GOLF!

Today V and I went to play golf with Bo! I never had the desire to play golf until after high school, and then no opportunities came along - until now! I actually really like golf, and I didn't have as much trouble swinging as my mom said I would. GOLF GLOVES ARE COOL!! I think I've found a new hobby. I might be a natural, but I'm worried that next time I go I'll find myself much more frustrated. I guess there's only one way to find out! I'm not so good, however, at putting. But it was tons of fun anyway.

We had a late lunch at Gogo Cafe and then went home. I caught the Warriors game, but kind of fell asleep during the 2nd quarter. Albert came over to exchange gifts! And it was a good game anyway, Randolph was on fire! I actually didn't get to finish because Bo and Charles showed up, and then we went to Yan's! Mary and Patrick have a nice setup, and the food was pretty good. I'd totally hang out there for HH, and I think they'll do well. I had such an eventful Monday!

(Goodbye) Seattle - Day III

Our last day in Seattle! Menie and I had viet sandwiches and Charles had Panera on the way to Kent. We watched Avatar in IMAX 3D and it simply blew my mind (this was my first IMAX experience). The movie was ridiculously well done, I felt like I was really IN it. The graphics and animation were out of this world! Also, we were the only non-whites in the theater, which was awkward having grown up in SF.

We went to Joey's in Tukwila afterward for dinner. Good fish tacos! I wish we had one of those here, I'd be there for HH always. The decor is awesome - think vessel, but on a MUCH grander scale and a tiny bit more casual. It's almost tragic that the restaurant doesn't turn into a club at night.

The check-in at the airport was a zoo, and we had to wait in a long line. The security check though, fortunately, was much faster this time. The flight home was "open seating", which is a new concept for me. Good thing it wasn't a full flight, V and I got to sit together!

When we got back to OAK, it was an adventure. I've only taken BART once, and I didn't even know how to buy the ticket. I got off at Civic Center, not realizing that it opens onto the ghetto area of Market. I ended up walking home because there weren't any buses or cabs along the way, and I wasn't sure if it was safer for me to wait around. I won't be flying into OAK ever again at night, unless someone picks me up.

Overall, I think Seattle was a great trip, and I had a fantastic Christmas. It was wholesome, chaotic, and loads of fun with excellent company. Many memories and running jokes have stemmed from this weekend, and I'm glad I spent it with these fools. What a nice way to end 2009. =)

Seattle - Day II (Saturday)

At around noon, we eventually crawled out of bed for some serious shopping! While we were waiting to leave, V and I were practicing being snakes and koalas on Menie's staircase.


The expedition started at Bellevue Square, and Menie kept missing the exit so we took the scenic route. Seattle seems to have a lot of tunnels, lots of opportunities for making wishes! We were at Bellevue for two hours, and V and I bought things we probably shouldn't have. But hey, we're on vaca! Charles was looking for a gift, but didn't find it. While V and I were waiting, we took some pictures at this cool Christmas setup in the mall!





Later, we headed to The Bravern, which is an upscale high-end retail center almost more pretentious than Santana Row. We did a walk through for another hour of shopping and decided to head back to the house for a nap. I have to say, that customer service in Seattle is superb - at least from what I've seen thus far. The staff that I encountered pretty much everywhere was friendly and helpful, even moreso than I've seen in SF!

We went to Samurai Noodle in Asia-town for dinner. Apparently, Chinatown, Koreatown, and Japantown are all in one area in Seattle? Anyway, the ramen wasn't bad - we were skeptical at first but we ended up enjoying our meal! We got dessert afterward at a Chinese bakery down the block, that was a nice treat.

When we got back to the house again, we sat at the table and just talked while enjoying sangria. I ended up needing to take a nap, and when V and Menie came upstairs to wake me up, Suie and Lorine were already downstairs. In my groggy state, I put my hand out to tell V to SNOOZE, and I accidentally poked her in the nose LOL. I did the same to Menie, but I knocked her over instead because she was making ridiculous alarm sounds.

The main event of the night was R Place, bar/club with three floors and fantastic decor. The music was excellent, they played everything we wanted to dance to and never repeated a song! The crowd was lively and gave off a really positive vibe, everyone was just having a good time. We met a bunch of new gay friends and had a blast dancing with them. I also fell in love with a gay go-go dancer - he was gorgeous. We were dancing for 3 straight hours, and I had a really great time. I'm so glad they dragged me out of bed! Club pictures in the next post, maybe!

Hello Seattle

I am an albatross... (and V is a manatee).

We flew out of SF on Christmas Eve, and our flight was delayed two hours. This travel experience was kind of odd for me - the mildly-attractive Asian guy in front of me at the security gate promised me that he wouldn't steal my shoes, and then the TSA agent made an inappropriate joke when I passed through the metal detector. It was confusing. I was tired. I got some GMAT studying done while we waited for our flight, and when we got to Seattle it was 33 freakin' degrees. On the plane, I tried to get Charles to tune into the classical radio station so I could show him my air-instrument playing, but when he realized what I was doing he neglected me. I get so restless on airplanes!!

