MonGyver.It's like MacGyver but with a Mongolian hacker named bunnie.
If you know MacGyver and you know bunnie you will enjoy this video.
Enjoy!
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MonGyver.It's like MacGyver but with a Mongolian hacker named bunnie.
If you know MacGyver and you know bunnie you will enjoy this video.
Enjoy!
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Royal Palace, Dam Square
National Memorial statue, Dam Square
The Odd Things We Do
When the feeling is right.
And the road is wide enough.
Don't hesitate to roll.
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Here we (Bunnie, Caustik, myself) are in Amsterdam, Netherlands.Day 1.
]]> AmsterdamAmsterdam is best known for its diversity and tolerance. It encompasses the very liberal stance the Netherlands has towards drugs, prostitution, same-sex marriage, abortion, and euthanasia. While you may think the place is out of control, it is far from it. If anything, people are far more passive here than southern California or Spain. Freedom is a norm.
Amsterdam is also known for its canals, which were dug and flooded in the 17th century (the "Golden Age"). It is also interesting to note that a number of houses are sinking, as they were built on what is essentially landfill.
Map of Amsterdam
We started our day out in Vondel Park, the largest and most popular park in Amsterdam. The park has all the usuals; joggers, dog-walkers, and walkers. It also acts as a bicycle thoroughfare between outer and inner Amsterdam. Thoroughfare is the wrong word - more like highway. Bikes are everywhere, and with pace. The best way to deal with the bikes in Amsterdam is to consider them motor vehicles - because that is exactly what the cyclists are doing!
Vondel Park. Note the dirt paths are for walking, the pavement is for bikes - so watch out!
Ahh, smell the roses!
The Business-Bunnie
Okay...so in true Dutch bizarreness we witenessed a rabbit dressed in a business suit being photographed by some random woman.
Checkout the video below:
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Umbrella Vs Cat!
While at dinner, we noticed a feline that got itself into some trouble with an umbrella - GAME ON!
Round 1 - Umbrella wins!
Round 2 - Umbrella wins again!
Round 3 - Cat wins!
The Umbrella may have won the first few rounds but Cat got the last laugh!
City Wondering
Clubbing - Sugar Factory
It took us awhile to find a happening club (we are new here!) we finally found Sugar Factory.
The Sugar Factory is a vibe jazzy club. Very nice interior, and very nice clubbers.
Bunne on stage, as usual.
Live Jazz and a DJ - awesome combo!
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We arrived to Alicante by rapid-ferry, from Ibiza Town warf. Bunnie weaved his Spanish language magic again and scored us a taxi to Ken's apartment. The cabbie (taxi driver) didn't speak a lick of English - but all was not lost with an awesome head-wobbling miniature of a must-be Spanish entertainer stuck to his car interior.
Alicante is a tourism city. Spaniards buy property in Alicante (typically apartments) and holiday here in the summer - with August being the happening month of the year. Unlike Ibiza, people do not speak English here.
One thing I noticed about Alicante is that it is well-planned and obviously growing fast. Apartment blocks and transportation infrastructure are being constructed all around the city.
If I knew Spanish, this is certainly a place I would consider purchasing property.
Bunnie making himself home in Ken's apartment. Thanks Ken!
The view from Ken's apartment.
The streets of Alicante.
While out at the local mall I noticied a few DivX DVD players...
Ken introduced us to a family friend and their friends. We went out for dinner (Italian) and tried our hand at conversing without a common language!
We hit the beach, just a 10 minute walk away from Ken's apartment. The beaches at Alicante are beautiful, as are a lot of the people that visit them!
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For dinner we gathered with the same crew from the previous night.
The food was wonderful! We had a set course, so the food just kept on flowing!
After dinner we headed to a local park to "pre-drink" for a club. This itself was an event!
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Just chillin' in the street with crazy Spanish dude!
The club we hit is called "37 degree". It was small but very personal. I'm sure it gets even better when you can communicate with the locals!
Ken and all his friends enjoying the club.
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Today is our third day and night in Ibiza. Ken and April join us today - YAY!
Today we decided to visit one of the beautiful Ibiza beaches for which so many northern Europeans come here. For a more scenic trip, we took a ferry from Ibiza Town to Playa den Bossa.
