reflections on november at bimbo's

last month, i went to 3 shows. all at bimbo's. while i see bands at popscene almost everytime i go, popscene is mostly for dancing. there's only ever a handful of bands that play there (per year) that i actually want to see. but seeing 3 bands all at bimbo's, that's rare. and might i add, unplanned. it was supposed to be 2 but voxtrot postponed their september show to tour with the arctic monkeys. ew, whatever.

the jens lekman show was pretty impressive. it's hard to believe he's only in his mid 20's. he's an amazing singer/songwriter/performer. he's one of those rare natural artists. but, i still can't get over the level of passion in which torque (et al.) exert during their shows. they are super cool, funny & awesome. i've seen them about 5x with the first one about 6 years ago. and there is a huge difference between the first shows and this last one. i've seen the hard work. the sweat & blood. and tears shed to produce such art. it's almost magical. as for voxtrot, i'm still trying to get over the disappointment. ugh.

while i rated both the jens lekman & stars shows 5 ♥s (that's a whole lotta love), the stars show was definitely the best of the 3 last month if not out of the entire year. i would most certainly see mr. lekman again. no doubt, the next stars show is a must but i'm almost sure that i will not be attending the next voxtrot show. boo.

office & popscene

venue: 330 ritch (popscene)
artist: office
who: nina, her friend kearny & will
when: 13 december 2007 (thursday)
doors open at 10p

last week, i went to popscene to see this band called office. they are from chicago. i'd heard them through a couple of cds joe (sorry ro!) had made for me. so when i saw that they were playing at popscene, i thought, i wanna go! my cousin nina had expressed wanting to go to popscene so i asked her to go. the last time we were there together was... wow, the night i met bernie back in september. crazy crazy. and a crazy night that was.

before popscene, i met up with my thyroid cancer sister, funie. she lives in oakland and since it's across the bridge to sf, it worked out perfect. i'd hang out with funie and meet nina for popscene after. funie & her friends decided on karaoke. this whole in the wall place where the clerk barely spoke english. luckily, funie is taiwanese and was able to speak with her for us. this place was like a hole in the wall. you could miss it if you weren't paying attention. there were 4 of us and the private rooms were $25/hour. more of their friends were supposed to show up but it was just us for a little over an hour. her friend erika and i sang and knew the same songs. it turned out that she was 32. funny. this place even had the song come go with me by expose. i haven't sang this song since middle school. ridiculous. what's even more ridiculous is the video my sister, cousin debbie & i made with this song. we had a dance routine and lip synced. debbie's brother lam was the mc. we also had matching outfits. it was so much fun. but alas, the video has gone missing. but i swear debbie & roger have it!

back to karaoke, i sang this song with erika. i didn't really know the words but oh my, i think debbie was only 10 y/o and we were singing songs about sex. then again, i think most of the songs from the 80s were about sex. i stayed there a little longer than i'd planned and didn't make it to popscene until close to 11 instead of 10. luckily, nina was with her friend kearny and they were waiting for me in their car. when i parked, this black civic parked in front of me. and who comes out of it? our long lost friend will! i didn't know he drove but i suspected it had something to do with his gf.

i met up with nina & kearny in line. ken, one of the bouncers (he's the one that asked me if i was chris's girl, if so, it was a shame because i was too fine for him! hahaha), he let us in for free on my birthday last month (with lisa & allen). i didn't really expect him to do it again this time. but then i see him whisper something to the cover chick and she stamps our hands without taking any $$. score! i need to bring him cookies the next time i go...

if you don't know, i absolutely love dancing at popscene. i get on this big natural dancing high. i suppose irish car bombs help too. but i have this big smile almost the entire time. funny, this is actually how bernie noticed me on the dance floor. anyway, i needed my dancing fix. we get on the dance floor and i see will over by the stage dancing by himself. as usual. normally, he would join us but he didn't and i felt bad for him so i went over to him. and we dance the entire night. we also chatted a bit on the dance floor. it was really nice. he's living with his gf now and no longer lives in the ghetto. hahah. he seems happy too which is great.

when office came on, we went and sat down in a booth. i didn't recognize any of the songs. i don't even think they played the two songs i knew. i was really disappointed. despite that, i still had tons of fun with nina, kearny & will. we stayed until closing and walked out with will. i spent the night at nina's and made it to work on time the next day. thanks nina!

rating: ♥

caroline's 23rd birthday & drunk dialing

my younger cousin turned 23 recently. it made me a little sad as i am ten years older than her. and i chose to be 23 for a good 8 or 9 years. now that i think about it more, i'm glad that i'm no longer in my 20s. i dare say i am even happy to be in my 30s. i choose the age 23 because it was one of the best years in my life. school was done, i travelled to europe, and thought i found the one i was going to marry and have babies with. it was truly the age of innocence for me. but now, who wants to be innocent at 33? pas moi!

last year at my cousin's party, i think i had 4 or 5 shots of vodka. i can't remember. then i had some plum wine or guinness. i mixed. and then it was all over for me. next thing i knew, i was waking up in my cousin's bedroom with her sleeping in the bed next to me. i suddenly saw flashes of yakking and what not. at first, i had no idea where i was. that's never good. this year, i told myself... i only want to get drunk enough to drunk dial bernie. so i stopped at 3 vodka shots. i planned on coming into work on sunday so i couldn't pass out anywhere but in my bed. i even texted him a warning message. possible drunk dialing tonight. he texted me back right away. he was going to bed soon so i had to call him soon. and i did. i can't remember a whole lot but it was nice hearing his voice and chatting with him. i'm a little smitten with him. clearly.

anyway, poor caroline got sick as did many others (including a 40 something y/o man who yakked everywhere). not me. i drove my mostly sober ass home. i even went to the office the next day. and hung out with a 4 y/o the entire day. having spent quality time with my dear cousins and their significant others (aka my cousin-in-laws & future cousins) is always such a joy despite how rare it is. it makes me really happy that i have such a lovely relationship with them. i'm also happy that bernie picked up when i drunk dialed him. heehee.

tube free!

last thursday, i had my last appointment with my ent doctor, dr. falsafi. he's been treating me since late last year and we actually said our goodbyes that afternoon. i saw him for the first time last december. despite having numerous specialists treating me, it's still a little sad to see them go. with all of my health issues, i feel extremely fortunate to have received such great care from most of them.

i had a total of 3 surgeries (done by the good doctor) all within 2007. now that being in his care is over, it's kinda bittersweet. i'm sad i won't see him anymore but i'm also happy that my problems have been resolved. for the most part anyway. i mean, seriously, i breathe so much better. i can't believe i didn't for most of my life. i don't miss the tube in my eye at all. hopefully, this is also goodbye to any pink eye recurrences.

thank you dr. falsafi!

your biggest fan? not quite.

venue: bimbo's
artist: voxtrot & new division
who: alex & betty
when: 30 nov 2007 (friday)
doors open at 8p

the night started off at burger meister in north beach on the way to bimbo's. unfortunately, we found ourselves sitting by the most obnoxious douche bags from the marina. i don't even think they were drunk. not that its an excuse for being obnoxious but it happens. not them. they were totally annoying. we hated them. so did the rest of the patrons there. we ended up staying longer than we should have.

we head over to bimbo's close to 8p. i love bimbo's. it's really a great venue. small enough where the musicians themselves are walking about. that's where i met david gedge from cinerama/wedding present. the sound is awesome. the ambiance is much better than the other venues. you can't beat the girl in the fish bowl either. it's so quaint. and the ladies restrooms are monitored by the coolest lady ever. the only problem is that it's cash only. but there are plenty of atms around so no biggie.

we got there early and scored a nice table off on the side right next to the bar. perfect location if you ask me. it was also a good spot for people watching, more like, stalker spotting. we saw a girl in a hideous dress stalking ramesh and then the rest of the band members. i'm happy to report that, thanks to my awestrickeness when it comes to rock stars that i can only blurt out one thing (along the lines of... i love your music). and then i'm gone.

