Amazing Run For Benyamine

This is probably the most amazing thing I have ever read. This perhaps shows my naivety to the highest stakes of poker, although I don't ever claim to know about stuff this crazy.

According to Tony G's Blog, (I have cheekily commented asking for a link, which hopefully he will oblige with cos he is one of the players I enjoy watching) which is a fabulous read into the career of one of the more known players in the game, the professional player David Benyamine, pictured below, has been on....well...to put it lightly, a bit of a roll on the cash game tables running alongside the main events at the WSOP.

David is apparently over $20 million (yes that's million) dollars UP for the WEEK! How amazing is that! Tony G reported on his blog that David's amazing run came on the $4000 - $8000 high stakes tables. Perhaps what is more amazing is that a collection of players, maybe even one, is nursing this slight hole in their bankroll. You can now access Tony G's blog from the 'hottest poker blogs' links to the right hand side of this posting. Only the best get on there, and I regularly spring clean them so you know if you click-thru, they are gonna be good. Check them out, but keep coming back here!

My preparation for the freezeout this week is basically plenty of practice at home, working on the patience and discipline mainly, followed by a trip to the casino for one of the events probably on Wednesday for the small event just to get used to it, ready for the big one on Thursday. This is my WSOP main event, the start of my live tournaments, which will hopefully be more frequent from now on. I will be starting proper online play soon aswell. My games really starting to come on.

Let's hope that plenty of these Grosvenor chips will be coming my way. I am confident that even if I bust out I will not be easy to beat. I want to go out with the luck against me but by making the right plays, and not giving my chips away. I'm looking forward to meeting some poker players and plugging my blog. I might even get some crap vista print cards made up to give out to try and attract some readers, I want 100 returning visitors every day for this blog. Ambitious, but possible! I won't be like a serial card handerouterer but if I talk to someone I'll ask if they read blogs and give you a card.

Finally a bad beat story. I had pocket eights and went all-in in a freeroll today. Went up against J,10d and the board came down x,Q,8 giving me three of a kind 8's and him a backdoor straight. Needing runner-runner to save his/her sorry ass. The turn was a King giving him a flush draw. He now was drawing to three 9s in the deck for a straight. Hello 9! I actually lay on the bed feeling crap for about 10 minutes, because this player was loose as hell and someone who could not live with anyone who knew how to fold 7,2o.

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Things with Wings

The experts came back first thing this morning to clean up after the bats. They've sealed off the last of nightcrawler's entries and swept up the guano. Now, they can get out but the bats can't get back in. It's going to have to warm up a little around here first before we are completely rid of the little buggers. At the moment it seems they are hibernating due to the drop in temperature. Lovely. Already the smell is better though and, it no longer looks like the opening of a vampire movie at sunset/sunrise!

I've caught up on a lot of work slash house things this week and am feeling pretty good about myself. My guy is in NOLA so I'm el parental solo until he returns. The girls have been cooperative for the most part. My poor4.5 year old is going through one heck of a growth phase. Right now - she's like having my own mini Joan Crawford to care for. Fun times. Oh yeah.

Somehow, we've landed on pre-Friday and the troops are calling for chow. I'm going to find something that will satisfy them before they overtake the kingdom. Back later...

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Grand Biking Adventure

I stared vacantly out the window of the bus as rain drops whipped by in the night.  Music pumped through my headphones, drowning out the cacophonous chatter of my fellow passengers.  I was on a bus on a Friday night, headed for Yangshuo in the Guangxi province.  As is so common in China, silly restrictions like the number of seats on the bus did not correlate to the number of passengers.  People squatted on tiny stools-most likely designed for toddlers-up and down the single, narrow aisle.  Sitting on a stool less than a foot high, crowded in on all sides by people in actual seats, for a full hour.  I have not yet had the opportunity to experience such discomfort but I can only imagine that it will come all too soon.  This is China, right?

