JustinMar.com: The official website of Justin Mar

Let us say " farewell " to the month May. This year is just flying by way to fast and it's hard to believe that we're almost halfway through this year already. What ever happened to those years that nearly seemed forever? I think the years seem longer when you're in school perhaps. I guess time flies when your having fun! Let me bring your attention to the badges that I have to my right: Meebo Chat Screen Here's a little explanation from their website: Meebo .com - is a website for instant messaging from absolutely anywhere. Whether you’re at home, on campus, at work, or traveling foreign lands, hop over to meebo .com on any computer to access all of your buddies (AIM, Yahoo!, MSN , Google Talk, ICQ , Jabber) and chat with them, no downloads or installs required, for free! If I happen to be online, you can chat with me as a guest from the screen to your right. The other cool badge is from Twitter.com . Twitter.com - is a global community of friends and stran...

Yes, summer is near! The weather has been nice and nothing else beats a great meal with the BBQ grill. I've been contemplating about purchasing a propane grill and finally decided to purchase one over the Memorial weekend. Sears had one of their Kenmore line grills on sale and I just couldn't beat the price! $189.99 with the normal price of $249.00. What's great about this grill, it's the perfect size for our balcony. Since we have a balcony, our Homeowners Association does not allow charcoal still grills, so we have to use the propane style grill. It doesn't take up too much space, and believe it or not...I was able to fit the entire assembled grill inside the back of my Pontiac Vibe . Now it's time for me to look up some delicious BBQ grill receipies and get this baby fired up! I'm so excited!

What's Wrong with this picture? In the United States we respect all cultures and celebrations. Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashing the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862. Hence the celebration. People are mis -informed that it's Mexican Independence Day; when in fact Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15 th of September, 1810. All in all, it's a day to celebrate...no matter what culture background you come from. Now back to the Photograph. I happened to looking out the window from work and saw this flying in the air. A few of my co-workers were very upset at what we see above, especially working at an "ALL AMERICAN" automobile dealership. I'm not going to name the business, but we did give them a friendly call about flag etiquette. About five minutes later it was taken down. I was able to take a shot...

I'm sure that everyone has a bad day once in awhile. Some have them more than others. Some have bad days everyday (sucks to be you). Some have worse bad days than others. My bad day was more like a day of physical and mental frustration! The day starts off waking up in the morning with a vice- sqeezing migraine headache and a stomach ache like someone just punched you in the gut. No, it's not a hangover. So to cure the headache, S gives me some Tylenol to take the edge off. As I get out of bed, I run quickly to the toilet. As it sit on the toilet, an explosion of fecal matter exits my anus like an upside down geyser. I'm hating life. A killer headache and drippy @$$hole. I spend some valuable time on the throne only to return to make another drippy deposit. Guess what, we're out of Immodium AD too! I have some prescription medication ready for pickup at the Hayward Kaiser Hospital Pharmacy. The trek is about 15 minutes away from my residential location. The prescrip...

It's Sunday morning around 6:30am and my co-worker calls me up asking if I heard about an explosion near Emeryville. The reason why he's concerned so early is the fact that I have to commute on highway 580 to come into work. I turn on the local news station, and here's what I see: Thanks to SFGate.com for this photo Apparently, a fuel tanker truck carrying approximately 8600 gallons of unleaded fuel was speeding and the driver lost control of the truck ~4:30AM. The tanker caught fire and basically melted the metal support structure that holds the overpass together; causing a section of the freeway to collapse. The driver of the truck survived and was able to walk down to a gas station to catch cab to drive him to the Oakland Kaiser Hospital. Luckly there were no fatalaties, and only the driver of the rig has servere burns to his body. What is the end result of this? TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE until the freeway structure is fixed. If you're coming from San Francisco....taking 58...

I'm terribly sorry that I've been out of blogging scene for awhile. In fact it seems like ages since I've last posted something here. Just been busy with the regular rituals of everyday life. Still trying to balance out work with enough fun and enjoyment. Since my last post, we've watched a Broadway musical and some local ACT plays in San Francisco. In February we saw Jersey Boys . I must say it's probably the best musical I've seen in a long time. The star that played Franky Valli totally "whaled" with authority in the high falsetto . The other plays were at the ACT theatre and we saw Hedda Gabler and After the War. I also took a nice week off the beginning of April just for some relaxation. Also hiked and backpacked in the beautiful hills of Sunol . That was fun and challenging! I'll try to stay more up to date. I've been eating out a lot and adding the the spare tire I'm carrying around. Check out my Yelp reviews here . Unt...

I'm sure this is old news to the serious console gamers out there, but Guitar Hero II (sequel to Guitar Hero) is a really fun game to play! Our friends T&T brought their PS2 to our place and they showed us this fun phenomenon. T&T connected their PS2 to our TV and the fun was about to begin. For those who don't know, your controller is a mini version of a guitar that looks similar to this: This game turns your into an instant rock star and you don't have to have any music talent to sound like a pro. Here's how it works. You choose a song, you set your skill level, and then you select the tempo (speed). As the song starts, there will be a long "fret" line with five colors (green, red, yellow, blue, and orange). As the colors scroll down the screen towards you on the fret, you have to press down the color on the control guitar and strum the guitar with the tempo as the color passes down the screen. As you hit the colors and strum the guitar c...