Menie picked us up in her safari-mobile, and we were IN AWE at its awesomeness. We got back to the house and had Tuna Helper and sausage with pasta (wine too). We were famished! We did gift exchange before sleeping, and I think everyone loved what they got =) My secret santa was Menie, and she got me a super cute Juicy necklace and a purple planner!!


Friday (Christmas day) we made a Safeway run and then ate dim sum down the block, in the ghetto. The food wasn't bad but the neighborhood was kind of sketchy. There was a guy selling chain necklaces in the parking lot. LOL. On another note, I think I like chicken feet! We got some Tully's coffee afterward, and then picked up Finding Neverland at Hollywood Video.



Then, we walked around downtown for a bit and took pictures before the movie.

We ended up watching It's Complicated. Meryl Streep is an amazing actor, and I was really touched by the movie. There were LOTS of funny moments, like when they were smoking pot - they were almost TOO convincing. The movie theater was in a mall, and they had cool Nutcracker statues. We found a girl!


We headed home for dinner and started getting things ready. Menie did most of the cooking but we all helped with the prep, like elves! There was also lots of drinking of the wine, and karaokeing with the ipod. Almost two hours later, our dinner was amazing! We had salad, Cioppino with cheesy bread and RACKS of lamb. Everything was delicious and I could barely finish my food. Menie is an fantastic cook!!





Suie convinced us to go clubbing, and we ended up going to Ibiza. It was a nice venue, but it wasn't very crowded - I guess Seattleans don't party on Christmas. We had fun anyway though, and someone drank too much and got kicked out by the owner LOL, I won't say who but it wasn't me! We got back and we all were a mess (as was the house). Everyone passed out but I woke up randomly at 4 something in the AM and felt like cleaning. What an ACTION-PACKED Christmas!! Super fun and very merry. So many memories =) Oh, and we also did a photo shoot before we went clubbing. LOL.





Stay tuned, the weekend has just begun...

Crossovers & Cantinas

Yesterday, I got to see the 2010 550 Gran Turismo. It's the mother of all crossovers, and it's a massive, gorgeous, thing. I'd totally be a soccer mom with that bad boy.. and it has both a trunk door AND a hatchback. Ingenious. There's just something about Euro headlights that make me salivate...


After work was Huey's birthday in SJ. We went to D&B first, and it was PACKED. There were 30+ people waiting around the bar and only 2 bartenders. They could definitely maximize profits by being better staffed. Well, whatever, we left after playing a few games. I had requested that we go somewhere "ghetto" because I missed raunchy club music, and I guess I should have been careful what I wished for. We went to Tres Gringos which is a Mexican Cantina, and it must have been the slum of downtown San Jose. There was a burrito place open on the way back to the car, so we stopped there. Anyhow, I had fun singing along to the radio in the car, and the night was amusing if nothing else.

Leaps & Bounds

Tonight I took one of my friends to dinner as a belated birthday gesture, I've been busy and wanted to do this before my vaca. I'm SO glad that I did. We've known each other five years now, and he's always been there for me - especially through 2008, when I needed it most. This year, his life took a turn for the worst, and he's been through hell. I think losing a loved one is at least a devastating experience, and losing two in one year - well that's hard to even comment on. That was only the beginning.

He dealt with his problems with drugs to "forget", so this year made his habits much worse. As a friend, I couldn't do much aside from checking on him, and making sure that he kept his life on track. He never fell behind, but I could tell that he was losing his soul. I was there for him, but I never knew how else to help aside from support. He was exhausted, stressed out, confused, and barely holding on at times. His only escape was drugs.

I don't think I can find words that do the feeling justice - the feeling of seeing him turn around completely and become TRULY happy. He's been clean for weeks, is looking healthy and rested. He's found a love interest with potential, and has finally pulled himself completely out of the gutter. Things are going well for him at work, and he's resolving other issues in his life. He joined a gym, and really just seems like a much happier person.

Thinking about how far he's come is really touching. And I'm just so ridiculously happy for him. I always thought that my 2008 was bad, perhaps even the worst of anyone I knew. But I know for a fact that he's gone through worse this year, and he recovered from such a huge fall so very gracefully. Seeing this transformation is one of the best feelings ever. I'm not a religious person, but it just feels right to end this with an amen. SO, amen.

Spontaneous Shopping & Santa (Ramen), ETC.

I recruited two gay boys, Andy & Kevin, to accompany me to Hillsdale in search of my New Years dress! We ate at Santa Ramen first and it was good, as expected. Then we proceeded to Nijiya for some ALOE DRINK! Ohh aloe, it's been too long..

