My First Christmas in the PNW

Alex flew up for Christmas this past weekend, and our adventure began Thursday night in Seattle. We drove down to Portland on Friday evening and decided to stop in Long View to visit Charles! We got caught up chatting with Charles, playing scratchers and the lotto, and ended up staying longer than expected.

By the time we got to Portland it was past midnight! We met everyone up at the Barrel Room - LOVE that place. It was my first dueling piano experience, but there was also an outdoor dance area with a club dj setup! I had fun even though I barely drank anything. I'd like to go back there one day.

On Saturday afternoon we went to get brunch at Jam on Hawthorne. I ordered the corned beef hash and it was SO GOOD. I also poured some of my coffee into Chad's milk and we made a masterpiece! It was yummy. We did some shopping before we headed back to the house and I took my nappety nap.

We had family dinner later that night and there was SO MUCH GOOD FOOD! After dinner we went to Peacock Lane to check out the houses. The pretty lights were a lot cooler than I was expecting. I can't believe San Francisco doesn't have a block with decorated houses. I surely wouldn't mind living in one of those areas, maybe not in Portland though.

We went back to the house and watched Jingle All The Way. The movie was so cheesey, starring two of my least favorite actors - Sinbad and the Governator. It was okay, Selena seemed to enjoy it at least. After the movie we opened gifts. David is such a sweetheart, he got gifts for Alex and myself! I think mine was the better of the two, the most adorable polar bear ear warmers. Perfect for winter!!! The gift-opening ceremony was heartwarming, my family never did anything like that.

After the gifts were all opened, it was around 1 AM. The young adults decided to partake in a game of high card low card, for half shots. Alex and Wilton ended up taking the game to the next level, and they continued to drink into the wee hours of the morning. They both paid the price, HAHA.

The next morning, we went to Legin for dim sum with the family and Wilton didn't make it. I'm surprised Alex did, he was a mess the night before... standing-up sleeping HAHAHA. Dim sum was pretty good, I actually liked the chicken feet there!!! That's impressive in itself. I left shortly after we got back to the house because I didn't want to drive at night. Unfortunately, I hung out with Charles and Sunny too long during my visit in Long View and I ended up driving up in the dark through a storm. It was SCARY. I very seriously considered pulling over and getting a hotel room for the night because it was absolutely pouring and I could barely see anything. Luckily I got through it and a few hours later I was at home unpacking.

I changed and headed to Victor's house for Christmas dinner. I was late for serving but I got to eat everything except for the asparagus. Darn! Oh well. All of the food was delicious, especially BJ's wings and JR's mom's flan. After dinner we drank boots and hung out. It was a merry Christmas indeed!

My first Christmas in the Pacific Northwest was delightful, fun, and so much more. I'm very thankful to have been invited to celebrate with the Huangs, and as always they were a blast. And such wonderful hosts! I had a very Merry Christmas, and again I am reminded of what excellent company I've been blessed to keep.

Discovering the Seattleite Within

Over the past few weeks, I've started to become more attached to Seattle.

In one sense, literally - I just registered in Seattle and took out a new insurance policy in Washington. This is something I hesitated to commit to these past months because I wasn't sure I'd be staying. Now I'm sure, I'm staying. Well.. for a significant amount of time at least.

And in other sense, emotionally; I found myself very offended when Alex, Anthony, and their friend came to visit this past weekend and would not stop complaining. What could they possibly complain about, you ask? Well they said it was boring, that there weren't very many people, and that they had nothing to do. And I suppose if you show up somewhere with no plans, don't meet up with people or try to make new friends, and don't even try to enjoy a new place... then you certainly won't have fun, will you? I was very annoying. So, very, annoyed.

But some good did come of their visit. I met them at Pike Place the day that they arrived and got to have my first Piroshky Piroshky, and also my first bowl of Beecher's mac n cheese! And OH YUM, piroshkies are so good! I think I've only had one once before in my life, and I do not remember it being so tasty. One of my new fave foods :) I should go to Pike Place more often!

And on Saturday we drove up to Vancouver to party. Unfortunately, in Vancouver, the drinks are so weak that each of us was completely sober the entire trip even though I at least was drinking double my normal intake. It was .. fun.. but we definitely weren't having as much fun as the locals. I was actually glad to be home on Sunday - I think I would have enjoyed the weekend more if I'd stayed home and watched movies with Charles and Matt.

Anyhoo, here comes Christmas just around the corner. I already made my holiday rounds last week in San Francisco and spent plenty of time with my mom and brother. Colby actually came out with my friends, which was pretty cool. I think he had fun and I hope he joins us more often! I miss my family, but it's okay because I know they're doing well. I'm going to try and visit less because I've been back and forth every month since I moved. Even though I fly when flights are relatively cheap, they're really not THAT cheap. And I spent a lot more on gifts this year then I usually do. But hey - what the heck right? I'm making more money than I ever have made, even though it isn't much compared to everyone else.

This also seems to be the seasons of visitors :) Alex will be here this week, and Eric and Jen are coming first week of January. Exciting exciting! I hope people visit in the summer as often as they do in the winter, because I want them to see the lush Seattle beauty in full-force.

Thanking good graces in cold and rainy places

So every year, my Thanksgiving reflections are a little bit different - this year I'm thankful for the people in my life and the good luck I've been blessed with these past few months.

The transition from the city that I've always known and loved, to the new and exciting city that I'm quickly discovering, has been nothing short of flawless.  I'm most thankful for Victor, who has introduced me to almost everyone I know here in Seattle and has been key in the foundation of this new chapter of my life. I'm also thankful for my room mate Matt, who is another form or variation of myself, and probably better qualifies than anyone else I could have found to live with. His consideration, respect, and welcoming nature are far more than I could have asked for.  I'm very thankful for my new friends in Seattle, who have accepted me and shown me nothing but kindness.

Secondly, but more importantly, I'm thankful for my friends and family in SF. When I first moved I was prepared to fade into the backs of everyones minds, and I thought I'd need to return shortly to vacate my room at my moms place. I'm very grateful that she hasn't asked me to clear out yet and continues to let me stay at home when I visit! Her support and love is invaluable, and I truly cherish the random emails she sends me with updates of thoughts about her everyday life.  My friends, another extension of what I consider my family, have not forgotten me! And I'm SO glad to know it. I love being included in happenings and drama even though I'm not physically there. I appreciate so much that they made the trip to visit recently and I always look forward to spending time with them when I get back, especially my beloved Al pals.  I miss them so!

Lastly I'm thankful for not one, but two sources of income during such a financially risky time in my life. First, for the awesome boss who took a chance on a girl out of California and pays me double what she was expecting to when she originally posted to the listing. She's really the nicest boss ever and its a whole different experience from the jobs I've had in the bay.  Second, for my last employer who liked me so much they gave me a laptop and invited me to work remotely around my own schedule. This is probably the best situation possible for someone moving two states away and is still undecided on a permanent career.  I truly am lucky in all regards.

There are so many things for me to be thankful for, and words couldn't describe how lucky I feel. Considering that everything could have fallen apart when I moved, or worse yet I could have stayed in SF and continued to live with the same demons that were consuming my happiness, life has been excellent recently.  I've grown emotionally in this experience in so many ways, and in this different environment I'm learning more about myself every day. I even made yams for Thanksgiving dinner this year! :)

Happy as a clam, no complaints here - I wish everyone I know this very same feeling. Happy Thanksgiving y'all.

Gypsy Souls

As pop music makes a painfully slow and awkward transition from hip-pop to house-pop and dubstep mashups, I find myself only able to enjoy the lyrics of country songs. They are so sweet, simple, sad, and basic. I love the raw emotion and the references to a more humble life than so many artists out there try to project.

But yeah, I do love me some of the high energy house. And the Old School Lunch on Kube93, during which Matt and I text each other selections from our fave high school jams (that ghetto shit). Though, at the end of the day, a little bit of country helps me unwind.



Speaking of colder weather, the Seattle temperatures are dropping and the end is nowhere in sight. It's exciting! The other day I was driving and got caught in traffic during the hailstorm, and I was thinking -- if it starts snowing I'm screwed, why didn't I get 4wd again? LOL. It's okay, heated seats and 10+ settings on my windshield wipers have helped tremendously thus far.

Come on winter, GET AT ME BRO!

Halloween: A San Francisco Treat!

Last weekend was such a shit show.

Thursday afternoon, Charles and I flew into San Francisco with no delays or anything - great start to a trip! Ryan picked us up at SFO and we headed back to my place to drop off luggage, then downtown so Charles could check into the W. By the time we got to dinner it was already getting late, maybe 8 something? We ended up at San Tung. WORTH THE WAIT. And since it was the first time for Charles in San Francisco (and California) we had to take him to the best Chinese place we know. Duh. Later at night we went to see Shiny Toy Guns perform at the Rickshaw Stop. It was pretty good, but I liked the show at Ruby Skye the first time I saw them better. Anyway, super packed and very exciting! We stopped by at Holy Cow afterward but everyone was too exhausted to enjoy. We did see Latina fight though, pretty awesome.

Friday afternoon, Charles and I sort of slept through lunch time. We did wake up in time, though, to get ramen at Himawari! I had to get my ramen fix, since there isn't any good ramen in Seattle. We went to Blue Bottle Coffee for a pick-me-up and mmm mm that New Orleans Iced Coffee surely hit the spot. Charles got to see the Octavia/Hayes way of life also. Everyone just hanging out on the sidewalks, chillin'. Gorgeous weather. We picked up some viet sandwiches for dinner, then we went home to get ready for SKRILLEX!!!

