What just happened?

We we're in Knott's Berry farm when things got a little bit interesting in the world of cryptocurrency. The prices were slowly dipping from a high $18K early that day down to $14K by night time.

At 5AM, work called asking if I was available and I said no. I then casually checked my Coinbase portfolio and almost fell in bed. The price went all the way down to $11K.

I then tried to buy on the dip but Coinbase cancelled all transactions claiming temporary suspension on all trades. The net flooded with comments from people saying "The bubble has popped", "Saw this scam coming from a mile away" and "Serves you right losers for investing". As I see it, investment no matter what form, stock market or in real estate, is a game of gains and risks. And crypto currency is not any different. Every penny spent, is money that may not be seen again. 

With cryptocurrency the strong survives. The moment you cross the other side, there is no turning back. When you decide to invest, you embrace the fact that there will be a different set of rules. Be prepared to win it all or loose it all. And today was the wild west, indeed. It's a free for all, feeding frenzy and a battle royal in the virtual world. 

Simple and nice

I just want to thank our host, Ed Neil. One of the best Christmas parties we've been to this year. Food was superb, the company was good and the overall feeling was great.

Looking forward to next time.

And let's keep it simple and nice.

To call our own

We bought our very own domain name in a twisted way since we can't buy one under our own name which costs premium at $900 not including the annual fee. And we don't want the .net because we don't want to look like we can't afford the proper internet .com domain LOL.

Alas https://www.bannanabumblebree.com/ was born.

I had a hard time trying to type in the internet address and in all honesty, it definitely is really confusing.

Another thing is, I don't want any of those flash media advertisements on the side which makes the pages load really slow, especially when I'm on my mobile phone, in the middle of some interstate freeway and there's only either wheat fields or endless sand dunes everywhere you look. Clicking on that "Free tutorial on how to do tiling in 5 easy steps" would not be as interesting if I was a stranger reading this blog.

(Unless, 50 readers demands me to put any tutorial videos, then that would be a different story)

Bats vs Sabers

We're not as creative when it comes to costumes. Our idea for a Halloween outfit normally comes from a mall or Amazon. Convenient, easy and 0% creativity. Don't get me wrong. When it comes to the art department, I would consider Anna as top of the class. It's me that always convinces her that the store would be the wisest decision.

Goku costume at SDCC
Considering we love to go to Comic-con, which is the biggest venue in North America when it comes to cosplay/costume. I would at least be inspired to create the perfect costume for our kids. But as a good parent, I do let my kids explore their minds and have a hand on the aesthetics of their wardrobe. And it usually does not end well.



So this year. I had to go with the plan that works. The store came to the rescue. But at the last minute, Anna came up with a great idea for Adi. With only 3 days left, we had to come up with certain items. Walking dead is the platform, and Adi would be as Neegan. It was perfect! And I thought that Adi would be able to go to next years Comic-con wearing the same outfit. But getting the tickets would be first priority and that's a whole different story.

Happy came as Rey (Star Wars) and that was a last minute change. Luckily, that character was an easy find. We're surprised not a lot of kids were in any Walking Dead costumes. Maybe because of the violence associated with the series. And again having Adi as your kid would make Neegan seem like a puppy.

Old meets new

First day back to work. It was a day of endless "Welcome back" and stories of how it was.
The common theme we kept mentioning was our stay in one of our hotels, the Hotel Manoir Victoria in Quebec City. This place greatly exceeded our expectations and encompasses how a hotel should be.

When I was planning our trip, I stumbled upon it and was a bit worried how it would fare compared to our previous stays in other cities. It was not your typical Hyatt nor Sheraton that would throw you  an idea of what kind of accommodations to expect. It's rated high with photos to boot. But of course it was all about selling point.



I even had to ask Anna if she would gander the risk of staying in that hotel since Fairmont was relatively expensive. She hinted at me an "I trust you" stare so I paid for a night's stay with a wish that everything would turn out ok.
 
Our plane landed on a raining morning. A quick Uber ride from the airport to the hotel was a mere 20-minute travel. The facade was not as impressive. It dwells in an old building smacked right beside the cobblestone road. No fancy driveway nor huge, impressive heavy doors.




