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.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, November 25, 2011
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.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, October 17, 2011
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!
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!
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