JustinMar.com: The official website of Justin Mar

I've been known to have a keen sense of memory. People are always amazed at how well I can remember experiences, names, faces, places, processes, and even smells. Lately, I've been careless with an important item that many people hold onto with extreme care. It's not my house keys. It's not my car keys! It's not my social security number. It's not even money (although close enough)! I've been careless with my CREDIT CARD! Al thought, not careless with my spending. Let me explain: I order food from a restaurant. I pay the bill with my credit card. I sign the credit card receipt. Then I somehow forget to put my credit card back into my wallet!!!! Turns out that I happened to leave my credit card behind at a local restaurant we visit often and they were honest to keep it safe for me. I called them the next day and then had to suffer the embarrassment of walking in with a big stamp on my forehead that says, "DUMMY." The panic of opening my wal...

Thanks Twitpic for hosting these photos These are your typical before and after photos. Call me a bad owner. I usually let Mickey's hair grow out to the point where his hair gets knatted and tangled. This time it wasn't so bad. Obviously in the first photo, his hair was so long that he couldn't see. I felt really bad because when I was walking him; he walked right into a pole. Underneath all that fur is a skinny little dog. Just from observation, people would think it's a totally different dog. Aside from Mickey's haircut/grooming, it has been definately an eventful summer for me. Been keeping busy at work and also enjoying this somewhat beautiful weather here in the Bay Area . Hope to blog a little bit more. With summer nearly over, it's back to school with my full schedule of various music classes/rehearsals on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night. Until the next post, enjoy the rest of summer while it lasts!

The tooth fairy better give me $100 for this tooth. It's not just an ordinary tooth. It's a tooth of WISDOM! It's been two hours since I've had just my one and "only" wisdom tooth extracted. The tooth was on the right hand side upper jaw. It surfaced out but was growing sideways. Being way in the back, my dentist recommended removing it for hygenic reasons since it's really difficult to clean or brush. I arrived at the dentist nice and calm. Wasn't anxious or worried at all. Opened my mouth, and took the wonderful shot of Novocaine . No need for the nitrous. Nitrous should be saved to make your car faster! Waited for the numbing to kick in and took some x-rays. My dentist walks in with this long metal instrument that looks like an ice pick. He said I'll feel a little bit of a push. I swear, in about ten seconds the tooth was OUT! His assistant didn't even notice that the tooth was out too. I seriously thought my dentist was kidding until he s...

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Fourth of July weekend! After spending nearly over a month without a television , I'm happy to announce that I can finally return to my usual couch potato habits. Circuit City replaced my Philips plasma with a Panasonic TH-50 PZ 85U . FYI...I'm not a Jeter fan. He just happened to be on the ESPN screen. It was a nice time of reflection living without a TV. I can't say that I was more productive without a television, but I did notice that it was something I could live without. Spent more time surfing online more than anything else and I'm surprised I decided not to take the time to blog. Some of the noticeable difference was a decrease in our electricity bill. Some of the downfalls: We're still paying for our cable bill. Our Netflix movies just sat for a month. Our GameFly games sat for a month. No Wii Need to catch up with all the shows we missed. Thank God for Hulu ! Other than that, it wasn't too bad. We survived! If w...

In previous posts, I blogged about how I'm a curse to the San Francisco Giants . I am happy to announce that today, June 2, 2008, I attended a game and the Giants won! THE CURSE IS FINALLY OVER! My record for attending games where the Giants lose goes all the way back to games back when they were playing at Candlestick. This is the fifth home game I've attended this season, and the Giants win with me attending in attendance. A total shocker. Plus it was a blood bath win over the New York Mets . Giants 10 - Mets 2. It's not like I go to each game hoping that the Giants lose. I want them to win and it makes me somewhat upset that I've never attended a winning home game. The other great highlight, caro 2660 was able to score us $8.00 tickets for upper reserve seats with a deal online! These are seats that normally sell for $22! I couldn't ask for anything better in a game: cheap tickets along with a winning game! I think I'm going to "frame" ...

I am a huge advocate for the purchasing of Protection Plans or Extended Service Plans. People usually think they are a total waste of money. Especially when you never use it. The reason why I'm such a huge advocate of protection plans; I used to sell them when I was automotive sales business. If you're going to sell these products, you should be a strong believer in them. I'm one of those strong believers in these products. Why? It saved my ass countless times. Protection Plans are just another form of insurance. It's just like auto insurance or homeowners insurance. It protects your investments! You may never use it, but you can sleep at night knowing that you're protected. When you have problems or situations, you're covered with peace of mind. It saves you money as well. For any large ticket items I usually purchase a protection plan. My 50" Philips Plasma with Ambi -light is one of those items. I've had about two major incidents where my TV broke a...

