Exploring Hong Kong Hong Kong is definitely one of the biggest cities I have ever been to. The urban density is pretty overwhelming at times, but the city is incredibly efficient and has some amazing nightlife and food experiences. Ben and I had a blast exploring the urban area as much as we did the various temples and museums. I wish we had a few more days in the country, but business in China was calling. Traveler's Note: It's a little confusing going from Hong Kong to China because you actually have to go through Chinese immigration and customs despite technically being in the country already. They're entirely separate entities in all legal and immigrant settings.

Wong Tai Sin Temple This was a temple that Ben and I came across in the middle of Hong Kong. While it was a tourist destination, it was also very much an active Buddhist temple. We participated in one of the prayer ceremonies and brought lit incense sticks through the temple before setting them in front of the altar of gods.

Jade Buddha Temple The Jade Buddha Temple was an amazing Buddhist temple we found in the middle of Shanghai. The temple had been there for hundreds of years and was fully occupied by practicing monks. We got to see the monks going through one of their daily prayer ceremonies. It was quite the sight.

UT vs. OK State My good buddy Putt got me some pretty badass tickets to the UT vs. Oklahoma State game this season. I usually go to a single game each year and was happy to see some old faces at this one.

First Aid Kit at Stubbs Brooke managed to get us a pair of tickets to see a Swedish band called "First Aid Kit" at Stubbs. We met up with her friends Paula and Carla for the show and then headed over to Stay Gold afterwards. While the music was pretty good, we all agreed that Stubbs has to be one of the single worst concert venues ever designed.

4th of July Fireworks Brooke and I went to one of her friend's houses for the 4th of July and saw some pretty kickass fireworks. We had a bunch of other agenda items for the evening and so did not stay there too late, but needless to say a good time was had by all.

Puddles Pity Party Brooke came across this guy who calls himself the Puddle Pity Party. It has to be one of the most interesting and strange shows I've seen in my entire life. It was a combination of a slide show, with a live karaoke singer named Puddles the Clown who also happened to do comedy as it went on. The guy is amazingly talented, but god only knows how he got his start.

Ronald McDonald House Apparently Carly and Roxanne occasionally volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House in the Mueller neighborhood. They asked Brooke and I if we wanted to join them in cooking for dozens of people that were staying there. We cooked one of the largest Italian dinners I could have ever imagined cooking and had the pleasure of serving it to people staying at the house.

SV650 Repair Work After sitting in my garage for a couple of years after the accident, I finally decided that I would have the old SV650 setup. One of my tenants runs a motorcycle shop and was willing to give it a go. He did a pretty wonderful job.

Brandi Carlile Brooke took me to one of the best shows that I could have possibly imagined ever going to, the amazing Ms. Brandi Carlile! I have never been surrounded by so many lesbians in all of my life - which is never a bad thing! It was a little bit more crowded than we had expected and hard to get a great view for the show, but we had a hell of a time there.