A Good GI Joe Movie

I've already written previously that I'm not looking forward to the GI Joe movie coming this summer.

Here's a little peek of Hollywood's best effort:



Well, earlier this year, it appears that there was a GI Joe cartoon called "GI Joe: Resolute" that aired on the Adult Swim program on the Cartoon Network. I was not aware of this and just got done watching it this weekend on YouTube. I have to say it kicked ass and this is what a GI Joe movie should be!!! Here's the Snake Eyes vs Storm Shadow fight from GI Joe: Resolute. I hope you head over to YouTube to catch all 11 parts. Enjoy!



PS - For the GI Joe: Rise of Cobra movie, at least Ray Parks (an actual martial artist) was cast as Snake Eyes. They got one character right in the movie.

JKD: Perspective from Ted Wong

Since I've fessed up to being a big Bruce Lee fan, Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is something I've dabbled in here and there.

Here's an interesting clip about JKD by Ted Wong, Bruce Lee's last student (and considered by some to be Bruce's protege). Enjoy!

Movie Review: Terminator Salvation

McG managed to do something that Terminators were unable to do - McG killed John Connor! Okay, I'm being a bit over dramatic here - McG did not kill John Connor; but McG did make a Terminator movie where there was virtually no character development for John Connor. Terminator Salvation is a redemption/salvation story around a new character in the Terminator Universe.

A warning to those who have not yet seen Terminator Salvation: Please STOP reading now. My review will be full of spoilers and I do not want to ruin your movie watching experience more than I already have with my first paragraph. You have been warned and I take no responsibility for ruining your Terminator Salvation movie experience if you read further. Now to my review...

I do not know where to begin with Terminator Salvation. There are so many things to say about the movie and only a few are good. I guess I'll start off with the good things to get them out of the way:

• Almost all of the action sequences were top notch. Other than a few editing things here and there, the action was first rate. That's one of the few things that McG does well - he can shoot good action sequences.
  
  
• The CGI was top notch as well. All the various Terminators (from the Terminators we've seen before, to the motorcycle and hydro Terminators, to the CGI of Arnold's face on the T-101 for the big climax) looked impressive. At one point, one would think that you were watching a Transformers movie as there were so many different Terminator robots on screen.
  

Alas, in my opinion, that's where the accolades stop. The following, in no particular order, are my main problems with the movie:

• Christian Bale was just not right for the role of John Connor. I was excited when Bale signed on to play John Connor, but something just wasn't right. From his voice (can someone tell me why Bale was still speaking with his annoying Batman voice?) to his uninspired performance (all the more surprising given his infamous rant against Shane Hurlbut while filming this movie because Shane interrupted him during an intense scene). It appeared to me that Bale was just bored as he wasn't given enough in the script to play an inspired John Connor.
  
  
• Marcus Wright, not John Connor, is the major character of this movie. Hell, Marcus Wright IS the hero of this movie as he saved Kyle Reese, Blair Williams (the female fighter pilot) and John Connor. This perhaps is my biggest problem - I was expecting to watch a John Connor movie, but was given a Marcus Wright movie instead. The Terminator Salvation title really implies the redemption/salvation of Marcus Wright above all else.
  

• Why does everyone seem to know that Kyle Reese is John Connor's father? Why is this fact so well known to Connor's team? It's so widely known that even Skynet seems to know who Kyle Reese is as Skynet has targeted Kyle Reese as the #1 person it wants to have terminated by the end of the week.
  
  
• If Skynet is so intelligent (and really has Kyle Reese tagged for termination), why doesn't Skynet have all its Terminators immediately kill Kyle Reese once he is spotted? Instead, Skynet simply has Kyle taken away to a holding cell when he is spotted in the Skynet base in San Francisco! (I realize that all Terminator movies require that I suspend my disbelief in order for the movie to be enjoyable, but this blew me away.) Skynet has the chance to kill John Connor's father so that John Connor would never be born, but it doesn't take that opportunity. How the fuck does that make any sense!?!?!?
  
  
• The Resistance seems to be on equal footing with Skynet. I never get the feeling that the human beings are losing the war against Skynet per the descriptions of the war from T1 and T2. For example, there are areas where Skynet will not go and the Resistance readily has aircraft (and a submarine) at its disposal.
  
