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.

Feeding & Movie Frenzy

This weekend was pretty eventful. Thursday night I went to HH with Charles to celebrate my new job and catch up, and then went to Holy Cow with the guys. Needless to say, Friday night I was home recovering. I finished Weeds season 5, and it definitely did not disappoint. I also watched Invictus, and I was momentarily inspired by the power of rugby to unite a nation. Yeah, go rugby! Saturday night, I went to dinner with Julian at Santana Row and we got to check out the newly remodeled Straits! His parents joined us at Sino and we lost track of time, so I didn't make it to Pearl for Lily's birthday =(.

Sunday, I was back at the driving range - I did pretty well, but I think it's sad that I have still yet to play a game. As soon as my schedule settles down, lessons it is! I went to watch Despicable Me with Julian, and we ran into two of our guy friends who just came out of Twilight together. HOW CUTE!!! Afterwards, we ate at Red Crawfish (nom nom nom) and then watched Bounty Hunter at his place while he packed the rest of his stuff.

Monday I purposely did absolutely nothing. Yup, I've got to enjoy what remains of my mondays off. They will be gone soon! I watched Paul Blart Mall Cop, and then I realized that the movie I REALLY wanted to watch was Observe & Report. Damnit, I didn't realize there were two mall cop movies!

For lunch at work today, we ordered pastrami sandos from Deli Board. O, M, F, G. SO GOOD. And then after work, I went to the optometrist and got glasses for driving. I'm excited to pick them up next week =) I can be a four-eyes too! After the optomo, I went to Alex's house and played with his SUPER CUTE dog. He also gave me Sharks goodies HOW COOL IS HE!! I'm so excited for next season. We got a 10pak! WOOT! And we watched Inglorious Basterds, and his mom cooked dinner. OMG her food is always so good, I feel like a stuffed pig. NO, I AM a stuffed pig. Sigh.

Blast From The Past

This week was one huge treat! On Monday I went to dinner with the first guy I ever had a crush on. We had the same class in elementary school, and he barely knew I existed. TOTALLY, biggest, crush, ever. How times have changed, friends almost two decades later. Such a small world..

In other news, I went to Dave & Busters on Wednesday night for Marco's birthday. We took a Kragen picture with a bunch of the old crew, I haven't seen those guys in YEARS! =) Definitely a happy hour, methinks. I had tons of fun playing the driving games and the gunning game. Andy ordered me a Jack & Ginger, and I'm thinking that Jack is starting to grow on me now? Yeah, weird.

Thursday, a bunch of us went to see Disney's World of Color highlights show at Legion of Honor after getting froyo. The show was actually a GREAT marketing ploy because I'm totally going to California Adventure when I visit LA in September. I HAVE GOT TO see the real thing, I'm so excited! And I'm definitely going to Pinkberry down there too. <3 Hot weather & froyo.

Tonight I stayed home and built the desk/chair/lamp combo I bought from Walmart weeks ago. The instructions were garbage, mostly diagrams which sadly were incomplete. YES, THERE WERE PARTS THAT WEREN'T INCLUDED IN THE DIRECTIONS! Good thing I'm handy. At least I had fun building it - definitely a challenge LOL. I also finished Season 3 of Weeds and I'm soooo hooked. What am I going to do when I finish this season? I'm running out!!!

Independence Day Redefined

So today I celebrated independence - not the independence of our wonderful nation, but of myself! By definition, independence is being free of control or influence from others. And you know what I did? Instead of going to a bbq and stuffing my face with garbage, I stayed home and had some me-time.

I finished season 1 of Weeds, and it was great. I think I teared up almost every other episode which is remarkable because I've never felt so bad for a protagonist, ever. Aside from eliciting sympathy, along with a little bit of empathy, there were also really funny awkward moments in all of the episodes. This reminds me of Modern Family, but darker and more twisted. Not twisted like Dexter, but something a little bit different. I'm looking forward to the next 5 seasons!

On Thursday I went to Holy Cow, and noticed for the millionth time how this HH in particular brings out the worst in people. It's definitely a lot of fun and mostly a good time, but just way too easy for people to cross the point of no return when drinks are that cheap and the music is THAT awesome.

Friday night I hung out with co-workers - sushi, tequila and DJ Hero! Saturday night I stayed in. Overall, it's been a chill weekend. Tonight I'll stop by Gary's birthday and it'll be nice to see people. Although, the plan is to turn in early.. but not before catching up with Chad!

Cheers, to me, and doing what I want to do when I want to do it - independence weekend at its finest. Happy 4th, everyone!