Shopping went well, I ended up letting a gay employee at Express choose my dress because the boys were taking forever. A dress that I REALLY liked at Guess wasn't available in my size...sad panda. Side note: leave it to Kevin to try on heels at Guess. Oh god, those two were a handful. But all in all, I wasn't COMPLETELY satisfied with my new dress so...

Serramonte for more shopping! I bought a bunch of other items at the new store, and a jacket from Forever. I decided I should stop there, because I'm close to maxing out my credit card! All of the holiday travel arrangements are definitely adding up..

Later, I caught an HH date @ Palomino with Bo and Charles. We ate, drank, and were merry, and along the way decided to watch Avatar! First we went to Century 20 - sold out. Then we went to Metreon - sold out. I demanded that we watch a movie anyway! And Bo chose The Blind Side, such a great decision.

The movie was fantastic! Sandra Bullock did an amazing job playing her I-get-what-I-want role, and also exuding the commendable Christian efforts of the real woman who helped Oher. I didn't realize that this was a true story until the very end, and it made all the difference. THERE *IS* GOOD IN THIS WORLD!

Spontaneous Santouka & Santana (Row)

Spontaneity! Charles picked me up from work today, and then we went straight to SJ to meet Nicole, V, and Huey at Santouka! It's a ramen stand inside of a Japanese market - but this has its pros:

1. Huge parking lot
2. No waiting for a table
3. Efficient service, quick food prep

The food was amazing, I can't find the words. Magic in your mouth!! Their noodles were PERFECT, as was the soy broth - better than Santa Ramen and WELL worth the drive.

At some point we decided to go to Santana Row. At Nicole's, I borrowed a top and flats and then we hung out a bit to discuss the Seattle dilemma. Looks like Seattle may be a no-go, because of the chance of snow. Things are still up in the air..

Anyway, we went to Burberry and Gucci when we got to Santana Row. The things I'd buy if I were rich! First we hit Straits, but wanted to see other places so we went to V-Bar and Blowfish. V-bar was really chill and we were lucky enough to get a table as we walked in. Blowfish has YUMMY sushi!! Oi shi! And I liked my Hawaiian-themed drink. It was called Sweet Leilani.

This curly sugar thing came on Charles's dessert - I ate it. MMMM


Ramen and Santana Row was LOTS OF fun! We must go back! =)

Ice Skating & Vessel

I finally went ice skating! Wicked Wednesday! Union Square! That's the first time I've ever skated there, I'd always gone to Yerba Buena or the Embarcadero in the past. Anyway, I drank too much after work on Wednesday and ALMOST stayed home, but Bryant picked me up on his bike, WHICH WAS FUN!!! I felt like I was in a video game, and now I want a motorcycle again - although I'd be much more of a conservative rider.

So where were we.. oh yes! The ice skating! V held my hand in the beginning, but eventually we let go. Even though I was fine skating by myself, it was more fun holding V's hand! Is that weird? Also, the neighbors are ridiculously good at ice skating - like Dominus can ice skate backward... damn them...

Later, V and I stopped skating to chat/break, and while we were looking over the edge of the rink we spotted steaming tubs. V starts hobbling sideways screaming "HEY, HEY, HOT WATER!" like a little girl, and unbeknownst to her, she hobbles right into a couple's romantic moment (they were making out). HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, total highlight of the night. It all happened so fast, I couldn't stop her, I could only gawk and enjoy.

Then last night, we went to Vessel, and there was an open vodka bar. Our first order was a round of Redbull vodkas, and it was funny because no one had realized that we would get charged for the Redbull. Needless to say, the rest of the night consisted of cran-vodkas. Yeah! And we ended the night with McDonalds. AND I am also a duck.

I Heart My Job

I don't know very many people who can honestly say that they love their jobs, but I know that without a doubt that I freakin' do. Why? Let's take JUST today for example:

1) My co-worker was standing opposite me at the counter during his lunch - it's about a foot and a half wide, so with him being directly in front of me we weren't far apart. So he looks me and asks "Can I have a kiss?", and I look at him, then I look sideways (I do this when I don't understand), and then I look back - to see if he's serious. His face hasn't changed, and he's still staring at me waiting. And I'm like, "WHAT?" (he's gay), and then I realize that there's a bag of chocolate kisses under the counter. I think that was one of the most awkward moments of my life, but definitely the most comical one. I wish I could have seen my face. We both cracked up instantly, and he was like, "can you imagine, if you had leaned over I don't know what I would have done" HAHAH but I reassured him that I WAS NOT going to give him a kiss LOL I was just SOOOO CONFUSED!

2) One of the service writers had helmet hair from hell, ALL DAY, and couldn't get it to temper down for the life of him LOL. There was a straight-standing tuft on one side of his head and we couldn't help but laugh because it was just so ridiculous-looking. Think: HORTON HEARS A WHO!

