Behind the smiling iguana is something so horrible that even Man vs. Food’s Adam Richman had to walk away from it. In it’s underbelly is something that weighs nearly 5 lbs and is over 18 inches in length. Ladies and gentleman, this horrible beast is known as Burritozilla!

During my road trip down to the US, I hit some pretty cool eateries. Besides the Pho Garden Pho Challenge (which I will post about later this week), the great Burritozilla was on my hit list of monster food challenges. Did I finish this remarkably gruesome (but extremely tasty) creation? Check out the video to see how it all went down…

What an upset! With only 1/4 of Burritozilla left, I tapped out and let the lizard win. Damn!

However, with the knowledge gained from tackling two of California’s greatest food challenges, I was able to take what I learned and apply it to my challenge against Seattle’s Southwestern Exposure 12 Egg Omelet Challenge. More on that in an upcoming post so stay tuned!

More Burritozilla pictures after the jump…

I was cruising by my blog the other day and realized that I haven’t updated here in over a month. I’m sorry for the lack of updates. It appears that Twitter has ruined me due to the instant gratification provided by a simple tweet out to my followers. I’ve also been quite busy with Futurelooks. As you may have noticed, there is a ton of new content over there and I hope you have a chance to head there and enjoy it. I will try to update here a little more often.

Yes, the picture above is me once again taking down something that is too large for a regular human being. They call it “Bob’s Big Burger”. I had it at some weird eatery that I’ve forgotten the name of while in Fort Saskatchewan for Fragapalooza. The menu”Dared Me to Finish It” so of course I finished it. There is apparently a bigger burger at some dinner which I will need to try next year.

Here are a few noteworthy points about what I’ve been up to in the last while…

Fragapalooza 2009

Fragapalooza is one of the first official LAN Parties I’d ever been to. It is also one of Canada’s longest running events of its kind. Sure, I’ve been to LAN Parties in the past. Heck, I’ve even been to LAN parties before LANs were LANs and we still used modems and phone lines. However, nothing prepared me for being sealed up in a room with nearly 400 gamers for three days and sleeping on Astro Turf: The itchiest substance ever!

The event took place this past August in sleepy Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Jason Landals, Eric Garay, Michael Kwan and myself made the trek out to the middle of nowhere to spread good cheer by handing out prizes and schmoozing with Futurelooks’ adoring fans that came out from all over Canada and even across the border from the US. We even volunteered Michael to be the “Randy Jackson” at the Rock Band Competition as one of the judges.

Even though I don’t really game (except for playing Portal and Command and Conquer 3) everyone had a fantastic time. It was really great to rub shoulders with PC hardware enthusiasts across the land and we look forward to returning to Alberta for Fragapalooza 2010 next year.

For more coverage from the event including our exclusive videos, check out our coverage at Futurelooks. Dont’ forget to check out our YouTube Channel as well.

Taking My Name Back

Because StephenFung.com wasn’t available, I had to settle for StephenFung.net. However, I never gave up hope of some day owning that URL. So I waited, and waited and waited till the squatter stopped renewing the name. After putting in my bid with GoDaddy, I won my URL for a measly $10. Hoorah!

So from now on, you can either go to StephenFung.com or StephenFung.net to come to my blog

Watching People Pick Up Big Weights

A couple weeks ago, I went up to Lake Country, BC Canada (somewhere near Kelowna) with Kelly “The Machine” Frankson to watch her compete in a local Olympic Weightlifting event known as the Ogopogo Open. Here’s a video of her performance…

Kelly did extremely well and won her weight class and the overall women’s title at the event. We were both rather amused by the fact that the women’s overall trophy had some “dude” on it. Kelly is back in San Jose right now training with some members of the US Olympic team. She also recently launched a nutrition site called Fit4YouNutrition where you can learn how to eat better and be healthier with customized nutrition consultations.

I firmly believe that if it wasn’t for the fact that Kelly kept all the crap food out of the house, I would be absolutely huge based on the way that I eat.

I Really Want One of These!

The Panasonic GF1 is not your ordinary camera. It does look like a point and shoot, but at its heart is the sensor of a DSLR camera and it shoots RAW just like a real DSLR. It also has the speed, manual features and the picture quality and the interchangeable lenses, which are based on the Micro Four Thirds standard.

I’ve always shot NIKON DSLR’s but this new standard has got me seriously thinking about changing over. The reason is because most of the time I use my camera for Trade Shows and Events. Lugging around a huge bag with a large camera body and lenses is quite tiring and having to unleash it each time I want to take a picture gets tedious.I do have to admit that people tend to stand aside when they see your big lens poking through the crowd.