  
• The dialogue is sophmoric at best. Here are some of my favorites:
  "So that's what death takes like." - Marcus Wright
  "I'll be back." - John Connor (doing his worst Arnold-impression)
  "His heart isn't strong enough." - Kate Connor
  
  
• The scene that elicited the biggest chuckle was the idiotic cuddling scene between Marcus and Blair after Marcus saves Blair. The entire setup to that scene is laughable. In this scene, Blair takes her handgun out of her tactical holster and hangs it up when she tends to her injured arm/shoulder. You're in potential Terminator territory and the first thing you do is put your fucking weapon away! Are you kidding me!?!?! Of course, she proceeds to get attacked and Marcus saves the day. Blair, of course, then develops feelings for Marcus and cuddles with him and says, "You have a strong heart." A fucking inane scene if you ask me and just way too much foreshadowing.
  

I had high hopes for this movie, but I expected too much from McG and was let down. Serves me right for thinking someone with a douche-bag name would get it right. I just hope this movie doesn't end the Terminator franchise as Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin film almost ended the Batman franchise.

Ms. Bebopper from The Chronicles of Bus #10

Let me tell you about Ms. Bebopper who showed up on the bus the other day. It was the first time I've seen her as a passenger, but she sure made an impression on many of us on the bus that morning!

She got our attention when she started singing along to the song she was listening to on her iPod. Right when I looked up (from reading the morning news on my smartphone), she had raised her hands and started moving to the music (much to the chagrin of the 2 passengers sitting next to her).

But it didn't stop there. After a few moments, Ms. Bebopper started grooving to the music - moving her hips around, her arms going back and forth, and (to top it all off) snapping her fingers as loud as she could. The 2 passengers sitting next to her on the bench literally did not know what to do. They just stared at her, thinking Ms. Bebopper would stop when she noticed them. However, Ms. Bebopper never did. She just bebopped away throughout the ride.

All I can say is that must have been some playlist! I don't think I've ever been that moved to start bebopping away out in public (let alone in a small confined place such as the bus).

Review: SensGard SG-31

Hearing protection is a must for anyone who owns firearms and want to get proficient with his firearms.

When I did my first Basic Handgun course, I had purchased a pair of cheap ear plugs from Walmart. The ear plugs were Winchester branded and rated for about 26dB. They were quickly put to the test as I had someone with a .45 to my left and a .40 to my right (both persons were about 3 feet away from me on each side). With the earplugs, my ears were ringing at the end of the class.

It was not a pleasant experience as my ears were still uncomfortable the following day. One of my friends who is into firearms suggested I wear the ear plugs AND over the ear hearing protection. I normally would have followed his advice, but since I wear prescription glasses, the over the ear protection can quickly become uncomfortable (with the ear muff pressing the side of my glasses onto the side of my head).

On one of the handgun forums I follow, more than a few people recommended SensGard hearing protection products. After doing some research on SensGard, I decided to try out their latest offering, the SensGard SG-31 which I purchased online.



At first glance, they don't look like they would be all that effective - there are no fancy electronics involved, they are very lightweight (unlike some over the ear type muffs), and they are made of plastic with just some foam pieces at the end; however, looks are definitely deceiving!

At my Basic Handgun 2 class, I again had someone with a .45 to my left and a .40 to my right (both were 3 feet away from me on each side). At the end of 3 hours and 200 rounds, I had no ringing in the ears. The SensGard muted the firing sounds, but I could still hear when the instructor yelled out directions or when I chatted with the other students.

Before I used the SensGard, I had my doubts. But after using them in class, I'm glad I got them. Not having the ringing in the ears was worth the price.

Basic Handgun 2 Class

I had the chance to take the Basic Handgun 2 Class with Greg Block on Sunday afternoon. Per the class description:

This is a great class if you have the basics and want to improve your accuracy and confidence to shoot well in a pressure situation. Emphasis is placed on improving the shooter's ability to make rapid multiple shots on both single and multiple targets at varying distances.

We spent the entire afternoon doing double taps on various targets. We started off on large silhouette targets then gradually moved onto smaller and smaller targets. When we were able to group our shots adequately, we were challenged with multiple 4"x6" targets (numbered 1 through 4) where we first had to identify the correct target (based on what the instructor yelled out), align our sights, then double tap that target.

Honestly, it was quite a challenge. Not only was I using the P99 for the very first time, but I was also using the Big Dot sights mentioned in the previous post. I shot fairly well, but noticed that I was shooting low. "Dotting the I" on the Big Dots can be tricky at first as I was trying to shoot too quickly without having truly "dotted the I." I'll need more practice, but once I get accustomed to targeting with the Big Dot sights, I should be fine.

As for the P99, it performed like a champ. The recoil was slight, the slide was smooth and the AS trigger is unlike any other that I've shot with. I think the P99 is one of the best semi-automatic handguns out there.

