Hailing Cab / Communication Fail

I never realized how ridiculously impossible it is to get a cab in SF, post-club Saturday night. Like seriously, I was out on Broadway and Stockton for 45 minutes and EVERY cab that passed was already hired. There were tons of people nearby also trying to hail a cab and only a few of them actually succeeded.

First of all, my ride didn't tell me that he was leaving Broadway, and then I found out from another friend that everyone in my car had left. I thought that they drove V home because I knew that she had to leave early and no one had told me otherwise, so at the end of the night I was just like - oh hey, I can cab home. WRONG. NO FUCKING CABS FOR ANJULI.

After trying to get a cab, to no avail, Jimmy called to see if I wanted to eat. When the plan fell through, Jimmy insisted on helping me get a cab before leaving.

An hour later we gave up and I called Julian to get me. I feel terrible for inconveniencing both of them. At Mel's, I realized that Julian left Broadway early and had already showered and gone to bed. He said when he passed my house earlier, he had a feeling that he'd have to pick me up. Jimmy waited an hour with me in the cold while his friends waited on him. I'm indebted and grateful to both, and to avoid a re-run, have vowed to drive myself everywhere from now on.

I hate Broadway.

Sharks vs. Blackhawks, & Cow

So, yeah we lost. BUT HAD GREAT SEATS!!! Alex and I were in section 107 (thanks to Bo, mucho gracias BO!!!), which I much prefer to the 2-something we had last time. I could actually see, the rows were short, and the people are MUCH classier in the lower levels. The game was crazy intense, and there were so many "almost" shots but as we all know - almost doesn't count. Popcorn shrimp and garlic fries with pilsner for dinner, couldn't ask for more!! We lost by 1 in overtime, and it was certainly a good game. I totally was losing my voice and had such an amazing time. Damn, I LOVE HOCKEY!!!!!! DANY HEATLEY!!! Holler!

And then I came back to the city, dropped off FROWERS for Bo's mom, then dropped Alex off at home. And then I went to cow!!! Got to see old friends =) which is always a good time, and DOM got down and dirty in a dance battle with some girl with glasses!!! VERY entertaining! We're going to go back, and Dom is going to DOM-IN-ATE her. Yeah!!! Carl's Jr. afterparty, involving CRISS-CUT FRIES mmmmmmmm-mmm-mm. Fantastic night.

Clown Hair

Well, separately.

Dude, I love this commercial:

Screaming Walmart Clown - watch more funny videos

Oh, and last night Charles and I went to Chez Papa for dinner. I wanted to love it, but I didn't? The day overall kind of sucked, but at least Freddie Prinze Jr. didn't die...

I went to Spices for dinner with Dom and Bryant. We discovered that I DEFINITELY do not appreciate stinky tofu. AND AFTER DINNER I CUT DOM'S HAIR!!! And it *WASN'T* a disaster!!! I usually don't trust myself with these things, but it actually didn't turn out badly, at all ;) Then we watched more 24. Oh, 24...

Screenplay Class & Chaya

Today was my first day of screenplaying writing class! And what a day it was. Alex woke me up with a backpack emergency! So my day got off to a frantic start and I was just a mess the rest of the day. I got Starbucks before I went to school and I spilled some on my white hoodie. I also got lost finding my class because I wasn't paying attention to the room numbers. And then I went to class without a pen or paper, and we had an in-class writing assignment! And while I was looking for parking I f*'d up Rupert's exhaust. I was backing into a driveway and I hit a freakin' pile of bricks. BAH!!!! I ended up not even finding street parking, and resorted to paying for the parking lot.

I am excited about the class though. It's very intensive and the workload would be crazy if I was taking other classes, but luckily I'm not and I don't even care about the grade.

But then the day got better, I went to dinner with Julian at Chaya Brasserie! The food was really good, and the service was even better. I had a glass of Duckhorn Decoy with my steak and it was delicious, my favorite red wine yet! We had a shrimp appetizer and creme brulee dessert - everything was good. Even though it was a Japanese/French fusion restaurant, there were paintings of CHINESE people on the walls!! WTF!!! Fun night anyway though, and a great start to the week =)

Throw D's On That Bitch

Yesterday was action-packed! Worked all day and then went to my FIRST SHARKS GAME ever! Alex had the tickets and I think with ANY sporting event I have to sit lower level so I can see. The crowd was ghetto - not Warriors-game-ghetto but white ghetto. The row behind us was a bunch of drunk frat boys who were yelling obscene and racist things, they eventually got kicked out for throwing beer at people. Behind them was some drunk Indian girl that was trying desperately to get their attention.