Chad drove his van and picked us up at my place. When Charles came over that night I was laughing so hard at his joker costume, he looked freakin' homeless. I was literally in tears, clutching my stomach. It was a great moment. Our costume theme was a hit, we got lots of compliments! The concert was fantastic when Skrillex came on, his visuals just blew my mind. Hearts galore. I had tons of fun! Maybe not as much fun as Tiesto or Kaskade, but still lots and lots of fun. OH, THE ENERGY! After the concert, we migrated to Sugar Cafe and continued on dancing. As we were leaving, I made a special request to be dropped off before everyone headed to Brian's. Thank goodness I did, I couldn't wait to get to bed - so exhausted!

On Saturday, we explored Haight with Alex and Ryan (after first driving around Sunset to pick up Alex's ticket and viet sandwiches/boba!!). We saw the Painted Ladies, but honestly we didn't even know which house was the Full House house. LOL. On the corner of the block there was the remains of a haunted house party and we somehow wandered in uninvited. Luckily the people inside didn't mind us peeking around. The house was very spookily decorated. It looked like they'd had one hell of a party!

For dinner, Charles wanted to have sushi, so I took him to the second best spot I know - Ryoko! We waited over an hour but it was worth it, of course. We had a pretty interesting and random conversation over dinner, and the music as always was a compilation of all of my favorite songs. How do they always know! We headed back to my place to meet up with Cindy, Albert, and Calvin. By the time we all were ready to go to Polk street, it was super packed at all of the bars with ridiculously long lines out the door. We decided to go to Rendezvous instead! I saw a bunch of the old DNC people there, and I met up with all of the Deadmau5 people there also. It ended up being a good time, great company! And it was nice to dance to hip hop instead of house for the first time that weekend. :)

On Sunday we tried to go to Lime but we had a pretty big party and the wait was a few hours. Instead we had burgers at Super Duper, and then went to the beach. AH THE BEACH! I miss the beach

Overall I think it was a fantastic trip. Charles fell in love with San Francisco, as everyone should, and I think in the four days that I had with him I was able to show him most of my favorite things! Then again how could he not love SF, my friends are all so cool!

SF Visits Seattle

Visitors!!!!

But first, a few other exciting things that happened last week. First, I got a haircut on Wednesday! And second, I got a new phone on Thursday. I ended up with the Galaxy S II even though I had a tough time between that and the HTC Amaze. The galaxy definitely is a better looking phone but I wish it had a better battery life, or the ability to disable 4G.

Thursday night we went to The Last Supperclub where we met up with Andy, Brian, Chad, David, Priscilla, and Kevin. We drank and danced the night away, I was so excited to see them again! The club was dead, but that almost made it better - private dance party!! Everyone seemed to hit it off really well, and all of us who thought we would be leaving early that night failed.

The next day, I took the day off and Matt and Victor didn't make it to work. We slept in to recover and Victor and I left in the afternoon to try and surprise our guests! Thanks to the Groupme chat, I knew they were downtown somewhere so we drove around Hotel Five where they were staying ot try and catch them. No dice! I ended up just calling Chad and asking where he was. He and David had separated from the group so we were able to surprise the others at Pike Place Chowder.

Yummmm, chowdahhh. The seafood chowder was delicious. We walked around Pike Place after eating to check out the different flowers, foods, meats, and more. Four of the guys decided to go scootering so Victor and I took Priscilla and Andy with us back to the house to hang out. We watched parts of movies and some Kevin Hart, but Andy and P mostly napped. Later we left to meet Charles and Matt for kbbq in Lynnwood. Then after dinner, we headed back to my place to regroup.

More of the guys came over before we left again to go to Hotel Five then Trinity. The SF people really seemed to like Trinity but the Seattle guys wanted to go to PNK. I thought Trinity looked fun but I didn't really care where we went. We migrated to PNK and WOW it's a really nice venue. Super high ceilings and tall windows, photobooth outside against the high rises, awesome music! I really really like that place, so glad we ended up there. Everyone was having a great time dancing and before we knew it, it was last call. We went to Honey Court in chinatown for post-club nourishment and everyone gobbled up the panfried noodles before I got any! I was sad. Other than that though, it was a fun night.

On Saturday it was hard to get out of bed. Charles and Nick had slept over so we all went to get Pho down the street - well, except Charles who couldn't get out of bed. I think everyone was still drunk, most of the meal was loud giggling. And everyone looked like crap. After our breakfast we went back home and Matt and I went back to sleep. I got up an hour later to head out and meet up the SF'ers. We stopped by the Space Needle to take pictures and Alex and Lina went up. Everyone else either dropped off their scooters or went to Pioneer Square. We ate at Jimmy John's then did the Underground Tour. I am never doing the Underground Tour again.

For dinner we ate at Elliot's, YUM! And afterwards they went back to their hotel and I went home to drop off my car. I headed to The Garage for Eric and Lorraine's birthday celebration. The SF people came too! It was pretty fun but I was absolutely exhausted. Victor didn't feel well so we left earlier than the other folks and took Priscilla to get Javier's. We finally said our goodbyes and got home around 2, Matt and Charles arrived shortly after.

The weekend was SO EXHAUSTING, but I'm glad everyone came to visit. I hope they come back, in smaller groups for sure. I was most excited to see my Al Pals, I really miss them so. Halloween in SF will be excellent!

Taco Tuesday & Tailgating

Over the past few weeks, we've really started to get to know our neighborhood. The teriyaki place nearby is pretty good, Ezell's chicken is... not very good, and the sushi place is REALLY GREAT! On Friday after playing a few tiring games of Hole in the Wall (best game ever btw) we found Toyoda on Yelp and ventured over, definitely a fantastic find.

But Tuesdays, Tuesdays will be taco nights. Yesterday when I came home during lunch, Matt asked me if I wanted anything from Target. And I don't know what made me think of tacos (maybe it was the T in Target), but I suggested that we make tacos for dinner. BEST IDEA EVER. It should be tradition - I love love love tacos. They're like nachos but don't get soggy as fast. And I EXTRA LOVE nachos! <33333

This past weekend, I went to my first Seahawks game and we tailgated from 9am. It was actually supposed to be 8am but our car didn't get there until 8:30 or something. I usually don't like picnics because they're boring, so I didn't think I'd like tailgating. But I actually had fun! The chili was amazing and the cornbread and steak were really good. I wanted to take a nap in the car but I didn't want to be rude, I usually don't get up until 11:00 or later on Sundays! The game was a hoot, I don't even remember watching the teams. I think we spent most of the time drinking and wandering the stadium. The day went by REALLY quickly and after dinner at Genki I think everyone went home to sleep. Some people came to Victors to drink more, but everyone was exhausted. Good times, and a great experience.

Labor Day in the Bay

Last weekend was my first visit back home to the Bay!

Friday morning and afternoon I mostly spent packing. I flew in at 5:00p and Julian picked me up from the airport. He drove me back to SF to drop off my luggage and pick up our concert tickets, and then we headed south to HP! We got to the Taylor Swift concert pretty early, seeing as how we didn't care for the opening acts. We ended up catching one and it was meh. Then Taylor came out and it was magical, enchanting, and enthralling - everything I knew it would be. Watching Taylor perform gives me chills, and I can't decide which tour I liked better - this year's and last year's both had amazing moments.

As expected, Taylor came to the small rotating stage on the other side of the arena about halfway through the concert. I didn't even realize it until we got there, but Julian and I were sitting in the section directly behind! It was pretty awesome, to be so close to Taylor! I had a great time, and it was extra exciting for Julian because it was his first concert. What a great first concert to experience!

Saturday I went to ID at Shoreline with Brian and Loan. We met up with Andy, Gary, Joanna, Kyle, and some new friends! In the beginning I wasn't very excited but as I started getting into the music I found myself having a fantastic time. The weather was gorgeous and the frozen margaritas were too tempting. About five hours in I started to feel sick, probably from dehydration and inebriation all at once. I guzzled Rockstar Hydration because it was free all day at the booths, and then I ate a kbbq burrito. I felt better in about a half hour, THANK GOODNESS! I spent the next four hours completely sober and happy as a clam! We met up with Chad, Ryan, Tiana, Steph, and I forget who else. The Aoki and Kaskade sets were absolutely overwhelming. Loved the energy and the song selections. Most fun sober ever, and that means more fun than Tiesto in Vegas! I found myself dancing my ass off, not even caring who was around me, with the biggest smile on my face.

On Sunday I went to the Reno rib cook off with Brian and Loan. We met Kevin, Bui, and Alex there. It was hot as hell! The ribs were delicious. I especially loved the beef rib from Porky and Beans. THOSE WERE MY FAVE! We got Willingham's again, which was my top 3 pick from last year's ribs. I didn't get any Bone Daddy this year, but I remember that being my abso fave last year! This year we went into the Marlboro Experience and took pictures in the free photo booth, got free t-shirts, and bought $1 packs of cigs. I brought mine back to Seattle and gave them to Matt, such a nice roommate I am, LOL. We also played Bingo in Reno, and I couldn't have ever been prepared for how fucking intense it is. Like seriously, my brain was hurting only three rounds in!!!! Reno took up most of the day, I was exhausted by the time I got home.

