Monday, June 30, 2008


Fool's Gold (2008) Kate looks funny in it as usual but naaah this ain't for me. $2.

Sunday, June 29, 2008


Taco stand in Mexico City. Some were good some were plain. Wish I could speak more Spanish. 6peso per taco.

Highway 180 in Yucatan, Mexico. It connect Merida and Cancun. Some locations are very narrow but big trailer just cruise by doing 120km or so. They also have paid freeway next to it but it is pretty expensive.

More Bugs in DF.

Mexico City Taxi. I love those bugs. Did not ride one since many told me it is a dodgy ride but nice to see so many happy bugs running. Dr.Porsche would love to see that.

More Luis Barragan house/studio shot. We could not take any photo inside since Vitra Swiss owns them all!! How could that happen? Guide said Vitra also owns all the furniture design right too.

This was the horse ride to Cuzama tres Cenotes, Mexico. Since the track is single, drivers has to de-track carriage when they is a oncoming traffic...

Meet the Robinsons (2007) Kids liked it but I thought the story, animation, plot, direction all sucked. $3.

Hotel Club Verano Beat, Cancun Mexico. $120. Cheap Motel 6 style joint but clean for the price and location with a dodgy bar.

Aqua world snokeling tour at Cancun, Mexico. Paid $44 came with food and all you can drink booze but coral and fish were not good at all. Only worth $20.

CARIB PARADISE RESORT in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. $82 and we stayed just by the pool where we could go to skinny dip at the middle of night. Nice but it was old style hotel. Very close to main street. Wanted to stay at more design oriented fashionable hotel but they all did not want kids...

Coba ruins in Yucatan, Mexico. We could climb this pyramid unlike Chichen Itza. Kind a scary to go up but the view is so nice. The Pyramid is about 1.5k from the entrance so I would recommend to hire a bicycle taxi at entrance for $10. It is worth it. Good visit.

Galeria Plaza Hotel in Mexico City. $90 for twin bed room. Nice dark furniture and free unlimited espresso. Good location to walk to Zona Rosa. I would stay here again.

Camino Real Hotel in Mexico City. Beautiful lobby and enjoyed club room. The standard is not as good as recently build hotels but has some good design spaces. Also ate at Spanish restaurant in there. Everything tasted a bit salty but it was all good. $180 at club room where you get drinks and bkfst. Would stay there again.

National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. Kind liked it but king of boring as usual museum smell. I would present them in a way so viewer get more thrilled and excited because what they have is good stuff but how they presented is too plain. The single stem roofing structure is amazing though.

Serenity 2005. I have not seen the TV show Firefly but this movie was so so. Somehow the future set looks cheap. May be cheaper than the Star Trek TV show which I would imagine has less budget than this movie... $10.

Luis Barragan. We visited his house/office in Mexico City. The view from his library is amazing. Sublime color choice and love his idea of playing with scale. i.e. placing oversized chair or do small door so Luis appeared huge... There also was a nice designed house across the street.

La Parrila Mexican restaurant in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. I liked one in Playa better. Flavored Tacos tasted much better there. Also XL Margarita is a bit of joke coming in a tall plastic mug which is hard to drink and shame to waste after use. Go a bit late and there are musics.

Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Cancun Mexico. Nice big resort with everything you need. The room came with 15 minutes relaxing massage but it was a joke. Other than that it was just nice resort huge hotel. Did not eat nor drink here so I would not know food score but I would imagine it is decent. $225 for a huge room.

Mayaland Chichen Itza, Mexico. $115 for nice big room. It is clean for this area with AC/TV/fan. Nice pool(s) and decent food. Must place to stay if you want to visit the Pyramid 1st thing in the morning (which is a good idea) or do the night tour.

Los Almendros restaurant Merida, Mexico. They do traditional Yucatan food or so they say. It was nice to eat in nice AC clean place once in a while. Good food. $60 for six.