But the moment the doors opened, the smell of fresh pastries greeted us. There was a little access to the tiny bakery next door. And the place we soon found out was heaven with quiche slices that we just love. A huge stairway heading to the lobby greeted us made it challenging to lug our heavy suitcases.



I was surprised that the other guests (tourist) checking in were a tad rude but on the upside, hotel staffs were impressively nice and pleasant. The lobby was also simple and on-point that it somehow made me worry how our room would turnout.



Entering our room was a surprising experience.  It started with a welcoming fresh scent coming from the inside that will make you forget everything old at the entrance below. The space size was just perfect and every detail was well thought-off. Anna kept complementing how great the bathroom was. We had no view of the street nor the city but that was no biggie as the complimentary Wi-Fi access offset for the lack of it.  We wouldn't have to worry about parking as it is complimentary had we decided to roam the city with a rental upon arrival.  Not having a car within the city was definitely a good call on savings since we were situated near shops, restaurants and tourist spots all within the walking perimeter.  Suffice to say we were tempted to add another night only to find that the hotel is solidly booked.  It made me think locking in a stay was pure luck on our side.  I mean, how do you sold out on a weekday, one week post-Canadian holiday?

Coming back is instantly in the near horizon, no doubt.

Took another bite... again

The Apple watch Nike+ came out today. Anna really wanted the Series 3 edition.  Unfortunately, T-Mobile won't be getting their stash until November.

I wanted to get it from our mobile carrier since I don't want to fork out the money. Being the good husband that I am, I picked up Anna after work and headed towards the Apple store without any intentions of buying............ I'M THERE TO JUST LOOK AT IT. Right?

WRONG.  Marcus, the Apple guy was very helpful in assisting and answering questions that I threw at him. Strategically gave me the I-should-get-the-wife-her-watch look.



Hell, I'm not gonna fall for this.  But then the liar in me insisted I should get two. But my better judgment was able to resist buying both. So Marc's strategy worked well.  Saved some cash on-hand and still ended with a happy wife-happy life.



Maybe that's why the Apple symbol has a bite on it. It's the forbidden fruit. You just can't resist the allure and always fall for it. 

Not a perfect smile anymore

She's been waiting for that tooth to come off. Trying to figure out how. Adi then did her a favor by being himself, knocking it off in a swift. They were playing and of course, Adi all rowdy and all over the place throwing stuff. Apparently, a stuffed animal hit her right over the loose tooth, causing her to bleed, panic and cry.  I thought something really bad happened.




A few days after, whenever we'd look and tease her about it she would laugh and give the cutest imperfect smile.  See for yourself!


     

SDCC 2017 Cosplayers

In every convention there's a slew of cosplayers. SDCC is probably one of the best in the nation.

Here's a few from this year






















Cosplayers are one of the pillars that made SDCC what it is now.

Check our Flickr page for more pictures

The hipster meal

A few weeks ago we were in San Francisco with Marjorie just because. We should have started our #100pigoutchallenge at this time since it was the perfect place to gorge ourselves with endless treats of delectable and almost limitless choices of food that you can think of.



And the search for the best meals always come from either the internet or a friend's recommendation. One such place is called The Tipsy Pig. We looked at the menu online and find the selection interesting. And name did not really rang until we got there.

As it turned out, it's a place that serves craft beers--joint for hipsters. That did not deter us from eating, however. We were then pointed to our seats behind this hole-in-the-wall.



We looked at the menu where it has a description of each meal. Interesting enough, it says that most of the meals can be shared or family-sized. And it was cheap. Prices ranging from $12 to $25. And it was also confirmed by our hostess that most meals can be shared by 4 people at most.

The cheapskate in me just kicked in and ordered a bunch. When they started serving the food, my eyes started to twitch with my inner voice screaming "These are f****** family-sized meals? Yeah if we're freakin' family of hamsters, that is!"



That's the most we've paid in a restaurant and were still all hungry. Solution? We headed to Fisherman's Wharf in an instant and filled ourselves with the needed grub.