the opening band was called new division. i overheard someone say that they were supposed to be like joy division. um, wrong division. they were nothing like joy division or any of their one songs. they were all over the place. one song was like toad the wet sprocket, another song was very 80's. the first song was ok but they went downhill after that. they kinda sucked. it's a harsh world out there and i'm not one for pacifying.

voxtrot started off great, as usual. their energy on stage was comparable to the energy in their songs. very jumpy and upbeat. especially their bass player, 70's guy who looks like a cross between topher grace and alex's german bf. more like topher grace though. then, towards the end (thankfully) their ratings fell rapidly. these slutty hags went up on stage and started dancing on stage. not only were they drunk & ugly, they were horrid dancers. ugh, in cheap grotesque sequins dresses. to keep this post brief, voxtrot allowed the sluts to stay on stage and did not seem to realize that we paid to see them, not stupid ugly old dancing sluts on stage. so we left.

rating: ♥ very very disappointing...

birthday events

on friday, i turned 33. i'm closer to my mid-30's. ugh. but as most of my friends know, i like to celebrate my birthday all month long. i started with my new red shoes. last weekend, i went to los angeles for a mini holiday. it was the only weekend i could get away before my big work deadline on december 4th. coincidentally, it was the baby shower of my college friend, sandra. i hadn't seen her since her wedding. kelly also surprised me with a trip to the bliss spa at the w hotel in los angeles. i'd been dying to go back to bliss since we had our muffin spa day there back in 2005. it's been over 2 years since i'd gone to any spa. so it was the perfect birthday surprise. we both got facials and chilled out in their lounge munching on brownie bar. we both also had extra treatments. she had the refining fruit acid wash ($25 extra) added on which is like a mini chemical peel. i had the microdermabrasion ($65 extra) added on and basically, they sand your face to make it smoother. usually, you get more than one session of these but i don't think i need to do it again. we both sat in the sauna for a bit, took individual steam showers and bought our products. it was much fun. and while i wanted a spa day with my sister (who suggested it to kelly, thanks lisa!), kelly is the next best thing. thanks kelly! ♥

last wednesday right after work, i brought home my birthday gift to myself. a new 2007 acura tsx with navigation system. it's carbon grey with ebony leather interior and a 6-speed manual transmission. i'd had my heart set on a mini cooper s but with all the bells & whistles i wanted in the mini, i got standard with the tsx. and more. everything has voice control. i'm still getting used to the commands. not to mention, talking to my car. and it is SO MUCH fun!!! the bluetooth is also really cool. if i call you on the road, chances are, i'm talking to you from my car!

on thursday, lisa & i cooked thanksgiving dinner. this year, there were no parents or unmarried significant others. a first. we all get along with my sister-in-law's siblings that they are really like family. i've been spending the last 8 or so thanksgivings with the pham family. it's been really great. lisa made the most amazing stuffing from scratch and corn pudding. and since my birthday was the next day, we celebrate my birthday on thanksgiving as well. it's a good excuse to have cake after dinner. i usually get myself the pumpkin burnt almond cake from peter's bakery but ro (thanks ro!) told me about aki's seasonal pumpkin cake. so i ordered one. it's called the pumpkin delight and it is quite delightful. really moist and flavorful. i'd say it was much better than the pumpkin burnt almond. mmm. i also got a yummy strawberry birthday cake from trang's sister jade.

after dinner, lisa & her bf allen took me to meat is murder night at popscene. it's a tribute to the smiths & morrissey. a smiths cover band, this charming band, was also playing. i hadn't been back to popscene since september and was dying to go dancing again. most of the popscene characters were there so we got in for free (thanks ken!) and for the most part (except for the first drinks allen had to pay for), we got our drinks for free (thanks to chris). dancing was so much fun. lisa took two car bombs with me. she'd never had them before. we didn't get home until 4p but it was totally worth it. thanks lisa! thanks allen! you guys are the best!!

a tradition i've started on my birthday is getting my haircut. i thought i just wanted a trim but i usually let my hair dresser, gina, do whatever she likes. she does in fact do whatever she likes and it always looks hot.

on saturday night, my brother & sister-in-law took me and lisa to this new restaurant in palo alto, called shokolaat. let's see, the only good thing i have to say about this place is that the dessert was the best thing there (even though we ordered 3/4 of the dinner menu). it was overpriced (over $200 for 4 of us) and there was a racist elderly woman sitting next to us who did nothing but glare at us all night and made racists remarks at us. i didn't know these people still existed. we were the youngest patrons dining there and not the only asians there either. next time, i'll go to xanh for my birthday.

thank you all for sending/leaving birthday messages on friday. i was napping from noon to 5p recovering from the night before at popscene. despite unfortunate events, it was still a lovely birthday.

in our bedroom after the war

venue: bimbo's
artist: stars & lloyd cole
who: alex, andrew, betty, ro, lou, jen & jonathan
when: 14 nov 2007 (wednesday)
doors open at 7p

while i was just at bimbo's no more than 5 days before the stars show, i hadn't seen torquil campbell perform since the memphis show which was earlier this year in may. not too long ago. having two doses of the torq is quite nice actually. another wouldn't be too bad.

torq campbell started off as a child star and still works as an actor. i saw him on sex & the city. he was also on a couple of law & order episodes, which i love love to watch. it makes me like him even more. hardly possible. anyway, more about torq later.

we get there and there are flowers all over the stage. not on the floor but on their instruments sticking out where ever flowers could stick out. lloyd cole opened the stars show. he used to sing with the commotions (i think). he went solo in the early 90's and i actually have his album (don't get weird on me, babe). there's this one song that i loved. it was why i bought the cd. it was called she's a girl and i'm a man. very catchy. alas, he didn't play it. however, he did play are you ready to be heartbroken? in which camera obscura (ro reminded me of this) has a song called lloyd, i'm ready to be heartbroken based off lloyd cole's song. cool, huh? i was really impressed with lloyd cole. even after all these years, he still really rocks. and doesn't look too bad either.

now, this is my fourth time seeing stars. and they just get better and better every time i see them. the thing you don't hear on the album is torq's passion. he sings with overwhelming passion that you can almost see it ooze out of him on the stage. he's jumping around and so completely into the music. he's also very funny and uber cool. both alex and i decided that we love him. words cannot describe the extent of his coolness. also, amy millan has one of the loveliest voices. i adore her voice. and at first, she didn't stand out quite as much as torq but you can tell she got more comfortable. the played most of the songs off the new album and the last one. i think the oldest song they played was on peak hill(right?). my first fav song by them is the very thing, but i don't think they've ever played it live. :(

they did two encores. the last one, torq convinced (very easily) most of the audience standing to sit down. it was like story time in elementary school all over again. and really awesome. that was a first. as for the flowers from the beginning, during their set towards the end, they threw them out to the audience. no one does that either.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ the best stars show yet.

mcdreamy sighting

last year, i discovered i had a crush on one of my faculty. if you'd asked me about him before, i would have told you, very unlikely. we referred to him as mcdreamy. i even went to dinner with him alone, once. but it was merely a school girl crush. especially after i found out that he had a girlfriend in the uk. it stayed a crush. how could it be anything more? after all, i was on a mancott.

anyway, mcdreamy was here this past week for an orals exam of one of his students. i had two really nice chats with him. one was when he first arrived from london (where he shares a flat with said gf). it was great having him around again. i even sort of might say that i missed him. but of course, there was no mention of the gf. at all. there is never any mention of the gf. i found out from someone else. the second chat was the see you next year chat. last august, i'd told him that i might start looking for another job on campus. he didn't approve. he asked me how the job hunting was going and i told him it wasn't. that the department was too good to me. it would be hard to leave. he responded, i'll see you next year then. that was thursday.

today, i was up in the city shopping. on powell street. as i crossed the street with my friend funie, i see mcdreamy crossing the street with his baggage probably on his way to sfo. he didn't see me and i was too shocked to say anything. it all happened so quickly. i think it might have been a sign?

