when i was in chicago last month visiting my friend mien, she asked if i wanted to be her date to a wedding in san diego around mid-october. it was a great excuse for me to come down for a visit, so i said, sure! i booked my flight, reserved a car, and contacted some people to see. all this before i knew what a bad 2-3 weeks i would have after getting back from my very fun chicago vacation.
i flew into san diego last friday on the very last flight. it was scheduled to arrive at 11p but to no surprise, it would be delayed. the only problem with this is that i had to get to the car rental place off site before it closed at midnight. luckily, i made it on time.
once i got to the car rental place, there was another problem. the only car they had left in the category of my reservation was a minivan. quickly, i pictured both mien & i stepping out of a minivan in our formal dresses. that was a no. the only other car available was an suv. for $5/day extra, i think i got a good deal talking up the guy at the counter. then again, who knows.
i got lost on the way to chula vista where mien's family lives. i didn't get there until close to 1a. i felt bad for arriving so late but it turned out ok. her family is super nice.
before the ceremony, we stopped by mien's sister's house to visit with her niece and nephew. both very sweet and cute kids. we stayed about an hour and had to stop by the store to get me some make up brushes since i'd forgotten them altogether. ugh. i knew i'd forgotten something.
the ceremony started at 2p and it was at least 30 minutes from where we were. mien has been friends with the bride since high school or before. i guess i met the bride sometime during ucsd but couldn't quite remember it. the ceremony took place in scripps ranch in this very lovely church. it was dome-shaped, almost like the pantheon in rome, with the hole at the very top. it was also a very catholic ceremony. i don't remember when it was over but we left to pick up some fast food at jack & the box.
after which we got ready retouching our make up and doing our hair. cocktail hour began at 5p but we didn't leave until 6. we got there in time for the salad portion of the dinner course. it was at the sheraton hotel in the bay tower at harbor island. you can see the san diego skyline past the water. it's really a lovely sight.
the wedding was kinda blah so we left a bit early. the music was so bad that even though we really wanted to dance, we didn't. so we headed downtown to the gaslamp district, which is now all the rage. back when we were in college, it was absolutely pathetic. as we drive onto broadway, we found ourselves next to a car full of cute boys. being in an suv is good for looking and flirting with boys in cars next to you. at one point, the car stopped early at a red light to be next to us. we found out they are cute foreign boys. my favorite... german boys. heehee. we lost them soon after we'd found them. oh well.
after a few times around the block, we parked in the horton plaza parking structure. don't do this if you don't plan on getting validations. it's $$$. i'd only ever parked there while shopping at horton plaza but didn't know where else to park. so we walked around. we walked and walked. finally, we came upon a nice hotel we didn't mind lounging at. it was the
us grant hotel. and at the very same moment we were about to go to the bar there, there were two other gentlemen thinking the same thing. except, they beat us to the locked door first.
upon seeing us behind them, one of them mentioned that we ought to find our way in together. but before we could say yes or no, they'd already begun chatting it up with us. turns out that they were two business men from florida. at first, i was talking to ron and mien was chatting with siroos. but later, we switched. i don't remember exactly how it happened. siroos asked me what ethnicity i was. i asked him if he could guess. he answered,
does it start with a p? and we ended up chatting together most of the night. they were in the ice cream business. siroos was explaining to me that their specialty was pomegranate ice cream with dark chocolate. in addition to the unique flavor, they put their ice cream in a tin can. then i said,
because it stays fresher! siroos said i was right! i was in disbelief and told him i saw this on the food network. he says,
we were on the food network! and i respond,
well, what show was it then? he answers,
unwrapped. he was right. and continues to tell me that he was on that
show!
i remember watching the episode with my sister and the part specifically about the tin cans. and how we ought to put our ice cream/frozen yogurt in tin cans. now, this is just the sort of thing that happens when i am out with my dear friend mien... fun fun fun.
venue: rickshaw stop
in rhapsody, asobi seksu is categorized under "shoegazer" and "dream pop." i think they are the epitome of shoegazer music, which often times, feels like a fight between music and vocals. in this band's case, the shrill of the electric guitar(s) battling her lovely shrieking notes. for some, it might just sound like noise. for me, it is a combination of dramatic sounds and hardcore rocking out.