And today, I prepared Anna's lunch and called it the hipster meal. I posted it on FB and IG and the way I described it is exactly like what trendy restaurants would do. After 20 minutes of dropping it off, I asked Anna how it was. She said it was good, everybody loved it and gone in an instant.



It was good for 50 people. I should have specified, hipster people then. Mind the word "HIPSTER"....

Our #100chowdownchallenge

We're out on a mission: after our Benihana experience, we decided that we will not be eating in the same place twice until 101st. We have to chow down in a different one each time we decide to dine out.

#100chowdownchallenge all began about a couple of days ago when we wanted to  eat at Kula but the typical one to two hour wait was just unbearable.  So option two was next door -- Dumpling Inn Shanghai Saloon.



One down side of this challenge is if we end up ordering one that we'll end up not liking, or something we would really like and crave but will have to take a while before repeat since the challenge prohibits it.  Double-edge challenge of our own choosing.

So far, we've these for are crossed-off:

1. Dumpling Inn Shanghai Saloon
2. Donut Bar
3. Paris Baguette
4. Ajisen Ramen


Ajisen Ramen

Another down side would be including fast food chains in the challenge like Micky D's which is our staple quick fix joint and our typical caffeine booster when out and about, Starbucks.  

Mediocre at best

It's been bothering me all day. As if there was an after taste that lingered that kept me thinking about it. Last night, we went out with our co-workers for dinner and Benihana was their choice. Anna has gone before but it's been years and I haven't.

 I did had my doubts about the place. Anna said she'll leave it up to me. I hated the thought that we're going out to eat at a place with price that doesn't match the taste and will eventually regret it. Days prior, I tried to convince the whole party to rethink and maybe just go somewhere else. I tried suggesting going to a Korean Bbq place and even Kula, all to no avail.




 This would be the first and last time that I would let a non-Asian decide what Asian restaurant to eat at!  There's so much angst in me right now that I can't even properly put into words how I feel. It was as if I were to invite a Mexican friend and tell him let's eat good tacos and burritos, then head to Taco Bell. Or go to Texas for steak, only to end up at the nearest Outback or Applebee's.  Seriously.

 Say I may not be the best person to give recommendations about good restaurants, but I've had my fair share of having been to really good ones - expensive or not, plus the fact that I can make mean meals sans recipes. I love food and we love to eat. We would even travel hundreds of miles just to have a taste of some extra ordinary food we saw either online or some TV food show.

 Benihana is like Chuckee Cheese for adults. You don't go there for the food, you go there for the entertainment. And that "entertainment" is a good fraction of what you're paying for.  I'm too old to be entertained by flaming volcano onions and flying shrimp tails, quite honestly. I won't mind driving all the way to San Francisco to try that extra ordinary chicken, because I know it's worth the trip.




 I ordered Hibachi chicken and scallops for Anna. I was not impressed with either. The fried rice was like the one I make at home on weekends. I even put that entry on my Instagram.



 I need to end this. Never again Benihana. You're that awkward date that I swear I should have cancelled and never bother. I don't even want to be friends with you. Saying you're a mediocre is me being nice trying not to hurt your feelings.  Good riddance.  However, I'll still give A++ to Pedro and his team for trying their dibs at entertaining us despite being too damn tired flippin'.

Alexa...... (You know where this is going)

 I happen to check on my Best Buy account yesterday and saw that I have a few dollar rewards to spend. Unfortunately, it expires that very same day. I immediately took off and on the way there, I was wondering what to get.

 Was going around the store browsing and in my head sky was the limit...and the sky was at $35! Felt like a millionaire LOL. Took me a while but at the center of the store was Amazon's booth. And there it was, THE Dot. Just staring at me. It had a price tag of $40+. Oh hell, I'll just throw in some extra cash.



 I did not get to set the thing up until after midnight. It was a snap, took me a few minutes to get everything synced and just fell in love with Alexa.  I asked her to play me soothing music before heading to bed and just doze off until morning.