quite the swedish ladies' man

venue: bimbo's
artist: jens lekman
who: ro
when: 9 nov 2007 (friday)
doors open at 8p

the last time i was at bimbo's, it was back in february for the camera obscura show. this month, i will have seen 3 shows at bimbo's. funny. last night, i went to bimbo's to see jens lekman with my very good friend romano. i'd been listening to his songs since i got a hold of night falls over kortedala (thanks ro!) before it was even released in the us. and i'd been looking forward to his show since i heard he was playing.

we got there during the opening band's set. they were called something statue and were from half moon bay. they weren't too bad. but they weren't who we were there for. we were there for jens lekman, swedish hotties on stage (his bandmates), and to be surrounded by swedish hot things. that's right, surrounded. it was packed.

listening to jens lekman in the car or at home is nothing like listening and/or seeing him live. he's really cute and surprisingly small for being swedish. his voice is flawless live. there's also a lot of horns and violins in his music. it's very orchestral yet with witty lyrics that are also silly at the same time. his harmonic arrangements are amazing and grandeur. you really want to listen to the words, all his songs tell a story. most of them ridiculous and funny. he started of talking about the last time he was in the area and his fond memories of rollerblading in sausalito. hilarious, really. and during many of his songs, he tells you the background on the story. more than you get from the song. it reminded me a little bit of sondre lerche when we saw him at slim's back in 2004. he gabbed a lot between his songs and you wished he'd just shut up and play. not jens, his stories were so personal and such a treat to hear.

he ended his set with two encores. the last song was his very own rendition of paul simon's call me al. which is funny because camera obscura also ends one of their last songs with it. and apparently, jens seems quite the ladies' man. shoot, i'd do him.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ it was magic.

december wedges

i know, it's a bit early for december shoes...

but it was the nordstrom half-yearly today.

and well, i picked these up...

a halloween treat

ten years ago (yes, 1997) in san diego, our household decided to throw a twin peaks themed halloween party. my friends (lou, ro, rich & quynh) were down visiting from the bay area. it was the first and only time they came to visit me during the 5 plus years i called san diego my home. not to mention lou's first time on an airplane. very very exciting!!

it was also the best halloween party, ever.

lisa and i were (& still are) huge twin peaks fans. we bought red flannel bedding to give the whole red velvet curtain effect. aside from the alcohol, we served cherry pie, donuts (?) and coffee. we played twin peaks on the tv and the soundtrack in the patio on the boom box. across the courtyard, our neighbor was also throwing a halloween party. our parties were interchangeable. people from our party went to his party. and people i didn't know showed up at our party. since i was drunk (see below, on the right) before people even showed up, i didn't care.

the picture at the top shows the twin peaks cast. from left to right: smella as "joan chen's character"; clair (one of our roommates) was "laura palmer found dead in plastic"; me as "audrey horne"; and lisa as "shelly johnson, the waitress."

good times. good times. (right lou?) heehee.

earthquake country

last night, at approximately 8pm, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6. the epicenter was in the alum rock area which is down the mountain from where we live. and i was meeting with betty at chevy's. we were waiting for our food when it felt like someone was kicking at my bar stool, REALLY hard. i turned and looked at betty, wondering if she was the one kicking my chair. but everything was shaking and kinda rolling. some glasses fell. the tvs hanging were swaying. all but one chevy's employee stayed calm. the one darted straight out of there! we all just waited for it to pass. and it did with no real damage to place. we just stayed and finished our meals.

on my way home, i received a call from my dad. he told me the earthquake originated in alum rock and couldn't get in touch with anyone at home. this worried me. what about the kids? are they ok? they must be scared. and i wasn't home to help them. so, i raced home. as i was going up the mountain, i passed some large rocks that had fallen at this hairpin turn. and was glad that i wasn't there when it happened.

i got home and my sister was home. she couldn't really call anyone. she was trying to get back to her boyfriend. she said everyone was fine. the power didn't go out. she was on the road when it happened so she didn't feel it. same with my brother & sister-in-law. they actually didn't have a clue. when i checked my room, there were pictures that were crooked and a few things that fell off my shelves. otherwise, in the same messy condition i'd left it that morning. my sister's room on the other hand, lots of things fell off her shelves. later, lisa says, damn, i can't believe i missed it!

apparently, this earthquake originated on the calaveras fault and 5.7 miles deep. the "big one" is speculated to come from the hayward fault. the last time the calaveras fault made any noise, it was back in 1984 which hit morgan hill with an earthquake at a magnitude of 6.2. still, this is nothing compared with the damage done by the 1989 quake (with a 7.1 magnitude). smaller shakes are so common here that i usually sleep through them. i have to admit, it was a little exciting to have one rolling through. we were due for one. i'm just glad there wasn't much damage as a result.

btw, happy halloween everyone!

control

in theatres on october 26 (now!)

sf- landmark lumiere
berkeley- landmark shattuck

anyone want to see it with me?

thoughts on bernie

thanks to my osoms, bernie is becoming less and less wonderful. it's not to say that he wasn't wonderful. the freshness of his wonderfulness is fading.

i've decided, while i prefer being chased by bernie (well, men in general), there's not much option for a relationship. for two reasons. one of them being we had one date. granted, it could have been 3 dates in one, it was still just one date. second, he's in new york and most likely will not move back. and there is no way i am moving out there. if you want to know why, ask my niece. keep in mind that she's a little scary sensitive with the subject of me leaving her. despite not having a romantic relationship with bernie, i'd still like to be friends with him. i still think he's pretty awesome. he's funny as hell and not bad to look at either.

this is really interesting to me because there are two categories i generally put men in. the "friends" category and the "dated" category. i no longer speak to men in the "dated" category. ex-boyfriends are in that lot. however, some "friends" have been able to move from the "dated" lot. considering all the boys i've "dated," the transition doesn't happen often but is still possible. once they are "friends," they can't move back to "dated." while bernie is moving from "dated" to "friends," i might consider the option of moving him back to the "dated" category. i don't know for sure but we'll see. being "friends" with him gives me the freedom of emailing him for no reason. and without any pressure.

maybe a "flirting" category would be best for me to put him in? nah, i flirt with my "friends" all of the time...

october & november animal print boots

i'm wearing the leopard pair right now...
btw, they were 90% off! that's why i got them both.

weekend of birthdays

this past weekend was much fun with too much food. ugh. i'm still full from all the birthday celebrations. on saturday, my best friend kelly came up from LA to visit and threw an informal birthday party for her daughter (who turns 2 today), emily-anne. last week, on thursday, i took half the day off to play hookie with kelly. i went over sometime before 2p and didn't leave until past 10p! it was so much fun. i really miss hanging out with her. she's such a great friend...

on saturday, i went over for more food, cake and a game of tripoley. i rarely play card games but since everyone else was playing and the night was still young, i decided to try. basically, it's 3 games in one and 3 ways to win. first, you match up any high hearts you have. there are 9 pots of money you play. then, you play poker with 5 of the cards you have. and finally, you play russian rummy. whoever gets rid of their cards first, wins the last pot. i think i stayed until all of my chips ran out which was close to 11p.

on sunday, it was trang's mother's birthday brunch at dim sum. i stuffed myself silly. both days. then trang & i took the kids to chuck e. cheese. i don't really remember the last time i went. when i was a kid? can't be. anyway, we stayed for a good hour or so and then we went to the gilroy outlets. despite being really tired, i'm always up for shopping. after a full day, i cleaned for a bit and rewarded myself with a nice, relaxing bubble bath. i love my bathroom. since we're moving in december, i need to make the most of it!

ugh, i'm still recovering. i hope to hit the gym this week, except, i've got this awful cough that's keeping me up nights. usually though, i feel better during the day. nights are pretty bad even though i try to sleep at an incline. i hope it goes away soon...

random work incident

i'm usually at work until 5:30p to catch my 5:49p train. our office closes at 5p and there's a room in front of my office which i am responsible for. the room is our grad student mailroom so mostly, people i know come through this entrance.