Instead of calling this Justin's Blogger Spot, I should call it, "Justin's Electronic Toy Spot." Especially with all these gadgets I've been acquiring. With the new California law prohibiting the use of holding your cell phone while driving going into effect July 1, 2008; I've decided to invest into a decent bluetooth device. The BlueAnt Z9 is perfect for my needs. Especially with the Voice Isolation Technology option it has. Since I drive two cars that both have loud exhausts, the noise cancellation works like a charm. I also like the fact that you can pair and switch between multiple devices. I carry two cell phones (one personal and one work), so this enables me to switch between phones. Only downfall, the earpiece is rather large and it gets uncomfortable to wear at time. In fact, my ear is a bit sore after I take it off. I hope this will go away or hopefully my ear can slowly adapt to it. Also...Happy Cinco de Mayo!

After thinking long and hard; I've made the decision to take this blog down. Too lazy to update it and it just occupies too much of my time. I've also decided to scrap all my computer electronics and send it off to an e-waste facility. Who needs all these high tech gadgets that keep you preoccupied all day? Stomped on my Blackberry too. I hate that annoying piece of crap that alerts me when I get a new email from work. You won't see me checking my blackberry anymore. If you want to contact me, send me something through the US Postal Service....or a telegram via Morse code. Swung a sledge-hammer through my 50" flat screen and cranked my Vienna Acoustic speakers so loud that they blew out. Great....more e-waste. Lastly, I'm selling both my cars. Donating the Vibe GT to charity and the Cobalt SS is sitting on the street with a FOR SALE sign in it. I've decided to spend my money on bicycle. This will be my new form of transportation. Condo is for sale to...

I'm not that big on being an environmentalist, but this worldwide event call Earth Hour is a really cool aspect to consider. Turn your lights out at 8PM tonight. It'll be cool to see everything outside with the lights out. That's only if people are aware and participate. They had a similar event in San Francisco last year, and we did a stroll through the city. Probably only 25% of people participated. Do it for the environment or do it for the coolness factor.

Poor Mickey. I've been a bad owner. I let his hair grow out too long and he had some serious poodle "dreadlocks". For better words, "knatted" hair or "hair knots". The worse damage was around his ears, so the groomer at PetSmart had to completely cut the hair off his ears. No more cute floppy poodle ears. It looks funny, but it'll grow back. Next time I'm going to a better job at getting him groomed earlier. Here's how Mickey looks now after his grooming. His ears are really short! Especially in comparison to the stuff animal look-alike. Who you looking at?

Went to a Whole Foods Market today for the first time. I tend to stay far away from yuppie stores like these (no offense to yuppies). I keep my distance especially when this grocery store is classified/nicknamed as the "Whole Paycheck". Yes, they do serve quality, wholesome, non trans fat items, organic foods, fresh local farmed produce; but at a high price! At high prices that only a few Americans can afford......aaahhemmm....just the healthy and wealthy! Everyone knows that Mac & Cheese is what Americans call good ole' American comfort food. It's also an inexpensive staple of some low income families. I am in no way making fun of low income families that eat Mac & Cheese, but you can automatically ask anyone who grew up on government issued foods, they will tell you they ate Mac & Cheese. Made from the box or from the blocks of government cheese given out. Why, because it's cheap and hearty. Now back to the topic of Whole Foods. Here is what I fou...

Yeah Baby! Carbon Fiber !!! Lightweight, strong, and stiff! When I think carbon fiber; I think automotive! It is a very versitile compound that is super strong and looks cool too. The demand for it is high and it's generally used in aircrafts and performance automobiles. In fact, a lot of aircraft companies are buying up all the raw carbon fiber compounds, making the demand for carbon fiber really high. I'm happy that I have these custom carbon fiber orthotics under my feet. They are light as a feather, but can withstand the weight and abuse of my 205 pound fat ass. The hard part is trying to get used to wearing these suckers. It takes time for your foot to conform to the new mold and support it offers. Since I'm flat footed, this will help my develop an arch, and also protect the metatarsal joint issues I've had in the past. The painful part is getting my foot to conform to these inserts. Carbon Fiber is faster. Not sure in my case!

I guess you can say that I'm on a spending spree! The good thing, I'm buying items that are functional and useful. Not just something that going to sit and collect dust (like my cars). My latest and greatest purchase is the Le Cruset Cast Iron Round Oven. It's a 5.5 quart pot that is capable for making soups, stews, or any other dishes you can make out of a pot. What makes this oven/pot so special and so expensive? Because it's French? The cast iron material helps for the retention and distribution of heat with very easy clean up; especially with it's enamel coating. There are no cold spots (even heat distribution), you can sear, saute, fry, braise, roast...and just about anything else. It just can't do the cooking for you. I've been shopping around for deals online, at retail stores, and finally purchased this round oven (in FLAME color) from the Le Cruset Factory Outlet in Vacaville , CA. I was in perfect time for this deal because the sales person ...