Yes, we dwell upon this day of love. I'm sure there is a historical and mysterious religious background behind the purpose of this day. But it all boils down to a huge profit generator for florists and candy stores. I hate to say it, but it's us MEN who fall into this sucker scam on this day. People get caught up with the cards, the chocolate , the long stem roses, and sometimes lavish jewelry or other nice gifts. This day should be the sharing of gifts between loved ones, but it seems like it's always a one way street. The male is the one who is in the dog house if this day is forgotten. Love can be interpreted and shown in many different ways. It doesn't have to be shown with candy, roses, and all those common gifts that women expect. I think men fall victim to this and women take advantage of it. Call me cheap, but I would rather do something nice for my woman (that doesn't cost money) rather than wait in the crowded lines for flowers and candy....just so I...

Hello everyone, my name is Justin and I'm a car tweaker. The orange American Rice Rocket (aka Clare the Cobalt) gets a few new upgrades for the new year. TAG Racecraft , a car performance tuning company in Ontario Canada developed this nice little kit to compliment the GM Stage 2 upgrade which I already have installed. Here's the list of items in the kit: 2.79" supercharger pulley made of 6061 Billet Aluminum (previous size 3.00") 60 lbs./hr Flow Matched Injectors to spray more fuel (previous size 42lbs.) Custom Power Control Module Tune to optimize upgrades Colder Spark Plugs This upgrade gives the car increased POWER throughout the entire RPM range. Click image for larger view This is a dyno sheet of the horsepower and torque that was done. Keep in mind the dyno reflects WHEEL horsepower....which means: 248.25 horsepower and 238.55 ft-lbs of torque. This is definately an aggressive amount of horsepower for such a little 4 cylinder engine. I got a little help from my...

Her birthday was yesterday, and I know this posting is a day late. My excuse for posting the following day? I was busy making sure she was having an enjoyable day. I wanted to dedicate this post to Sherry's Birthday! Here is a list of what we did for the day...including pictures! Breakfast made by me. Yes, rice with breakfast. Dinner at Bacar Sherry has Striped Bass The horns....I was eating deer. Christmas colors? I drink too much coffee. Birthday Clapping...Sherry is 3 Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERRY!

It's safe to assume that for the whole month of January you can eat at some of San Francisco's finest restaurants for reasonable price under the Dine About Town Program . The participating restaurants offer a prix-fixe meal that usually consists of a appetizer, main course, and dessert for only $31.95 a person for dinner and $21.95 for lunch. So far, I've tried the Tablespoon Bistro on Polk Street. Good ol' American style food. Read my review that I posted on YELP . There are a few more places that we're going to visit before the month ends. I recommend that you try this great offer before the month ends. Make your reservations online too with OpenTable.com . Happy eating!!!

I hate to say it...."I'm a fat ass!" Eleven days into the new year and I already broke the diet resolution. For those who know me; I'm a meat and potato type of guy. People usually think I'm big into Chinese food or other type of Asian cuisines because I'm Chinese. WRONG! Standing six feet two inches tall doesn't come from eating Chinese food all my life....maybe for the exception of living off Texas Long Grain Rice. If I had a choice between asian food or american food....I'd most likely choose American food. The restaurant that broke my diet plan was Harry's Hofbrau . When people think of "hofbrau" they think of German food. When I think of hofbrau; I think open faced sandwiches with meat piled high, smothered with gravy! From what I'm told, hofbraus were places where you can grab a beer and a hearty meal to eat all under one roof. This place is definately the fix for any hungry man. Just from visiting the website, I made the assump...

This is my official first post for the new year and I'm already three days late. So much for making a resolution to keep up to date with this blog. Despite my reputation for not being blogger punctual, I want to take this opportunity to give everyone a sample of my top ten resolutions. Lose weight and eat healthier. No more AYCE (ALL YOU CAN EAT) Blog at least everyday or every other day. Exercise everyday. FIND A NEW JOB!!! Spend more time with slee. Reduce spending on car modifications. Monitor blood pressure more often. Decorate and paint the interior of the house. Take the written exam for a motorcycle license. Take more vacation time off. T hat sums everything up for now. The list continues, although I usually try to make resolutions that you can live up to. I find it amazing that the gyms are so crowded during the beginning of the year and then the crowds go back to normal after three weeks. So much for keeping the resolutions! I hope that 2007 will return some good fortune ...

I just wanted to squeeze in a short post before the year of 2006 comes to an end. There were many events that happened within this year. Some good and some bad. Overall, it always feels like every year passes faster and faster. 2006 sure did fly by fast. The biggest personal milestone that I can say that happened in 2006 is the fact that I turned 30 years old. I feel the same, I look the same, but only a year older. I had a spectacualar birthday celebration with family and friends. It was good to see people I seldom see often; so seeing everyonewas a huge gift in itself. We played games, ate until we were stuffed and had a merry time. I hate to say this, but 2006 was not a good year for some friends and family that I know. A lot serious health issues derived and some almost close to life threatening. Not a good year, but at least we survived through it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed with wishes that 2007 turns out better. Hopefully 2007 will be starting year of a new career ...