Near the end of the class, I was able to get side-by-side double taps - a first for me. The key was to keep my firing hand/arm fairly straight and to lean into my shot; by doing both, I was able to keep the gun steady in my hand and could fire the follow-up shot rapidly and accurately.

I have a few months to practice before I take Greg Block's Intermediate Handgun Class. I can't wait to hit the indoor range and improve my skills with both the P99 and P22.

XS Sight Systems' Big Dot Sights

The primary reason I got the Walther P99 is for self/home defense, especially when things go 'bump' in the night. With that said, the stock Walther sights are not night sights. If something was to happen, I would have a hard time properly aiming the P99 in low/no light situations. As such, I started looking for night sights for the P99.

I quickly found out that there are many brands available - such as Trijicon and Meprolight. While searching the Walther forums for night sight info, I stumbled on a sight called the Big Dot by XS Sight Systems. These were billed as combat sights that also happened to work in low light situations. I was intrigued by the 'combat sight' billing and eventually stumbled onto this YouTube clip:



After watching it, I was sold - a set of sights that can work in low light situations and help me with faster target acquisition during high stress situations (i.e., someone is possibly breaking into my home and I have to confront the individual). Unfortunately, the Big Dots (hell, almost all night sights) run over $100 and it was more than I wanted to spend. I spent the next few weeks monitoring the 'for sale' posts of one of the Walther forums and found someone selling the Big Dot sights!

I got quite the deal on the Big Dots - less than $30 shipped! The sights actually arrived earlier this week, but I haven't the chance to install them until today. Here are a few pics:



One thing I highly recommend when installing sights is to have the right tools. After I received the sights, I found out that I needed a very small & thin 3/16" nut driver to properly install the front sight. In addition, some thread lock is required to keep the nut from loosening up (from the vibration caused when firing the gun).

For the hex nut driver, I purchased a Hiviz Installation Tool; and for the thread lock, I purchased a small tube of Loctite Threadlocker Blue 242 (the kind that is removable with hand tools).



The installation tool was just perfect and made installing the sights a breeze. I did 2 drops of Loctite and that should be more than enough to keep the nut secure and in place. Now I just have to wait 24 hours for the Loctite to fully cure and I'm set.

Not a moment to soon either! I have my second handgun course on Sunday afternoon and I can't wait to try these Big Dot sights out.

Getting in Better Shape with Javorek's Dumbbell Complexes

Like many other Americans, I could lose a few pounds (alright, maybe more than just a few pounds) and get in better shape.

I read about the Javorek Dumbbell Complex in an issue of Men's Health (see full article) and have decided to give it a try with a pair of 15lb dumbbells. Here are two YouTube clips of Javorek explaing his Dumbbell Complex I and II:





I plan on performing one of these complexes every other day; for example, Monday will be Complex I, Wednesday will be Complex II, Friday will be Complex I, and so on. The two complexes don't take a lot of time, so hopefully I'll be able to stick to it.

PS - If you want more variety and a more challenging complex, please visit Javorek's website for additional Dumbbell and Barbell Complexes.

Hollywood Is Fucking with My Childhood

I don't know about you, but I have fond childhood memories of the following:

• Transformers
• GI Joe
• Street Fighter
• Speed Racer
• Dragon Ball

Today, all of the above share a new trait - Hollywood has fucked them all up! Is Hollywood so devoid of talent, that they have to raid my childhood memories only to serve up crap where I actually LONG to see the 'brillance' of 70's and 80's cartoons?

When did Hollywood get into the business of selling manure? How else can one explain the crap coming out? My major gripes:

• Transformers - Bumble Bee is supposed to transform into a VW Beetle (not a Camaro), Megatron is supposed to transform into a Walther P38, and Shia LaBeouf (or is it LeDouche?) is the lead actor. Enough said.
  
  
  
  
• GI Joe - when did Storm Shadow start dressing like he was going clubbing? The Joes are soldiers doing their duty, not a bunch of turds in terrible-looking superhero outfits.
  
  
  
  
• Street Fighter - Could Hollywood not find an actress a little more Chinese-looking rather than someone with "exotic" looks who can pass for Caucasian? Oh wait, that's because most of America thinks all Asians look the same and Hollywood would rather have a Caucasian-looking lead! Was Lucy Liu not available to play Hollywood's white-washed version of Chun Li? I can't believe that I'm longing for Jean-Claude Van Damme's Street Fighter film from 1994. At least they had the presence of mind to cast Ming-Na as Chun-Li. (Hint to the Hollywood execs - you could do a casting call in the San Gabriel Valley and have found someone better than Kristin Kreuk).
  
  
  
  
• Speed Racer - this was a movie that made me long for ANY one of The Fast and The Furious movies, let alone the greatness of the anime.
  
