calvin aka p.phresh

Last weekend i went clubbing and ran into this guy on the dancefloor:

HAHAHA… this guy is so epic!!

So it’s been snowing and warming up here and then the temperature has been dropping to freezing point and everything is iced over.  It’s hard to walk on the ice.  I messed up my ankle and i’ve been trying to heal it for 2 weeks now.  It hasn’t been 100% since Tokyo.

When i walk around outisde it’s slippery and i slip a little and i use my bad ankle to catch myself and then it causes more pain, and i feel like it’s taking forever to heal.  Like taking two steps forward and one step back.  It’s fucked up.  I can’t walk normal and my ankle is not healing fast enough.  I ran out of pain killers and anti-inflammatory medication.  So i have to deal with it now.

I hate this ice and snow bullshit.

so i guess i need to write on this thing… it’s been a while, two weeks almost?

Well Halloween was fun.  Went out to the Exchange Event Centre for Thriller.  Had a bit too much to drink, in fact i was drunk before i even reached the doors.  I think it’s time to slow down on the alcohol ingestion.

Me and zucru came dressed as the Jabbawockeez, all of us wore the same outfit, same shirt, same hat, gloves and mask.  We were bay far the most coordinated group!  HAHAHahaha…. there were soem other Jabbawockeez there but none of them had a crew like us.  there were at least 7 of us dressed as the Jabbawockeez.

Photo….

And well that’s all that happened last weekend… and i forgot my camera so i didn’t get any photos, so i have to wait till other people get theirs online…. soonly though.

I’ve also decided that i’m going to get back into drawing.  And begin to develop my own style which i lost long ago.  Gonna get back to pencils and paper.

If i ever complete anything i will have it up here… who knows when that will happen.

What else…. I saw Pride and Prejudice at the MTC this past Monday…. and I truly liked it.  The following night i watched the movie with Keira Knightley, and i liked that one too.  And then on Wednesday I watched Sense and Sensibility for the first time… and yes, i liked that one too.  I’m such a weirdo!

I had this conversation with my good friend the other day, and i told her i’m not your average guy, i like theatre, i don’t mind chick flicks, i enjoy musicals and Grease is one of my favorite movies.  How odd… all this and i’m not gay… yes i know that for a fact.  I like boobies more than i like cock.  LOL

I blame it on my sister.  It was her that watched all this sort of stuff while i was growing up and i ended up liking a lot of the same things she did.  So that’s probably why i have such odd interests when it comes to the average guy.  I guess i do like some guy stuff.  I like guns and violence…. and i really enjoy watching war movies… so maybe it’s just an odd combination of tastes for me.

Well anyways, this weekend i’ve got some partying to do, and i won’t forget the camera this time.

More photos will be up in the weekend warriors gallery as soon as i get them.

it’s good to be home.  Took me 24 hours to get home on Sunday.  I ended up getting in at midnight and i had to work on Monday morning.  I don’t think i’ve quite caught up to the Winnipeg time yet.

On my last day in Budapest I went up to the Royal Palace one last time to take in the city.  I spent a couple hours walking around the Palace and the area.  Walked back over the Chain Bridge one last time and stopped at the hotel to rest a bit.  After chatting with some people online I went out for one last dinner.

I stopped in at a restaurant at a boat that was permanently docked on the Danube River.  I looked out the window and you could see the Royal Palace all lit up and looking very pretty.  I had a Hungarian paprika veal for dinner and it was alright.  I also tried a Mojito for the very first time.  I liked it a lot, although it was pretty lonely, eating dinner alone.  I don’t quite like doing things alone, i enjoy sharing the moment with others.

After dinner i went back to my room and prepared for the trip home.

All in all, Budapest was quite nice.  In the week that i spent there i saw most of the recommended places within the area.  Everything was within walking distance.  Although it’s a nice place, it isn’t a place i would come back to visit, without great reason.

So after all my travels, i am truly glad to be home.  i’ve flown way too much in the last month and i hope to stay grounded for a while, or at least not long flights.

