A-ight peeps. We be hea again to start your work week right. Here’s a lil’ sumthin’ sumthin’ I got in the mail that made me smile. I hope it helps brighten up your day too. [Side note: all y’all “arse” lovahs out dea (like *cough*kuya.d*cough*) should enjoy dis one]! 🙂
OK, take a good look at this photo and guess the nationality:
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Give up!?!?
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It’s…
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POLISH!
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Check it!
Holy Kielbasa!
Get your mind out of the gutter you pervs! 😛
Happy Monday y’all!
Talk to me!
* How’d you like da joke? Pretty tricky yeah?
* I had quite that eventful weekend (picked up taxes from accountant, went to Kanpai, may’ve sold the car, watched a movie, Lunch at Pietro’s). What’d you do?
* How does your work week look?
* Anybody catch the WEC last night?
* How ’bout dem Final 4s? Who you going for today: Michigan St. or North Carolina?
* Anybody else (besides uji and me) depressed that the Phillies dropped their season opener yesterday? 😛
* The Brother-in-law’s gonna kill me, but The Hills (final season with Lauren) starts up again tonight. Ya gonna watch it? 8)
* Fight fans, don’t forget that there is the (new) Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz event on Showtime (Digital Channel 0633 or HD Channel 1633), a re-airing of UFC 94 (St. Pierre vs. Penn) on Spike TV (Digital Cable 0559), and the Winky Wright vs. Paul Williams bout (which may have Andrei Arlovski on the undercard) on HBO (Digital Channel 0611 or HD Channel 1611) this Saturday; UFC 97 Redemption (Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites) on PPV (Digital Channel 0701 or HD PPV Channel 1700), and the local Kingdom MMA event (Mayhem Miller vs. Kala Kolohe Hose) next Saturday, the 18th; and finally, the Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton fight on May 2 on PPV (HD Channel 1700).
Please do not post your losses if it will get you in trouble with the wife/husband/gf/bf/friend/loan shark/parents. *grin* And by no means does this mean I condone betting as a regular activity. Personally, I don’t really like to do big cash bets – especially if it’s between friends – because, like they say, money is the root of all evil. 🙂 I’m more of a “for bragging rights,” plate lunch bet kinda guy, just to keep things interesting.
But since I was in the betting capital of the world for Super Bowl weekend just 4 short days ago, I put a cool 100 to the test for Arizona (with a spread of 7). Zona lost, but by just 4 (27-23) so I was in the money baby! I got $180 back, netting $80. Not bad, but it was a small consolation for the $100 (and a full week of plate lunches I owe my co-worker) I lost with my Penn pick the night before.
It’s gonna take me a little more time to organize my thoughts (my photos as well) on my UFC 94 weekend in Las Vegas, but here’s a lil’ sumthin’ sumthin’ for y’all in the meantime. It’s a video of BJ Penn’s entrance. The building was going bananas: B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
Every so often, there comes a time in a man’s life when the stars just align. The perfect storm of pleasure if you will. The weekend of January 30th was one such time.
You see, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – the most popular Mixed Martial Arts promotion – was having their biggest, most highly anticipated fight card in history: UFC 94. The main event featured Hilo’s own BJ Penn against Canada’s Georges St. Pierre, arguably the two best pound for pound fighters in the sport. Superbowl XLIII (43) festivities, which featured the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals, was also going on that weekend. Did I mention that this was all going down in Vegas? ‘Nuff said!
It all started with a confirmation of UFC 94 fight tickets, just a couple weeks before the event (Mahalos to Bruddah DJ and the rest of the UFC posse). From there, it was pure pandemonium as I worked some flight, room and car reservation magic for less than $580 per. Not bad, given the current flight prices.
Wifey unfortunately couldn’t take off of work so my friend Dave “took one for the team” and forced himself to come with me on this once in a lifetime, sport-filled weekend.
We caught the red-eye on Thursday the 29th, and enjoyed breakfast at Ruby’s Dinette on our LAX layover.
Outside Ruby’s Dinette
I’ve been by this place numerous times before, but never had the chance or the time to eat there. With our hunger, and a couple of hours to spare, Dave and I checked it out. It’s a good thing we did because it was surprisingly good.
Ruby’s Breakfast Burrito: “A flour tortilla filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, salsa and shredded cheese. Topped with sour cream, black olives and chopped green onions. Served with black beans. It’s our “South of the Border” specialty!”