  
  
  
• Dragon Ball - where do I fucking begin with this one? Almost all the main characters are Asian, you fucking Hollywood dumbasses! Anyone who would be interested in seeing a Dragon Ball movie would have been fans of the anime. And the idiotic casting only served to drive the fans away! Did Hollywood really think they could bring in new viewers for this movie? Who's the genius who did the market research and focus groups on this idea? And having Chow Yun-Fat play Master Roshi doesn't quite make up for it.
  
  

Paying the Price Even When You Were Prudent & Responsible

Read this interesting article today regarding Ford Motor Company. My favorite line from the article is:

But the bottom line is that we live in a world where wisdom can be punished and where foolishness can be rewarded.

This is exactly how I feel with the government (Federal/State/Local) rushing to bailout homeowners, car companies, financial institutions, etc. Basically, name almost any group and they're probably in line asking for a bailout/handout.

I've railed on this before, but what happened to personal responsibility? Why is it that people look for excuses, blame other people, and expect others to bail them out? Why the fuck do I have to bail you out with my tax dollars for the mess you put yourself in? What happened to the American attitude of "pick yourself up by your bootstraps"?

It seems that attitude is long gone....only to be replaced by "you owe me" and "I don't need to work hard because someone else will take care of it." There will soon be more tax users (people who use up tax dollars while contributing nothing into the system) than actual tax payers. Makes me wonder why I should even work at all.

Review: Sunday Bistro's Baked Pork Chop Rice

Had a chance to stop by Sunday Bistro and decided to give their Baked Pork Chop Rice another chance. The last time my wife and I had eaten at Sunday Bistro was years ago, so I was hoping that it was better this time around.

When the waitress brought the dish over, it certainly looked more promising than the previous time!



Per my first post on this blog, I judge baked pork chop rice on the following criteria:

• Tomatoeness
• Flavorful rice
• Lightly fried pork chops
  
• Amount of cheese
• Overall texture

Sunday Bistro's Baked Pork Chop Rice:

• Did not have enough tomato taste to the sauce.
  
• Fried rice base w/ eggs and some mixed veggies; in fact, there were some sliced mushrooms thrown in - definitely the first time I have seen mushrooms in this dish!
  
• Pork chops were lightly fried, pre-cut and plentiful.
  
• Good amount of cheese.
• Overall texture was a bit dry - ratio of sauce to rice was a bit off.
  

On a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the highest), I give Sunday Bistro's Baked Pork Chop Rice a 4 rating. So far, this is the best in the San Gabriel Valley.

KFC Can Suck It

I have to say that I'm very disappointed with Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

First, how could you not realize the power of Oprah?!?!?! If you are going to run a promo on Oprah where you offer a free 2 piece Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal, be FUCKING prepared for the onslaught of traffic that will hit your restaurants! Who is the mental midget who thought up the idea, but didn't prepare the restaurants properly for the onslaught?

Second, since you are making people sign up for a rain check for the free meal, why the hell do I have to visit a KFC location for the rain check form? Per your website:

Please visit a participating KFC restaurant for a rain check form. Complete the form, attach your original coupon , and give it to the KFC restaurant manager or postmark per the form’s instructions, by May 19, 2009, and we’ll send you a rain check for your free Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal at a later date, plus a free Pepsi with our compliments. Your participating KFC restaurant will provide you with the form you need.

Why can't I download this form directly from the KFC website? Does KFC really think I will buy something when I go to the restaurant, especially since they've now delayed offering the free meal to some unknown future date? Good luck with that.

Third, what does KFC have against Mother's Day? Per the KFC coupon, the offer was originally "valid from 5/5/09 to 5/19/09, not valid on Motherʼs Day 5/10/09." Luckily, El Pollo Loco stepped up and is offering to accept the KFC coupon on Mother's Day for a free 2 piece El Pollo Loco meal.



Well, I took my KFC coupon to El Pollo Loco today and came home with this delicious lunch:



Thanks for the free meal, KFC. Er...actually, I should be thanking El Pollo Loco! KFC can "SUCK IT!"

Happy Mother's Day!

Green Day's Latest Album - 21st Century Breakdown

For you die hard Green Day fans, you've probably heard that their new album, 21st Century Breakdown, was "leaked" this past week. This is their first new album in nearly 5 years (American Idiot was released in 2004).



If you can't wait to listen to it (the official release date is May 15, 2009), good news! MTV has the "leak" on their website where you can stream/listen to the tracks that have been released. Click here to listen to the new Green Day goodness. Enjoy!

