Sunday, June 27, 2010

Presents! And Mayhem.

Menie sent me a fancy hairdryer =) I used it today, and it was amazing. It has multiple settings, and isn't loud - love it! I might even start drying regularly.

Albert made me a lamp out of acrylics shaped like the SF skyline. Original and awesome, I don't think words do it justice. The inside of the lamp has my name and birthday etched over the frost. Definitely the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten, and probably the only one that was ever made especially for ME.

Last night I went to Dennis's highlighter birthday party. It was kind of awkward in the beginning. Half of the people there were 2-4 years younger, and then some others I hadn't seen since 2002! By the end of the night I was having fun though, and my only gripe was that the drive back from San Mateo in the AM was ridiculous. Now I understand what Julian used to complain about.

This morning I went to Alex's graduation luncheon at Kome - his mama planned it, and a lot of his extended fam and fam friends were there. Gosh, it's hard to eat buffet when you're hungover. One of his uncles was telling some pretty outrageous jokes. I liked the food less this time, but the company was great and there were lots of chuckles here and there. Congrats again Alex <3 br="">
After lunch I went to Pride with Kevin, where we met Angela and Mel. We watched BSB perform and I've fallen in love all over again with their outrageous dance moves and million dollar smiles.

Tonight I'm watching Cyrus, and I'm really excited because John C. Reilly is HILARIOUS! I know it'll be good, it's got to be. There's no way to go wrong.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Kicking the 2-3

So this year, my birthday was starting to feel like Valentine's Day - you know, kind of dreaded and unnerving. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do, so I had my heart set on not celebrating, and I was just fine with that.

Saturday turned out to be hectic at work, and when I got home my mom made a snyde remark that really ticked me off. I bailed on hanging out with Alan, but I felt bad and ended up changing my mind. When he picked me up, his friend was also in the car so I was sure that we were hanging out with his friends.

But his friend was a decoy! And actually, Alan was a decoy too... for Menie's surprise birthday pub crawl thinger =) As it turns out, when we got to Tonic, I was in for a big... SURPRISE! My lovely friends were there, and Corinna had a fancy birthday princess crown, purple flower lei, and mardi gras beads ready. How freakin' awesome is that!


We went from Tonic, to two other bars briefly, and then to Shanghai Kelly's. More people trickled in as the night went on. I was REALLY surprised at all of the people who came out, it was SO VERY NICE to see faces that I haven't seen in months. At Shanghai Kelly's it was also the bartender's birthday, so we had a birthday shot together. From there, we went to Maze and continued the party. More people showed up and Cindy took me home early because I was DEFINITELY done for the night.



It was such a great time, I was delighted. This was better than my last surprise party in the Mission. I felt SO SPECIAL, and I'm so thankful to have such awesome friends.

Today, I went with Gary, Alex, Andy, and Kevin to Golden Gate Fields for some good ol' horse racin'! And well, the track was closed. But wait! We got lunch at a cafe in Oakland instead, and then dessert at Fenton's. Gorgeous day, and we definitely enjoyed the weather. Sunday sundae!


My mom made steak for dinner. For dessert, we had tasty pastries! Later at night, I went to Brian's to play Blokus and watch a movie. Super chill.

This truly was a great, and very happy birthday. Before the whole surprise thing, I resolved that instead of getting slizzered to celebrate myself, I'd make myself a promise - to jumpstart my life and get my career going this year. And well, it's about time. The idea is absolutely enthralling. Chapter open, chapter close.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Day 4 of Teardrops

I decided to slow my roll, and take things one step at a time. Today I broke the chords down to one strum per measure (assuming that this is in 4/4) so I could work through my transitions and get used to the finger positions.



I also just finished the third and final book from the Larsson series. What an amazing and intricate storyline. I feel that EVERYTHING came full circle, even things I had forgotten about through the course of the three texts. It's unfortunate that there won't be any continuuation. I think I'll reread these again in two years or so. :)

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

New Hobby, New Toy

I got my new laptop!! Dell Studio XPS, and I love it - so snazzy. It came with an integrated webcam, so I decided to put it to good use and document progress with my new hobby. GUITAR!

