rocking the night away with kevin spacey

venue: the warfield
artist: the shins & viva voce
who: lou
when: 17 april 2007 (tuesday)
doors open at 7p

i've been wanting to see the shins for a while now. every time i found out that they were in town playing, it was always too late as the shows were always sold out. this time, i was keeping a watchful eye out for them.

lou and i met up after work. he works about 10-15 minutes away from me. it's nice because we have lunch sometimes. otherwise, we probably wouldn't see one another much. we got to the city sometime after 6:30p. we had plenty of time so we went to bloomingdale's for a bit. then we went to get a drink at the gold dust lounge. there was a lot of red velvet decor which made me feel like i was anywhere but san francisco. there was a certain charm about the place. we had one drink and chatted for a bit.

we tried an irish bar on the way to the warfield but it was completely packed so we just decided to head straight to the warfield to get more drinks and lou something to eat. we had tix on the balcony. i hadn't been on the balcony in ages. previously, it was all general admission, including their balcony seating. now, there are different prices. i always forget to get balcony tix.

viva voce came on first. the band consists of two members and they are husband and wife, kevin and anita robinson. for some reason, that makes me like them even more. kevin plays the drums and anita plays electric guitar. i didn't see a bass guitar. and they both sing. it makes for a very sweet rock and roll band. in the middle of their set, kevin opens up for a q & a session. that was pretty funny. no one ever does that! there was one guy in the front with his hand up. he had the same question i did. where is the bass guitar? to which kevin responds that the bass was this box to this right and that it was very complex, that a diagram would have to be drawn and we (the audience) shouldn't concern ourselves with it. hahah. their set was very rock. anita totally rocked out with her many electric guitars. at one point, she even busted out a two-headed electric guitar! very impressive.

when the shins came on, i didn't know what to expect. usually, bands don't sound good live. they usually suck live. but the shins were quite different. i was utterly surprised. as lame and cliché as it sounds, i got lost in the music. i was in this bizarre daze. with every song they played, the more love i felt for them. it was the strangest feeling, that was just so overwhelming. i got chills. i couldn't move less do anything but watch them. it made me want to listen to all of their albums again, over and over. all i could think was, WOW, they are absolutely, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, unbelievably, fucking fantastic. *big sigh*

afterwards, lou asks me, didn't you think the singer looked like kevin spacey?? james mercer (their singer) had a beard and we were on the balcony floor of the warfield. i could barely see their faces much less be able to tell whether he and kevin spacey shared any sort of resemblance. but the next day, i googled "the shins," and it was true. he looked a lot like kevin spacey. bizarro. but cool because i love kevin spacey!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ again & again

kelly's birthday surprise

months ago, my best friend kelly's husband wrote to her girlfriends to invite us to a birthday surprise girls' night out. he planned one last year and it was very successful. she had a fabulous time. so he decided to do a part deux. unfortunately, this time no one was available. due to the numerous health conditions i suffer to which i have relating medical appointments scheduled throughout this month, i thought it was be the perfect opportunity to see her for her birthday. especially since it was the weekend following her birthday (last friday). and if i waited until after my appointments, i couldn't see her until may, for her april 6th birthday. that just wasn't right.

i volunteered to fly down to surprise her. i booked the flight and made reservations for sunday brunch. it was easter sunday and most brunch places were full. it had not occurred to me how terribly busy it would be but i will get to that later. this also worked out well because i was scheduled to go on my low-iodine diet starting the 12th of april. it continues for 10 days. this diet is actually good after our pig out feast last sunday. i'm hoping to shed a few pounds.

back to kelly's surprise birthday weekend. so far, everything is good. she's got no clue. i'm scheduled to arrive when her husband is leaving work. everything is perfect. on the day of my flight, it turns out that my flight is delayed. over an hour. and while i am waiting at the airport for my flight, who calls me? kelly. of course. as we are chatting, suddenly, there's an announcement made about my flight over the intercom. if you are on flight... going from san jose to burbank... oh shit! i ask her if she heard that. she said no and asked where i was.
me: um, at the airport. her: oh, are you going somewhere? me: no... i'm... waiting for... er, someone. (yikes, dead give away but maybe she won't notice?) her: um, i gotta go. (crap, she figured it out)

later, i called her husband to update him. first, the flight is delayed a bit longer. and second, i blew it. kelly knows. he said she'd called him about 4 times and mentioned it. so he 'fessed up. but she was still surprised. i called her back and told her as well. she was still very excited and that's all that mattered.