Skillet Potatoes
Ruby’s Dinette – LAX
201 World Way – Terminal 6
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 646-2480
We arrived in Sin City at about 10AM on Friday, the 30th, but by the time we got our luggage, stood in line to pick up our rental car, and took my mobile phone in for service (it stopped working for some reason), it was almost time for the first two events of the trip: the exclusive Q&A session with (fighter) Rashad Evans and the official UFC 94 weigh-ins.
UFC 94 Schedule of Events poster
Thanks to Bruddah DJ, we were able to get early access into the event and sit decently close.
The much anticipated BJ Penn–Georges St Pierre stare down, as St.-Pierre’s head trainer Firas Zahabi, an unknown male, UFC President Dana White, ring announcer Bruce Buffer, Penn’s head trainer Rudy Valentino and fight matchmaker Joe Silva look on.
Following the weigh-ins, I decided to check my voicemail from my friend’s phone and was surprised to hear that my Las Vegas (Hawaii transplant) friend Jen left a couple of messages. She wanted us to meet up for dinner with her and her boyfriend Brandon at an all you can eat sushi spot called Sushi-Mon. Since Dave and I were practically starving, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect!
Sushi-Mon sign
For $26.95 ($21.95 for lunch), you can pick from a large array of sushi/nigiri, rolls, and side dishes, and go to town on them for one hour. And go to town I did!
2 orders of ikura (salmon roe) and 2 orders of masago (smelt egg) (one order already eaten… couldn’t wait! *grin*)
2 orders of hokkigai (surf clam) and 2 orders of hamachi (yellowtail tuna)
Dave’s Moon Roll order (Freshwater eel, yum yum scallop & avocado served on a bed of tempura crumbs topped with eel sauce).
Jen’s recommended Cajun Albacore sushi
Snow crab meat sushi (you’re only allowed one order)
Baked Scallop Shell side dish
Ika (squid) sushi
Sushi-Mon (on Sahara)
8320 W Sahara Ave #180,
Las Vegas, NV 89117
(702) 304-0044
Open 7 Days a week, 11:30AM-2:00AM
And den, it was fight day! After fueling up on the $7.99 Garden Court Buffet Lunch at the Main Street Station Hotel in downtown…
My $7.99 buffet lunch (breakfast actually) at the Main Street Station Hotel in downtown (heart don’t fail me now!)
… we headed towards the Mirage to place some fight bets, as, according to my friend Kippy who messaged me on Facebook, they had Penn at +180, some of the best lines in town! By the time we got there though, the line had moved to +135, but that was still good enough for me to back our local hero. While there, I also dropped a bit on the Super Bowl for good measure (‘Zona with the 7 point spread). What the heck right?
Following that, we went back to our hotel to get a quick R&R before the big day ahead. Then it was time! We started by roaming the MGM casino area an hour before the gates were to open. We saw a cool photo opp set up for fight fans, and, after asking a girl to take our photo there, her friends thought it was a good idea to tell her to jump in the photo with us! Um, yeah, thanks!
Dave and I posing with some random girl.
At 4:15PM we started to slowly make our way to the gates. The heart started a racin’ and the adrenaline started a pumpin’! I couldn’t believe we were actually there son!
Shuffling in before showtime
Here are the results with some personal observations sprinkled in between.
Dan Cramer defeats Matt Arroyo by Split Decision
– I thought Matt Arroyo, The Ultimate Fighter 7 alum, would take this one, but was surprised with Cramer’s perseverance.
Jake O’Brien defeats Christian Wellisch by Split Decision
– Another surprise as I picked Wellisch to come out on top for this one. As you can tell by now, my fantasy UFC picking is pretty horrible. Good to see O’Brien back from his injury and looking strong though.
John Howard defeats Chris Wilson by Split Decision
– This was too close to call, but both men gave it their all.
Thiago Tavares defeats Manny Gamburyan by Unanimous Decision
– Tavares was too big and too strong (and too quick) for Gamburyan, as expected.
Jon Fitch defeats Akihiro Gono by Unanimous Decision
– Gono impressed me by taking Fitch the distance. His entrance performance (where he dressed up in drag with two of his cornermen) had me in stitches!