There was also a fight! No, not in the game, but in the section right next to us! Fights are always exciting!! The nachos at HP are really good, and they give you a LOT. Too bad I could only eat half! So we won the game, against the Sabers, and it was exhilarating when the Sharks scored because we got to scream "hey" to the Hey Song (idk what it's actually called).

After the game, we headed back to the city and went to Sens (Nick's, Nader's and Alvin's birthdays)! It was great seeing so many old friends and I had a blast. I wish I had gotten there earlier, but not really because before 2 I was ready to go home. What a long day.

BAMN!

What an exciting day at work!!!! We got the S1000RR in the afternoon, and EVERYONE was drooling all over it for the rest of the day. Such an awesome bike!!! Even watching it come off of the truck was exciting! We don't have the key yet but I'm really curious to see what it sounds like. OHhhhhhhh, so so so so so so cooooool. I wish they would make a my-sized version...

I Like Freddie Prinze Jr.

At work today I keyed lock cylinders (my fave), and because we weren't busy, I got to install panniers! I felt so.. HANDY =) I can't wait for the S1000RR to show.. I love my job.


For dinner, Danny and I had NAAN 'N CURRY! I've had Indian twice in my life - once with Julian 7 years ago, and I don't remember if I liked it. The second when Bryant ordered for delivery, so.. not a restauranty meal. This is my first legitimate INDIAN experience, and I likes! The whole self-serve-get-your-own-dishes-water-utensils-and-napkins concept is new to me though, I walked in expecting to be seated LOL.

I ended up hanging out with Dom and Bryant later. After going to a bar and not going in, we came home and watched 24! I give up on trying to get up to date, I guess I'll just start again from the current season. Freddie Prinze Jr., YUM.

Ethiopian Food, Settlers & Headlights

Last night I tried Ethiopian food, and loved it! The flatbread is spongy and moist, and the meats are delicious. I went with Alvin to Rassala's on Fillmore, and we ordered the lamb and the beef entrees. We also tried the Ethiopian honey wine which was much different from any wine that I've ever had, in a good way. I'd totally eat Ethiopian food again! And I'd always thought that Ethiopian food would be goat meat and other bizarre ingredients.

Next - Settlers. This game is ruining my life. I've been trying to wake up to go to the driving range before work but I'm up until 4:00AM playing!! I don't always win, but when I do the victory is SWEEET. Man, this is really cutting into my productivity. Well, at least I'm dragging Bo and Josh down with me. =)

Lastly, today I changed Rupert's headlight bulbs to blue halogens. I don't know if it has anything to do with my yellow hazards being immediately adjacent, but something is causing a rainbow effect. It looks ridiculous, but... I'm just going to leave it, HAHA.

Back to Business

Saturday, my car wouldn't start. Great way to start the day, after waking up to breathing problems! After work, I came home to nap before Chad's farewell festivities. Quick stop at Bourbon & Branch (not as cool as I thought it would be), and fruitless waiting-in-line at Swig before we finally got to the Redwood Room. Coolest furniture ever! I stayed sober, had fun, and we got to see Chad off with such gusto. He really liked the picture box and the photo frame, and I'm glad we could get it together in time!

Sunday started at Cliffhouse with V and Charles. Our waiter was adorable! He had frowny eyes but was a happy guy - intriguing. The food was alright, but the view.. AMAZING. I went home for the play-off game. My brother bet on the Chargers with an 11-point spread, which actually seemed reasonable at the time, but the Jets won the game and I WON THE BET!! Afterward I watched Star Trek with Dom and Bryant. THE MOVIE IS SO GOOD! I'd enlist. We played Settlers after, which is frighteningly addicting, and then went clubbing later at night. I saw my friends' little sisters and brothers at Slide, gross.

Today, I got Himawari chicken (!!) with Brian and Ryan. We swapped out Rupert's battery at Ken's shop on the way back and ran more errands. It took forever to install my new battery because it's slightly taller than the factory, but we got it to work. Afterward, I went to Ryan's and got movies! Then I went to Alex's to watch the Shark's game. Oh man it was good, we won by a landslide. We switched back and forth with the Lakers game which was intense. I got to try Wii-Fit before coming home! I really like the skiing game =) I just realized that one of my headlights is out. Rupert is falling to pieces, but I'll put him back together just like humpty-dumpty!

I Can't Breathe

I was awoken by a chilling pain in my ribcage, which reoccurred every 5-8 seconds for at least 10 minutes. It seems to be in the back of my ribcage and on both sides, may be connected to my breathing, and eventually stopped when I sat up.

Now I can't tell if it was a dream or not. But I decided to blog, and let this post bear witness to a clear indication of my poor health, or an ode to my inability in distinguishing between dreams and reality. I'm not sure which is worse.

Laughing Really Hard

Before I graduated from high school, I used to laugh so hard that I would fall to the floor. I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably, and funny things would somehow happen ALL the time. Well, after years of less-enjoyable laughter, I'm starting to get it back.