for sunday brunch, we went to the castaway restaurant which sits on top of a hill in burbank. the view would have been lovely had it be a clear day. but all we saw was white fog. and despite having reservations at 11a, we weren't seated until close to noon or later. it was easter sunday and completely packed. the food was decent. their cappucinos were pretty awful. we were pretty hungry so we couldn't really complain. i think i did 3 rounds of eating. finally, i was so stuffed, i could barely move. when i looked around, no one looked familiar. we'd out-eaten everyone who were seated at the same time we were. it might have been 2 hours later. oink oink.

we spent the rest of her birthday weekend eating (at old country cafe with joe in alhambra, a cute french cafe in pasadena, and port's in burbank) and shopping (h&m). and i was able to spend quality time with her daughter emily, whom i adore dearly. she is my future niece-in-law. i miss her! ♥

born in the u.k.

venue: gamh
artist: badly drawn boy
who: cousins lam & nina
when: 23 march 2007 (friday)
doors open at 9p

i actually tried to see bdb back in 2003. i even went to the fillmore to get the tickets. when the day came, i found out it was the night before. i'd missed it. i put it down incorrectly in my planner. i was totally bummed. i'd been waiting for him to come back ever since.

if you've never heard of him but you saw the movie "about a boy" starring hugh grant, you probably won't remember the music. but he did the entire soundtrack. just him. which was the main reason for my seeing that movie. i ended up buying the dvd (if anyone wants to borrow it) because it turned out to be a pretty good film.

back to 2007, when i finally saw damon gough (aka bdb). it was quite thrilling and fulfilling. i went with lam and nina. before the show, we went to this cool irish pub across the street from where we parked. it was pretty good. i had the salmon special which was quite good. prices were great too. the only thing was, they only take cash and we were scrambling for $$. but we had enough for two beers and two dinners with a side of mac & cheese.

the music was great. he's got a really nice voice. only, it was a bit sleepy-folky towards the end. either that or i was just tired. for a few of his songs, he would tell the story behind it. it's nice when musicians divulge personal stories of their songs/lives. knowing how down-to-earth they are in real life makes them even cooler. he played his early hits such as around the block and the shining. i'm not too familiar with the new stuff.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

girl talk

yesterday, i had sunday brunch with my girlfriends who are elementary school teachers. well, one of them is a school administrator. i think they do this every weekend. we had this very interesting discussion about men & sex.

apparently, the roles have reversed where men in their 30's no longer brag about sex (or do they?). but women in our 30's do! well, to each other. because that's almost all we talk about. that and shopping. it is really interesting because it's mostly true. i never talked about sex in my 20's because i didn't want to be labeled as a slut. i was much more prudish back then.

single women in their 30's these days embrace their singlehood. well, most of the single ladies i know. to us, men are like fancy underwear, you have to be in the right mood to use them. they are not something we want to use everyday. only when we feel like. and when we are bored with them, we throw them away and get new ones! hahah

new music - memphis

my long-time great friend romano makes these mixed cds. and they are probably the best mixed cds i've received, ever. they are consistently awesome. i rarely ever find myself skipping any songs. even mixed cds from previous boyfriends can't compare to his. he is the best mix master.

before the beauty and ease of mixing cds from files already on your computer, his mixed tapes were also fantastic. ugh, it was over 10 years ago and we used to make each other mixed tapes. there was this unofficial competition on who had the best transitions. i never paid much attention to my transitions so we were always surprised when it wasn't as abrupt as usual. but i think i won in the category of labels though.

recently, on a "get well" cd mix he sent me, i heard a song with a very familiar voice. but i didn't recognize the band. memphis. the vocals sounded much like torquil campbell from stars who i've seen live at least 4 times. i've even met mr. campbell at the great american music hall. that was the first stars show i saw. finally, i looked at the song list and looked up the band. much to my surprise, i found that memphis is torq's side project with chris dumont. and that they are quite good. tonight, i found the following description on their myspace page:

Although Campbell describes his songwriting influences as two parts New Order, one part Beautiful South, one teaspoon of Lou Reed, stirred with some sexual perversity and a few good jokes, lyrically Campell is more interested in shades of darkness and the sublime rather than raunchy sex and post-punk nihilism.