Monday was family day. Woke up and had breakfast with my mom and brother, and Wendy and her family joined us. Rey cooked a wonderful Filipino breakfast that was UBER SALTY but soo tasty! After breakfast we talked a bunch and I went to check out my bro's new apartment. The roof was amazing. Very Vegassy, I loved it! Actually, I loved it so much, that when I finished packing my luggage and had an hour to hang out with Andy, we decided to go to my brother's place and hang out up on the roof. We picked up sweets and milk along the way so we could havea tea party! Super relaxing, and it was pretty cool hanging out with my bro and Andy at the same time.

Overall the weekend was a great handful of events, and I was glad to see everyone again. I still don't miss SF yet, but I'm sure I will in the next few months when my life starts slowing down with the colder weather. October should be fun because everyone's coming to visit me in Seattle!! SO MANY ACTIVITIES!!! For now, I'm enjoying the gorgeous Seattle summer and having absolutely no complaints.

San Juan Islands - Back to Basics

An expected break from city life had never been so, well, unexpected. This past weekend, we were supposed to go to Chelan for JR's birthday - a big house on the lake with four master bedrooms, that I was REALLY looking forward to. But instead, we ended up going camping in the San Juan Islands! I haven't gone camping since... I was 12 or 13? But I had already confirmed for the weekend, so whereever it took me I thought I was prepared to go.

Victor and I left Seattle immediately after work Friday and started driving out to Anacortes to catch the car ferry. The car-what?! Yeah, that's what I said! What the heck is a car ferry! Anyway, it was gorgeous because we were sailing along the horizon during sunset. And my GOODNESS it was cold! So thankful I brought a jacket, and it really was an afterthought - sadly. When we got to the island, the others met us up at the dock and we headed to the campsite. It was campsite G6. LOL. The fire was already going and there was chicken on the grill. Just what I needed! We set up our tents and joined in on the drinking! It was already around 11 by the time we settled down and we spent the rest of the night sitting around the fire. It was really really nice and relaxing.

Saturday morning we woke up to BEES GALORE. Oh goodness gracious, there were SO many bees. I HATE bees. Very stressful during the day indeed! We went into town to check out the scene - it was a quaint little downtown area with mostly restaurants and boutique shops. We grabbed some coffee, others got ice cream, we bought a few essentials (like batteries for the boombox - d'oh!) and headed back to the campground. I was in the girls car, and we ended up getting distracted on the way back. We passed by a farm with a CAMEL and a LLAMA!! We stopped by the side of the road and lured the animals over to the fence to take pictures of them. SO COOL. We decided to explore more, and we found a park full of metal art pieces, vw bug themed carts for rent, a private airport, and some gorgeous backroads. About an hour later we were back at camp, joining in on the drinking again.

Saturday night was more sitting around the fire, napping, drinking, playing F* the dealer and king's cup, and eating! The whole weekend is kind of a blur in retrospect, but I especially rememeber being all stressed out during the day by the bees, and then feeling SO relaxed at night when the bees had all gone to sleep. :) Sunday night everyone was exhausted and people were dropping like flies. I think by midnight half of us had gone to sleep and the rest stayed up to talk around the fire. I was one of the former, LOL. Saturday night was colder than Friday night, but luckily I had a warm sleeping bag! Overall I was very comfy, I should probably give my inflated mattress pad tons of credit. The only annoying thing was that through the night on Saturday night I was sliding down the slope that the tent was on so I woke up with my face in the corner of the tent. HAHAHA.

Sunday morning we woke up and ate breakfast, corned beef hash YUMMAY! Kristine went to the lodge for something in the morning, and happened to ask a lady about the ferry. This lady told her that we'd need to be at the ferry 2.5+ hours in advance to get into the queue. When she told us that we started packing up and getting ready to go! In less than two hours we had said our goodbyes to the people staying the extra day, and we were back in town wandering around. We went to this hot sauce specialty store where they had amassed all sorts and types of spicy hot condiments! Victor and I also explored small shops that had trinkets and cards, some of the stuff was pretty cool. We had lunch at the crabhouse restaurant and the crabcakes weren't that great. The popcorn shrimp was pretty good though! The ferry ride back was absolutely gorgeous! The sun was gleaming and it was the perfect end to a calming weekend.

Aside from the bees I had a really great time. There were a lot of funny moments and it was nice to hang out with people without technology. To actually interact without tv, cell phones, internet, etc - such a concept. Just getting down to the basics and enjoying booze, food cooked among friends, and genuine people.

New Horizons - Apartment & Bungie Jumping!

Last Friday, after work, Matt and I did our walk-through at the new place and then started hauling all of our crap in. Moving in hungover was not fun, I should not have gotten wasted in Kirkland on Thursday night. The boys did all of the heavy furniture lifting but it was mostly Matt's anyway. I had to drag my laundry bags of clothes, along with the other boxed items that I've amassed all by my lonesome! SUCH A WORKOUT! It ended up being a really late night, and not everything got finished. My bed was only half built, so I slept on the couch but I was so exhausted it didn't matter.

I spent Saturday cleaning the kitchen and my bathroom - wiping everything down and sanitizing. I went to Fred Meyers, Safeway, Dollar Tree, and a few other places to get household essentials. I was too tired to even think about cooking so I went to Victor's for dinner, he was trying to make pork but he accidentally made curry. It was delicious though! We went back to my place to pre-drink, and then we all headed to HG Lodge. My first real Seattle clubbing!! The club was nice looking, clean, and the people were more than decent. Mostly skinny asian girls and clean cut asian guys, then a few odd balls here and there. The most amazing thing is that there is NO dress code. Hat, sneakers, probably sweats even. You can wear anything in Seattle?! That's something to get used to.

Sunday we went BUNGIIIIIE JUMPING!!!! It was sooooo crazy. I was terrified, horrified, petrified, anything that ends with "fied" I was! The feeling of freefalling is like nothing I've ever felt before, and then the bouncing around after the initial fall is kind of like when you fly up on a peak on a roller coaster, except it's 5x more intense. I was so tense that I couldn't even scream! It was amazing though, and now that I know that I won't die from jumping I want to do it again. I'm sure I can really enjoy it next time! The people there were really nice and it was a spectacular experience. I wish it wasn't a 3 hour drive away, but I think it'll be worth going at least once more! When I think about the fall, I can still remember what it feels like and it gives me chills. That two hundred foot drop is insanity man. LOVED IT!

Settling into Seattle

I'm two and a half weeks into this new chapter of my life.. and everything is GREAT! I'm catching on pretty quickly at the new job - I've already been entrusted to check customers in and estimate on repair orders! I still have a lot to learn with how to explain services to customers and upsell, but I think it will come in due time. On a daily basis I balance books and do lots of that maths. I'm getting better at it. LOL

Things I love about Seattle so far:
- Radio stations: such awesome music! If I made my own radio station it would play exactly what 89.5 FM plays here.
- THE WOLF! My favorite morning show from the Bay Area (Fitz in the morning) is still on the air in Seattle. SUCH A TREAT!!!
- Gorgeous weather: I haven't had to wear, nor borrow, a jacket since I first got here! The weather is simply perfect at the moment. People keep saying it'll start raining anyday now, but hey it's been sunny and warm for 2.5 weeks!
- Nice people. Everyone here is nice! My new friends, my coworkers, my customers at work - no one is rude or condescending. HUH?! I know!
- Easy mornings: When I get up at 7:15 AM, the sun is already fully up! It's so easy to get out of bed.. so much moreso than it was in SF. I'm just a tad bit worried about when winter sets in and the sun doesn't come out until late. Oh well, I guess I can worry when the time comes.

Over the past week, Matt and I have been making preparations for moving in together. We found a place near where I work, and it's also convenient for Matt to take the bus to his work. It was a tough choice! After viewing a handful of complexes we got our options down to two, and we ended up applying for the cheaper, more convenient and smaller unit. The one we almost chose had tennis/bball courts, 4 pools, a duckpond, and a gym. It was also huge and really nice! But Matt would have had to take two buses to work from there instead of one, and I'd have to drive to work instead of being in walking distance.

I think either choice would have been fine though. And I don't regret the decision we made. We're moving in on Friday! We already got our furniture and we're still in the process of getting other household things together. Exciting! I'll post pics next week :)

Perks & Possible Obstacles

Today I finally got some real responsibility at work! I picked up a Benz from a customer's house, and a BMW from the detail shop - driving luxury cars, HELL YES! This is part of the job that I didn't even think about, that a perk would be getting to try out fancy Euro cars! Pretend ballin', 20 minutes at a time. I also was allowed to answer the phones and balance the books by myself. I'm learning things quickly and I think I've made a great first impression. Three days in and it's finally getting less boring. :)

The downside is that the shop car is a manual VW. I haven't driven stick since high school, or shortly after. And I'm pretty sure I can't do it anymore. If we don't get another shop car I'll have to learn. I suppose I'll have to learn anyway in case I need to pick up/drop off a customer's MT car. Yikes!

Settling into Seattle

The drive up was rough, but I was expecting it to be. The first six hours were the worst, mostly because I was so excited I didn't really sleep the night before. The traffic in Portland was horrendous, and I will do everything in my power to NOT have to take that drive ever again. My mom wasn't bad, she didn't irritate me that much. It was kind of distracting when she kept telling me to "look" at things though, because I actually look when someone points. I am guilty of doing the same in Alex's car, LOL.