last night, sometime after 5p and as we were closing up shop, this random student comes through my office. i start towards him and say i'm sorry, we're closed.

he says as he continues through the office like he belongs there, oh i'm sorry, i just need to drop something off.

i'm sort of in his way and he just moves around me. i'm in complete shock. i'm speechless (rare, right?). and i just give him this combination of a dirty & confused look. i stare at him while he puts this card into one of our faculty mailboxes and heads out. he turns around and apologizes again and finally leaves.

i follow him out so i can lock up behind him. this is why i work with grad students. undergrads here have this sense of entitlement and they feel like they can do whatever they want. ugh, drives me up the wall!!

this morning (less than an hour ago), the same guy comes into my office. his name is steven. and get this, to apologize! this NEVER happens. he says he wants to apologize for being rude last night and had been thinking about it all night. again, i'm speechless with shock. finally, i tell him that i appreciate his apology. it's funny, after going off on undergrads doing what he did, it turns out that he's a grad student. figures, undergrads who do this never apologize later.

is there a full moon coming up? no, there was one recently. maybe an earthquake? totally bizarro.

the start of something?

i was very excited about my date with bernie on saturday. he called in the afternoon to touch base on our plans (like he said he would). he suggested sushi, i said i love sushi! we were on for dinner at 7p. i would pick him up where he was staying. he texted me the address and i was ready.

but i got a call from my parents asking if i could pick up the kids from vietnamese school. the school is just down the street from us and i had car seats so i said i would. what they didn't bother to tell me, according to trang, was that they were supposed to babysit. i told trang, as long as she or my brother got home by 6p so i can leave, it would be fine.

6pm rolls around and nothing. i'm rushing around getting ready, throwing clothes here and there. the kids were hungry so i had to feed them. there was leftover food and dirty dishes everywhere. i thought, ok, i'm not going to worry about that stuff. but what do i do with the kids?? i had to leave, now! so i tell them to put their shoes on and i was going to drop them off at my parents. as soon as i was about to load them into the car, i saw the garage close with my brother's car inside. so i yelled his name and he opened the garage. saved! the kids ran inside and i was ready to go. except, i still needed gas for the car. i texted bernie, running late, had to babysit & need to fill up but on my way!

i got there around 7:30p and i was really nervous. we'd had this great phone conversation. he seemed really cool so far. he calls when he says he will or when i ask him to. so far, this guy was perfect. and as it turns out, cuter than i'd remembered. we have dinner at this cute sushi place in japantown. it's tiny. i have this funny wasabi story i tell. and it's also a good way to tell someone about my thyroid cancer. since i've lived with it for 4 years now, it's not so hard for me to talk about it.

the story goes... one time (at band camp, heehee), i lost my taste buds. i'd undergone radiation treatment and it was maybe a month or so later. all of a sudden, in the middle of the day, i couldn't taste anything. the duration of the lost of taste buds was about 2 weeks. during which, i'd gone out to eat sushi. and i thought, since i can't taste the wasabi, why not put the whole ball in with my soy sauce? afterwards, i still couldn't taste anything and for a second i was fine... until my eyes began to water and my nose started to run, profusely. while my mouth couldn't and didn't react to it, the rest of my body did! it was pretty funny.

bernie was really concerned for me. and shared his health issues with me. it's crazy and scary that your body starts to fall apart when you get older. but, that's the process of aging. we talked about everything and anything. until the restaurant closed. we weren't done hanging out so he took me to this wine bar. i have no clue where it was. it was in a really nice neighborhood where there was no parking. after we finally found decent parking, it was a nice walk to the wine bar. he offered his arm to me while walking down the hill. he said he always offers his arm to ladies walking downhill in heels. i just figured he was giving me a reason to hold on to him. but i could see that it was that he was a gentleman.

at the wine bar, we talked more openly. it's where it all came out. there, i told him that if he was as cool as he seemed, i was going to be upset that he was leaving. he told me how happy he was when i first texted him. even though he got it at 3 or 4 in the morning in hong kong. then he held my hands. and told me he really wanted to kiss me. i remember him saying this at popscene (yes, i know, i didn't mention it below). it was so cute. i couldn't say no to him at popscene and i couldn't say no to him this time. so i leaned in and kissed him. before we knew it, the wine bar was closing. and we were off again, but where?

he hadn't been in the country for a few months and didn't really know where to take me. he was staying with friends and i didn't really want to go back there to hang out. so despite having left my apartment like there was an explosion, lisa wasn't home and it was an option. i asked him, do you want to come back to san jose with me? he answered, as long as you don't mind dropping me off here tomorrow.

in the car, he held my hand for a bit. still making me laugh non-stop. i don't know what it was about him. something really special. at popscene, there was something then but i didn't know what. i still don't know if i know. my concept of time during this date was completely obsolete. i don't remember when we got back to san jose, at all. but he loved the view and the apartment despite the mess. he didn't seem to care. he just wanted to be with me. and i wanted to be with him.

we hung out until 2p on sunday afternoon. it was a lot of talking, kissing, holding and cuddling. something i've never done for so many hours. with anyone in one sitting. not even with the live-in bfs. and i think we would have stayed in bed much longer had it not been for hunger and thirst. damn those essential life necessities.

we had waffles and pancakes on the way back up to the city. i dropped him off and was already getting sad. he held my hand in the car. and kissed me when he left. said he would try to have dinner with me before he left if he could finish all his stuff.

i'd never had such an amazing time with someone i'd just met. it was so open and comfortable. i don't think we tried very hard to impress one another. at least, i couldn't tell. it was so genuine. i'm completely thrown off. it's bizarro. but now, i'm so very sad. :(

my renewed faith in men

first, there was the best date ever which was officially the first date after coming off my mancott (i think?) and now, there's bernie. yep, the guy i met at popscene when hot hot heat played, while not waiting for chris. despite being slightly drunk, there was something about him. enough of something that i let him give me his number. and since he is moving to new york in the very near future (next week), i figure, what have i got to lose? so i texted him. and he texted me right back. from hong kong. told me when he was coming back and when he moving. and then he asked me if i wanted to hang out. i texted back, yes! call me when you get back! that was mid-september. i hadn't heard anything from him after. honestly, i didn't expect to hear from him at all.

but on tuesday, the day he came back, i got a call. from him. this is second part of the renewed faith. i was so shocked that he called that i was too scared to pick it up. i let him go to voice mail. i called him back the next day. i think we were on the phone for over two hours. and i was laughing the entire time. lisa could hear me in the kitchen from my room with the tv on. ha. it makes me smile just thinking about our conversation. i was so impressed with him. i mean, the fact that he called when i asked him to. and the last part of the renewal was the phone call. i haven't been on the phone like that with a guy since the dreaded ex.

and so, i have a date with bernie to look forward to on saturday. yay!

lucky me & the lucksmiths

venue: 12 galaxies
artist: lucksmiths
who: ro
when: 23 september 2007 (sunday)
doors open at 9p

before the start of the academic year (stanford started on the 24th), i'd gone into the office sunday afternoon to catch up and prep for the following day. we had all sorts of events to look forward to this week. but before monday, i had the lucksmiths to really look forward to. i'd also recently received my annual raise (5%! a first!) so the plan was to leave around 6p to head up for dinner before the show. ro had some recommendations and we ended up at delfina for dinner. there was an hour wait and since there were two opening bands and we were there at 7p, it wasn't a problem. we just went to the tartine bakery for some coffee and pre-dinner desserts. ro had macaroons and mexican cookies and i had bread pudding. yummmmy!

at 8p, tartine's had closed and we headed back to delfina's. almost the moment we arrived, ro got the call that our table was ready. what perfect timing! we started with snails raised with rosemary and other herbs. i forget what others. we were being adventurous ordering the escargots. i'd never had them. ro had never had them either. and they were delightful. they did in fact, as our waitress said, melt in our mouths. it was a successful attempt at being daring in terms of food. we both had the fulton valley range chicken with olive oil mashed potatoes and royal trumpet mushrooms which was delicioso and we might have enjoyed it more had it not been for our pre-desserts. oh well.