Akihiro Gono’s hilarious drag queen entrance
Clay Guida defeats Nate Diaz by Split Decision
– Not a huge fan of Diaz, but knew Guida couldn’t finish him. Picked Guida, just based on his energy and spirit. Gotta love someone who is passionate about what they do. Got hooked to his entrance song (Foo Fighter’s “My Hero“).
Karo Parisyan defeats Dong Hyun Kim by Split Decision
– From my vantage point, I thought Kim got robbed on this one. He impressed me. Looking forward to more from him.
Jon Jones defeats Stephan Bonnar by Unanimous Decision
– Woah! Where’d this guy come from? Jones was very unorthodox, but impressive at the same time. Bonnar must’ve been confused with the strikes coming from all ova tha place!
Lyoto Machida defeats Thiago Silva by Knock Out at 4:49 in the 1st round
Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva stare down each other as they get instructions from referee Yves Lavigne
– ALAS!!! A finish!!! Machida must’ve heard all of our groans from a card filled with decisions. And he made sure to bring it. Silva was completely out for a good minute or so. It was the first time I jumped out of my seat (other that to use the potty! *grin*). Mahalos Lyoto!
Silva still on the ground after a vicious Machida punch
Georges St-Pierre defeats BJ Penn by TKO Stoppage at 5:00 in the 4th round
BJ’s Entrance Video
Animation of opening sequence
– D’oh! What a disappointment. But soooo worth being there in person. I was there when they first met at UFC 58 in March of ’06 so it was inevitable that I be there at this one. Unfortunately, the results didn’t reflect my (and probably most of Hawaii’s) wishes. That’s ok, BJ is still the man in my eyes! He showed great courage by not giving up.
On a side note, was it just me or did BJ not look all there from the very beginning? Even from where I was sitting, I could tell that something was just not right. He didn’t come out with the tenacity and that fire in his eye like he usually does. Something was just off. When I watched it back on my DVR at home, I noticed that his eyes were glassy and puffy and he had a look of stress/worry. Was it mental? Was it physical? Only BJ knows I guess, but the results from the fight seemed to confirm my spidey senses.
Following the fight, the rumors started to fly. My Google Reader started blowin’ up! I heard everything from BJ having a fever, to a stomach flu, to a nervous breakdown. I can’t imagine the pressure of having an entire state (and country) on your shoulders. And I know that BJ has that mental toughness a fighter needs to succeed, but something just wasn’t right.
For you Canadian/GSP fans/readers out there, I’m not making any excuses. GSP followed a perfect game plan and fought a flawless fight, and truly was the better man that night. However, if, indeed, the Vaseline and stomach flu rumors were true, and BJ was able to fight at full strength (mentally and physically) against a fair, Vaseline-less body, I’m absolutely positive that the fight would’ve been A LOT closer than it was. If it turns out that those rumors were false, GSP is undeniably the better man at Welterweight.
Leaving the arena took a ridiculously long time as there was just one exit for all 14,885 of us fans in the Grand Garden Arena (I really hope the folks at MGM do something about this potentially dangerous situation). It did give us some time however, to observe some interesting things like the proud/happy Canadians singing their national anthem aloud and the local mokes trying to call them out fo’ beef. I really wish that that fight broke out to give us some entertainment. Not that I was upset at the Canadians. Heck, they deserved to be proud. I think it was more that my thirst for excitement was not quite quenched, with just two stoppages the whole night.
I got some consolation when I saw Pride fighting legend Takanori Gomi waiting in line for his car outside, and took a picture with him. He seemed intense, but gave me a proper, Japanese bow as I bowed and thanked him with “Arigatou gozaimasu.”
Wifey also called me later to tell me that my goal of getting on the historic DVD with my cheesy fluorescent green shirt had been fulfilled, albeit the back of our heads. LOL! So it was not all a disappointing night yo. 😛
Dave and I forever a part of UFC 94 history. LOL!
We thought about going to the Official UFC afterparty at LAX (http://www.laxthenightclub.com/ ) at the Luxor, but decided to grab a bite instead. We called my high school buddy Jeff (another Hawaii transplant) to see if he and his wife Yvonne wanted to join us, but he instead, invited us over to his house to eat leftovers from their UFC 94 party. ‘Twas nice to see them and just chill after a long night.
The next day was Superbowl Sunday, but with our bets already placed, we said “Superbowl Shmuperbowl” and hit the slopes at the Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort for a lil’ boardin’.
Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort Sign
It was a gorgeous day with decent conditions (mostly smooth with some powder and icey patches), but the best part was that the Blackjack, High Roller, and Keno paths (blue square) and Jacks, Slot Alley and Grandma’s (black diamond) were relatively empty (see trail PDF here). I pretty much had half the mountain to myself! Awwwww yeah!
Empty path… Loves it!
Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort
End of Highway 1506 in Lee Canyon
(702) 385-2754
Lift Hours: 9am to 4pm
Lodge Hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm
After a mandatory Trader Joe’s omiyage run following our boarding sesh, and a quick bite to eat at Panda Express (yes, we had the urge!), we got back to our hotel just in time to catch the most exciting 4th quarter in Super Bowl history.
Kurt Warner’s look of disgust as his Cardinals allow Pittsburgh to move the ball closer and close to the end zone
All in all, it was a quickie, but exciting 3 days of 3 breathtaking sporting events: MMA, football and snowboarding. The perfect storm of pleasure.
* Who are you picking to win at UFC 94: BJ Penn or Georges St. Pierre?
These two bruthas are arguably the best pound for pound MMA fighters in history and they will be facing off this Saturday in Las Vegas for the UFC Welterweight Championship (again). Penn is a local boy from Hilo and has a HUGE following both in Hawaii as well as in the MMA community. St. Pierre is an athletic stud from Canada and is loved by the more mainstream/every day fan. Women especially swoon over him for his physique. Which side are you on for this one man?
Me? I gotta go with our local boy Penn. Not only is he from our aina, but he is unbelievably talented in the art of combat, and makes me crack up in every interview he does. I just love it that people outside of Hawaii are also huge fans of his. Represent baby!
Tie – You’re cool! We could’ve been classmates son!: 8 (DA WINNAH!)
Me, Adam & Eve were homies!: 1
Anyone born in the 70s or before is old brah!: 4
Shut up and lemme get back to the Disney Channel!: 2
You could be MY dad!: 0 (Whew!)
I’m flying out to Vegas tonight for a little UFC 94/Super Bowl 43/snowboarding action so I’ll see y’all next week a-ight? I’ll be checking the results of this Survey Thursday on my breaks throughout the day and on my phone when I leave though, so be sure to vote k? Shoots!
Happy Survey Thursday y’all! It’s almost Aloha Friday!!!
On Friday, wifey went out for drinks with her friend, so I decided to hang with a couple o’ friends for a good ol’ fashioned BNO (Boys’ Night Out). My friend Dave was flying in from Hilo on a later flight, so I first hooked it up with Bari to do what most straight men like to do together on a Friday night… shop and eat frozen yogurt. Ha!
OK, so before you get any ideas 😛 , here’s why….
In preparation for my BJ Penn/UFC 94 flyaway (yep! I’m goin’!), I had to get some threads that would match the atmosphere I would soon be in: cold and testosteroney with some Vegas flair. And Bari scratched up the lens on his sunglasses so he had to get replacements. See, we had good kine, legit reasons for shopping. The fro-yo date however, I’ve got no excuse for! Nah, nah! We were actually hungry but wanted to wait for Dave to fly in before we full-on ate. So there! 😉
Anyway, our hot date spot of the night would start at Ward Warehouse for some clothes/shades action and then to Menchie’s.
Like its Manoa counterpart (Yogurtland), Menchie’s has a colorful interior…
is self-serve…
and has an assortment of toppings to choose from.
Even though I never plan to, it seems that I always fill my cup to the brim with a bevy of randomness.
A little macro action of my concoction
With the “I just landed” call from Dave, Bari and I walked off our yogurt and headed to Kanpai on Ward. It was bumpin’ when we got there.
We ordered up a storm, including the braised shortrib loco moco…
the spicy garlic chicken…
fried rice with two eggs…
and the Wafu style rib eye steak.
With the eats, we shot the breeze and had a few shots (and a few more). It was overall, a fun night. How did you spend your BNO or GNO this weekend? (Hopefully, it wasn’t a Guy’s Afternoon In. 😛 “The Office” watchers are (hopefully) laughing…)
Talk to me!
* What’d you do for BNO or GNO this weekend?
* Ever been to Menchie’s? What’d you think? Better than Yogurtland?
* Ever been to Kanpai Bar & Grill? What’s your favorite dish?
* Where should I hit up next?
World Wide Ed 