I rose early on Saturday morning without a clear plan ahead of me.  In recent years I have adopted a more lax approach to my traveling.  In the past I tended to micromanage too much: where I was going, how I was getting from place to place, what I would do and see, where I was eating.  Eventually I realized that my approach was not working.  It took too much time and too much energy.  It took all the fun out of being spontaneous on my journeys.  It prevented me from following my whims which, usually, resulted in me having a fantastic experience I would most likely not have had given my former approach.

A fellow traveler in my hostel, a young Chinese man named Jacques, invited me to go bike riding with him.  In my reading I had learned that renting a bike and touring around Yangshuo was one of the best ways to go, so I accepted.  We were headed for the Dragon Bridge, some 9 kilometers outside the city.  To me it seemed like a great way to pass the morning and experience some of the most beautiful countryside I had ever seen.

After biking through towns, down highways, and through some winding dirt roads among a rundown village we arrived at the bridge.  To be quite honest, I was underwhelmed.  The bridge is (supposedly) around 500 years old and is the largest free-standing stone arch bridge in China.  As you can see, it is really not that big.  But I suppose given the technology available at the time this was quite an achievement.  The surrounding area is quite beautiful and I think the bridge really melds well with the scenery.  However it is clear that the top part has been rebuilt recently.  Like so many historical sites in China the bridge was not left in it’s original state or even restored while maintaining its integrity.  It is really unfortunate that this happens so often, but the truth is that the Chinese have some methods and ideologies that are just plain counter intuitive.  This is China, right?

From the bridge, we decided to take the long route back to Yangshuo by some trails off the beaten track.  This is where the real journey began.

We biked more than 10 kilometers over dirt roads and farmer’s paths.  We wove in and out of tiny villages and farmsteads.  We made our way through fields of vegetables and passed various animals-dogs, cats, chickens, cows-all the while following along the gorgeous Li River.  The sights were simply breathtaking.  As we pushed on along the trail through thick mud and pools of water we never lost sight of the omnipresent limestone karsts that are the pride of the Guangxi province.  Surrounded on all sides by fields of green and beautiful mountains, with nary a sign of modern technology or industry, I find myself at a loss for words at how much I enjoyed myself.  Despite all the pedaling and getting splattered with mud and nearly falling off my bike on more than one occasion, it was simply awesome.

Eventually we made our way back to civilization and turned our bikes in.  We grabbed lunch at a local joint with some cheap yet excellent food.  A piece of advice, if you will allow me, always try to find the places where the locals eat.  It may not be as flashy or showy as the touristy restaurants, but the food is always just as good (if not better) and a fraction of the price.  Besides, one would think (as I do) that you travel to a different country or place to experience what it has to offer, including the food.  You don’t go half-way around the world just to eat more food like back home at jacked-up prices, do you?

By the time we finished lunch it was late afternoon.  I did not need to depart for Guilin until the evening, so I wanted to squeeze one more adventure into my itinerary.  I said my goodbyes and thank-yous to Jacques and we parted ways, most likely to never meet again.  One problem with making friends on the road is that it is usually so ephemeral.  Alas, such is life.

For some reason Jacques was not interested in accompanying me on my next jaunt.  I didn’t ask why; I’m sure he had his reasons (probably just wanted to do something else).  I was off to Moon Hill.  Check back tomorrow for an account of my exhausting climb to the top of the mountain.

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Olympics, Language Translation Services and Online Security Services

A publication of VisitBritain and VisitLondon research revealed the tourism benefits from the 2012 Olympic Games in London were estimated at being worth about $2.2 billion. The Oxford Economics tourism impact study on the 2012 Games estimated that the London Games generated tourism gains totaling $2.4 billion. Once allowances for displacement of visitors are made, the contribution is reduced to $2.2 billion for the UK.