My first song is Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift (what did you expect?). I invite my blogdience to witness my tribulations LOL. And while my interests tend to be short-lived, I think I'm really starting to enjoy this one. I don't plan to learn the names of the chords or anything, I'm probably just goin to slack and continue to learn off of Youtube. We'll see how this pans out..

Day 3 of Teardrops:


I promise to sing with more gusto if, or when, I get better. And I'll try to sound less confused, maybe even get the lyrics right? I'm sort of a clumsy person, so this whole coordination of thought process thing is a pretty huge feat for me.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Horse Racing & BBQ

So I had one hell of a Saturday at work this weekend! I really like open houses, I get especially excited to welcome people to our shop! The environment is always really upbeat and warming. It's like a challenge to impress and be ridiculously pleasant, and I love stepping up to the plate.

Today I went with Albert to Golden Gate Fields in the East Bay, and it was such a gorgeous day. We had lots of beer and hot dogs, and watched two of the races. In between races there was a live band doing covers of current popular hits, and they were pretty entertaining. I placed bets on the second race, and I had to ask the guy at the info window how (I've never done it before). Luckily, he was nice enough to explain everything to me!

But alas, my pick ended up in 4th place. And because I didn't understand how to use the betting machine properly, I made two bets on the same horse LOL. Anyway, it was FUN!


Afterward, we went to Albert's family barbecue in San Jose. Apparently he has a pretty significant extended family in the South Bay, and they're all really nice! I had a good time meeting them, eating, drinking, playing with a huge chowchow, getting my hair re-layered, and even getting a massage from his aunt. What an awesome barbie right? And to top it off, his sister was there, and we had lots of time to catch up.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

AND THE CELEBRATION GOES ON!

Today I put in some overtime for BMW to get paperwork done. It was a gorgeous day though, so I didn't mind the drive to Mountain View at all! When I got back to the city, Albert took me to Kome for sushi birthday buffet madness. All of the staff people there look like they're from Volcano High LOL. And when we were eating, one of the waiters walked into a wall and I couldn't control my laughter. I ended up like silently convulsing, I hope he didn't see me. It was SO funny.

Then I went home, and I felt like a fat turd from gorging on sushi so I laid around in bed. But a-hah! I did clean up my room and get rid of a bunch of stuff. And I did start looking around at what kind of careers are of interest and available! Good start =)

For dinner, Julian took me to House of Prime Rib. It was both of our first times there, isn't that kind of sad? Born and raised in San Francisco, and it took 24 years for us to finally eat at HOPR. But anyway, it was fantastic. And we ordered a bottle of Gerwutztriminer with our meal and that also was amazing. We ended up slightly drunk, and we headed to AMC1000 to watch Splice. It was such a dark and twisted movie that we both ended up feeling disturbed as we exited the theatre. But I've got to admit, it was a unique and fresh plot with unexpected twists - that's pretty impressive for a movie nowadays.


This truly was my best birthday ever. I SERIOUSLY do not know how it gets any better than this. :)

Monday, June 7, 2010

Farewells, For Now.

Yesterday we had a barbie at Coyote Point for Menie, because she's moving away - I was just starting to get used to having her around again... and here she goes leaving all over. Well, we had lots of fun anyway. For the most part, everything went well.

The pineapple with brown sugar and cinnamon was sooo good. And I guess I never thought about it, but yesterday I learned that cinnamon is actually tree bark? Lots of good company, old friends and new, and delicious food. I got to use my activity mat and tanned while people played volleyball. I also made jello shots, and I'm pretty sure they were amazing - if nothing else, they were at the very least POTENT.

And then today I had brunch at Stacks with Julian. He is also leaving on Thursday to pursue his career. I'm so sad that he's moving away! We had a nice meal and then went to the driving range at Crystal Springs. It was a gorgeous day and there were animals out on the grass, so nice.

Afterward we hung out at his place for a bit, playing with the cats and chatting by the pool. I'm going to miss hanging out with him! This week will be sad, and I wish I could send other people away instead of them and keep my favorites around. But still, I'm excited for them both and wish them all of the best =)

Menie and I went for a late dinner with Ryan and Alan at Santa Ramen - I think this may be our last meal together for a while. And then we ran into some friends at Golden Island for dessert. Lots of funny moments throughout the night, those guys are hilarious. I'm sooo going to miss that crazy girl!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Learning Experience



I've always most hated feeling: 1) inadequate or inefficient, and 2) betrayed. The past two days I've contemplated the latter, and I've come to terms with a falling out in my personal life much more quickly than I'd have anticipated. The verdict? I'm getting better at this whole learning experience thing.