Walther P99: Fit Issue with Double Stack Mag Case

From an earlier post, I had mentioned that I would be looking for a dual magazine holder as I'll be taking a few handgun courses that require it. Well, after looking online for a bit, I decided to get a moderately priced kydex mag holder from the Uncle Mike's line of products. I figured since I was happy with the Uncle Mike's holster, I'd be happy with the mag holder.

Knowing that my Walther P99 9mm mags are double stack mags, I ordered Uncle Mike's Kydex Double Mag Case for double stack mags. It arrived yesterday and I was very surprised to find that the mags did not fit properly.



It turns out that even though the P99 mags are double stack mags, they are very slim. In speaking with a rep from Bushnell, the company that distributes Uncle Mike's products, he said that because the P99 mags are so slim, the single stack/row mag cases may be the better choice. However, he did preface this by saying that they haven't actually test fitted the P99 mag with that case, so their opinion is that it "should" fit.

After much thought, I've decided not to try the single stack from Uncle Mike's. I'm leary about doing an exchange and then having to ultimately return it. I'd rather get something that "will" fit rather then try something that "should" fit. I'll keep looking.

On one of the handgun forums I frequent, the forum members advised that if a mag case doesn't specifically say it works for the Walther P99 that the Beretta 92 can be used as a proxy. They explained that "since the [P99] mag is essentially a shortened Beretta 92 mag, you can use that to size (i.e., if it fits a Beretta 92FS mag snug, it will fit a P99 mag).

Bruce Lee is My Homeboy!!!

One of the tidbits that I have left off the blog is that I am a BIG Bruce Lee fan. I have been ever since I saw my first Bruce Lee movie as a kid. If my memory serves me, it was "Fist of Fury" (also known as "The Chinese Connection") and was the first movie of a double feature. The funny thing is that the Bruce Lee movie wasn't the Chinese movie my parents had wanted to see; but since we got there early, we decided to go in and watch it.

This was during the mid-1970's and there were no consequential Asian characters on American TV. Imagine an impressionable young boy watching for the very first time a character that looked like him (by that, I mean, also Chinese) being portrayed as a heroic, fierce and brave figure with amazing fighting skills. To this day, whenever I watch a Bruce Lee movie (and trust me when I tell you that I have all his movies on DVD, fully remastered), I experience those exact same feelings. Granted, I'm critical of the acting & dialogue and realize that these movies will never make the "100 Best Movies of All Times List", but Bruce Lee will always be a part of me. Bruce Lee is my homeboy!

Here's a short clip of my favorite Bruce Lee fight scene from "Way of the Dragon". Enjoy!



PS - If you ever ask me, "Do you know kung fu?", my response will be, "Yes, I know Jeet Kune Do."

More Magazines...Especially at a Good Price

If you own a semi-automatic handgun, I'm sure the saying "you can never have enough magazines" sounds familiar to you. Well, I didn't think I would fall into that, especially when a single 10-round mag for my 9mm Walther P99 typically sells for $57 each.

So when I purchased my 1st generation Titanium P99, I thought I would be good since I got 4 mags to go with it. Well, that didn't turn out to be the case. I was lucky enough to find someone selling two new 10-round 9mm mags on one of the handgun forums I frequent. The seller was offering both mags with shipping for less than $42. You knew I had to jump on that deal!

The mags arrived today and I couldn't wait to try them out. Like the seller stated, both mags were brand new - although only 1 was still in its original packaging. In fact, the packaging was marked "Interarms".



If you're not familiar with Interarms, they were the first company in the US to import Walther P99s from Germany. They did this for about 3 years (from 1997 to 1999). So, it appears that I have brand new 10-year old magazines! I cannot believe that these have been sitting around for that long. Not that it matters, since they work fine in my P99. Now I have 6 mags and if I find a similar deal in the future, I'll have to jump on it too!

PS - Click here for a list of all known Walther P99 importers.

Walther P99 Holster

Now that I have my handguns (Walther P22 and P99), I'm committed to getting the proper training so I can be a responsible gun owner. In early April I took a Basic Handgun Course (which I wrote about here) and will be taking follow-up courses over the next few months.

For the upcoming courses, a holster and magazine holder are required equipment. As such, I picked up a fairly inexpensive belt holster (roughly $15) off of eBay.



As you can see, it's an Uncle Mike's Kydex Belt Holster and it fit the Walther P99 perfectly. I didn't get a paddle holster as I won't be putting on and taking off this holster on a daily basis and I like the added "security" of having my belt looped through the holster.

I'm now looking to pick up a double magazine case. I'm leaning towards an Uncle Mike's Kydex Double Mag Case, but am open to others. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.