i think it was after 10p when we headed out to 12 galaxies. we were both first-timers there. it's set in the mission district which is really dirty and seems shady if you've never been there. there are lots of hip bars and restaurants there so it's quite a popular area. personally, i prefer noe valley, but it's a lot more expensive. hence, i live in the south bay.

the venue was basically this long room with the stage set up at the very back. and like the rickshaw stop, there's an upstairs with a great view of the band. also similar to the rickshaw, it was hotter than hell upstairs. we just stayed downstairs. we caught the second opening band. there were like 20 people on stage dancing around. the sound was bad. they all looked like they were having fun but it was really random. and kinda awful. i guess there were about 13 people, really. whatever. but when the lucksmiths came on, the sound got better. then again, it might have been their lead singer's voice. it was so melodic and perfect. he didn't miss a beat. and on top of that, he played drums standing up. it was a fantastic show. i was most impressed. thanks ro!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

hot hot heat with chris

venue: 330 ritch (popscene)
artist: hot hot heat
who: alex & nina
when: 13 september 2007 (thursday)
doors open at 10p

last thursday, i went to popscene with alex (who hadn't been there for over a year) and cousin nina. it was popscene's 11th anniversary party so they had a special guest band, hot hot heat. we'd seen hot hot heat there before and it was a great show. we were really excited about seeing them again. the only thing i wasn't excited about was the line that would probably reach to the end of the block. as these kinds of bands do at such small venues. luckily, nina offered to wait in line for us at 9p. alex and i got there shortly after 9:30p and as usual, i tried flirting my way in to avoid the line. fortunately, the boys know me and it worked. they also know that i sort of have a thing with chris (not exactly sure what it is yet), with whom they tease me about, incessantly. i suppose i can't blame them. that's what i get for making out with him in public.

after waiting at the front and saying how scary the line is, they tell me, you don't have to worry about the line. i call nina up to the front. i asked jorge to get chris so i can say hi to him. jorge returns sans chris and tells me that chris told him to take care of me. what a sweetie. *sigh* meaning, chris is allowed two guests, there are 3 of us so it's a 3 for 1 deal on top of hopping the line. it was $13 for the 3 of us. that's actually cheaper cover than a regular popscene night! score!

we also got in before 10p! i love popscene... we go over to say hello to jessica, have some drinks with josh and then more drinks with jason. chris walked by a few times before i finally i was able to say thanks to him. he's really busy working and still, he sits down to chat with us. he's seriously the sexiest thing ever. i hadn't seen him since our date on labor day. i'm really itching for another make out session with him. but he's too busy. :( at one point, i surprised him from behind when i went over to have a little chat with jason about chris. and i got a few kisses out of him but i wanted more.

finally, chris gets the ok and we head to the back. we're a little less conspicuous about our making out these days. especially since he was working and all. i'm not sure if this was before or after hot hot heat came on. but i didn't recognize any of their songs until the end when they started playing the old stuff. we snagged a table in the back so we couldn't see much but we could hear them fine. i couldn't pay much attention with chris walking back and forth in front of me. after the band, we hit the dance floor. we were dancing as usual and there were these guys dancing near us. i was a little drunk and found myself dancing with this one guy. his name was bernie. he's 35 y/o and moving to new york. he said he lived in san francisco for 10 years. he told me he thought i was 24 but noticed that i knew the words to all the songs he knew. when i told him how old i was, it made sense to him. he also told me he thought i was the cutest thing. very sweet. he also told me that i danced very well. i don't even know how long we danced. i didn't notice anything around me, like chris. both alex and nina saw chris walk by as i danced with bernie.

it was late and we had to get going. so, alex got our coat check stuff and i was saying goodbye to bernie. he asked to see me again. gave me his card and phone number. he was really very sweet. after seeing bernie off, i looked for chris to say goodbye to him. just as i turned around, there he was, walking towards me. he pulled me inside the bar, asked me if i was drunk and we made out for a bit. i'm not sure if it was because i was a little drunk but he seemed really into it. i mean, he's usually into it but more than usual. it was nice. :D maybe seeing me dance with bernie was a good thing? anyhow, i don't know how long i was there with him but i heard the djs announce closing time. oh shit, it's 3am?!? alex wanted to leave by 1! so off i went. and off the three of us went to go home. except, we had to drop nina off at her friend's place and we got lost getting back on 101. we ended up by the golden gate and was finally on our way home. i think it was close to 4a when we got back to mt. view.

i got up around 7:30a and caught the train in mt. view. the train that i've been missing all week because i can't get my ass up early enough to get it at 7:45a in san jose. yet, on 3 hours of sleep (a wee nap), i made it into work on time. and i'm there all day. that is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?

rating: ♥ ♥ (hot hot heat)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (for chris)

september mary janes

i've been looking for some gray shoes and have been into wedges lately. these are really cute!

tube update

last thursday, i had an appointment with my doctor for the removal of my tube. while he probed the tube in my nose and stuck some forceps in there, he decided to leave the tube in for another three months. he mentioned that he thought i was healing nicely but just wanted to leave the tube for a bit longer. i figure, it's better than having it put in a 4th time. and since i don't feel it, it's no biggie.

otherwise, i am feeling quite well and getting the most out of these glasses. alas, i will have to postpone the daily wear of eye make up until the winter. oh well.

best date ever

so there's this guy i met at popscene. his name is chris. i don't really remember how we met him but it might have been in a drunken stupor. it was 2003 (i think) and he was 23. he worked at popscene and i'd always made it a point to introduce myself to the hot guys working there. he once asked me out on a date back then and i told him he was too young. plus, he lived in the city and didn't have a car. but then, i ended up dating ted, who was 23 when i met him. we all make mistakes, don't we?

since i've been single again, i've found myself drawn to chris more and more. he's funny, witty, and not to mention super hot. i even gave him my phone number, which is something i never do anymore. and lately, we've been making out there, in a dark corner (or not) at the club.

this past monday, he called me and asked if i wanted to hang out. i thought to myself, hello? i need a little more notice. but then i thought, well, i haven't gone outside yet. i've been cleaning all day. i'm a mess and chunky is sleeping my room. oh yeah, and it was hot as hell. i needed to get myself out of there. i texted him, would love to hang out, what have you got in mind? it turns out it was "perfectly overcasted" in the sunset. so, i left chunky upstairs with the nanny and off i went.

now, if you don't know, i haven't been dating for a while. since my mancott was imposed last year, i've been slow getting back into the dating scene. at least, i think i have been. so i'm really nervous on the way up. and this is usually a sign that i like the guy. then again, it might be the fact that since we have only ever seen each other at popscene, we've never actually seen each other in broad daylight. sans the intoxication of alcohol. i had no idea what to expect.

i get there at 5p and he lives on this very cute yet narrow street. the neighborhood is very quaint. his house is also very cute. 5p is a really odd time for a weekday but not only that, it was labor day. most shops start closing and bars have yet to open. he suggests a movie. we look at our choices and nothing looks exciting. so he says, let's go for a drive.

we're driving along and i say, wow chris, this is fun ... uh, driving. he laughs at me and tells me that he is taking me somewhere. and asks me if i like champagne and cheese? who doesn't like the bubbly? he takes me to the ferry plaza on the embarcadero. it's a nice walk along the embarcadero from the car. the place he wanted to take me to is closed but we go somewhere else for some bubbly. he's really quite charming. and really really sexy. i am SO attracted to him. plus, he's a great kisser. one of the best, actually.

afterwards, he's "driving" again and i don't know where. i'm just assuming we are heading back to his place. then he asks me, have you had soju? and i recall the last time i had soju last year. except, i remembered ogi being 22, not 24. so i tell chris the story... the last time i had soju, i made out with a 22 y/o boy and didn't remember it. i remembered having 4 shots but betty said it was more like 7. and i woke up with swollen lips and thought to myself, what the hell is wrong with my lips?? i think he liked that story. we were headed to the rohan lounge, this korean fusion restaurant/bar. it was very cool. when we got there, it was totally empty. so he took me across the street to this divebar for beers. i really enjoy divebars. they have so much character to them. and they are super random. after our beers, we went back to rohan and it was better. there were people there.

