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It’s 3:30AM. My parent’s house got the mandatory evacuation call (all of Sierra Linda and Sonata), so I helped evacuate my parent’s house in Escondido. The Wild Animal Park is highly threatened. It’s super super smokey at my place here in Rancho Bernardo/4S Ranch. We’re safe, but stressing about the home in Escondido. Reports say winds continuing through Wednesday.

This just in, new fires in San Marcos (near Cal State SM), Fallbrook (near Mission Rd), and right near the Wild Animal Park (Bandy Canyon Rd).

Pray for SD and LA County.

UPDATE

4:40AM - The northeastern part of RB is being evacuated. I-15 between Via Rancho Pkwy and RB Road is closed, in order for firefighters to prevent the fire from jumping the freeway. I might have to evacuate again from 4S Ranch.

Hanie and I saw the Bodies Exhibit this weekend at UTC (former site of Macy’s) and it left me in awe. The exhibition consists of actual human bodies and body parts, all perfectly preserved for you to see and experience. And by preserved, I don’t mean a hand in a jar full of formaldehyde. We’re talking about tissue basically in suspended animation. The creators of the exhibit were able to preserve bone and tissue in a manner where the items could be displayed openly without the fear of decay or distortion.

Needless to say, the displays were pretty extraordinary. Muscles, bones, veins, blood vessels, and even full skeletons complete with internal organs and muscles were on display. It slowly dawns on you that these are real human beings and real human parts. Apparently, the bodies were unclaimed people from China.

Some of the most striking elements of the exhibit were the skull and brain, lungs and liver, and human fetuses. The skull, face, and brain were much more complex than I had imagined. They had lungs ravaged by cancer and emphysema and livers afflicted with cirrhosis from years of chronic alcohol abuse on display, which was disturbing. The human fetuses ranged from conception to several months old. By 9 weeks, the human shape could already be easily discerned. It’s quite amazing how intricate, complex, and delicate the human body is.

Overall, the exhibition was well worth the $26 admission and I would recommend everyone experiencing it. It really made it clear how fragile and precious life is. I definitely came away with a greater understand and appreciation for the human body, not to mention a strong desire to take better care of myself.

Saw this sweet machine in Hillcrest over the weekend while shopping for a Halloween costume, which I successfully ended up getting. The Ford GT is a supercar Americans can be proud of. It’s stunningly beautiful and blistering fast. It’s a shame Ford no longer produces them. The car pretty much drew the blank stares of clueless passerbys or quiet admiration from piston-heads all day. Even the owner of a brand new 997 Porsche Turbo couldn’t resist the urge of turning his head and admiring the car as he drove by. Hey, if Jeremy Clarkson owned one, albiet for a short time, it’s got to be pretty good.

Bread et Cie Cafe
350 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92103

This is probably the best bakery in San Diego. Hanie and I have eaten here many times and it never fails to disappoint. I highly recommend their brie & honey panini and their chocolate croissant. The service is top notch, the food is top shelf. They also make a killer mocha. Located on 4th and University in the heart of the bustling and urban-chic community of Hillcrest, it’s a perfect place to catch up with friends or people/dog watch over a slow paced, quality meal.

Punjabi Tandoor
9235 Activity Road, Suite 111, San Diego, CA 92126

If you love Indian food, then this hidden hole in the wall should be in your rotation. In the middle of a seemingly deserted industrial park, this gem serves up quality Indian food at an affordable price. Their chicken palak is outstanding and their naan is fresh and perfectly chewy, yet slightly crispy. The service is friendly and the initial smell upon entering is overwhelmingly fantastic. I haven’t tried all their items yet, but I definitely plan to.

A few weeks ago, I took a trip out to Lake Mead with my sister, her boyfriend Mike, and his family and friends. It was a ton of fun and I would totally do it again. We rented a spacious houseboat. Mike’s sister and her husband own a super nice Malibu Wakesetter VLX wakeboard boat and a SeaDoo supercharged jet ski.

We stayed near Echo Bay, which is a little over an hour’s drive outside of Vegas. We left San Diego around 11PM and drove all night to get there by morning. Needless to say, it was blazing out there, well past 100 degrees during the day. However, the lake provided the perfect refreshment. The lake’s water temperature was in the high 80s, so it felt nice and cool compared to the air temperature. I was surprised at how clear and clean the lake water was. Definitely not like swimming in the ocean or anything. Lake Mead has some incredible views, especially during sunset.

It was my first time on a jet ski and first time wakeboarding. I can now say I’m totally addicted to both. I took the supercharged SeaDoo out and I wasn’t quite prepared by how powerful it was. The thing accelerates unbelievably fast. I ended up doing 65 MPH over the water, which was a total trip because you can barely see the front of the jet ski, so it literally looks like you’re flying over the water.

I also tried wakeboarding. After a flurry of tips from all the experienced wakeboarders and about 10 tries, I was able to get up out of the water, stand, and cruise around for a while. It’s really a lot of fun and surprisingly tiring. Every muscle of your body is working to keep you balanced. I’m sure I’ll be doing mid-air 360s in no time…

Also did some fishing, swimming, and kayaking. Played some horseshoes and made s’mores over a campfire at night. Oh yea, and I also rode shotgun in this inflatable raft thing that got towed around at high speed by the wakeboat. It was so much damn fun.

Great trip. Now I’m super tan.

I am beside myself. Time Warner Cable actually did something right for a change. They recently added CW HD, TBS HD, and Versus/Golf HD. Granted they are still miles away from the HD content offered by DirecTV, Dish, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse…basically everyone, but it’s a start. Looks like their move to switched digital video is finally happening. Now, I’ll be able to watch some hockey in HD and sadly, I might even get a glimpse of Arizona Diamondbacks’ closer Jose Valverde’s face in HD. I will then promptly jump out the window.