Yes, another expensive toy purchase. To many who know me, this purchase would sound like just another implusive Justin purchase. Honestly, I waited and did a little bit of shopping beforehand. I even waited for the deal . This is the Garmin nuvi 360. It's rather popular for it's small size (=stack of playing cards) and it's bluetooth capabilities. For the longest time, I've been borrowing my dad's Garmin nuvi 350, and I've always found it handy; especially when travelling. I figured why spend the money when I could always borrow it from my dad? Sure enough, I have a job that requires me to be on the road. There are countless times where this tiny little device saved my ass from getting lost or calling around frustrated trying to get directions. So for peace of mind and it's purpose for work, it's money well spent! Now, there's no excuse for me getting lost or relying on my sometimes inaccurate human navigator with AAA maps. :)

Happy Valentine's Day! A special day to express your love with the people you love. In reality, you can make Valentine's Day on any day of the year. Again, it's just a commercial holiday for retailers and florist to start their earnings off strong for the year. I must admit that I was with the rest of the last minute "guys" standing in line buying a dozen long stemed roses at Costco . Costco has the best bargain in town! Don't call me cheap! It's the thought that counts! Tonight we're heading over a friend's house for filipino style BBQ. No fancy dinner. Just enjoying the evening with friends and eating lots of protein. mmmm.

My left foot has been giving me some serious problems. For better words, "serious pain!" It's my typical male mentality to just ignore going to the doctor when I have some sort of health issue, but this time the pain was bad enough for me to actually get checked out by a doctor. Honestly, I don't know how I managed to mess my left foot up. My right foot is fine and dandy. In fact I'm almost embarassed to tell everyone how I developed this pain that causes me to limp around. Ok....I'll tell. A few Sundays ago, S wanted me go for a nice walk around the neighborhood. As much as I dread walking; wait, I'm just plain lazy! She convinced me to walk down the street to the coffee shop. What was planned out as a 45 minute walk turned into a 15 minute walk because we decided to head back home because of some last minute plans with friends to eat out. So much for exercise when your stomach overruled the walking agenda. I really didn't notice the pain until a few ...

Happy MLK day! May we all have "a dream." Just wanted to share one of my new discoveries. It's probably not very new, but very new to my tastes buds. Allow me to introduce... Han's All Natural Goumet Sausages Costco carries their Chicken Sausage: Spinach, fontina cheese, and roasted garlic in a 3 pound pack. What's great is the fact that the chicken used was raised with no antibiotics, no added growth hormones, no nitrates, nitrites or MSG added....not much artificial stuff either. My intentions were to pop these babies on the BBQ grill, but it is so cold and rainy here in the bay area....I was forced to use the George Foreman grill instead. Tasty with every bite. Not oily and filled with fat pockets. You can taste the flavors of the spinach and garlic. Fontina Cheese is almost like a mozzarella....so I can barely taste the cheese. A damn good sausage! Don't get me wrong, these aren't the most healthiest sausages you can eat, but it's good...

I'm still in shock that it's 2008. Time sures does fly by fast! Our NYE celebration was a blast. We invited friends over for food, games, drinking, and celebration. It was fun! Tons of great food. T made lion's head soup, and zh a jian mein . S made her yummy chicken wings, and I made korean style bbq short ribs. Plus we prepared some frozen dumplings. Our guests deep fried some various goodies like nuggets, tater tots, and shrimp chips. Again, plenty of food to consume before we start our resolutions. Our guest also brought plenty of alcohol and bubbly to add to the celebration. We played this game called " Apples for Apples ." It's a really fast paced and totally hilarious to place. Rather than explain the game, our friends at Wikipedia explain it the best...so click the link. Super fun game to play at parties, and there are also different variations on how you can play the game. We also played Risk 2210 A.D is a futuristic version of the...

At last, we approach the most awaited day of the year! The time gift exchanging, over eating, and spending time with loved ones! Also let's not to forget the celebration of the birth of Christ. Yes, it's a hectic time, but we suffer through it anyways to remain in the spirit of giving. I was able to spend a good amount valuable time with my parents. They decided to come over to our place to spend the holidays since our families decided have their own individual celebrations rather than a huge family gathering. It was a different change because we're so used to the huge gathering, but it was also nice to have this small intimate immediate family gathering. As with all traditions, we always open our gifts at the strike of midnight on Christmas day (Christmas Eve to Christmas Day). We exchanged and opened gifts. The tearing, crunching, and crumbling of wrapping paper fills the room with echos of cacophony . Smells of chocolate fill the air with an aromatic sweetness that is ne...

Yes, another year to mark on the tally. Can't believe I turn 31 today. Geez , I'm getting old. Older, wiser, and fatter. No big celebration bash like last year . This year, I just want something simple. Just a small dinner. Sure the big celebrations are fun, but as I get older...simplicity is just easier and better. As I reflect back on the year as being 30, I can honestly say that it was the year of change. So many dramatic changes have been made. Just recently I made a career change. I spent nearly half the year trying to find myself and planning out my career goals. Luckly, I found a career that is less stressful, more flexible (time wise), and I work from home! Can't ask for a better job! This is the secret I was hiding in my last post. Other than that, I just looking forward to the holidays and new years! Just less than eight more days until Christmas!