Fluffy and Caustik
Bunnie
The ferry trip provided an excellent opportunity to see Ibiza from a different perspective. It is a very interesting island visually, with traditional Spanish architecture intermixed with the need for a flourishing tourism industry. That being said, it still maintains a true Spanish vibe.
Ibiza Town
Random Coastline
Caustik and Random Coastline
Coastline and ferry video
The beaches on the east side of Ibiza are full of European and Spanish people. Thin, curvy, tanned, topless bodies are plentiful – blonde, white bodies are scarces. We tried to help the balance.
Beach
Beach
Beach
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Beach video
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Ken and April joined us from Alicante (where Ken owns an apartment), arriving at our hotel around 8pm. We managed to sneak them into our hotel room without a hitch. (Just a tip, never put 5 people in a hotel room!)
April and Ken are buggered
We planned to hit up Eden and Space, two of the major clubs in Ibiza. Eden starts at 1am and ends at 7am, although the major DJ of the evening doesn’t start their set until 3am. Space is open 22 hours a day, closed only from 8-10am (except for Monday which is 8am-4pm).
Eden is located in San Antonio. Typically clubbers will pre-drink at the West End area of San Antonio, just 500 metres away, before arriving to Eden. Drinks (including water) is expensive at all clubs in Ibiza. Be smart - get drunk first!
To prevent any waiting at the door we brought our Eden tickets at one of the many ticket stores around Ibiza. Since we needed to travel to San Antonio for Eden, we bought them there.
Ken and April wait as we purchase our tickets to Eden and Space
Eden
From Ibiza Spotlight (http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/eden_i.htm):
Back in the murky 90s a venue called the Star Club morphed into Kaos and then just as swiftly became the present day Eden in the winter of '99/2000.
Eden appropriated the symbol of the competition directly across - Es Paradis's apple - and a feud was born. The constant bickering keeps them on their toes however as both vie for the custom that pours in from the West End and the other drinking zones of San Antonio and its surrounds.
Judge Jules was a consultant in the design of the dj booth and the Radio 1 jock also occupies the club on Sundays for Eden's most high profile night.
At about 4am we decided we had enough of Eden and would head off to Space (yes I know, 4am...). Ken and April were tired and couldn't continue, so we (Bunnie, Caustik, and myself) ventured off ourselves.
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Space
From Ibiza Spotlight (http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/space_i.htm):
In 1989 a concert hall in Ibiza became the home for the concept the whole world knows as Space. Truly Balearic in its original incarnation, Pepe Rosello's program included live bands, flamenco shows and exciting electronic music.
One of its inspired innovations was opening in the morning, after the other clubs had shut. This, in conjunction with the introduction of music onto the terrace by raconteurs extraordinaire Alex P and Brandon Block, caused a sensation.
The reaction was so intense that a decision was made to extend the hours still further and now Sunday is the biggest day of the week in Ibiza. Expect to roll out at dawn on Monday.
The success was contagious and music lovers now flock to Space for different nights from leading lights such as Carl Cox, Manumission, La Troya, Matinee and more.
Space was completely opposite of Eden, not only musical but attentence. While Eden had 90% British, Space had 10% - the rest being northern European. Generally the northern Europeans were classier and also far more "into" the music. They had no problem, and actually encouraged, up-close-and-personal dancing. We all agreed that we really enjoyed Space. Even better that it's open 22 hours a day!
Space was rocking!
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Today is our first full day and night in Ibiza.
We awoke at 3pm, a result of hitting the bed at 5am and over 30 hours of travelling. We decided to head back out to Ibiza Town to checkout the day scene, grab some authentic Spanish food, and do a little bit of shopping.
Manikins. I didn't know you could buy DivX t-shirts in Spain...
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We decided that we would hit San Antonio, also known as the "West End" in reference to its occupation by so many British people. San Antonio is on the west side of the island and the full of people from the England, Scotland, and Ireland. Just a tip - don't call people from Ireland "British"!