Aside from being endless, the route was very scenic and the weather was quite nice. I only got hit by a rock in the windshield once, and it hasn't spiderwebbed yet *fingers crossed* -- overall I'm glad to be here. I had dinner at Aunty's house as soon as we got to Seattle. It was nice to see Seattle family after what must have been ten years? The house looks a lot different from what I remember seeing as a child. Smaller, and prettier. Driving around Seattle with Klaus was weird, because I felt like I never left SF.

I got to Victor's after 10, unpacked, and showered. I charged my Kindle while I was getting ready for bed and got to fire that bad boy up. SO COOL! I went to sleep, but was awoken by Matt and JR, who wanted to say hello. Those two are so silly. I slept soundly that night(after they left me alone), and woke up refreshed.

Saturday morning I had an appointment to view Clocktower Apartments, which I didn't like too much. I'm sad that there aren't any vacancies for the complexes that I wanted to live in, but still looking around to gauge my options. I went to buy some stuff during the day, and read some Kindle. On Saturday evening, I went with Matt to Eric's goodbye party. I got to see Menie! And I met a bunch of people, also caught up with people that I had met before. It was Hawaiian themed food and fun times, YUM! Saturday night Victor came back from Cancun, and there was crabbery at the house. My first day in Seattle was a SCORCHER.

On Sunday, we went to Walmart to get a fan because the house is SO HOT!! We had lunch at 5 guys burgers and fries and it was deeeelicoius. The portions there are CRAZY, but I like it! Came back to the house and watched Shark Week, until we went to an early dinner with Charles in Kirkland. I had some really good dungeness corn clam chowder!! This is why I LOVE Seattle! Sunday was an early night, because I had a big day to get ready for. And of course, I was restless and couldn't sleep. Story of my life!

Monday was my first day at the new job, it was pretty easy and straightforward. First days usually are though. I wouldn't say I LOVE it there, but it's not horrible. I have to admit though, I missed BMW and DA because the people I work with now aren't sassy enough. I know I won't get any hilarious, NSFW jokes, or shameful Youtube links anymore. Sigh. I guess we can't have it all. After work, I met with my Aunty, my Uncle and my mom for a bite to eat at Panera. We caught up and I said my goodbyes to my mom - I'll see her in a month though. After dinner, we had Tetris Battle and watched Limitless. LIMITLESS WAS SO GOOD! Way better than I was expecting. I need me some clear pills!

I really like Seattle so far, but I'm getting restless without having found an apartment yet. Matt is moving out too, so we're looking at 2bdrms and I think it'll be easier, as well as more affordable. Hoping to find something this weekend, otherwise I'll just take what I can get so I can finally unpack and stop living out of boxes! The weather is absolutely gorgeous here, and I haven't had any griefs yet. Hopefully things will stay this way <3.

Final Feasts & Farewells

Reality has just started to set in. I've made my final rounds of goodbyes over the past few days, and each one has taken a piece of me.

Last Friday I had dinner with the girls at Sotto Mare in North Beach! Janet, Rainbow, Amy, Cindy, and I were laughing through most of dinner. Catching up with each other and crazy stories - I had a blast. I wish I had hung out with them more before, and it's so stupid that I realize this now that I'm leaving.

Saturday night ended up being hot pot and movie night with Kevin and Janet. Everyone else seemed to be at Comicon or camping, so we had Thai Stick and watched Horrible Bosses. I really enjoyed hot pot, I thought it was a nice way to hang out my last weekend in SF. The movie wasn't so great, but everything else about the night was. And I got to try Teaway finally!

On Monday, I had Jack's Prime for lunch with Josh and we took our time with leisurely conversation. I really will miss my lunch buddy, and I can't believe we've known each other for so long. I remember when we were friends in high school, and oddly enough, I think our friendship is still exactly the same - definitely in a good way though.

For dinner, I met with Vinnie and Ryan at San Mateo Prime. We got there at 6:30 and stayed until 10:30, probably one of the longest dinners I've ever had! The time flew by and we reminisced from the days of high school, to the now work griefs, and finally the conversation turned to the future. I really am glad that we three kept in touch through the years. Vinnie and Ryan have always been great friends, and I truly appreciate having motivated and honest people in my life - they keep me grounded.

On Tuesday, I had lunch with my girl CARRIE!!!! Super excited for her, because she's 8 mo preggers and I HAD to see the bump. She was glowing and gorgeous, actually she was extra glowing and gorgeous because she usually is. We ate at Langkawi, but they didn't have the Fried Squid that day. SADFACE. Oh well, I was very happy that I got to see her, she's always been there for me and she's definitely one of my all time faves.

For dinner on Tuesday night, Albert, Calvin, Andrew, and I went to Red Crawfish. Andrew and Albert had never had crawfish before, GASP! They were in for quite the treat! It was nice to hang out with them, it's been literally years since the summers where we all saw each other everyday and hung out at Andrew's place. I miss those days, when we had pool parties and watched movies, made BBQ and burgers, and played games until the sun came up. I really miss that. Everyone is growing up and trying to find themselves, and at the same time none of our personalities have changed. Some for the better, some for the worst. It was really nice to catch up with those guys though.

Wednesday was my last day of work. I was excused by HR in the morning, but Neda planned a lunch party at Hokkaido for me so I stayed later in the day. The buffet was great, a nice change of scenery. I got to chat it up with my coworkers a bit more before having to say goodbye. It was a sad moment when I got into Gary's car with Rod and Jonathon, and one of them said "this is the last ride we'll take together." Those were some AWESOME coworkers. I had TONS of laughs and will take many fond memories of DeviceAnywhere. Even though I don't agree with a lot of things that I experienced at the company, I really appreciated my colleagues. I'm really glad I went to the Giant's game with them. Even though I hate baseball because it bores me to death, I somehow had a great time.

For dinner Wednesday night, I wanted to meet with Joe but he wouldn't be able to get into the city until late. Instead I met with the gang at Toyose. It was a night of forced speeches, and drinking. I managed to avoid making a lengthy speech, and I felt really awkward everytime I was repeatedly asked to make one. I'm not a public speaking person!! I'm the kind of person who prepares and memorizes my lines. We ended up playing a game in which people anonymously wrote down what they will miss most about me, and I'd guess who wrote each. I'm going to keep those little pieces of garbage forever. Even though some of them made me feel really misunderstood, I will accept them as they are, as I have done with my friends.

I was fine saying goodbye to everyone until the very last moment. When Andy and Alex dropped me off at home, and I realized I had to get out of Andy's car for probably the last time in a while, I started crying. And even now as I'm typing this, tears are rolling down my face. Through all of the irritating things that my friends do, and all of the times we clash, I really am thankful for them. I have the best friends a person could ask for, and it makes SF so hard to let go of. I wish I could take them all to Seattle with me, but my suitcase isn't big enough.

Today (Thursday) Cindy cut my hair in the morning and then we had lunch at Little Lucca's. This bitch is so crazy, she wouldn't let me pay for the food as a thank you for cutting my hair. She actually pushed me so she could give her card to the cashier. I love her. She's been there for me through tough times and she's one of the realest and sweetest people I know.

For dinner, I had lunch with my dad. HE BOUGHT ME A KINDLE!!!!!!! I'm so F'ING EXCITED TO USE IT!! But I won't, until I get to Seattle. I'm afraid if I take it out of the box it'll get damaged in the move. So I'd rather not! This dinner was longer than our usual, we talked a lot about what I'll be doing in Seattle and how I should go about housing, insurance, etc. I'm very glad that I got to catch up with him before leaving - now I feel like I've made a full round of goodbyes and can take off properly.

Twenty pounds later, I'm all packed up and ready to go. Leaving the city in a matter of hours and not quite sure what I'm getting myself into. I'll miss everything about SF, and home, and I'm hoping that this new adventure is worth leaving my whole life behind.

Loose Ends, Last Goodbyes

So the days have been dwindling quickly, until I finally need to move my whole life 819.5 miles up North. Luckily, everything is coming together quite nicely! I started packing hair tools/makeup/random crap on Friday, and spent today tying up loose ends and making some serious progress with organizing my possessions.

I visited BMW this morning to catch up with the guys, and I also shipped a box with dresses, undies, socks, and scarves - the light essentials. It was very nice to see my old colleagues before leaving, I would have felt sad not saying goodbye. When I got home I also packed the heels that I want to take, AND BOY I'LL TELL YA - IT WAS LIKE PLAYING REAL LIFE TETRIS WITH UNFAIR SHAPES! I must have packed and unpacked those suckers 3-4 times each. I finally worked it out though.

I also paid my dental bill, activated my satellite radio subscription, drove my brother to his apartment to drop stuff off, and settled my monthly bills. So much accomplished! I had time to sneak a nap in before Thai Stick with Janet and Kevin also, PHEW. Dinner was delicious, and we went to Teaway for some boba action. Afterward, we watched Horrible Bosses, and now I am exhausted!

All I have left to pack is clothing and the last minute daily-use items like my electronics and such. I'm glad I left myself 4+ days to pack clothes, because that's probably going to be the hardest part. Really having to decide what is "important" enough to take with me is an ENTIRELY new experience. But trimming the fat is a good thing, right? Yes, I believe it is ALWAYS a good thing.