It felt like everytime i had to transfer to another flighti had to go through security…. take out the laptop, take off your shoes, take all the stuff out of your pockets, take off your jacket, take off your belt, go through the metal detector, get pat down, and then put it all back, put on the shoes, put on the jacket, put laptop back in the bag, put everything back in your pocket…. I’ve had enough of airport security.  No more.

I’m just looking for a relaxing time until christmas now.  I’ll be glad for a slow life for now.

I’m enjoying a nice cup of coffee with the Budapest sunset. The sun is just beginning to set just behind the royal palace.

so the conference is now over, 3 days of talking heads, and slides that will make you head spin.  Some of the speakers were monotonous, some had thick accents, lots of “um”s and “ah”s, but some were very well spoken, and really knew their material.  But alas, it is finally over.

Following the conference i took a little trek out on my own.  The past three nights i was in the company of some acquaintances i met at an earlier workshop.  But tonight we parted and i went for a walk in the surrounding area. There’s a street for pedestrians that are lined with many tourist shops and restaurants, also some retail stores selling current fashion, even an H&M and Zaras.  Since today was a national holiday, all the shops were closed except for the souvenir shops.  And also, because today was a holiday there were a lot of people on the streets.

I came across a street that had a cop on a motorcycle waiting there, lights flashing, that drew my attention, so i thought “Hey, maybe a parade for the holidays!” I started getting closer and there were more cops, blocking off the road, and people were standing along the road, even some of the resatuarant employees were standing outside on the streets watching.  As i proceeded towards the crowd I heard someone on a loud speaker, speaking in Hungarian.  The group of people had signs on them, like sandwich boards, in Hungarian of course, and along side of them an entire task force of cops, dressed in riot gear.  I thought, “Cool a cop’s parade!”  And i was going to take out my camera to take a picture, but i didn’t see anyone else taking pictures, so i restrained.

I asked one of the restaurant workers standing there watching all this, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, just idiots.”
“Oh, okay.”  I kinda shook my head.
“They are…. uh-”
“Demonstrating?  Protest?” i asked.
“Yes, they are idiots.”
“Okay.”  I didn’t press for more.

Another couple turned to me…
“Well, they are not just idiots.  They protest for a good reason.”
They tried to explain it to me, and from the Hungarian accents, from what i could make of it, they were protesting because the government party that was in power during the communist reign never really changed.  The prime ministers have changed, but it was still a socialist government and the people were protesting this, because they want better.

I walked away from the couple and the employee from the restaurant came out and asked me, “so did they change your mind?”

i said “no i was just seeing what’s going on.”

the server told me that “they’re idiots, every holiday they protest, and nothing changes.  You see here?”  He points to the area and the restaurant.  “Nobody is here because of them.  The last two years they came through here and smashed the tables and threw the chairs.  That’s why there are all the police.”

He continued, “They are idiots, they want change but before, last prime minister, same thing. new prime minister, same thing.  It changes nothing for me.  They are idiots.”

I shrugged, I didn’t really have an answer to the whole thing, he walked into back to the restaurant and he told me to have a good night.  I thought how unlucky would it have been if the protesters acted up and started rioting.  I was right in the area while they were coming through.  I’m glad nothing happened.

I continued walking and most restaurants were open so I found a place to have dinner.

They are really big on terraces or patios out here, it seems every restaurant has a terrace, and even though it’s cold outside, there are still people to sit outside on them.  Each place has those propane heaters and thrown around the terrace.

I took a seat ouside on a terrace underneath the heater.  The restaurant was called Fresco.  I had a glass of the local beer, Dreher, it was quite nice, but then again i’m not much of a beer connoisseur, so what might taste good to me may not taste good to another.  But i enjoyed it so that’s all that matters.

I ordered the goulash soup and a dish that was described as “Best pork grilled with wild mushrooms and cracklings, with potato dumplings” or something along those lines.