They were indeed quite the memorable Olympics of the modern era, and they helped spring load a few industries. Businesses realized the need to connect with other cultures and languages in order to expand their customer base. To do that, they need to understand the prospective markets. This is where language translation services step into the game, bridging the gap between businesses and a more unfamiliar customer or client base.

Because the Olympics were a target for many hackers, spammers and even terrorist groups, the servers used to track and store precious information for the Olympics needed to have an intense firewall. One huge tech company carried out this important task, but it opened the eyes of other organizations such as the UN, Wimbledon and governmental organizations that plan huge events, where one glitch can send an entire event in disarray. Emergency planning companies and online security companies got a big bump in economic activity as a result.

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Coming Back

Although I didn't really go anywhere, I am back!

I have been very busy with school and with the new job, though both of them are going great!

I'm really enjoying the new job, it's great to be back into the management side of things, because I get to play with excel spreadsheets and all that fun stuff. I'm slowly catching on to the product line, and my sales are actually better than most of the associates who have been there for a while, so I am going to take that as a good sign.

I didn't do an end of month for November, but I did update my networthIQ.com account, which can be found in the side bar. I'm slowly making progress, still paying down the same old debts and still saving for my dental surgery in June.

My girlfriend and I have chosen to take a small camping/road trip this summer, which should be both fun and relatively cheap!

Other than that, I've really had no news. I'm doing my income tax this Friday, and am expecting to owe the government about $300, which is no fun. I will let you know how that works out!

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In Loco Motion

School's back in the full swing of things and all is well so far. First grade is definitely more hands-off for me than K was. I'm happy for that because it takes a load off my shoulders. It also gives my daughter the independence she needs to grow more mature and responsible. Her teacher is pretty tight with the rules but also kind and seems to know how to reward as much as correct. Since that's the way I run the ship around here she responds well to that kind of method. I think it's going to be a good year for all of us.

It's Thursday already and I am feeling ultra lazy. That's doing me no good. I've got auctions to work on and the box purses are starting to haunt my sleep. If I get the ball rolling I'll feel better. Unfortunately Summer has left my house in a state of slight discombobulation and I've got to get it under control first. It just drives me nuts to try and create anything in the middle of a mess. Which is funny because most of what I create causes a mess before it's done! So, I'm going to finish watching Lost In Translation (again) and tackle the home asthetics first. Afterwards I need to do a supply inventory since the kiddos have been using my gear a lot lately. Hopefully I'll have enough energy and motivation later to actually create something. Yeah, gonna need more coffee with that...

Oh!! Hey!! I got a really nice comment by a Park Ranger blogger from Virginia and I found a super cool art blog by Coop. It's gonna to be a good day Tater!

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Daily walk around the decks

Here's a tip for a successful rail and sail tour experience. When you go on the train tour portion of your trip don't stay confined to your room. Trains might not seem like the easiest place to hang out with other travelers, but it isn't that difficult. The tables that are set up for dining are a great way to sit down and socialize with new people! I have found that a lot of trains scatter dining tables throughout different cars so if you don't like the people you meet, you can always go somewhere else! 

Spending time with other travelers is a little bit easier on a cruise in my opinion. Why not take time out to join the enthusiastic band of 'deck-walkers' on board ship. Every morning, these happy groups stroll the decks, doing a circuit several times around. It's an excellent way to start the day (leaves more room for your on-board breakfast) and you can meet new friends and acquaintances on your walk!

While we're on the subject of doing circuits around decks, I recall that years ago, a friend of mine decided to go to Taiwan on a cruise. When he was in port there, he purchased a motor-scooter. They were very cheap at that time. The only problem was, being a new machine, there were no kilometers on the odometer, and he knew that when he returned Down Under, he would have to pay import duty due on a new scooter. So under an arrangement with the captain, he was allowed to 'scoot' around the deck every morning (carefully avoiding fellow passengers) and by the end of the cruise, he had accumulated quite a few km. This effectively meant his machine was now second-hand, and he thus avoided the import duty!

Happy traveling!