My mom decided to drive up with me yesterday, so we'll get some more time to hang out before I leave her. She gets to stay with Aunty for a few days also so it's a double-win for everyone. I just hope we don't kill each other along the way, 12-14 hours? YOWZA! SO many exciting things happening, so little time. The clock is counting down and I'm sad to think that I'm saying goodbye to my life in San Francisco. I'm excited for Seattle and I'm hoping that it will temporarily fill the gaping void that will grow larger as I drive further and further away from my home, in only 5 short days. The anxiety is absolutely tantalizing.

Gargantuan Leaps & Bounds - Seattle, Here I Come!

I've never been so emotionally confused, ever. There are all kinds of feelings writhing and wrestling within me - excitement, sadness, fear, hope, curiousity, and I don't even know what else.

All of my life, I've only known the Bay Area. And even within the Bay Area, I've never moved out on my own! So now is the time to grab and tear at the bubble that I've known forever. To make myself vulnerable and force myself to experience a new era. To leap into the darkness and dive head first into an uncertainty. I, AM, SO, F'ING, EXCITED!!!!!

There's so much to do, that I don't even know where to begin! Last Wednesday, I got a call about a job at a shop and the phone interview turned into an invite for an in-person interview. I flew out Friday night and spent the weekend with Victor, then Monday morning I was driving to my interview - no nerves at all! Given my track record (consistently getting offers after interviews - 7 for 7), the pressure is always on. I'm usually breathing deeply, concentrating intensely, and tapping my fingers. But not this time? Whatever the case, the interview went well and now it's time to get the ball rolling. I accepted the very next day.

I submitted my resignation yesterday and had an exit interview with my bosses today. It was actually scheduled as my long-overdue annual review, but given the circumstances, that became a moot point. I really will miss the people at DA, and the twisted humor that results from ridiculous working conditions. Also, strangely enough, I was all nerves turning in my resignation, and I nearly broke down during the exit interview when I was explaining my reasons for leaving. I definitely am sad to go, but there are too many compelling reasons to move on.

Now I'm checking out apartments, getting my things in order, figuring out what I want to ship and what Klaus will take, deciding which day I should leave, and trying to figure out the 20+ things I'm overlooking. Moving out for the first time is overwhelming, especially with a new job and relocating to a new state. I'll really miss my mom, and that's certainly the hardest part. I'm thinking that this will either be a great experience or a horrible experience, and I'm praying it'll be the former. In any case, IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING! Time to grow up and put my big girl pants on - I'm going to give it all I've got. Leaps and bound, cartwheels and freefalls, I'm taking Seattle on and living my life.

Birthday Bash, Gays Galore, and Visiting Vagabonds

Where does the time go!?

Last weekend I celebrated my fantabulous 25th b-day! It was simply amazing, as always. I'm so lucky to have such awesome friends! On Friday, I had a night out at Rendezvous Lounge, and my lovely faves bought me bottle service - SO SWEET! A lot of people showed up, and the guestlist was pretty random so I was especially impressed with those who showed up not knowing anyone else. I turned down shots for most of the night and managed to walk out of there alive. It was really nice to see everyone, and I was genuinely overjoyed. Looking back at the pictures from the night made me smile, that's probably the happiest I've been this year -

On Saturday, I stayed home and slaved away for hours making ceviche. I rested for most of the day because I had just gotten over a cold a few days before. I slept early, and thank goodness I did.

Because we went rafting on Sunday!!! American River Rafting, to be exact. The water was so high that we needed a guide on our raft, but we got a really cool manager who we didn't mind hanging out with at all. On the way to Rancho Cordova, we got sidetracked by Sonics! I was having a really great time, both in the car and eating at Sonics. To be honest I could have cared less about rafting. I <3 -="" :="" a="" activity.="" actually="" alas="" all="" and="" appetite="" area="" at="" away="" back="" bay="" began.="" birthday="" bus="" but="" car-icure="" car="" ceviche="" chad="" city="" class="separator" clean="" company.="" conversation.="" couldn="" day="" delicious="" dinner="" div="" drinking="" drunk="" ducks="" easily.="" enough="" even="" feast="" finish.="" floating="" food="" for="" four="" from="" future.="" gave="" good="" got="" great="" happy="" he="" his="" i="" in="" it="" joynt="" klaus="" like="" made="" me="" monstrous="" more="" moved="" my="" nice="" night="" of="" on="" ordered="" out="" people="" perfect="" perspective="" picked="" rafting="" river-goers="" river="" s="" sang="" snacks="" someone="" sooo="" squeaky="" still="" stronger="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;" sunday="" sunshine="" t="" talk="" thank="" the="" though="" three="" to="" tommy="" took="" up="" was="" water="" way="" we="" when="" who="" with="" you="">

On Monday evening after work, I came home to my favorite dim sum for dinner, and later $50 worth of desserts from my brother. Cupcakes, assorted cake slices, tarts, creme brulee - you name it! I'm so spoiled <3 .="" :d="" a="" after="" alex="" and="" andy="" awkward.="" birthday="" bit="" br="" brian="" but="" came="" castro="" celebration="" dancings.="" drinks="" entertained.="" few="" finish.="" first="" for="" from="" gary="" glad="" good="" great="" had="" he="" hh.="" hiep="" i="" in="" it="" later.="" m="" met="" out.="" out="" pigging="" planet="" ridiculously="" s="" showed="" so="" start="" stro="" talk="" the="" then="" they="" this="" time="" tired="" to="" up="" us="" very="" was="" we="" went="" with="" year="">


<3 .="" :d="" a="" after="" alex="" and="" andy="" awkward.="" birthday="" bit="" br="" brian="" but="" came="" castro="" celebration="" dancings.="" drinks="" entertained.="" few="" finish.="" first="" for="" from="" gary="" glad="" good="" great="" had="" he="" hh.="" hiep="" i="" in="" it="" later.="" m="" met="" out.="" out="" pigging="" planet="" ridiculously="" s="" showed="" so="" start="" stro="" talk="" the="" then="" they="" this="" time="" tired="" to="" up="" us="" very="" was="" we="" went="" with="" year="">And then this weekend was PRIDE. Oh, the madness. On Friday, Janet and I went to Dragon with some gay boys and AS ALWAYS it was a blast. Love gay clubs!!! Such positive energy, and the deejays there are the best. On Saturday, I dragged Ryan out to the Pride festival but I didn't know it was at the Civic Center, LOL. We ended up doing brunch at Lime. Bottomless mimos, O M G. Such a bad idea... I ended up at home around 3, pretty wasted. So wasted that I fell asleep.

And Victor showed up for a surprise visit!! He was already in SF when I woke up to his texts, and I scrambled to get ready to go out! We went to dinner with his friend and Planet, and then we went to BOOTIE!! It was Madonna vs. Gaga night, although I don't really remember the music. All I remember was having fun fun fun, and the club being super packed. I danced my ass off - always a good time at Bootie.

On Sunday we went to the Alice Summerthing, except Victor and I went to get lunch after we found a sitting spot. There were too many people everywhere, and I don't really like crowded places anymore. But after we finished our Shanghai Dumpling King (where I got hollered at by My, LOL) we went back just in time to catch One Republic. They sounded so good live! I enjoyed their set, and I guess that was worth walking 10+ blocks. Damn you SF parking! After the concert, we went to Mayes to get Hiep drunk for his birthday. Lots of oysters, more appetizers than we could eat, and drinks all around! Picked up a bunch of food from Lee's after and went back to Planet's to hang out. We ended up calling it a night early, everyone was exhausted.

The past two weekends have been spectacular! Between all of the love from my birthday, and getting to hang out with Charles and Victor this weekend, I've been having a wonderfully chaotic time.

My first stay-cation

This past weekend was a unique vacation for me, in fact it was a stay-cation! I almost forgot that I needed to pack also, and I did so last minute. Of course I forgot a handful of things, but what's new? LOL. I put in my time at work early on Friday at picked Victor up from the airport in the afternoon. We headed back to the city to check in at The Clift and drop off the car. For dinner, we walked to Fish&Farm, where Victor had some San Francisco salmon for the first time -- and approved! It was delicious, and appropriately (as the way a good vacation should start) I'd never eaten there before!

Later at night, we went to RN74 (also had never been there before) in SOMA where we met Victor's friends from Philadelphia. They turned out to be quite the delightful couple! Very lively and interesting, one was an architect and the other a chef! I think that might be the perfect pairing. That part of the night was pretty fancy, with wine and escargot and all of the niceties that are required when getting to know new people.

And then we went to Harry's Bar and the realness came out. Without getting into details, I'll say that we were a lot louder and less polite there. Although, it was in a good way and I really enjoyed their company the entire time! The contrast was comical, though.

On Saturday afternoon, we headed up to Napa for some wine tasting! The destination location turned out to be V. Sattui, the winery I went to a few weeks ago for Cindy's birthday, but Victor's friend's friend invited us into the special people tasting room so the experience was quite different. I found something I like even better than the Fantasia! It's a Moscato and it is DE-LICIOUS. The tasting was very pleasant, although I still like Castello di Amorosa better -- but then nothing beats a castle.