The beer came first and i took a sip while enjoying the heat that emitted from the heater.  The server brought out a plate with salt and pepper shakers on it and some cutlery, and a basket of french bread with a cloth covering the bread.  Then he brought out the goulash soup.  It came in a metal bowl, which really resembled a mini pot.

I wasn’t sure if this was what i was after, but i was told to have the goulash while i was in Hungary.  I never bothered to google goulash so i didn’t really know what to expect, all i knew was it had beef in it.  I put the soup spoon in and stirred the soup.  At the bottom were cubed potatoes, carrots, other diced vegetables, and cubes of beef, along with (i think) barley.  Looked safe, so i tasted it.  I sipped the broth and it tasted good, just like i thought it would given the contents of the soup.  A little salty, but not spicy, and there was a lot!  I dipped some of the bread in there and soaked up the broth…. it was a pretty good meal on its own.

“oh i ordered way too much.” i thought to myself.

I didn’t finish the entire thing and left some of the odds and ends at the bottom.  I still had more food to come.  The waiter took the soup away and out came my next dish.

This was the “best pork etc.” dish.  All i really remember was the pork, mushrooms, and cracklings… whatever that is… i think it’s deep fried spinach.

You can’t see it in the picture cause i kinda dismatled it when it came out… but it was piled all on top of each other, the sauteed wild mushrooms in the center of the dish, surrounded by the fried potatoe dumplings and on top of the dumplings, three large pieces of pork and the “cracklings” on top.

i took a piece of the dunpling and cut into it, took a bite and ate it, kinda bland, almost like a dough nut, but not sweet.  I took a piece of the pork and sliced into it, it was juicy and not at all dry.  I took a bite of that, it was GOOD.  Spiced, but not spicy.  I was about halfway through one piece of pork when i realized there were the mushrooms in the middle i completely missed so i tried them.  They were a little bit salty, so i ate them with the pork and a piece of the “doughnut”, added some of the cracklings and they harmonzied, and the whole thing tasted GREAT!

I was impressed.  The food was truly good.  The goulash was big enough to eat on its own, and the pork i ate cause it tasted so good.  I will have to consider going back there as a last resort if i can’t find somewhere else to eat.  But i trust the other dishes on the menu will be just as good.

After dinner i went back to the hotel to rest up, to start my sight seeing the next day.

walking around last night, i came across this menu:

I stopped at an italian restaurant and had this grilled steak budapest style.  There is a steak on garlic toast, on top of a plate of fries.  The sauce that covers everything is made from peas and hungarian sausage.  It was a little salty but still quite tasty.

Came across a turkish snackhouse.  i thought the signage was kinda funny…

Here’s a shot of the tunnel through the mountain when you cross the chain bridge, on the Buda side.

Here’s the view from the breakfast table this morning… the back of the imperial palace!

And so it begins again…. this time my journey is to Budapest.  One five hour stop in Minneapolis and then a quick stop in Amsterdam and then to reach my final destination, Budapest.  All by my lonesome…

Since I had a 5 hour layover in Minneapolis, i went and caught the light train to the Mall of America.  It is less than 10 minutes away from the airport by light rail.  So from the gate to where i got off the plane, right to the mall doors, took less than 30 minutes.

I shopped around the mall for a couple hours and even managed to get a couple new hats custom embroidered…. finally a new red p.phresh hat to replace my old one!

Unfortunately the guy working the machine got the placement wrong on the red one… the p.phresh should’ve been lower to the bill… but i think it can be salvaged.  I may add some Super Mario Mushroom patches i purchased a while back from video games live.  And just like the old one, it still says “zucru” on the back…. love it.

The black pinstripe one didn’t turn out as good as i’d hoped either… i’ll have to fix it up with a marker when i get home… stupid americans.  At least he gave me a discount.

I stopped at Famous Dave’s for dinner at the mall before i headed back to the airport.

And when i ordered an iced tea, i got it right this time and ordered a raspberry sweet tea!

And when i headed back to the airport, it still only took me 30 minutes to get back to the terminal, pass through security, again, and to the gate.  If you’ve got more than 2 hours to spare, i recommend going straight for the Mall as soon as you get off the plane.