A Mad World

This post is comprised of two parts: 1) a brief recap, and 2) a reflection of my thoughts on humanity. Let's begin -

Thursday was V's b-day; we started HH at Moussey's and then all went to Trigger. Good company and great laughs. Friday was a quiet night in, to prepare for Saturday which was a busy day at work and then a potluck at Gary's immediately after. Again, good company, delicious food, and ridiculous conversation. The party continued at Mayes on Polk. Stalone's b-day at Brian's is where my night ended. I'm getting too old for the momentous partying.

Today, went to San Mateo for lunch, but ended up at Santoukka in San Jose because Santa Ramen was closed. Dawdled at Kinokuniya after, and was inspired to take up "felting". Proceeded to Joann's to no avail - apparently there are no craft kits for felting. Ended up at Ikea in Emeryville initially looking for curtains, and winding up with a stalk of bamboo in a vase, a toolkit, and a list of furniture to go back for. LOTS of ground covered on a funday Sunday, and many curiosities explored. I am now determined to re-furnish my room and fully utilize the air-space which I have left unappreciated for so long.

Okay, now the main course. I just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird and, while I'll be the first to admit that this is a slow-moving text, I cannot deny that this novel is and always will be a classic. In the beginning, I understood the author's use of a child's perspective as a tool for framing the unspoken rules of goodness, equality, and morality. By the end, I realized that by viewing racism and prejudice through the eyes of a child and then have her innocent self become a victim of a malicious and vindictive attack, the author just pulls the thin sheet back and lets true human nature rear its ugly head.

This book does a fantastic job portraying the hypocrisy, ignorance, insensitivity, and bold-faced idiocy of racism. And the worst part is - in a general sense, I still see these same faults in the people around me as well as hints of them in myself. We may not be as openly racist now as we once were, but we've still got ways to go. How many times have you let an inappropriate remark go without speaking up or bothering to give a damn? I know I've had my share of experiences. The conclusion of the novel makes me angry, but in the end it all came full-circle. I'm glad I read this text, and I will try my best to be a wholesome and fair person not just most of the time, but ALL of the time. /rant

Hearts on Fire

Wednesday, I went to HH with Julian after work, and I found a pearl in my oyster!!! I'm keeping it in my wallet for good luck!

Thursday was HH at Olive, then the cursed Cow. Menie made my hair purty and curly. =) After the JITB run, I beat Kevin AND Andy at Pinata Party! Woot!


Today after work I went to Teatro Zinzanni! I really liked the show, but I think the food in September (Gypsy Moon) was better - tonight's show was titled Hearts on Fire. There was less storyline than Gypsy, but more of the impressive acrobatics. My favorite act was the hoop performance by the Ukrainian contortionist. She was gorgeous, graceful, and very entertaining.


Thelma Houston was one of the two lead-singers, and HER VOICE IS FREAKIN' AWESOME! I wasn't familiar with her before tonight, but she incorporated this song as part of the show:


During the show, a U.S. Marine (yes, in uniform) proposed to his girlfriend. How cute is that!! And our table had just discussed how her shirt-length mini dress and sky-high strappy heels made her look like she just fell off of a pole. Very cute though, and she totally said yes! Talk about "hearts on fire", I had a blast. I didn't get picked this time to participate, although JD did drag me up to the stage to dance. It wasn't bad at all though, Teatro Zinzanni is always such a good time!

Return of the Men-ie (Yup, like Jedi)

SO MENIE IS BACK!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!

Yeah, it's exciting. She's back from Seattle for good! She came with me and Julian to Pat and Mary's BBQ Monday and we all had a great time. We watched Benjamin Button (yawn), played Taboo, ate yummy bbq and ice cream, and drank. The group was really mixed but everyone got along well!

I've got this gruesome, hacking, cough right so I'm skipping the gym this week.. hopefully it'll be gonezo soon.

Today after work I went to HH with Menie, Dom, and Charles. Mar's Bar was good but the service was lacking. Laszlo had a cool vibe. Dom and I worked out when we got home, but we ended up playing GT4 instead. I won, twice!!! Out of 5 times! That's pretty good, for me. Or bad, for him. LOL

Mukmuk Recap

Another crazy Thursday - Zuppa, Yan's, and then Holy Cow. Again. At Zuppa I had 24 oysters, for $12. See - this is another instance exemplifying my struggle with the concept of moderation. At Yan's we planned a bbq at Pat's for tomorrow! And then Holy Cow was hot, and full of familiar drunks as always.