We stopped at Robert Mondavi where I wished it wasn't pouring rain! The rows of vines were still gorgeous in the rain but I'd love to go back and walk through the greenery. We drove through the mountains to Sonoma but didn't make it in time for one more winery stop. For dinner, we came back to the city and went to Ryoko. It was delicious as always! After dinner, we barely had time to rest before going to Sugar Cafe. We stayed there the rest of the night and Alex, Andy, Janet, Kevin, Chad, and Priscilla came out to play! Lots of drinking and even a little bit of dancing. Good times!

On Sunday, we checked out and went to San Mateo to get some Ramen Dojo. The wait was ridiculous and I honestly don't think the Spicy Garlic was worth the hype. Victor enjoyed it though, and that's what matters most -- since people in Seattle don't get quality ramen! I still prefer Himawari or Santa Ramen. We came back to the city and hung out at Japantown with Andy and Janet, where we perused an aquarium and wandered the streets a bit. We ended up at Zeitgeist (never been there either!) where we started drinking in the early afternoon. Brian joined us a bit later and we ended up at his house eating grilled cheese and tomato soup!

Instead of leaving on Sunday night as planned, Victor ended up staying an extra night and flying out on Monday morning! It was a really fun weekend and very worthy of being my first stay-cation. And here I am, molesting a pig at Robert Mondavi.

Better Luck Next Year

With my personality, one of the things I've learned that I must be especially wary of is getting too attached or too emotionally invested in things. My newfound obsession with the Sharks, apparently, is no exception.

Hockey has certainly helped me grow as a person. I found more time to spend at home with my brother and my mom, instead of going out all of the time and drinking. This probably couldn't have been a better year to do it also, with my brother moving very recently. Through hockey my brother and I found a way to bond which has never happened before. We have no other hobbies in common. I also took the time to learn about the sport! Now I know what people are talking about when they discuss at least ONE sport.

This season has been an emotional roller coaster for me, but after every losing game there seemed to be a winning game not too far after. I really thought the Sharks could win the Stanley Cup, and I'm sad that they didn't. The elimination in the conference finals was devastating. I couldn't even talk to anyone the next day, it was reminiscent of darker days. The very last game was heartwrenching -- I went into the series fully aware that the Canucks could beat the Sharks. They're a fantastic team. But the way the Sharks were playing right before they got eliminated was enthralling! And so I had hope!

Unfortunately, it was too little too late. I still love the Sharks, and will follow closely next year. The let-down was shocking -- who knew I could care so much about sports? But in the end, it's probably a more healthy investment than other available options. Thank you Sharks for the wonderful season, and for laying it all out in the end. They DEFINITELY went out with a bang.

And lastly, the lighting and effects they use at HP Pavillion are amazing. Go technology! Last season, I was entranced by the montages. This season, I was in awe of the graphic projections. Who knows what will be in store for next year?!

Awh Shucks: Oyster Weekend & Sharks Penalty Fail

Saturday was BBQ @Tomales Bay day! Gorgeous weather, delicious oysters, and good company. Generally people should arrive early in the morning there to claim a table/grill as there are no reservations. I even asked a friend of mine who recently had a birthday there, what time is best to arrive. I then relayed this information to the people who were setting up. And so apparently, this fine weekend, tables at Tomales Bay were not in high demand -- upon arrival I was overwhelmed by smart-ass comments from the people who got there early for no reason. Mega irritating. Next time I'll just not give them a heads up.

After I got over that unwelcoming-welcome, I started to enjoy the day. The sun was out and winds were high, that's actually the perfect combination. Lots of oysters were eaten and shucked, and I only hurt myself once. Because of the storm during the week, the oyster farm was supplemented with Washington oysters (for lack of local oysters). But actually, I liked the Washington oysters better!

We started driving back mid-afternoon. Kevin and Kyle hopped into my car and we took the scenic route! Abso-freakin-loutly mind-blowing. Love the views off of Highway 1. We stopped at 2 of the lookout points just to take it all in. <3 a="" bay..="" before="" car="" class="separator" div="" drive="" enjoyable="" fun="" klaus="" more="" pretty="" rupert="" scary.="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;" taking="" the="" those="" too.="" twisties="" up="" was="" way="" winding="" with="" zippy="">


We met up with the other people back in the city at Land's End. And we hiked up to the labyrinth, which I'd actually never seen before.

Later Andy and I headed to Brian's for the night. I did work while they went to dinner and later Brian went out. When I was all done, Andy and I were singing along to Youtube video duets.. SO FUN!!! We didn't want to leave when Brian got back, LOL. We ended up going out but it was an uneventful night.

Today was Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals Sharks vs. Canucks at home. It was... a travesty. Yes the game was exciting, but no we didn't win. So disappointing! The Sharks were doing well in the first period, but with three back-to-back (and overlapping) penalties in the second period there wasn't enough time for the Sharks to catch up. Too many opportunities, not enough goals. Le sigh. We went to OSF afterward for our lunch of shame. We had a photoshoot while we waited for our table, they had some pretty cool furniture.

I had some awesome moments this weekend, the weather was fantastico. Summer is going to be amazing, and I will surely miss SF if I leave. Andy explained that the proper way to walk a labyrinth is to choose a question to ponder for the entire duration of the path -- the question I asked myself was "Could I be truly happy in Seattle?" Unfortunately, I spent most of my brainpower trying to keep balance and not get blown over the edge of the cliff.

As always, I'll try my best and ultimately let fate decide. But for now, from me and all of my fellow Sharks fans, a picture for the Vancouver Canucks.

BMW Sunday & Blistering Monday

My weekends have been so chaotic recently! It was nice to do nothing all day Saturday, just relax and hang out around the house. Saturday night I went to Bo's birthday at Swig and saw a bunch of friends that I barely see. It was fun but just way too packed up in the loft area, and I was super sweaty. Janet and I met up with Andy Chad Henry and others at The Cellar. I think it is safe to say that it was another one of those nights where I had TOO MUCH fun.

Sunday I worked a special event for BMW! Walking into the dealership through the side door, stowing my purse in the back closet, and finding my work shirts where I left them -- pretty awesome. Just like old times! It was so great to catch up with everyone and get back into the environment that really still (and probably always) feels like home to me. I was surprised and a bit delighted that I remembered how to use Arkona and the fiche. What a fantastic day! I got to be a *model* for one of the speakers who was doing a presentation on buying the right gear. I felt a bit awkward and probably looked awkward, maybe I'm not cut out for modeling but it was a fun experience.

Today was another hum-drum day at work. But then after work I went to Best Buy to pick up my KINECT + DANCE CENTRAL!!! Super exciting!! I spent 3 hours playing when I got home, and I only stopped because my feet already have blisters. My mom also told me to give it a rest, but it was such a great workout and so much fun -- totally didn't want to stop. I'll probably beat the game soon, even though I'm working mega overtime this week. WHO NEEDS THE GYM!?!?!

Santa Cruz Shore

Fan - ta - si - a! My First Napa Trip

Today I went to Napa for Cindy's birthday! And though it's hard to believe, this truly was my first ever trip to wine country -- even though it's just a little over an hour away from where I've spent my entire life. Well you know what they say, better late than never!

We went to Rainbow's house at 11 to meet so we could carpool. Thomas surprised Cindy with a Hello Kitty cake and it was absolutely hilarious to watch her cut it because you could tell she really didn't want to. We were able to just take two cars initially, and Vinh and Annie met us there later on. The drive wasn't bad at all, I think because Rainbow and I had the most ridiculous conversations in the backseat. At one point, we had a ten minute conversation about two entirely different topics without even realizing it until our comments stopped matching up. Then we laughed until we cried, and those moments come few and far between. Eventually we laughed so hard that we ran out of energy, but by that time we were already in Napa!

The trip began at St. Helena's V. Sattui, where we sampled then bought picnic food and ate in the outdoor area. We had so many delicious and delightful things! Triple cream Rougette brie was my favorite cheese, the prosciutto and salami were also delicious, and the two different sandwiches were yummy as well -- chicken pesto and tri-trip! The sauteed prawns were spectacular, and we finished off two bottles of wine with our picnic lunch. The artichoke cream cheese was also notable, and there were so many other varieties of food that we didn't even get to try! The weather was gorgeous and our picnic was SO relaxing. I already fell in love with Napa then.

After we were all stuffed to the brim, we visited the Castillo di Amorosa and wandered around. We took pictures and just enjoyed the sunshine some more. The view was stunning, and luckily the winery wasn't overly crowded. We browsed the shops and had our wine tasting. The winerista was witty and charming, and he had many great recommendations. After he asked us if we liked sweets, he started us off with the lighter reds and whites. We were only supposed to get 5 samples, but I'm sure everyone got at least 8-9. Some people tried everything and got more than 10 different samples. The guy was pretty awesome, and he was rewarded handsomely when we purchased 12 bottles from him. It was truly a wonderful experience, and I think I just really like trying different wines and learning a bit about each one. My fave of the day was the Fantasia, which I'm pretty sure translates to phantasy. ;]

After the tasting, we enjoyed the sun as it was beginning to set and saw the mating ritual of a couple of peacocks which were on the castle property. It was pretty cool, like watching Animal Planet but in real life.

We had dinner reservations at 6 in downtown Napa, at Celadon. The food was well prepared and very tasty. We had a round of birthday cake shots for Cindy's birthday, then everyone got their own drinks. The Blackberry Mojito was the best! Michelle, Amy and I wanted to try multiple things so we all ordered together and shared different dishes. The lamb and seafood pasta were both rave-worthy. And the desserts, oh the desserts! Banana creme brulee and chocolate gooey cake with ice cream! Two of my absolute post-dinner faves, but with a nice twist to each.