When I travel I strip my D200 down to a single 50mm f/1.8 and no grip. Even still,  it is too large to pocket and there are still places that don’t allow professional cameras. Having a camera like the Panasonic GF1 that gives similar performance in a much smaller package definitely appeals to me and will give me opportunities to shoot where I wouldn’t otherwise.

Even though I know that a true DSLR will still take better pictures overall, this new camera and its small but growing selection of quality lenses really makes it hard not to consider. Any reasons why I shouldn’t?

Going Back To School

Every Fall I try to take a few courses to fill in skill gaps that I might have. Whether it be in Photography or Mandarin, I do try to make an effort to stay sharp whenever I can. Yes, learning to ride a motorcycle counts.

This year, I’ve decided to return to school to finish a Marketing Management Diploma at Douglas College. This will be the first time that I’ve set foot into a real academic classroom in nearly 10 years! It’ll be both terrifying and interesting as I’ll probably be one of the oldest students on campus (besides the instructors).

I’ll be taking two courses starting tomorrow and then one more course in January to finish off my program and grab my piece of paper.

Depending on how heavy the workload is, I might also take another course at Langara College in Video Journalism; a new course that was just introduced this year and is part of their Digital Film program.

When Will I Blog Again Next?

What? You want more? I’ve basically given you FIVE POSTS in one! Well, knowing me, I’ll probably be doing something I’m not supposed to be doing in class so maybe my next post will be LIVE from the land of Academics. That’s of course, provided that I don’t fall asleep in class. I’ve always been very good at that.

For more random updates, you definitely have to Follow Me on Twitter.

I think this weekend I’m going to take it easy and do some Dot Com Pho complete with greasy spring rolls, crack coffee, and various animal parts. Need to put back what this clinic took out of me

More polite and honorable Ed Lau, fresh from his trip to Japan also did something non-pho as he watched scrawny dudes in skinny jeans whip skateboards at his head. I have no clue what Kwanye was doing, but it probably had something to do with going to a mall in the City of Malls (that’s Edmonton BTW). Iphone Gary was being gently coerced into putting on the ball and chain as he was whisked away to yet another wedding while Greg was going…umm…Greg stuff I guess. I have no clue what he did over the weekend.

That leaves me. Well, I decided that it would be fun to whip huge weights over my head and not drop them on myself like this dude.

So You Want Me To Fling This Over My Head?

Kelly was hosting a “Clean and Jerk Clinic” (my god, that’s as bad as John and his ball sucking antics) down at CrossFit Vancouver which I volunteered to attend. I mean, how hard could it be? Afterall, I’ve been working out with my Wii Fit and chasing my Roombas around the house. This should be easy right?

As it turns out, it isn’t as easy as it seems. There is quite a bit to it, especially as you progress to heavier weights. Because there are all these movements as part of the “Clean and Jerk” (snicker), it’s really easy to overthink the whole thing and end up just tossing those weights into your throat, or send them crashing down on your collar bones. I have the bruising ot prove it.

Eventually though, under Kelly’s tutellage, I was able to send the whole heap of weights over my head in what’s called a “split jerk”. Unfortunately, you’re not done till you get your back foot beside your front foot and hold the weight still for about a second. I’m just glad I’m not Hungarian or I’d be lying on the floor flailing with a dislocated shoulder or something. To have that Chinese thing going for me (no, not the math part) and the power of the Asian Squat kept me safe once again.

The Aftermath…

When I got home after the clinic, I slept from 7:00PM Saturday till 9:30AM Sunday. Everything hurt. I fell down going to the bathroom because my quads were locked (which was rather funny I have to admit). My collarbones were bruised and my arms felt like they’d been pulled out of their sockets. I couldn’t even scratch my back, which drove me completely nuts for a good part of the day. I slid down the stairs on my ass. It was actually less painful to do that than actually try to walk down, which would have ended up in me going down face first instead. It was pretty brutal and I spent most of my Sunday curled up in the fetal position, twittering.

Today, I do have most of my mobility back, though I still walk like I’m wearing chaps and I’m sure my stomach lining has worn off, popping Advil all day. You’re probably thinking that I hated the clinic as a result of these inconveniences, but truth is I actually both surprised and enjoyed myself. I also have a whole new appreciation for the Sport that Kelly has chosen to concentrate on in her bid for a spot on the Canadian Olympic Team when London 2012 rolls around.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m looking forward to the next clinic. I’m such a glutton for punishment

I know this video is going to give some people ideas. If someone asks you, “Is it in you?”, while you’re sweating away at the local gym, say no, or get them before they get you