it's a very cool and hip place. there's an area for a dj and a nice ambiance for a date. chris ordered us two flights of soju, one sweet and one dry, and some food. the sweet soju is really good. the dry stuff is like vodka. i've only ever had the dry stuff. the plan was to alternate, for me, it was one sweet, one dry, sweet, etc. by the third shot, i really started feeling it. i got a little clumsy, like dropping a slippery pineapple on the table. then i say to him, wow, i'm a little drunk. um wait, you know you don't have to get me drunk to make out with you, right? because, well, that's a given. then, he sits down next to me and kisses me. it was very sweet. the owner/waiter comes by and sees the pineapple on the table. and says to me, next time, you get a fork! no more chopsticks for you if you are going to be dropping food! hahah. it was one slippery pineapple the size of a dollar coin! sheesh!

so far, this date is quite outstanding. i'm really surprised. pleasantly surprised. i had no idea what to expect, at all. we go back to his place and get comfortable and well, um, i stay until midnight and head home. i'd sobered up quickly and was able to drive home. it was really amazing... why i waited 4 years to go out with him is beyond me. i wish i'd skipped ted altogether and went straight to chris. seriously, no idea about him.

update #2 on recovery #2

funny story at the hospital the day of my surgery (over 4 thursdays ago)... i'm at o'connor which was where i had my thyroidectomy done 4 years ago (almost to the date!) and this nurse, mimi helped me prep up. i couldn't help but notice how familiar she seemed. especially as she asked me all of the same questions i'd been asked before. in the middle of it, she stopped and said to me, have i helped you before linda? i tell her that i was just thinking the same thing! it's really nice to be remembered, isn't it?

as far as my current recovery goes, i'm healing well. aside from coughing up this tiny plastic thing which apparently is from the gel form they stuck in my nose to hold something in place. it also seemed to be the cause for the sore throat/ tonsilitis symptoms because after it was out of my system, i was fine. well, except for the congestion. but my doctor pulled the gel form out along with some really gross stuff. my nasal cavity actually felt empty after that. it was amazing. a bit traumatic but absolutely necessary. i can breathe deeply again!

one last thing though. the tube in my eye comes out this coming thursday. i don't really feel it so it's not a big deal. i just hope it doesn't hurt too much!

happy labor day weekend everyone!

august sunset

our view this month on our mountain.

update on my recovery #2

hi all,

thanks for all the messages and concern. i'm recovering well, much better than the last surgery. on friday, as lisa is working from home next to me, she says... i can't believe you had surgery yesterday, it feels like we're just hanging out. after the last surgery, when she came to pick me up, she cried at the sight of me. she said i looked really messed up. this time, it was different. i didn't look swollen, and didn't need help getting into the house. i was up and about on friday. the only thing i'm really having problems with, are my tonsils. they are so swollen that if i don't keep my tonsils down my throat, i choke a little bit. my throat is so sore right now. and it's hard to take any solids down.

otherwise, my nose is fine. my face is fine. as long as my tonsils get better, i'll be a-ok. i'm hoping to get back to the office earlier than the 20th.

xoxo

t minus 7 hours and counting...

i have surgery today, in the morning. hopefully, this will be the last one for a long time. i'm having an endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy done. dcr for short. i'm hoping all goes well as i have a bit of a cough. this should fix my teary left eye, for the most part anyway. and if i'm lucky, i'll leave the hospital with an eye patch. i kinda dig the pirate look. ;)

see you soon! ♥

ps, happy birthday lou! (on the 10th). posts on my mini break will have to wait until later!

august wedges

these were $41, including shipping!

mini break

in anticipation for my surgery scheduled next week, i am going away for a mini break down to southern california starting wednesday night. i will be back early next week with lots of stories and pics to post! ♥

my new cut

i told my hairdresser gina, i just want it short. above shoulder-length. this is what she gave me. now, i look just like my yahoo avatar!

dr. alex!

today, about 12 hours ago, my dear friend alex (muffin) submitted her dissertation. this is a huge deal and very exciting! congrats alex! ♥

my childhood dream come true...

on 07-07-07, a very lucky date for weddings and anything else, my cousin married my childhood friend. in 1984, we moved across the street to nina's family. she and her brother, morris, were the only kids our age in the neighborhood. we became inseparable. nina, my sis, me and sometimes morris. he was 7 y/o. there's only so much a 7 y/o boy can do with 3 girls older than him.

we spent countless days together playing together. then, we had this grand idea. she was the same age as our cousin. if they got married, she would be our cousin too! an upcoming birthday party was the opportune time to introduce them and in 20 years or so, they could get married and live happily ever after. we teased them, ruthlessly, as kids do. kids are cruel, right? we had no idea the effect it made. as a result, they avoided each other like the plague. until high school, somehow, they got together and started dating. it was on and off through the years and about 4-5 years ago, it was definitely on. and so, on july 7th, they married and she is now my cousin.

here is an "after & before" picture of me and lisa in our cheong- sams from our brother's wedding in 2000. the dresses are custom made to fit you perfectly. before the wedding, we had our dresses taken in 3+ inches. as you can see me in the b&w pic, i'm a total fatty. yuk. i was ~20lbs heavier. it's amazing what 7 years does to you. anyway, we wore these dresses to the morning ceremony. we were the only ones in chinese traditional dresses. everyone else wore ao dais (which are traditional vietnamese dresses). our dresses are so similar (mine is yellow-gold, hers is chartreuse with accents of each others fabrics. we were dubbed chinese twins.

the morning ceremony was a traditional vietnamese wedding with family and close friends only. there's a procession where the groom's family bears gifts to the bride's family. my dad was the groom's family representative, who is the head of the procession. i was holding the tray of liquor (to be given & drank with the bride's parents) next to him. it was wonderful to be a part of it. afterwards, we had the traditional chinese tea ceremony at the groom's parents' house. there, we caught up with nina's brother morris. we'd known him since he was 7 y/o. he's 29 now with a 5 y/o son, justin. who looks just like him. it was so nostalgic. we talked about playing house and watching cartoons. and their pet turtle who ended up in our backyard years after they moved.

about a month earlier, i found out that nina's so-called friend released herself from being the day coordinator. as i wanted to help out, i'd wholeheartedly volunteered to be their reception coordinator since they needed someone they could trust. i was the point of contact for everyone at the wedding. it was my job to make sure events were happening at the right time. it was my job to tell the dj to change the song because my cousin didn't like it. ok, i only had to do this once. haha. it was nice to have such power. and the whole event turned out awesome.

it was a lovely wedding. nina's family are good people. the food was pretty tasty despite being banquet food. they had gourmet cupcakes instead of a cake. and they were delightful.

as lisa and i were leaving, we saw nina's parents in the parking lot. her mom says to us, we're family now! it was such a sweet end to an enjoyable night.

more pics to come...