Overall the day was a success, and I thoroughly enjoyed Napa. Fantastic weather, excellent company, and overwhelmingly delicious food. On the drive back, I was laughing to tears again. Nothing went wrong today, at all. No one irritated me and there wasn't a moment where I was unhappy (this doesn't happen often). Pure bliss, and I am elated <3 -- check out the goods from today's conquest!

Seattle Fat Adventures

Seattle Seattle. My second trip this year, and it's not even May yet!

I flew out Friday after work, flight got delayed a-GAIN. I feel like every time I fly out of SFO my flight is delayed.. and THAT'S why I never go to the airport on time. I sat next to these two guys from Seattle/Tacoma and I ended up joining their conversation. Thankfully they were friendly and didn't tell me to excuse myself, lol. There was lots of laughter, but most importantly they gave me two websites to find jobs in the Seattle area -- key information that some of the locals don't even seem to know! I'm sure that'll come in handy, glad I changed my seat and ended up there. :)

Victor picked me up at the airport. Since I got in so late, we stayed in and made pizza. I'm not so good at cooking, not because I am unable but because I have no practice! So the first pizza, even though I mostly blame Victor who was supervising me, turned out to be a Calzone. I put too many toppings and didn't do the crust properly, definitely a dud. But the second one was muuuuuuuch better!

That night I also tried Pyramid Apricot beer, and it was absolutely divine. I don't even like Apricots, I just grabbed it from the fridge and I think it's my fave now!

Saturday we got to hang out with Menie!! <3 <3 She took us to Paseo for cajun sandwiches and they were ohhh soooo good. I don't understand why I haven't had them before in the Bay Area? So delicious I can still taste it in my mouth now. Mmm.

After lunch, we went to Mollie Moons to get ice cream! I really liked that place, the coffee ice cream was delectable and the shop was very mom & pop - ish.

As if we weren't full enough, we went to Bottleworks down the street to check out some beers. The whole beer store thing is new to me, I don't know if I've ever been in one of them before! Around SF it's either a corner store, or a bar -- the corner store doesn't want you hanging around and the bars won't let you take beer out! But here, you can have it all.

We dropped Menie off and then went back to the house to rest before dinner. We ended up being SO FULL though, that we had to cancel our reservation LOL. We watched Megamind instead, and then went to dinner later at Seastar. And what a fantastic idea that was -- SEASTAR IS MY NEW FAVE! Wasabi infused and caviar oysters, Applewood salmon, Creme Brulee and lemon poppy seed cookies! EVEN THE PRE-DINNER BREAD WAS AWESOME! Definitely love that place. I loved it when I was there and I love it now. Winning!

Mm. So deliiiiicious. I almost didn't get dessert, but the little fat girl inside of me told me to. I love that little fat girl! Two hours later, we were all food coma'd up watching movies. I had one of the cute little owl beers that we got earlier at Bottleworks. Awwwh.

Sunday was more food. We actually were going for Vietnamese food, but it was closed (along with everything else) for Easter. Luckily the Korean place was open! Now I know that Banchan varies between restaurants, but I wasn't expecting to see mashed potatoes and spicy gelatin in my Banchan there! And for the first time, my Soondubu shrimp was preggers. Poor, delicious, mama shrimp :(

Again, as if we weren't full enough, we decided to stop by Malt & Vine -- another beer/wine store. We perused the selection and saw some pretty exotic items. We also sat down and tried the drinks they had on tap. Another sit-down beer store, I think this is a Seattle thing.

This time we made sure not to eat into our reservations for dinner. Although, when dinnertime came around I wasn't quite hungry yet. We went to Cafe Juanita, a quaint Italian restaurant off of a back road with the view of a lush residential area. It was very Twilight. LOVE IT. We dined by candlelight and I really enjoyed the warm ambiance. The service was outstanding and the food was delightful. Although, I've decided that I don't like foie gras -- it's too fatty for me. I knew my rabbit was going to be fantastic when the waiter looked me in the eye and said EXCELLENT CHOICE. The intensity is hard to describe, but he meant it.

After dinner, we went back to the house and people came over to watch Human Planet and play games. Lovelle and I got to touch Matt's fake tooth, HAHAHA. So weird, so awesome. And Victor's other friend took out his fake tooth and looked like a pirate. HAHAHA, EVEN MORE AWESOME! Monday was a lazy day, didn't make it to the Museum of Flight. Again. Oh well, I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend of gluttony and sloth. What better way to spend a vacation! :)

Stanley Cup Playoffs -- Round 1 Game 1 -- BEAT LA!

Hellooooooooooooooooo PLAYOFFS!! My new favorite time of year :)

So much awesome hockey to be watching! When they first announced the dates for Round 1 and I realized that our Sharkpak tickets were game 5 (when I'll be in Seattle) I was really sad. Like devastated. Like I was so sad that it would probably be sickening to other people -- yeah, THAT sad. But eventually I got over it, well I tried to anyway. As it turned out, Alan ended up with tickets to spare and he sold them to me with an offer that Alex and I couldn't refuse. ROW 2!! So on Thursday I left work early, and sat through almost two hours of traffic to get to the Street Rally just in time to look around. Made a fool of myself at the beanbag toss, and got a picture with SHARK TRUCK!!

I was awestruck when we first sat down. I've never been so close to the glass, I think the closest I've been before was around row 10 behind the goalie. We were right across from the Sharks entrance gate too -- PERFECT VIEW!

Nemo was in net, as he should be. Making saves and shutting shit down.

I was in row 2 with Alex, EXCITED AS EVER. I could barely contain myself, although by the time we took this picture I had calmed down quite a bit. We were SO CLOSE that we could see the expressions on the players faces. It, was, awesomeness.

Ah my fave -- Dany Heatley!! He scored the first goal less then 20 seconds into the game, my hero. I didn't even see it though because we were on the opposite end and I was still getting used to looking up at the Jumbotron. I was telling Alex that I was having the BEST birthday ever, and it wasn't even mine. I meant every bit of that.

I always knew that Murray was big. From stats, in comparison with other players on tv, and photographs. But I never quite comprehended the pure MASS of hockey players until I saw them up close. They simply are huge majestic beings.

I had a blast. There was drama in our section because there were Kings fans nearby but it didn't bother me, I rather enjoyed it actually! Alex had fun too, just not as much as I did LOL. I'm STILL excited about the game. Geez, I love hockey. And I am so so so so thankful that Alex introduced me to it. Happy birthday Alex! GO SHARKS!

What is a WATERBUG??

This is definitely my favorite episode of 30 rock. For this reason:

BBTB: Summer in Spring

We had a spontaneous BBTB today! Well, in my case it was NBTB -- nachos by the beach. But.. everyone else had burritos, from Chino's :) Being in outer Richmond reminds me of high school, oh how far we've come. It's absolutely unreal.

The weather this week is gorgeous and I'll gladly take a taste of summer in March (or anytime for that matter). Warm weather just makes me feel like a million bucks! We watched the sunset at Cat's Eye.. or "Land's End" as everyone else calls it, and I remembered for the zillionth time how much I love San Francisco.

And finally, there's something just magical about country music and the hot sun. I can't put my finger on it, but I can feel it in my bones.

A YouTube Gem: "YEAH YOU LIKE THAT IDIOT"

After extensive Googling and YouTubing, I FINALLY found one of my favorite YouTube videos of all time. This is definitely top 5, along with the honey badger video!

Preparing for the worst, or at least something moderately scary

I'll bet anything that at least 70% of the people I know don't have emergency kits. And those that do have kits, probably didn't assemble them. What fools. I used to be one of those dillydallyers - but no longer! Most of the things that I ordered for my emergency kit have already arrived. LOVE AMAZON PRIME!

I ended up spending about $200 to cover the essentials for three kits. Pricey you say? I say I'd spend $200 to give my family a chance to survive ANYDAY. Even IF my brother wasn't willing to chip in for it. Whatever, family is family. Two go-kits for the cars and one more substantial kit for home. I'll be honest though, I put a lot more stuff into my own kit - if disaster strikes I REALLY hope that I'm with Klaus.

Once finalized, all of the kits will have:
Duct tape, medical grade scissors (that can cut through pennies), zip ties
Books of matches, firestarters, hand-crank flashlight/usb chargers (cars), cash$
Hand-crank radio/USBcharger/LED flashlight (home only, since the cars have radios)
Packets of tissue, paper cups, bandages, neosporin, latex gloves, dust masks,
Medicine (Tylenol, Immodium), 3-day supply of food rations, emergency blankets
Paper plates, paper cups, chop sticks, garbage bags, zip lock bags, multitool

My kit has extra thangs:
Handwipes, mirror, emery board, hair ties, hair clips, earplugs, feminine necessities,
Plastic forks, plastic knives, plastic spoons, safety pins, tablet towelettes
Lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, extra socks/undies/tshirt, hand warmers, beanie
Index cards, two pens, Apple USB charger, USB to mini USB charger, map of SF bay area

I think I've got most of my bases covered! I'll still be thinking about extra things to add over the next few days (while I wait for the dust masks to show up and Alex is getting me duct tape next week) then I'll be satisfied. The coolest items by far are the hand-cranking devices. I got the Eton Clipray and the Eton Microlink Self-Powered 3-in-1, and I am VERY happy with both. Even though some reviewers on Amazon said that they didn't produce enough power to charge smartphones, I tried it on my iPhone 3G and my brother's iPhone 4 and it worked with BOTH! The radio also gets great reception, both are very small and compact. The radio is the size of a desktop tape dispenser. Yeah, it's f'ing impressive.