San Antonio is full of a lot of bars and pre-club bars. A pre-club bar is a place one visits from 11pm to 4am to drink BEFORE going to a club. Each bar has a hoard of hustlers that essential pimp out the bar to people walking by. Cheap and free drinks are offered to get you in the door - such is the competition between so many bars and young Euro'ed up travellers.
With the shades, Caustik is now ready to hit the town!
And so is Bunnie!
I don't think I've seen anything cooler than this - look at that watch!
A girl doing Nitrous, also known as Whip-Its. What is Nitrous? It is Nitrous Oxide, a gas. Filll a ballon with nitrous, let all the air out of your lungs, and inhale the nitrous out of the balloon. Hold it in your lungs as long as you can to maximize the effects. We were told your vision becomes dim and slightly hazy.
We did not partake.
Returning home drunk. Alcohol makes you happy!
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Today Caustik, Bunnie, and I started our September trip to Ibiza, Amsterdam, and London.
The first destination on our trip was Ibiza. I don't enjoy flying...and I enjoy layovers even less. Unfortunately we had plenty of both, with 4 flights and layovers spanning over 30 hours.
To ease the pain and suffering we found novel things to do with our time.
On the right, an interactive digital media interface accessed over the Internet, which is coming from an ad-hoc network (computer-to-computer) from the laptop on the left. The laptop on the left is obtaining the Internet from the mobile phone on the left, which pulls it from the Sprint EVDO network. Trust me - it's cool.
(Less novel) Caustik above, at Heathrow airport, London. Nothing beats old-school book reading.
Spain is located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. While we are not visiting the mainland itself, we are spenting time in Ibiza and Alicante.
Map of Spain
Ibizia (known as Eivissa if you are an inhabitant) is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is "owned" by Spain, however is administered by the Balearic Autonomous Community.
Ibiza is primarily known for its house/trance electronic dance music and bar scenes. The island appears to be halved between English-first speakers, and Spainish/German/Italian/French-first speakers. The English are on the west side of the island (San Antonio is also known as "The West End") and the Europeans on the east.
While the official language of the island is Catalan (all the street signs are in it), Castilian is the primary language. Most people do speak English, to varying levels - so it's not too difficult to communicate regardless of which side of the island you are on.
We arrived at our hotel at 1am - so why would we go out? Time adjustment!
Ibiza turns into a party zone at about 11pm, and tapers off between 5-7am. Our best decision of the day was to force ourselves out for a wonder around Ibiza Town (where we were staying), grab some food, and take in the atomosphere with a few drinks.
Bunnie, Fluffy, and Caustik
Yep...
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A mouse.A tank.
Humour ensues.
]]> Invisible Engine Films created this masterpiece of film, with only the following notation:
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Now with Aqua hair!2006 - Aqua hair
2006 - I always remove my clothes when I'm drunk...
2006 - The Yard House (Downtown, San Diego)
2005 - Head shot
2004 - Blonding it up
2002 - Drummoyne Rugby Union Most Consistant Colt Award
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Just when you thought COPS was the pinnacle of broadcast television comes along CLOPS. Instead of a camera crew following around real life police force, think claymation. Instead of real life trash members of American society, think popular cartoon characters.Sounds interesting? Read on!
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Smurfs running through the streets of San Francisco.Your dreams have come true.
All of them.
]]> The RaceBay To Breakers is an annual footrace which takes place in San Francisco. It runs 12 km (~7.5 miles...) long, and flows from the San Francisco Bay side of the city to the beach side - therefore the name "bay to breakers".
Apparently it is the longest running (in consecutive years) race in the world, and averages about 75,000 participants. Some of them with clothes on...
Liz Smurf and Fluffy Smurf applying paint to pre-Smurf Fudgie. Watch as a man changes into a Smurf before your very eyes.
Fudgie Smurf - post surgery. That smile only comes from one knowing that they are blue, they are Smurf, they are proud.
Fluffy Smurf, with mini-afro.
Liz Smurf applying polish spray to Blockhead Smurf.
A posing Fluffy Smurf.
Fluffy and Fudgie Smurfs prepare for the race.
Blockhead Smurf, Fluffy Smurf, and Liz Smurf stop for a group photo during the race.