5 years ago...

i had a best friend i now refer to as "smella." she was my best friend for over 10 years. we had known one another since middle school. we went to high school and college together. but five years ago, it all came out. her true feelings of me. she hadn't let go of things that had happened in the past and i realized, she would never let them go despite repeated apologies (for no reason really, she too was at fault) and explanations. i admit, i too hold grudges but once i'm over that hump, i forget about it. the grudges i maintain are incidences i can never forgive and therefore, i always say, i prefer moving forward and not backward. they are things that don't get over that "hump."

it's been five years, almost to the day. i still have the chat archive where i last spoke to her, as a friend. the most i've said to her since is a "hi" in passing. but that's been once or twice. you know how your best friend is your worst enemy? well, she was my worst enemy and i didn't even know it. this came out when i confronted her with an email i received from an ex-boyfriend. he wrote to just "let me know" that he and his new gf was meeting up with her and her bf. i immediately forwarded the message to her and asked if he was lying because it couldn't be true that she would do such a horrid thing. he sent this to me a month after telling me he would not speak to me for at least a year. lame, right?

i went to high school with my ex-bf. that's how she knew him too. they weren't really friends though. they became friends when he and i started dating again in 2001. she turned out to be a bit of a counselor to him. bad for me. apparently, this gave her an opportunity to stab me in the back to my at-the-time-bf. which according to him, he was always defending me. at the time, i just figured he was lying. that she might actually talk shit about me to him, of all people. looking back and knowing how much he cared about me, he couldn't have been lying. it was true. she secretly hated me while i loved her like a sister.

during the years, i'd hear things about her and him, together and separately. that he went to her wedding. and that he got married to that gf. i'm happy for him. that he found someone, someone who wasn't me. i also heard that she missed me. despite that, she didn't want to be friends with me again. this makes no sense to me. i do not miss anyone i don't want contact with, and that includes her. i look back and think how stupid i was, to love someone so unconditionally and all along, she hated me. the friendship was not mutual. she said she was more of a friend to me than i was to her. that i held all these high expectations of her and she couldn't take the pressure. it was too much for her. she couldn't hack being my friend. how does one react to this? how could it possibly be resolved? how does one want to continue this kind of friendship? there was one reaction. i was stupid for thinking she was like my sister. i was stupid for loving her unconditionally. i was stupid for thinking the world of her. and last, i was stupid for hoping it was mutual between us. the only thing i could do was abruptly end the conversation and mourn the loss of a terrible friendship. how could i have been so stupid?

i have not spoken to her since. and would prefer it stays that way. i don't miss her. i'm glad that she is no longer my friend. as a matter of fact, having her out of my life has made my life much better. it's made me realize what friends are supposed to be like.

actually, my best friend kelly, has helped me with this as well. our friendship is not only uncondi- tional but there are no problems with high expectations, it's just a given. there's mutual respect and love between us. it's an ideal friendship. the best part is, we've been friends since 1986 and it just gets stronger.

july wedges

my first pair of donald pliners. i ♥ these!

kindred spirit & scar buddy

most of you who read my blog, know that i was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer back in 2003. this year, i had my fourth body scan which means (as i've said previously back in april) i have one left to go until i can officially be declared "cured."

last november, i received an email from a good friend of mine. it turns out that her childhood friend was diagnosed with a type of thyroid cancer. she asked me to contact her friend to help her with concerns she was having about her diagnosis. so i did. i wrote her about my entire experience. from the symptoms to how i've lived with it. i shared my experiences with my doctors, the surgery, the recovery, the radiation treatment, and my body scan check ups. we'd been emailing one another as well as spoken on the phone (right before her surgery) ever since. actually, we are both on gchat and instant message every now and then. she's a grad student at berkeley and is local, sort of. we'd been playing with the idea of meeting up, finally. to match a face with the voice. last thursday, we met up for dinner at xanh in mt. view. my treat.

it was really nice to finally meet her. when my friend made this request, i didn't think twice about contacting her. i'd been in her shoes. while thyroid cancer is the best cancer to get if you were given a choice of any one cancer to be stricken with, as it is curable, it's still a very scary ordeal. it's life changing. certainly, it's changed my life. it would have been nice to have someone who had gone through it to ask questions and concerns. i was glad to be that person for someone else.

we met up at 6:30 and talked and ate well through 2 hours. it turned out that we had more than scars in common. luckily for her, she did not have cancer. hers was benign. she had a partial thyroidectomy. we were both young, strong, intelligent women with similar views on life, love, and spirituality. it's really amazing how well we got along and how we seem to be on the same wavelength. the dinner would have lasted longer except, i was late picking up my niece and nephew! so we said we would do it again.

and she brought me a little thank you gift. this book, which was really thoughtful and sweet of her. i felt bad that i came empty handed. luckily, i was able to treat her to dinner!

long blondes @ popscene

venue: 330 ritch (popscene)
artist: minipop, nicole atkins & the sea, and the long blondes
who: lou & ro
when: 17 june 2007 (saturday)
doors open at 9p

we got there sometime past 10p and there was this line. ugh, i hate lines. as always, jorge was at the door and so i say to him, hey! what's going on?? he saw right through my attempt at subtlety and asked if i wanted to cut the line. ha! luckily, chris was there and let us in on the other side.

lou wanted to do car bombs and tried to order one from jason. i went to josh to get mine. unfortunately for lou, they no longer serve car bombs. however, i got mine. twice. my second car bomb was with jason. it makes me happy that i get special treatment there.

for some reason, i'm able to spot will out from a crowd or sense his presence. it's really strange and a bit perplexing. so when he came in, i spotted him from the corner of my eye. as i was in the middle of getting my second car bomb, i waited and figured he'd find me like he usually does. but he didn't. just as i thought to myself, i just saw him... he appeared right in front of me. except, he was sitting down and didn't see me. strange, he was sans girlfriend. he seems to be sans her frequently.

lou & ro stayed close to the bar while i hung out with will on the dance floor. then, i spotted adam from australia by the bar all the way to the left sometime before or during the minipop set. i went over to say hello. i haven't seen adam in ages! we chatted for a bit. caught up. he asked me if i was dating, i said no. i asked him if he was dating, he said no. he remembered me telling him about ted. i'd run into him sometime last year, after the break up. i remember he asked if i wanted company. funny. i told him i was sick of taking care of men and that i wanted to be taken care of. he responded, i'll take care of you and put his arm around me. he's really a sweet guy.

when nicole atkins & the sea came on, i went back over to will. she has a really nice voice. not quite the type of music i'm there for but it was good. it was slow and bluesy. lounge music type. she's got this great soulful voice. between her and the long blondes, will and i were able to squeeze some dancing in. which is always fun.

the long blondes are from sheffeld, england. as are pulp. and it turns out, or so it says on the popscene flyer, that fans of pulp should/will like the long blondes. in my case, i would fall under that category. as i love pulp and i do enjoy the long blondes. except, they make me think of sleeper than pulp with a hint of debbie harry. maybe it's the other way around? actually, i think of sleeper as the female version of pulp. there's attitude. a whole lot of it. louise wener is the sassiest britpopster ever. i love her. it's a shame that sleeper broke up in 1997. and i never got the chance to see her live. bummer. i'm pretty sure i'm off on the sleeper thing. i think i just want an excuse to think about them.

back to the long blondes. the music was good. contrary to the normal sucky bands that play live there. i should say, sucky live shows by bands we sometimes even like. their songs are upbeat, have catchy tunes, clever lyrics and best of all, they make me want to dance (just listening to it at my desk in the office). which gave will and me more opportunity to dance. we danced and danced. until the long blondes were done and the lights turned on. it was a great show. all three bands.

after dropping will home, the rest of us went to denny's. like we did back in the day (early & mid-90's). it was so euphoric. especially to be at the berryessa denny's. ah, i miss my youth. i think.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

we are the pipettes

venue: rickshaw stop
artist: the pipettes, smoosh & monster bobby
who: alex, lou & ro
when: 12 june 2007 (tuesday)
show starts at 9p

this was my second time at the rickshaw stop. i saw the silversun pickups there with lou & ro back in october. and yes, there is an actual rickshaw there. the opening was monster bobby who is part of the pipettes, well their back up band (according to wikipedia which may or may not be true). i liked his voice but couldn't really hear him too well.

the second opening was this band called smoosh. they were the female equivalent of hansen, except, they rock! i was so amazed and a bit shocked. they were so cute and talented. it's not everyday that you see an 8 y/o bass player. they also did a cover of bloc party's modern love which was most impressive. i thoroughly enjoyed these young ladies.

the only problem with the rickshaw is, upstairs, it gets really hot. i suppose heat rises but damn, it was damn hot upstairs. and that's where the seats are. so, that's where alex and i was. at this show, almost everyone was wearing polka dots. had i known that was their thing, i still wouldn't have worn polka dots. heh. i'm glad i didn't wear polka dots.