Mision Panamericana Merida, Mexico. The hotel name might be wrong but it was located at Calle 59 and 52/54. $85 and must had its hay day about a few decade ago. Room is old and stinks. Beds were decade old. Not good. Entrance and lobby looks OK so check room before decide to stay. Walking from Los Almendros restaurant so that is the only plus.

Chichen Itza, Mexico. Hour half from Tulum. We stayed at near by hotel and did night visit as well as early morning visit before heat hit there. Nice but too bad old American lady died a few years back falling down from the pyramid, because that incident banned rest of us from climbing it. For the Night viewing, it is better to rent a translator headphone for two bucks otherwise, you have no idea what they are saying in Spanish.

Cenote of Yucatan


Cuzama, Mexico. There is three Cenotes a bit south of Cuzama. You park and a horse will take you to all three for $20. All of them are good but I loved the third one which named Bolom-Chojol which translated as “nine mouse holes”. Going there on the horse carriage is kind a nice touch too. I love to go back there again in a decade or so. Cuzama is about 40 minutes from Merida or Chichen Itza.

Ocho Tulum Resort Mexico Yucatan. Brand new bungalows and superb food. When we were there for dinner, there was a young Italian (my guess) chef did decent seafood pasta. No AC/TV but who needs one when you have nice deep blue dark beach and wind. $100 for back room and you can feel like you are in nice resort in Tangier.

Saturday, June 14, 2008


Gin-iro no kami no Agito (2006) Origin: Spirit of the past. Nice animation especially robotic part but story is weak. Nausica is better. $4.

Dexter Season 1
Now I am on disc three. The story is getting exciting! All the actor has some kind of weird nature and somehow it is tying into Dexter. It is strange to feel that Dexter is almost ordinally.

Thursday, June 12, 2008


Eastern Promises (2007)
Directed by David Cronenberg. Everyone in it did a decent job acting but Viggo was outstanding. His fight in Sauna is just amazing. Nice world created and story. I enjoyed it but I think Cronenberg takes a bit too much on bloody side. That is his trademark but I think I am getting too old for his gruesome scene. Without being gruesome, the story and acting still can be bright. May be in the plane, they take out some gruesome scene so that is the one I should watch next time. Anyway good one. $13. Do not watch with kids or teenagers.

Monday, June 09, 2008


Dexter 2006. A dude from six feet under. Somehow he became main guy and more muscular but doing similar weird dead body orgy. This cinematographer who shot this, if this is the same as the 6 feet has good sense of capturing region. 6 feet was in LA and this one is in Miami. It shows how and mugginess of Miami now comparing to hot vast and dry LA from 6 feet. Also this time there is a lot of eating scene. Makes me hungry for hot food. Just show the 1st season 1st disc so can not tell much but so far so good. Just hope it does not stall like I did with 6feet by becoming mundane repeat of everyday life.

Sunday, June 08, 2008


Sweet Land 2005. Story about mail-in-marriage back in 20's. Kind a sweet but too plain for me. Nice leading actress who was born in the US imitating Scandinavian and German. $6.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008


King of California 2007. It was done by guy who did Sideways which I liked. This one had similar dry California pale light to it but I liked it a lot. Michael played so good. He looked so much like his dad too. Love the every scene from where go back in 2nd time to the water. I think this might not have been a major hit but I wish to see more of this kind a movie. $30.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008


Cups & Coins Cafe

415 N Mary Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
(408) 530-8858
They specialize in Chinese noodle. They serve with topping and noodle soup in separate dish. It is kind a nice to keep the crispness. Noodle wise it is a bit stale but may be that is how is done in mainland. $12 for one. OK. Italian Soda sucks though.

Gombei Santa Clara 3533 Homestead Rd., Santa Clara, CA, 95051
(408) 260-0880. New location New opening with belt Sushi. We liked it good. Right next to brand spanking new Korean super mkt so you can do stuffing and shopping at the same time. $60 for 4.