The mountain biking lads are back!While Fritz the Lama didn't make an appearance, we did have over 6 hours of fun, drama, beautiful views, and bloody ripper downhill runs.
For this ride Fran picked a 22 mile trail in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park known as the Grand Loop. The loop is represented by the red line in the map below. We attacked the loop in a clockwise direction, in an effort not to repeat past wrongs of leaving the majority of the climbing to the end. Apparently the 2500foot elevation in 3 miles over 2 1/2 hours was not enjoyable and left mental scar on the lads. I can't understand why..
Some of the usual suspects. Individually, each has a head for radio, collectively, we are the personification of beauty.
Ben looked absolutely buggered the whole day. I'm surprised he survived - again.
Every day caustik becomes more and more like the Brandon. I'd describe the Brandon but he deserves his own entry, if not website.
caustik is a sexy otter. A sexy little otter.
I think the best way to summarise Fran is the following comment directed to Fran - "Francis, I've never heard anyone complain so much about people complaining than you".
Enough said. [UPDATE 6/12/2006] Fry is also "the best rider ever and a sexy guy as well."
Insane.
Photo and video time - everyone smile! 
Fran didn't break the Guinness Book of Record for the longest time holding your breath, but he did put in a great nomination for Finding Nemo 2.
Watch Caustik's nipples for a clear indication on the temperature. In this photo, obviously it has just started.
Fran, constantly eating, must have the fastest metabolism EVER.
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Okay - so there wasn't any Gorillas. But there was mist, and wasn't it beautiful!
As you can see, the mist was at ground level and engulfing everything before it. Make sure you checkout the video!
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Damaging your bike while on a trail is always on the cards - it is expected by any reasonable mountain biker. A good quality bike is designed exactly for this reason. Nearly every part of the bike is either replaceable and/or repairable while out on the trail.
With that in mind...the bike does not repair itself. Tools, parts, and ability is required for that. Which brings us to a breakdown Fry had on the trail. So...what did he break? Technical he bend his derailleur such that it was catching the spokes in the back wheel, and thus preventing any drive. To help visualise it, I've included an illustration of the anatomy of a mountain bike below:
Unfortunately we didn't have a replacement derailleur - I mean, who brings that? Not we anyway. So what does a bunch of lads do, 11 miles of mountain biking still to complete, one broken bike, no replacement part...MacGyver-ize it!
MacGyver-ize (verb)
To practicaly apply scientific or engineering knowledge in the inventive use of common items.
The only solution which enabled Fry to continue, although at a greatly reduced capacity, was to remove the excess links in his chain previously required by the derailleur. Obviously this left Fry with only one gear, however that was better than walking the bike back the remaining 11 miles - which could of taken about 6 hours!
Lets just say that removing links from a chain witout the appropriate tools (if there even is such tools) is not a trivial task. Rocks, twigs, and other random droppings of Mother Nature not only provided the ability for us to accomplish our task, but also gave us all a taste from 30,000 years ago when the cavemen ruled (from their point of view) the earth. Ahh, the Yuppie's "going rustic" experience...
Below is a photo of Fry's bike, with the broken derailleur neatly secured under his seat.
Obviously Francis is happy with the ride...
Ahh - what a beautiful sight. The same goes for the mountain.
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All good things come to end. The Grand Loop took us 6 hours, 5 of that biking and an hour for Fry's bike repair. It was hard work, although very rewarding with awesome views and some fast downhills. The humour and friendship between the lads is also a key element in the enjoyment, and easily the reason we all keep turning up each week.
While their faces might tell a different story, these two enjoyed every bit of the ride. I think maybe the 6 hours of mountain biking drained them...
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Very Silly.Extremely Stupid.
Just fluffysphere.
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A bunch of lads and I organised a trip out to Daley Ranch for a morning of mountain biking fun. For some it was their first time, for others their second time (me!), for others a return from serious injury, and the rest an enjoyable day in the beautiful San Diego sun.]]> The Trail
Below is the trail we ended up following, covering about 9 miles. Daley Ranch offers many trail options throughout the area, allowing people of all skill levels to pick the most suitable route. Our path consisted of several difficult climbs, and three awesome downhill runs.
Check out an interactive version on Gmap Pedometer.
