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Now that I’m back in Vietnam, let’s review how the two weeks went: (click here for my original post). Italics are the new comments to my original post before leaving.

(I’ll post the best pictures from the trip in a later post)

Metallica LIVE in Oakland!

This was a pretty good show. I think I tend to compare the shows to things I’ve listened to, such as their Cunning Stunts or Binge and Purge concerts, and I always want to hear the medleys they used to do, where they’d mix a number of songs together and play continuously. I didn’t think the solos were fantastic and no go for the medleys as well, but this show in my mind was much more fun than the last one (went to San Jose, 2004).

Notes:

• Actually quite cool in the building- maybe because it was 40 degrees outside, but wasn’t uncomfortably hot throughout
• In the 28th row of the lower deck, I really had a good view, visibility was great
• Wasn’t allowed to take pictures (or bring in cameras, sigh)
• Had to stand up, which may sound lazy on my part, but I get tired easily with concerts. I used to want to do all day type of deals for value, but not I just want one outstanding 1.5 hr show
• They celebrated Lars’ birthday at the end, he was chased with pies
• Some guy behind us asked David a bunch of questions about Metallica, what he liked, why we were there, etc. I honestly felt it was a little racial profiling, as if we couldn’t possibly like Metallica or we didn’t know anything about them and were not “real fans”

Click here to see the set list and actually buy the live recording (I bought the FLAC, to me this is basically the best souvenir you can get at a concert) if you’re interested:

To Do’s:

• KFC
  • Surprisingly, the difference between KFC Vietnam and KFC USA wasn’t as big as I was led to believe. Then again, perhaps, was because I didn’t eat enough KFC (2 drumsticks, 1 thigh), and the biscuit/butter wasn’t as good as I remembered. KFC USA is definitely better, but KFC VN seems a reasonable facsimile. The chicken in the US is super soft though, just melts.
• Popeyes
  • Didn’t actually go
• In N’ Out
  • In N’ Out was the same as it’s always been, which may sound negative, but really, this is good. There’s a consistency in excellence, the taste mix of cheese and bun is a good memory for me
• uWink
  • Imagine playing social/casual games while eating with friends in a restaurant setting.
  • Went to the Mountain View location, right across the street from the current RedOctane office
  • The games and social parts are fun, but the food is abysmal. Definitely edible, just not even average tasting. If they could get a few staples, like bar food, done well, they’d be in good shape.
  • You play games together with your group at your table, and you order food straight from your game kiosk. That really is great in terms of business but also convenience because you can just sit there for 2-3 hours talking and playing, and just keep ordering food and drinks over time.
• El Pollo Loco – best churros ever (and damn cheap)
  • Churros are now 2 for $1.29, up from 2 for $.99. Chicken was quite tasty as usual, and churros are as I remembered- yummy.
• Warriors vs Raptors, Dec. 29
  • As excited as I was to go when I got the tickets in October, it was definitely depressing right before going as the Warriors are depressing, and Monta didn’t make it back for this game.
  • Warriors won though, and it was a good fun game. Marco Belinelli looks legit. I heard that it’s his defense that’s really improved, but it’s hard to notice that side of the ball. On offense, he plays with flair- all his passes have style, yet it’s style without high turnovers.
• New Year’s Eve in San Francisco, bike riding during the day, drinks and fun during the night
  • Mike and I made it across the Golden Gate this time, all the way to Sausalito. Maybe Tiburon next year?
• Good times and talks with friends (they know who they is) and (nuclear) family
  • I ended up seeing way more friends than I would have expected! (David, Cindy, Howard, Mike, Andy, William, Tot, Stephen, Emil, Khoi, Hung, Saket, Kyle, Andrew, Tay, Midland, Andrew, Kai, Charles, Romel)
• Pick up Xbox 360!
  • Everything came intact along with HD DVD player and games
• Sell whatever I can of value (DVDs, Music) to get extra cash
  • Another $80+ in cash from Rasputin (http://www.rasputinmusic.com/)

Optional:

• Mexican Food
  • Went with Kyle to place in downtown Mountain View I hadn’t been to since I left for VN, cheesy and tasty were those cheese enchiladas
• Cal Basketball Game
  • Didn’t do this, but they look legit with Jerome Randle and Mike Montgomery
• Emerald Bowl, Dec.27 for Cal vs Miami
  • Tickets never went below face value ($40 for cheapest seats), so this wasn’t a big priority for me
  • Cal won, and the PAC 10 were undefeated in the Bowls
• Sharks vs Canucks
  • Tickets never went below face value on Craigslist, so decided against it
• The Spirit (Scarlett!)
  • Reviews were brutal, so no
  • Ended up seeing Slumdog Millionaire instead, which was very very good, one of the best of the year
• Shopping (no money, have to help the economy!)
  • Surprisingly, ended up buying basically nothing extra for myself, despite all the sales. KB Toys went bankrupt right as I came to the US, but never went over there to check things out
• Crunches
  • Ended up doing these 5 or 6 times. Also played a good amount of basketball (good as in I definitely got torn up from it, but good pain!)

Here are some additional things I did end up doing:

• PIZZ’A CHICAGO in downtown San Jose
  • Voted #1 by the Metro, I thought it was ok, but maybe that was because we ordered a vegetarian pizza. I wouldn’t mind coming back there again to try a more normal (aka PORK) pizza, but I can already count the calories….
• The Counter: (Santana Row, San Jose)
  • I wasn’t in a mood to eat more burgers, but both my sister and Mike said this was a really good burger. I didn’t dislike it, but would have rather had In N’ Out. At The Counter, the key is that you can truly customize your buger (toppings, meats, sauces, vegetables, etc.), and my guess is if I went there 2-3 times, I’d really like it. I also wasn’t hungry going into it, and I think that may have affected me.

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