The sad part - I have to learn and relearn to not trust people, time and time again. Whenever I get close to something I feel is solid, it turns to shit. I've been told that I probably expect too much from people. And this is true - I do expect a lot from the people around me. Isn't it hard not to? But again, this is a learning experience, and I will keep trying until I get it right.

Watching Sex and the City 2 with my two best girls tonight really cheered me up. My coworker brought me cake today at work, and Menie brought me a red velvet cupcake before the movie. YUM! I also had an ICEE at the movie, and I haven't had one of THOSE in years!! The movie was so emotional, and funny, and sweet. Watching those women makes me feel like I pick up two years of wisdom and maturity in a matter of hours. I'm so glad we went to the movie, and I'm glad that I've come this far in terms of coping.

Just keepin' it classy, one day at a time.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Memorial Day Weekend in.. VEGAS!!!

This past weekend, we did Vegas like I've never done before. First time traveling in a big group, first limo ride, first time playing at a table, AND first time clubbing in Vegas. So many exciting new things for me =) And a trip I can't possibly ever forget...

We flew in Saturday night and got picked up in a limo! After checking into Aria, we got ready to go and headed to XS. It was enormous, ridiculous, and my MOST FAVORITEST part was the jacuzzi! We should've gotten a table on the main floor, because it was so packed inside of the club that it made dancing a little less enjoyable. The club was crazy loud, and the outdoor area was really nice. Surprisingly, the bathroom line wasn't bad at all.

After clubbing until 3 something in the AM, we went to the Venetian for GRAND LUX!!! I love Grand Lux, their food is so good. EVERY single time I've gone to Vegas (three times) I've eaten there. I wasn't hungry enough for the Shrimp Scampi this time - but I will be back for it next trip! I got a burger melt, and it was all kinds of juicy, greasy, deliciousness. When it was time to get a cab, the line was super long. I was sooo tired and the sun was already nearing the horizon. We went back to the hotel and crashed. The bed was sooo comfy.

Sunday morning, we woke up and went straight to the pool. Picked up drinks and snacks at the poolside restaurant and just lounged with the girls for a few hours. So relaxing. We got ready for an early dinner and then headed to Bouchon for the fancy eats! The food was really good and the server said he liked my flower. SWEET! We sang happy birthday to Bo even though he tried to play it off, and then we rushed off to the show!

I love Cirque du Soleil. I just love acrobats and special effects and really TALENTED people. "O" was all that and more! Synchronized swimmers are ALWAYS great entertainment, and the mechanics of the stage were MIND BLOWING. The music was live and the characters were awesome, and the show theme was kind of dark and twisted (I love that stuff). I daresay it could have been better than "Ka", and I was REALLY impressed with Ka.

The show ended early and we headed back to the hotel to pregame. Once we were all jacked up on caffeine and booze, we went to the Palms for Playboy Club. I was really relieved that the elevator didn't make me sick, I was sort of anxious about that. The club was a spectacular view and when they switched to the second deejay we had LOTS of fun. I feel that I did an excellent job of moderating my drinking, and I had a great time without overdoing it. We left early around 2 and headed back to the hotel to regroup. And then we went to.. McDonald's! It was a much needed fast-food fix and I slept really well that night.

Monday we had lunch at a cafe downstairs, and I played Roulette! I didn't do badly at all, and I would have played more if the tables weren't so crowded. I skipped buffet and walked around by myself. It was perfect weather for some me-time. I actually really liked Aria, everything there is so nice and brand-spanking new. The best part of the hotel was probably the touch-screen console that controlled everything in the room. How badass is that? We headed to the airport in the evening, and one delayed flight later we were home sweet home. Of course, the screen at my seat was busted for half the flight. But I did get some Doom-time in.











Such great company!! And so many excellent first-time experiences - I just really can't wait to do it all over again <3