Aside from experiencing a horrid allergic reaction which caused raccoon eyes and multiple consecutive days of Benadryl-induced coma, I've had a few notable moments this week:

Julian and I had lunch! We went to Santouka for ramen and the drive felt short because we were so busy catching up. On the way back, we were talking about horseback riding and ended up laughing so hard that by the time we calmed down, we realized that the car was between two lanes on 280 (I wasn't driving). That lifted my mood SOOOO much after being miserable for days with my swollen eyes. If we had crashed then and there, I would have definitely died happy.

I also caught the Warriors/Heat game and had AMAZING seats! We ended up with center court row 7 tickets, and the experience was such a stark contrast from what I'm used to. The Sideline Club seats have their own concession area, restrooms, walkways, and super-close parking. Gosh, how will I ever settle for regular tickets again? It just wouldn't be the same...

After work today, I had a hankering for panfried noodles and I dragged Brian to Lam's on Irving. It was such a funny situation - neither of us who speak Chinese arguing over who should try to order. We ended up ordering in English, and fortunately the lady who took our order understood. Brian told me a story about a girl we went to high school with falling down stairs and I thought I was going to die laughing, seriously. It's not as bad as it sounds. Well, okay, it is. I don't think he even told it right, but that probably made it even more funny.

Chowing Down & LAN-ing

Sunday evening, we had a feast at Chad's! We all squeezed around the dining table and enjoyed prime rib with GARLIC BREAD, and veggie soup and bok choy and fresh pineapple for dessert! Everything was deeelicious, I don't know whose cooking is better - Chad's dad or Alex's mom? We toasted to Chad, and people shared embarrassing stories at his expense. It was SO nice to have everyone eating together at the same table!

Afterwards, we migrated over to Brian's for LAN party!!! I'd forgotten how bad I am at Counterstrike, until I played with the boys. I get so confused all the time! I played Blokus and Buzz also and lost. I freakin' pied myself in BUZZ, and then lost by 1 question to Chad at the end - so in theory if I hadn't pied myself I could have won the game, F. Lots of losing and dying all night, but had fun anyway LOL!

Snowboarding-ing! & Ka-la-o-ke

Friday night I went to Vessel, and that was the worst idea EVER in my career of ideas. BEFORE the crack of dawn Saturday, I dragged my ass out of bed to get ready. I knocked out cold in the car, and when I woke up we were in the Heavenly parking lot.

The first hour on the mountain I was miserable. One Gatorade and Tylenol later, I felt a bit better. I started boarding with Chad and Henry so I could take it easy. After lunch, I practiced carving and snowboarding in circles! I got the circles down by the end of the day, and I did a few runs by myself before we left so I got up to my own speed without having to wait. I feel like I'm better at toe-side than heel-side now, which is a huge change.

At one point, when we were all together, we ventured into a closed section of the mountain where I hit a baseball-sized rock and landed my board on a tree stump LOL. My board wasn't damaged too badly, but the hike back to the normal path was SO exhausting!! Brian and Kevin braved the steep and rocky decline, but us less-pro people decided to not risk it.




Alex made us turkey/bacon/avocado sandwiches, because he's awesome. So that's what we ate for lunch! We hung out in the parking lot fog after the lifts closed and just f'ed around. Alex's feet were so hot they were STEAMING when he took off his boots LOL. Ridiculousness and lots of Gary banter! We had a cookie-fight between cars as we were leaving. We stopped at In & Out in Davis on the way back to eat, and Alex Gary Kevin and I were playing a game: "is that a guy or a girl". Except, it got complicated because we weren't talking about the same person, HAHA. Though completely defeating, it was a really fun game.

We had a nice drive back, and all in all it was a great trip. Lots of laughs and good times, and I made some decent snowboarding progress. This trip was for CHAD, one last road trip before he goes off to Oregon. SUPER glad we could all make it!

When we got back to SF, I unpacked, showered, then headed back out for Stan & Lily's birthdays at Firefly. They rented the upstairs area for a karaoke party!! There was lots of alcohol there and fun people. I thought I would feel awkward because I only knew 2-3 people, but everyone was nice! And it seemed like a lot of people there didn't know each other either, HAHA, so that helped. Was a fun end to a long, long day. This, I think, was my most productive Saturday yet.

The Best Compliment Ever

Tuesday, a customer told me that I'm EFFICIENT! And I realized that that's the most flattering thing a person can say to me. When people tell me I'm cute or smart I'm just like, yeah yeah cut the crap. But hey... I freakin' love being efficient! After closing, Carlos and I had some New Years beers before we took off. Later, I went over to Brian's and we all watched Gamer. The movie itself was pretty lame, but it was great laughing at the bizarre scenes and bad acting.