3) At closing, the sound system and DVD player need to be shut off - they're both located in the attic where it's dark. So I guess the jackass techs were tidying up earlier in the day and decided to pose the mannequins like real people. OMG SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME!! One of them was hangin' out behind the staircase, and the other one was sitting across, leaning forward, with his elbows on his knees. I have to admit, they did a really good job...

Don't get me wrong - we're serious and we do work hard, but moments like these make me wonder if I'll ever find a job I love more than this one. My co-workers are awesome, enough said.

Productivity Objectives

I will make better use of my time by re-prioritizing my life. By waking up earlier (before 10:00A, preferably at around 9:00A), I will be able to sleep earlier than the usual 2:00A. I'll then also have more time to run errands, study, and eat a healthy breakfast, perhaps even hit the gym (that's a long shot).

Even though I don't function well in the AM's, I think I can learn to. Right now is the perfect time to experiment with being a "morning person", and what better opportunity to become a whole new me - I know there is room for improvement.

My goals:
1.Study at least 10-20 pages per day
2.Limit my Heroes/series watching to 3 episodes per day
3.Go to the gym during downtime

The hope here is that I'll be staring at my laptop screen less, and doing more with my life.

Busy Week/end Recap

Tuesday:
- HH at Palominos with Charles, Menie, and the neighbors
- Ambassador for more boozing/gossip/soupwiches/salads
- McDonald's for dessert!
Wednesday:
- Catching the elusive molly (I am awesome)
- Depressing trip to the 6th Avenue Aquarium
Thursday:
- HH at The Triple Crown with the musketeers + Nick
- Irresistible thin crust pizza and Shock Top!
Friday:
- Gin & Tonics at my place with the musketeers
- Secret Santa drawings
- Major slide burns from the slide at Slide
- KatanaYa to end the night! Yeah!! Best idea ever!
Saturday:
- Smashing my face into a glass door at work
- Co-worker reminding me that he's going to Gaga and I'm not
- Liz's birthday at Serrabowl: booze pizza and nachos
- Being a two-beer wonder
Sunday:
- Stopping by the craft fair to see Auntie Thelma
- Delicious brunch at Zazie
- Watching the Machinist and lots of Dexter
- Indian food for dinner!!

Dog Dream

Last night, I dreamt that I had a cute little teacup dog with short white hair and it was soooo cute and obedient and fun. I brought it everywhere (I'd do this if I had a real dog) because it fit in my purse and I loved it soooo much! At some point, I turned the dog over and realized that its stomach had been sutured with green velvet ribbon. I freaked out and asked my mom what happened, and she explained that she'd sewn it up.

So I undid the ribbon and THERE WAS A HEALED GASH DOWN THE ABDOMEN - an opening where you could reach in and access vital organs! It was horrifying, and very sad. I was really upset..

At the end of the dream, my brother cooked and ate my dog.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Charles's Birthday Weekend

Charles's birthday consumed both Friday and Saturday this weekend. On Friday we went to Suppenkuch, which I was really excited for! But the wait was unwaitable and we decided to eat across the street. I've got to go back for some German goodness! And I will definitely order beer in one of those barbaric mugs. It was also the night of the Hayes Valley Block Party and the Creme Brulee cart was out! But we didn't have time...

Saturday dinner was at Osha, quite a production. The party favors were signs of Charles's caricature face HAHA. Lots of people and photographs and fun! Afterward we went to Circa which was an older crowd than I remember, but there were enough of us younger folk to make it exciting. Drinking and dancing - great night to catch up with old friends. Later, Charles secretly vomited in Huey's car and didn't say anything until the next morning HAHAHA. What a sneaky bastard..

I'm approaching the halfway mark in my second GMAT book, so if I keep this up I'll be ready for the exam right around the end of January - a few weeks late but I must finish my prep!

Community

After watching bits of Community on Alex's blog, I finally caught up with the first 9 episodes - THE SHOW IS FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!! My favorite scene thus far is when Troy flips out..

Starts at 1:00 in this:



I can't get over the line "THERE'S SO MUCH DUST IN HERE!!" I saw this episode days ago and I still laugh when I think about it - this moment among others. Ah, such a great series.

Water Bottles

hoa: my black friend
hoa: invited me to some ghetto club
764: you should go
764: maybe youd like it ?
764: one of my friends told me a story about her girlfriend
764: who told her the same thing i just told u
764: they were at like a club
764: and she was all like come on try it
764: maybe ud like it
764: she was referring to dancing with a black guy
764: but my friend said no
764: but her friend tried it
764: and she danced with some dude for like an hour
764: and afterwards she told my friend who told me that it was like dancing with a waterbottle behind you
764: i was like WTF
hoa: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH
764: and she took my water bottle from my floor
764: and showed me
764: i was like god damnit