Let me introduce the motley crew that dared venture the uncharted pirate-infested open-wide ocean that isn't Daley Ranch.
An experienced mountain biker, Andrew offered plenty of great advice for the young pups. Unfortunately for Andrew, he is recovering from surgery on both of his knees! This made his day very difficult on the climbs. In good time the strength will return to the knees, and the mountain will never know what hit it.
Ben came without a helmet but with a sharp wit. While the wit isn't going to protect his head from a rock, humour does help with pain - so he was well prepared.
caustik is caustik. He was a first time mountain biker, however proved to be a natural at it. If you need to know more about caustik then you don't.
Fran (he prefers the feminine shorting of his name) is a long time mountain biker, showed caustik and myself the ropes, and helped both of us purchase our bikes. Fran never stops smiling and appears free-spirited, however he appears to ride the brakes a little. Something about valuing his life...
Fry came without a helmet. Fry is a decadent relic from the 60s, where pain was for real men. Think Fry, think Steve McQueen. Fry out climbed nearly everyone on all the hills, even without the appropriate boots. Take your hates off gents.
Seth, another experienced mountain biker, was happy enough to lead the lads through the gauntlet of Daley Ranch. Thanks Seth!
Me. Strangely photographing well. It was my second time mountain biking. I'm crazy and shouldn't be allowed on any downhills.
No mountain biking adventure is complete without Fritz. More on Fritz later.
The lads preparing their bikes.
Fry shows off his top-notch world-class mountain biking boots. The street-walking-like sole is an illusion, they really are space-age.
Francis appreciating Fry's boots.
Real mountain biking boots. Note the notch towards the front, this locks into the pedals. With a secure connection of your feet with the bike, you needn't worry about keeping them on the pedals as you navigate downhill or work your way uphill.
This was a smooth part of the trail.
Me and my bike. Nothing gets in the way of a man boy and his bike. Except for...well, maybe a 8foot long Boa constrictor or an egg salad sandwich - yummm!
At the top of our first climb. While you can only see the tail end of the climb, it was about 4 times the length and indeed a test of endurance.
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Fran at the end of the first climb. I think he is trying to move into marketing...
Fran, caustik and Fry resting after the first climb.
Nearly looks like a paddock in southern England, right?
Seth marshalling the troops for the next climb.
The next climb. It's best to maintain oxygen to the brain so you can take in the beautifil surroundings. Certainly a sight to see!
Me standing there, trying to look beautiful. I'm failing, as usual.
Seth powering up a hill. It's a good effort after accidentally swallowing his own spit down his windpipe (or trachea for the intellects out there). This leads to a lack of oxygen, which is bad I'm told.
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Fran on the second climb.
Again, Seth gets us into motion for the next part of the trail. Thanks Seth.
Nearly everyone in the group had a fall or two, some more ferocious than others.
Fran had one significant fall, while not at high pace was at the top of a steep downhill run. Lucky for him, I was following too closely and ran into his bike, for which he was obviously overjoyed. Below is are the resulting injuries of his fall. Not much if you ask me, although you wouldn't know it with all the whinging (to complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner) he did.
Being my second time mountain biking, my first on a trail with some real fast and rugged downhills, and my addiction to execution of tasks with an extreme twist, I fell hard twice. The first I nearly collected caustik, but it ended safely after he moved out of the way. This gave me a taste of the dirt (literally) and I liked it. For some odd reason, I thought it best to attempt to hold my digital camera while continuing down the rest of that run. I'm not sure why I thought less control of my bike was a good idea at the time - anyway, the resulting video (nothing impressive) is below.
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The second time I crashed with pace, after clipping a piece of wood in the trail. This resulted in a huge endo, and then due to the gradient of the hill, me sliding down the rest of the run on my face. A lot of fun.
Pulling out of the parking lot after our ride, we noticed something worthy of self-inflicted whiplash by way of a double take. It was a lama getting out of a minivan. A rational person would pass it off as dehydration - luckily none of us are rational. The lama, affectionately named Fritz, was then saddled up by his handlers (and minivan driver).
I can't say there is a better sight than seeing a lama jumping out of a minivan on a beautiful Saturday morning.