Wednesday, I bumped into Alex at the SF ZOO, HAHA.


At one point, Chris put his arm on my shoulder, because he thought I was Steph. Chad and I were LAUGHING our asses off! He's done something similar before and caught hell for it. I don't remember when the last time I laughed so hard was.

At work I felt dumpy. As the day progressed I felt worse, contemplating how my thunder is getting stolen all over town. I spent the night playing AC2, and things are getting better. Maybe I just need more me-time.

Something Magical

So it probably comes as no surprise that I am at times an incredibly whimsical individual - but last night something inspirational happened. Bo challenged me to:

1. Be the best me I can be, one day at a time
2. Make progress and do things I usually do, but better
3. Try new, different things

I kind of shrugged it off, because it sounded like a lot of work. But while I was bitching about how bored I am with life and how much I hate boys, I stumbled upon an ingenious idea for a screenplay! I then re-registered for CCSF and found a screenplay writing class that fits my schedule perfectly (it's on Mondays only). The only thing standing in my way here is that the class is already full, but I'll try to add.

I also will be volunteering at St. Anthony's the first Saturday of every month before work! I'm giving the February event a shot and hopefully conquering my fear of homeless people. I registered with HandsOn Bay Area, and if St. Anthony's isn't right for me I'll try some environmental volunteer work instead.

I'll also try a yoga class! I'm going with my mom on Thursday morning, and I think I'll either hate it or love it. Well, the point is to try new things - and that I will definitely do. SO here we go guys, breaking out of my shell and trampling the horizons!!!

Be, productive! Be, be, productive!

I think I got a lot done today.

My day started off with a New Years lunch. My brother and I ate with our dad in Japantown, and we had some good conversation. At some point during a discussion regarding universal health care, my brother uses the line: "But that's the rule, and this is the EXCEPTION." My dad was responding to this statement, until I interrupted because I suddenly realized where that line came from - He's Just Not That Into You! I totally called my brother out, and he admitted it proudly. Interesting.

Anyhow, after lunch I went and got a thank-you gift card to send to B's mom. Then, I brought Rupert to get his oil changed at Sunset Service! Saw some folks there, chatted very briefly about clubbing and New Years. And THEN I went to the gym! Yes, the gym! And I had a fantastic workout, as a matter of fact. When I got home I stuffed my face with pasta, and now have a new resolution to add to my list:

6. Stop serving myself so much food

Other than that, I think I had a productive day.

New Years (in LA, trick!)

On Wednesday night I finally watched He's Just Not that Into You, and it's been a while since I've BAWLED - but that movie is definitely a tear-jerker.

Thursday morning, V and I flew to LA. Bryant picked us up and we picked up Chinese breakfast at this place next to BAMBOODLES. HA, LOVE THAT NAME. We ate back at his place then napped. He was nice enough to let us stay in his backhouse, which is UNGODLY cold, but super cool to live in because it's secluded. For dinner, we had Chinese food again and then stopped by a hot pot party before clubbing - met some interesting people. It ended up being 4 of us at Boulevard 3, but it was still fun. There were mesmerizing gogo dancers! The countdown was disappointing, but I expected so. We got carne asada fries after the club, and they lived up to the hype.

Friday, we had Chinese food again, resulting from a string of failed attempts to try other places. I think food businesses should be open on New Years, because really - what else is there to do aside from eating?? Anyhoo, we rented Paranormal Activity and watched half. Then we went to Yard House for drinks, The Hat for a snack, and back home. At drinking, I re-met a girl that had French class with me in high school! SMALL WORLD! We finished Paranormal Activity and I didn't find it all that scary. The huge break that we took, however, probably influenced this. Then again, maybe it's better that way because I wasn't scared!

Saturday, Dom took us to Roscoes (I f'ing love Roscoes) and then shopping in Pasadena. I got a root beer float froyo at 21 Choices, and it was SO GOOD. I wonder if places in SF have that flavor. We walked around and the weather was really nice! Lots of cool dogs and cars to gawk at. When we got back to the house, Dom and Bryant were preparing their fight moves for the night to come. For dinner, we went to a birthday at a Japanese restaurant. Saw some of the same people from then night before, got to know them a bit better. Stopped by karaoke for a bit after, and then headed to Area! The club was nice, music was great, crowd was FULL-ON Asian. Good times. We drove back to SF at 5:00AM, and the car ride + being hung over was PURE HELL. All in all, a good weekend, and no pictures.

Oh and, my New Years resolutions:
1. Read more (i.e. Shadow of the Wind)
2. Drink, and go out, less
3. Take more pictures
4. Eat healthier and stay in shape
5. Be less of a flaker for social events

I hope 2010 is a spectacular chapter for all.