Friday I stayed in and watched the second half of 30 Rock, season 1. I'm enjoying it so much that I'd rather watch than go out, LOL. One of my favorite moments thus far:


Saturday, after work, Julian and I had dinner at Kabuto (Joe's rec) and it was actually really savory, fresh, fish. We were talking about how we always go to sunset for sushi because it's convenient, even though the sushi isn't that "good" per se. Creatures of habit we once were, explorers we are!

Afterward, I hung out with Bryant for a little before Charles picked me up. And then we were off! To Bo's friend's place for pre-game before heading to the Marina. There happened to be a doll there, of the Vancouver Olympic mascot Mukmuk. Somehow by the end of the night that became my new nickname.


Then, today, I woke up for the WSBK at Philip Island, until I realized the gold medal US/CAN hockey game was on!! 1st period was boring but 2nd picked up and 3rd was INTENSE!! We lost, but meh 'twas a good game.

Bryant and Dom came upstairs with beers during OT and then after we finished the game we went to see Shutter Island. I nodded off many times, and eventually just slept 15-20 minutes near the end. That movie was a waste of time, and I would not recommend anyone see it in theaters. We picked up pizza afterward and then headed home to watch 24. I've been watching a lot of stuff lately.. I should probably reset my goals. In time though, in time.

Modern Family

Somebody had a case of the Mondays! But it wasn't me. =)

I started my day off working out. I met Julian at the gym and then we wanted to go to Little Lucca's but they ran out of bread. >=[ I bought SNACKS at Target! Since we were at Serramonte we did HH at Barracuda. MMm they serve their oysters on a half-shell with TOBIKO! Their sushi HH is sooo cheap, it's ridics.

The rest of my day consisted of Modern Family, and, Modern Family. I watched all of Season 1 today, with the exception of the first episode which I watched late last night (technically still today). I really love the characters in that show, especially the balances and imbalances between the members of the family. Gloria, the passionate Columbian gold-digger is SO tantalizingly entertaining. And the gay couple - don't get me started.

HH x3 & Glee

Soo Thursday was a really long day. After work I met people at Chaya Brasserie for HH! We had sushi, garlic fries, sake, and cocktails. Everything, including service, was good. By the time we left it was POURING, and then we moved the party to Yan's. I suggested we mix the pineapple with lychee soju, and it was a wonderful creation! I'll name it.. the Sweet Phantasy

I catnapped before Cow, then saw A LOT of people there, and it was ridiculously fun. Carls Jr. with Bryant and Dom (Brom) after and then sleeep. Diet fail, but at least my night was a workout.

I spent tonight getting halfway through Season 1 of Glee. The show is awesome, very much like a musical, and the vocal talent is impressive. I love the song selections and awkward characters. Lots of funny moments and very moving at times.

Plenty more fun to come this busy weekend. And in the words of Ke$ha, "Wanna dance, with no pants on, holler!"

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.

GOLF!

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

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

Spontaneous Shopping & Santa (Ramen), ETC.

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

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

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

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

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

Busy Week/end Recap

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

Bridges, Cupcakes, and Handcuffs

On Thursday at happy hour with Jon and Nick, I realized once again that I have no concept of drinking in moderation, or "sipping". We went to Ike's for a sober-up sandwich, then home. I stayed up way too late watching Fringe! Who can resist a series which is best described as Law & Order + Heroes??

I dropped B off at the Oakland airport early Friday morning then went to Hillsdale. I realized that I enjoy driving over the Bay Bridge best. OH how I miss driving back from Cal in traffic everyday and watching the ships at bay. I was SO unimpressed by the San Mateo bridge.

When I got into the mall, I was grossly surprised at how many people were waiting outside of stores for gates/doors to open.

I hit major traffic on my way back (I love SF), but luckily made it to work. Afterward, I came home to change and was off to Chris's surprise dinner at Hard Knox. Parking near Clement was such a challenge, especially because Rupert doesn't fit half of the spaces in Richmond.

I was falling asleep during dinner and the beer didn't help. Steph fed us ridiculously-good cupcakes. That didn't help either. I got super VIP parking at Supper Club afterward, but was still so exhausted that I ended up leaving early anyway. The highlight of the night HAD to be either 1) the boys trying to pole-dance, or 2)Gary getting handcuffed to the wall. Even though I got home early, I stayed up to Yelp. Damn me.

Working Saturday mornings is always somewhat of a dread. And I always eat one too many doughnuts, and drink one too many cups of coffee. Now here I am, crashing, and too drained to party on. It'll be nice though, for once, to stay in on a Saturday.