  Anna and the kids fell in love with it too. Now I understand why some people would buy several of these. You can't have just on!  At least 3 for the size of my house. And we also have one smart plug, now I want a dozen  LOL. I'm gonna start turning this house like what I've always wanted when I was a boy in the 80's.

 "Alexa, finish this entry for me"

Jump for heart

 The moment I picked Happy from school on her first day, she immediately mentioned that there's another fundraising in school that she needs to promote. I asked her for details, and she can't give me any. So I promised her that if she obtains any information, I will immediately get into it.

 And yet she did. The moment I picked her up, BOOM!!! She told me to register right away since she wants to get a lanyard for donating. Talk about goals. Before I even saw the webpage, I told her that I would just buy her one.

 As I was finishing up with the registration, I did see to obtain a lanyard, she would only need $5 worth of donation. Now, I feel bad. But I did donate more than that and she was ecstatic.

 Here's the link:

American Heart Association Event

Waiting again

 Learned my lesson not to wait till the very last minute. A few days ago I was in a virtual line waiting for my Comic-con tickets. Now, I'm back waiting for concert tickets.



 Lucky I was off this day and when I went over to AXS.com, there was a tab that says "Join the waiting room". And the most logical thing to do is, hop on.

 While I'm patiently waiting, I'm putting an entry in and just crossing my fingers that I won't get ridiculous ticket prices this time.

Update:
  Virtual waiting room


  Now this is just unacceptable. At least with Comic-con I was able to buy tickets. They had me on a virtual waiting room for 30 minutes. At exactly 10 AM, I was then shown a line how far off I was. 5 minutes after, i was then shown a screen with an option of how many tickets I want. I chose 2, but it says that there's no tickets available. I then proceeded choosing different options and choices, but it just kept telling me that there's non.

 Thinking it was a glitch, I did the same procedures on another computer and even my phone. Both gave me the same results. I then decided I need to head out to the box office.



Update:

 After picking Happy from school, we immediately went straight to the Valley View Center box office. To my surprise, there were only three people ahead of me. But they were there for another event. When I went to buy the tickets, the lady told me that the tickets sold out in mere minutes right after opening. People were lined up from 6 in the morning.

 

 To my dismay, me and Happy just ate our Chick Fillet sandwiches. And since I did not want to go home empty handed. I just bought the next best thing that was available, The Chainsmokers.

 But the thought of going all the way there for the Ed Sheeran tickets and not getting one was just too much. I looked up online, and the ticket prices on StubHub started creeping up. In mere hours, the prices immediately went an extra $20 up to $100 on other sites. And that was the trigger.

 By the end of the day. I got what I wanted. And the photo below shows who's really happy (in a way).

The night before the Switch

 Been thinkin about this day since last week. Happy just couldn't stop talkin about March 3rd. And there's a midnight launch on most bigbox stores. I pre-ordered the system at both Gamestop and Bestbuy.

 Too bad there's only a few games comin out and my Zelda ain't comin till next week. And there's really no point of me goin out tonight to get the Switch with no games.

The Elf on the Shelf... and on the bench..... and on the board..... and on the.........

 Having Adi and Happy clean up after their mess (mainly toys) is such a struggle. We constantly have to remind them that they need to tidy up. There must be a better way for them to remember, and I think we found a way. Enter the Elf in the Shelf.



 Days before Christmas, Happy found one of the Elves still in it's box. She would actually talk to it, whispering her wishes for whatever she wanted from Santa everyday. Two days before Christmas, I took the elf out of it's box and put it on the tree. When both kids woke up, they eventually noticed that the elf was missing from it's box and went out looking for it.



 From then on, we started moving the elf. On Christmas day, the elf brought Santa's gift. But it never stopped there. We then had an idea to keep the elf movin everyday. It was fun for Adi and Happy for a few days, but closer to New Year, both kids are getting scared, since we told them that the elf maybe after their toys now.



 Adi would wonder why the elf hasn't made it's motif clear. But a few hours ago, I started putting some of their toys in a paper bag, dressed up the elf as if its about to leave. I then set my GoPro to record the upcoming events.