I'm putting everything in a Jansport and I'll have more than enough room. I hope that I never have to use the kit, but I'm not stupid enough to risk not being prepared. Get ready people, disaster is no joke!

Red Cross CPR Certified !

I am officially ready to help save lives! I took a CPR course this morning with Charles and we learned how to assess situations, help choking conscious victims, and attempt to resuscitate unconscious victims who cannot breathe. The class wasn't too boring, we learned a lot and the volunteer instructors had some funny jokes. The best part of the class was when I had to roll Charles over (he's like a head and a half taller than me) and he said "good luck" and started cackling. But I managed to roll him over, even though it took a while LOL.

The part of the class I didn't like was when I was the "victim" and I got rolled into the recovery position. It required Charles to support my head by touching my neck and I kept screaming. I hate people touching my neck!!! I'm sure I made a scene... oh well. We got through it eventually..

I'm so proud of myself for getting certified! Now I have NERT and CPR under my belt, I'm just that much more prepared for the disasters to come -

Heavens to Murgatroid, even!

I've been watching this crazy cartoon all evening, about a presumably gay mountain lion with an impeccable vocabulary tainted by preposterous pronunciation. He likes the opera and show business, and he enjoys reciting nonsensical Shakespeare-like verses.

This is my kind of cartoon. All kinds of ridiculousness and randomness. Snagglepuss is a honey badger, he doesn't give a shit! He does what he wants when he wants, and he always keeps his cool. He's also always running into hunters and outwitting them. But he wears a bow tie and cuffs for goodness sakes, the guy has got style! Lots of wordplay and literal interpretations - some which make sense, all of which make me smile.

Before I did some light research, I didn't even know that this was the same animation studio that put together the Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, and so many more! I've heard the phrase "Hanna-Barbera" before but I never paid much heed. Now I know, but Snagglepuss is my favorite by far.

My First Video: Tiesto!

Tiesto Weekend in Vegas!

Thursday night, we flew into Vegas right after work and checked in at the Wynn. What a fancy smancy hotel! We upgraded to the Panoramic room with the view but really the view wasn't THAT great. I prefer the Venetian Suites for group trips. More mirrors and places to hang things! Although, you can't beat the convenience of clubbing inside of your hotel.

Soon we were out the door heading downstairs to Tryst. While we waited in line, we played Stinky Pinky! Our new friends played with us too and it was pretty fun. Andy had 25 saved up from earlier in the day at work but we burned through those quickly. When we finally got in, the drinking and partying madness began. The layout of Tryst is EXACTLY like the inside area of XS, an probably 1/3 the size because it doesn't have an outside pool area. However, even though there seemed to only be two bars, there wasn't ever a long wait to get a drink! The waterfall in the background was gorgeous. At some point, a captain hat came down from the sky, and landed on my head. Captain power!!!! I love uniform costumes, the captain hat was AWESOME! Overall it is a nice venue, but I'd prefer Surrender and XS. I guess I'm a water person. But I definitely had a great night!

Apparently Alex and I left early to gamble, and everyone else met us at the tables. We had quite the lively conversation with the dealer and I ended up more than doubling my money. LOVE ROULETTE! They say that game has the worst odds in the house.. but I swear I never lose money on roulette. And I like it because it involves absolutely no math :) Brian got pizza at the bar and it was yummy. Didn't get back to the room until around 4:30 I think, and went straight to sleep.

Friday, it took a while for everyone to get out of bed - namely me. We went to Maggiano's across the street for lunch and the FUNNIEST THING happened. We were seated outside and while we were waiting for our food, a cigarette butt rolls off of the level above us and HITS HENRY ON THE HEAD, LOL! I couldn't stop laughing, FOR DAYS! I know it's mean.. I thought it was really funny though. I was feeling pretty hungover so I didn't enjoy my chicken pesto linguine. After lunch we went back to the room to chill out. Some of us napped while others walked around the casino. I actually did eat my linguine after napping and it was DELICIOUS!

In the evening, we got ready for dinner at Del Frisco! The last time we went to Del Frisco during the Halloween Vegas trip I vowed to return. And return we did! I got the Prime Rib again and it was delicious, no surprise! Andy and I got the crab cake and it was like seriously 90% crab meat, no batter or anything else. THAT's SOME SERIOUS CRAB! The truffle butter was tasty, and Alex ate like a beast.

After dinner we took this STRETCH TRUCK / MONSTER LIMO to the Cosmopolitan! It was so insane, and I FREAKING LOVE TRUCKS!!!!!!!!!!! I was so excited when we got out of Del Frisco and saw it. O M G SO COOL! The inside has this crazy sound system, and there's room for 20 people.. like seriously 20 people! The lights inside change with the music, and even a mini bar. They played Like a G6 at one point and shit got crazy. Foreals. That stretch truck is awesome. If I ever get married, I'm showing up in something like that! So badass it needs an emergency exit. YEAH!

So we got to the Cosmopolitan and had drinks at one of the bars because we were early. Eventually we went to Marquee and got in immediately with the table service. Our table was outside, but luckily there were heatlamps. I got a chance to check out the lower and upper floors with Alex and Andy and I have to say, I really wasn't impressed. The main level was not bad, girls dancing everywhere and lots of tables on the floor. The dancefloor, I think, was too crowded though - even for Vegas standards. I don't plan on going back there. Still, XS and Surrender are my go-to's! I was thoroughly exhausted from the first night, and so Alex and I left at midnight to get pizza. When we got back to the hotel room I went straight to sleep.

Saturday morning was WAY more pleasant for me than Friday morning, because we left Marquee early. I am GLAD! My feet though, weren't doing so hot. I got three large, juicy blisters on my feet and I couldn't even put my Jacks on. I borrowed P's flip flops and went on a mall adventure with Alex and Andy. Al Pals! We went from store to store in search of a pair of cute yet comfy flip flops, and finally found a pair at Macy's! Andy picked them out for me, I actually love them. Andy is the shoe-man! When we got back, we all checked out of the Wynn and cabbed to the Hard Rock.

Once we arrived, Alex and I went to the Sports area to place our bets. He explained the whole betting thing to me and I ended up doing a three game parlay puck bet with the Blackhawks, Red Wings, and Sharks - each needing to win by 1.5 points. The Blackhawks won their game by more than 1.5, but the Red Wings totally bombed their third period. Damn! I could have won $960! Oh well, it was fun betting on the games. I wanna do it again! Next time I'll probably do a line bet though.

After we were settled in at the Hard Rock, we all went across the street to pick up food at Capriotti's. THE PASTRAMI SANDWICHES WERE DELICIOUS! With cole slaw inside! That is ingenious! I love cole slaw, and I love that sandwich. We hung out after eating, and were watching Tosh.O in the room. Definitely lots of laughs. We went to dinner at the Pink Taco. Aside from good chips and salsa, everything else was kind of meh. Especially the super slow service!

I got coffee from Starbucks after dinner. GOOD CALL! It kept me energized through the night :) We went back to our rooms to get ready, and then downstairs to Tiesto! I liked that it was set up like a Vegas show, so you can just walk in without really waiting in line like a club. Tiesto was basically an upscale rave. Like if you took a regular massive rave, added an overabundance of security guards to kick the sloppy people out, bathroom staff to keep all of the bathrooms tidy, janitorial staff to clean up spills immediately, and place it at a really nice spread-out, ventilated venue. That's Tiesto.

And while I could never imagine myself going to a rave sober and having a spectacular time, I was able to do this at Tiesto! We drank a bit in the beginning but I was having SO MUCH FUN I really just wanted to be sober and dance my ass off. So I stopped drinking and danced. I danced until 4:30 in the AM! Who knew I had that in me?? The lights, the music, the energy was insane. I was enthralled by everything around me and I didn't even know most of the songs! During the concert there were streamers dropped from the ceiling, and paper doves. There were also high pressure steam cannons on stage and all kinds of other really cool effects like the globe screens in the background. Geez, everything about it was cool! I seriously would NEVER have imagined having THAT much fun, in fact I didn't even really want to go to Tiesto. But now I am SO glad that I went. My favorite part of the whole show was when he played The Island Part I. Such a fantastic time.

That was pretty much the end of the trip. After leaving Tiesto, I went back to my room to finish packing and say farewell to everyone. I rested for about 30 minutes before Alex and I left for the airport. 7:00 flight! Booking Virgin's Main Cabin Select was excellent. We had a separate security scanning entrance, got to board first, didn't have to worry about overhead bin space, there was SO MUCH legroom, we got free movies and free food. Except, we didn't get any free food because we both passed out. I was so exhausted I don't remember most of the flight or the ride home. Chad picked us up from the airport :) Thanks Chad!

The trip overall was a success. It wasn't as crazy as Halloween Vegas but it was definitely fun with good eats and TIESTO! Alex and I tried to keep a vlog but neither of us know how to edit videos. If we ever figure it out, it'll be posted. I rested all day today and I don't know if I'm ready to go back to work tomorrow. Oh boy, another Monday. The weekend was a blast though, another ridiculous trip with awesome people!