunch the imaginary, "Buy 10 games and get absolutely nothing free...except 500 dollars less than what you would have" card. Of course those that know me also realize that I use that up in about 1.5 months.

4.) Here is also a little known secret of my success. Jon is gonna be pissed! Of course this is a joke, but it does bring up a funny situation. I make Jon pay for shit and then pay him back when the actual date of whatever it is rolls around. Take Cosby for instance. I think I owe Jon money. Perhaps I don't, but I'll take his word for it. It took me a while to pay that shit off, but Jon enjoys my company so much he would gladly put money up front while I save up for these events. Jon is my loan officer. And the juice is 0 points. Fuck you Derek...Washington Mutual can't even hang with that.

5.) When you move back home...as much as it might piss you off to mooch of your 'rents for a while...I try to be home for dinner as much as possible. That way when they are deciding what to eat I can get in on it...and they pay for it. Because if they didn't they would be Jews. And they don't want to be Jews because I will stick on a yellow star on every single one of their pieces of clothing and make them sleep under the floors.

6.) Stop fucking drinking. You guys can make fun of me all you want about how I don't drink...mainly because I'm allergic to it...and not normal red faced allergic...I mean straight up fucked up with one drink...where I get a stomach cramp, need to puke and get a migraine that feels like Jack Putter getting shot in the eyes by Quaid in Innerspace.

7.) Hire a personal shopper. My mom almost lost her job by not cutting the tags off my pants and shirt she bought me for the wedding. Luckily for her there were no applicants so she gets to keep her job. Haha. I'm not gonna get shit in a long time now...

8.) Poker. I have a gangsta roll in my drawer that I pack away with my paychecks. Now the point of this roll is not to look cocky, but think about this...whenever I take out a twenty or 200 to go to Garden...I physically see it getting smaller and smaller...this effects how I spend my money out of this roll because in my eyes I see that I'm wasting money on stupid shit...and when I gamble with it I play a better game mentally because I know that if I lose the money at Garden, it is going to effect me.

9.) I still play Poker a lot. There are more suckers than ever online. Sure I have my bad days, but for the most part I probably make about 100 bucks profit each week that I actually sit down to play a couple of days. It would be more but I'm playing in larger tournaments for more money to hone my skills...a lot of the winnings go towards that.

10.) Visit no one. Haha. Especially Kevin. Were all gonna get on Nextel soon so now we will never ever have to see each other again...and in the end...isn't that for the best? Shit perhaps we should all get Nextel phones...

11.) Hang out with people that don't have money. Jon and Bryant are an exception...well Bryant has a girlfriend that sucks the wallet dry I'm sure, but Jon is very selective on what he buys...he's not cheap. Just selective. Derek is still in debt. Kick with the poor folks. It's amazing how you can make a party out of Wario Ware inc.'s paper airplane game.

12.) On a side note about sleeping a lot...you can wake up at dinner time and be set for the day when you eat dinner. That is only one meal a day. You win. Of course when you go back to sleep...all the food goes straight to the heart, but I honestly dont' want to live past 30. That way I can actually have a sad funeral where people could say, "he had so much potential...sniff sniff...so much to offer..." rather than 40 years down the line, "he was the father I never knew because he abandoned me because I looked like a Charlie" and "he didn't amount to much...his possesions were few and far between, but he loved life" ending with "alright...well who is up for lunch?"

Steve if you follow these 12 steps you will not only kick your drinking habit but also have the money to do whatever you want when those special occasions come up...like Xmas. Haha!

Brian I'm now having computer withdrawl...I wanna paint. I wanna surf the web...I wanna play online cards...HURRY UP AND GET INTO TOWN SO YOU CAN BUILD THIS COMPUTER...
Steve... One word: Poker.

hahaha yeah right.

Sad truth? I work friday, saturday, sunday nights. That means a cut in fun/social life. I'm not saying I'm rich, but I know I'd need a lot more money if I went out more :)
it would appear that i am doing something wrong. Why does everyone have a shitload of money except for me? Even tho i'm working full time, i'm still broke. How??? i dont buy anything. I don't buy any new clothes or shoes or anything. All around me people are buying cars, digi cameras, new clothes, shoes, bags, going on all kinds of vacations, going here, going there, going to vegas and getting VIP (VIP TABLES!!! THAT SHIT IS BANK!!!)..and some of these people aren't even working!!!! I'm not hating on the fact that these people have money...oh no...quite the opposite, in that i need to figure out what they're doing.

so all you people with money, especially those without jobs, hook it up with your secrets? Are you slanging? Did you invent something? Working the corner? Tell me!!!!!!! I want in on the green! I wanna take a G to vegas and get a VIP table at Rain and eat Bellagio buffet every meal i'm there. i wanna guy the new $550 Sony digi camera.

Greed. Isn't it great? Almost as good as sarcasm.

I'm tired. and bored. I was late for work today so i went in in the clothes i slept in. Isn't that dope?

Jun 28, 2004

Alright, this post is for Brendan... It's only a preliminary outline of what your system will look like.

Mother Board: Asus PC-DL Deluxe New Egg 201.00
Memory: Corsair XMS PC 3200 New Egg 254.00
512x2 CAS 2-3-3-6
CPU: Intel Xeon 2.8 533FSB New Egg 275.00
CPU-2: Intel Xeon 2.8 533FSB New Egg 275.00
SCSI Controller: ? ? ~150.00

To be continued...