Mickey the innocent little dog with dominance aggression has a little problem with his intestines. He has Tapeworms !!! We're unsure how he contracted this problem, but it's obviously not from eating McDonald's Hamburgers. Mickey possibly contracted the tapeworm problem from eating a flea that hosted the tapeworm larvae. I also noticed that he also licks plants and grass, which can be another way he contracted it. Tapeworms can be contagious to humans, but only contracted if we too eat the larvae from fleas or his stools. I noticed that Mickey had this issue when I was taking him out for his routine walk around the neighborhood. As I picked up his poop, I noticed a white object about the size of grain of rice on his poop. Holding my breath and observing it a little more, I noticed that this grain of rice started moving!! This discovery now gives me a solution as to why he has an increased appetite. Mickey is usually in the ballpark of seven pounds. He feels much heavier no...

Today embarked the sad announcement of the death of James Kim , a CNET senior editor that died in the Oregon forests from a family roadtrip that went bad. It's been all over the news since his family and himself were announced missing. The fortunate news was that his wife and two children survived and found in good health. It's just very sad that he wasn't able to survive the cold weather, with limited food, and with very limited resources. My deepest sympathy goes out to his lovely family that he left behind. He is a man that gave his life basically to assure the lives of his family. I don't know Kim personally, but I did read his reviews on MP3 media players on CNET. May he rest in peace. To turn this subject into a happier moment, I wanted to announce Mickey's 7th birthday! Mickey is my dog that has a loveable innocent demeanor, yet can quickly change into an attack dog that bites. His personality is unpredictable, but lately he has been a good dog. So it's ...

I can't believe that people still camp outside in the wee hours of the morning for all the deals offered on Black Friday. Yes, there are good deals, but is it worth the headache? You basically have to camp out in the cold, sometimes rain, fight with other consumers, whord as many items, and then stand in line for hours to pay for the money saving deals. Again I ask....is it worth it? I honestly think black Friday is just the retailer's form of creating chaos to get the consumers in the spirit of spending money. What spirit does this create when you basically view the store as a battleground! Have you ever thought of this from another perspective? All the savings you are gaining actually turns into wasted money later? Getting a great deal is just a state of mind. A good deal from someone's perspective can honestly be different from another person's perspective. Saavy buyers know a good deal when they see one, but in reality they end up buying some useless obje...

Don't worry! No one died. A wonderful friend/neighbor to S and myself moved away. This person will be named, "T" for the sake of confidentiality. T now lives about a 15 minutes away from us. We'll miss her companionship, the late night food runs, eating ice cream while watching movies, more eating, tapioca/milk tea drives to San Mateo, watching channel 728 in HD, picking on S, and above all......FARTING. Having a great friend to hang out everyday made coming home more entertaining and enjoyable. It was convenient that T lived next door to us and it was one of the main reasons why we decided to purchase the condo (to live next door to her). Now that she's gone, things will be a bit different. I'm sure that S will be taking it hard because T was her friend since Jr. High. We will still see T, but not as often. Our condo will be a little quieter, a little less active, and I hate to say.....more boring. I guess the change will also help S and I concentrate on thin...

The Cobalt (aka Clare) has been out of commission for awhile. It's been awhile since I've blogged and I wanted to update everyone on what's going on. In my previous blog, I raved about the POM tea and now we have plenty of empty bottles. It was good as it lasted. Ok, back to the subject. On Sunday, October I was driving to work and just so happened to run over a bouncing SUV tire on the westbound section of highway 580 in Oakland. Avoiding debis on the road always causes havoc and it can also potentially cause an accident. The car in front of me ran over the tire and kicked the tire into my drive path. As I see the tire bouncing in front of me, I had four choices to make in a matter of seconds. 1) Hit the center divide to my left, 2) Hit the person to my right pacing at the same speed, 3) Slam on my brakes and have the tailgater butt ram me, or 4) Hit the tire head on. I chose option 4. I cringed as the tire goes under the car and listening to the loud "thump". I ...

POM TEA (they have a cool website) is the greatest tea that you can buy at your local grocery store. Not only do you get the antioxidants that you need for good health, you also get a nice glass for a keepsake! I'm sounding like an advertisement for them! In any case, I love this tea! Especially their Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea. It's sweet to the taste and smooth as goes down your throat. It also happens to be on sale at SAFEWAY . Their promotion is 10 for $10 (yes, a dollar each). The normal price is close to $2.50 to $3.00 a glass. Since they are on sale, we've decided to stock up on this great drink. Yes, call it overkill, but it's too good of a beverage to pass up and again, you get the nice glass to keep afterwards. The lids are resealable too! Now that we have a fridge full of these teas, who needs beer? At least it won't make you fat. We purchased 25 bottles, although two did not make it home. Ahhhh! Join the POM revolution! Try one today! Especial...