i really enjoyed the pipettes. they are super cool. only the coolest musicians have their own theme song (like tom mullaney, heehee). they also all wear polka dotted dresses that have the same pattern (fabric) with different styles. for example, one is a halter top dress, one dress has sleeves and the last one is strapless. all three sing and dance. and maneuver around and across the stage very carefully. it was immensely entertaining. they sing together as well as separately. it's refreshing to see a band take the time to put on a show for you. i'm so used to bands just standing there and playing their instruments. i enjoy myself so much more when i see bands get into their music. it makes me get into their music. but when they put together a dance routine, that's like the cherry on top!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ clap your hands if you want some more!

meet my new nephew!

jett was born on friday, june 8 at 4:51pm at 6 lbs and 20 inches.
congrats david & thuy!

the half-yearly @ nordstrom

it's that time of year again! yep, the time women wake up early to get to nordstrom by 7am for some good shopping. i got these shoes (see below) and some other stuff. i went to the valley fair store early in the morning and shopped with lisa. after work, i headed over to the stanford shopping center with the muffins. now if only i can hold off on shopping until the anniversary sale on july 20.

rock & roll marathon

saturday, june 2nd in la jolla

i flew into san diego straight from vegas (see below). since i had pretty much emptied my insides that morning, i wasn't really hungover or anything. and was ready for a nice dinner. my sister-in-law, trang had flown in before me. her sister, jade was picking us both up. since i was arriving an hour later, they decided to wait for me.

it was so nice to be back in san diego. i haven't been back in years. i don't even remember the last time i was there. it's been at least 3 years, that's for certain. i did forget that early june in san diego is quite glooming when it comes to weather. i went from scorching hot weather (in vegas) to slightly cold in san diego. ugh. i'm surprised i didn't get sick from the drastic weather change!

jade is the only one running the rock & roll marathon. trang and i were there for support. initially, both jade and trang (and their mother) had planned on doing it. they trained together but trang hurt her knees. then ricky (my brother) decided to take trang's place so jade would have someone to train and run with. but unfortunately, he too hurt his knee(s). jade and her late brother (dochi) had planned on doing the marathon together. but he passed away last september and she decided that she would continue without him, for him.

since i'd lived in san diego and knew my way around (for the most part), i was assigned the driver. i was a student and poor when i was in san diego. i didn't really know where to go. i usually just went to la jolla. so, that's where we went. we drove around and then found this place called roppongi, japanese asian fusion restaurant. they had all these "best of" awards out front. we decided to eat here. despite a room full of empty tables, they said they were full for seating inside but that there was seating outside available. there were heat lamps so it was fine. it turns out, it was prom night and that's why all of the inside seating were reserved.

our server, jason, was very typical san diegan. he was young and had long blonde curly hair. total surfer type. he had this boyish charm to him which made him quite appealing. we ordered so much... let's see, we had the polynesian crab stack, the crispy buttermilk onion rings (we only had a few), pan seared sea scallops, spicy kung pao calamari, boneless short ribs, grilled filet mignon, and i can't remember the rest. we also had three desserts. we had a sundae, lemon creme brulee, and the warm chocolate melting decadence. there were several servers bringing us our dishes. one asked where we put all this food. jason was quite impressed as well. the food was delightful.

sunday, june 3rd

we checked in at the sofia hotel in downtown san diego. our room was a tiny studio room with a pull out couch. yes, the three of us in a pull out couch. we were very cosy.

jade had to get up at *ugh* some obscene time like 4am so she could get ready and leave by 5. we got up in time and dropped her off. then back to the hotel for a nap. we planned on being at the finish line by 11:30a so we'd wake up at 10a. only problem was... where the hell was the marathon?? we didn't figure that until an hour on the road and all around downtown. there were NO signs! this is the 10th anniversary for the rock & roll marathon but still, proper directions would have been nice.

the marathon participants wore a chip in their shoes where they could be tracked online. so trang had people back in the bay area track jade for us. we were trying really hard to make it to the finish line to cheer her. after driving around the san diego airport for a while, we found a parking lot for the marathon. not the parking lot for the marathon, mind you. we were still a ways away. after we parked the car, trang flagged down a rickshaw driver. he was across the street and she yells "hey, the guy in the green shirt!!" it was hilarious. at $15/person, we were desperate to get there so we got in. he could only drop us half way (if even that) but biked as fast as he could as we told him about why jade was running the marathon.

it was another half hour or more before we finally reached our meeting place. the team-in-training tent. we ran through a sea of people leaving (with blisters and all)in the opposite direction. when we finally found the team-in-training tent, it presented us yet another problem. how do we find jade in this crowd?? so we start wandering around looking for her. after about 10-15 minutes, she finds us. she'd finished in 5 hours and 20 minutes (if you see her, you must congratulate her!). it is quite a feat. when we saw her, we hugged for a while.

the walk back wasn't so bad. since we weren't running or anything. to the right, you see us catching another rickshaw. it was $40 for all 3 of us. and he took us to the lot we were parked in. he was zig-zagging through cars in traffic. it was a little bit scary.

we checked out and headed back to la jolla for lunch. there wasn't much of a choice as most placed were closed. we ended up at crab catcher. trang said the food was like cruise food. you get the gist. afterwards, we returned the rental and flew home. my brother picked us up in san jose. when i got into the car, i saw my chunky and lollipop head. they said they missed me! after such a jam packed weekend, it was such a tender homecoming.

what happens in vegas, stays in vegas?

friday, june 1st
i took the day off to fly out to las vegas for my cousins' bachelor/bachelorette party. i started off my day with slight breezes in san jose, requiring a jacket. as soon as i step off the plane in vegas, i immediately had to start striping off whatever clothes i could. my cousins were shopping at the fashion show mall on the strip. so i shuttled it to treasure island across from the mall. it took like an hour after i arrived. ugh.

the last time i was in vegas, it was late 2000. with my ex, douglas, we stayed at the hilton off the strip and ended up leaving early due some reflux condition he was having. lame. i'd only ever been to vegas with him so i was ready to make new fond memories of vegas with my cousins. with whom i always have fun!

i finally meet up with them around 4:30ish. we're waiting for nina (my cousin-to-be) to check into her room. so we go to where she is staying and hang out until i hear from her. we end up at the house of blues downstairs in the bar with debbie, roger & lily. our waiter comes to our table and says, are we all 21 here? let's see some ids, as he looks straight at me. when he sees mine, he says, wow. and i say, thanks! and so, i order my first drink for the day. a mudslide. then roger joins us and orders a guinness. then a shot of baileys and irish whiskey so he can have a car bomb. you know i can't resist a car bomb. and i order one to join him. and then another. and it was time to head up to nina's room. we hung out for a bit there and i had some more guinness. then back to the cousins's room at the flamingo for a nap.

after our nap, we headed over to the venetian where this club tao is. roger's friend, nader (see below) knew some people at tao and helped hook us up with a vip area on the top floor.

after waiting for people and our vip hook up, we finally go in. our vip section was on the top floor next to the pool. we had two bottles of ketel one with cranberry juice and pineapple juice. our cocktail waitress did a good job keeping our cups filled, during which i'd been chatting it up with roger's friend nader. i don't remember much after my second cranberry vodka. i remember bits and pieces of walking down the stairs to get water with nader. he took very good care of me. what a sweet guy. roger came down to help me too. he's a great cousin-in-law. then, i remember not being let back into the club and getting sick. and going through the venetian, trying to walk upright but basically being carried through. then, there was the car. nader's car. he drove me back. andy met me downstairs at the flamingo. and then i passed out, waking up every so often to vomit.

sadly, i missed nina who showed up sometime after 12:30a. the next morning, roger mentioned that nader thought very highly of me. my response was "even after i got sick?" to which he responded, "yep, even after you threw up on his beige suede shoes!" omg, what a horrible first impression. but apparently, we all got sick. soon after, we got breakfast and i flew out to san diego in the afternoon. despite getting horrendously sick and passing out, i had a great time!

what a night!