After boarding the plane we were delayed an hour.  As we were on the tarmac, we had to turn around cause they forgot to load some “Priority Pets” on the plane.  We ended up waiting back at the gate to get the pets on the plane, then had to wait our turn to get back on to the tarmac and take off… we were delayed a whole hour!  Not cool, cause my connection in Amsterdam was only 2 hours.

Once we hit Amsterdam, i flew out the gate and headed to the terminal.  I had to ask where my connecting flight was cause none of the gates were listed on my boarding pass.

After walking for 15 minutes I reached customs, where i waited in line… less than 1 hour to get to my next gate…. i was beginning to worry.  I got up to the counter, and the guy looked at my passport, my boarding pass, and stamped my passport, and i went through to the next security checkpoint.  Take my laptop out, take my hoodie off, take my shoes off, take the liquids out, take my belt off (i didn’t even have to take my belt off in Winnipeg!)… go through…. get my shit packed up and put the belt back on.  I flew down the terminal cause i didn’t really know how far my terminal was.  I had less than 45 minutes to get to my gate.  And then once i saw where my gate was roughly i slowed down and snapped a few quick pics of the airport.

A wine and seafood bar inside the Amsterdam airport!

I got to my gate and sat down to rest.  I noticed a couple with Canadian Passports.  I talked to them briefly, they were from Toronto, both originally from Budapest and now lived in Toronto, that was cool.  We boarded the plane.

The skies were copmletely clear and i could see right down to the earth.  In many spots there were small towns where you could see buildings on the ground.  They were all along the way from Amsterdam to Budapest, i think i even flew over Prague at one point.

I arrived safely into Budapest and now had to cab it to the hotel i’d be staying at.

After checking in, i registered for the seminar i was to attend, and picked up my badge and portfolio.  Seems so posh!  Leather folio case with pad of paper and pen… y’know standard stuff.  I was the only one from my company, and didn’t know anyone else that was attending.  After registering i decided i’d hit up the area and check it out.

My hotel is right on the Danube river on the Pest side of the city.  Right across on the other side of the river you can see the Imperial residence.  It’s all very nice.  The architecture here is wonderful, and the view across the river is AWESOME!

As i was on my way to my room, i ran into a familiar face!  The guy i ran into i went to another course regarding the same topic back in one of my earlier trips to washington.  He is based out of Montreal so it was nice to see someone i knew!

He was planning to go out for a walk around the area, so i went and grabbed my jacket to tag along.

I got some dinner, no goulash yet, but i promise to get some before i leave.  And saw the area surrounding the hotel, all trendy shops, some never before seen, and some that can be found back home, H&M, Zara, Lush, Foot Locker, but there were a few local to the city.

Headed back to the hotel and i have an early start tomorrow.  7:30am.

For more photos of today, check the gallery.

I recenlty ordered this book, Street Fighter Tribute and it just came in… I was so excited when i walked to my front door and i could see the amazon box sticking out of my mailbox!

When i purchased it from Amazon it was on sale and i got it for $35 with shipping included, if i had bothered to see if there was anything else i wanted, i probably could have saved on the shipping. The price on the book says $40 US, so $35 shipped to my door is still a bargain.

This book is a collection of work from various artists around the globe. Some famous, some not so famous. I have come across various artists published in this book that are just from www.deviantart.com. There are also some of the the original artists that do the Udon comic as well. (i got that Udon Art of Capcom book aswell).

The book comes with a dust cover and the cover has a sort of pearl treatment to it… can’t see it in the pictures, but tres nice. The cover underneath the dust cover is exactly the same with same pearl treatment.

Flipping through the book you’ll find a wide variety of styles and artworks collected here. There are chibi (cutesy/child-like) styled drawings, to very realistic renderings in paint. There was also a 3D render of Sagat in there…. it was very nice!

Some of the chosen entries have a blurb that goes with them that explain how the artist relates to Street Fighter and the chosen piece.

If you are a Street Fighter fan, you have to get this book!