despite the early hour of 3am, this brought such the smile to my sleepy face and body. as most of my friends know, i worship new order. and although most new bands are influenced by them, it's rare that they are mixed with the beautiful south. if you've read my blog, you'll know that i also worship the beautiful south. i loooove that he describes himself as two parts new order and one part beautiful south. that's just so clever!

and since i know ro reads my blog, i wanted to thank you again! you're the best ro! xoxo ♥

a few things

i'm finally starting to breathe through my nose again. it's not bleeding so much but i'm still spitting up some blood. and there's something wrong with my upper lip. the skin is so dry and doesn't seem to move comfortably. when i move anything between my upper lip and my nose, it hurts as well. i think my nose has to be completely healed before i can start feeling normal there. i hope my upper lip goes back to normal soon. the skin is so dry, tight and peeling. i've resorted to using carmex on it because nothing else works and there doesn't seem to be a jar of vasoline handy in this house.

i'm still sleeping late. i'm on a 10th wind or so. i woke up quite early this morning. 6:30a to be exact to go to nordstrom by 7:30a with my best friend kelly. who surprised me yesterday morning by telling me her mother was showing up with a something, and that something was kelly and emily! and armed with a lovely arrangement of home grown orchids (will post a pic of them soon). speaking of flowers, i've received a total 4 bouquets this past week. not that i need flowers to make me feel loved but it was just so unexpected. it made me think of all the special deliveries & visits i got in the hospital when i had my thyroidectomy in 2003. that really made me feel special and helped me, mentally, with my recovery.

back to now. today, i accomplished very much. i hemmed a couple of slacks that i've had for months. i also did some ironing. and earlier, i got my hair cut, quite short. it's shoulder length when it's wet so when it's dry, it's a bit shorter. i'll try to post a pic as soon as my face starts behaving as it should. and after i've gotten back to the gym. ugh, hopefully next week i can get back to my classes. we'll see. ok, sleep now. i need to cut out these late nights by tomorrow (ugh, i mean today)! i'm going back to work on monday.

update on my recovery

yesterday, i left the house for the first time since my surgery on friday. it was because i had my follow-up at 1:30p. so, i set my alarm for 10a and it goes off but i'm not used to waking up before noon yet so i reset it for noon. i figure, that'll give me plenty of time. it goes off at noon. and i think, okay, get up. but i don't get up, do i? i just stay in bed. next thing i know, it's 1p. that's when i'd planned on leaving! first, i'm sitting in there in denial for a bit, then i haul ass and get myself ready. it's 5 after and i can't find my insurance card anywhere! did lisa give it back to me after my surgery?? i don't know! forget it, it's time to go NOW!

i get into my car and it's 15 after. ugh. 15 minutes to get to los gatos? its a bit of a ways, there's no way i'm getting there on time. then i look at my gas gage and um, i need to get gas! after getting gas, it's about 25 after, there's no way i'm getting to los gatos in 5 minutes. as long as i'm not more than 15 minutes late, i'm ok. i finally get into the parking garage and i score with this couple leaving and parked on the first floor... but what the hell is he doing? he's backing out to the left, all i need to do is go straight into his space and he turns right into me. there's not much space i can back into. but rather than let me just park, the jerk makes me back up. all the way. i was so annoyed.

i get up to the 3rd floor and into the doctor's office and the receptionist is so nice. i told her, my appointment was at 1:30p. she said it was okay. and i get my splints out. the good dr showed it to me and ugh, they are these plastic things that hold everything in place. kinda like the plastic stuff they put in collars to hold them. it seemed pretty big too. at least an inch across. with some anesthesia that didn't quite help, he cut some stitches and pulled those suckers out of my very sensitive nose. he says, there was quite a bit of obstruction in your nose. ugh. then he brings this suction thing and it gets stuck or something in my left side. that's the side that was the most obstructed and most sensitive. it was so painful, i teared a little bit. i know, i'm a cry baby. so what?

now, i can breathe a little through my nose. i keep forgetting to though. alas, monday is coming up too soon. *deep breath through my nose*

checking in...

just checking in... let's see, i'm severely congested, often times coughing up blood. and with a mustache of sterile dressing which needless to say, disables me from speaking clearly. i have splints in my nose that will be removed this coming week. if anything, those are the only things that hurt me, well, all the time. and breathing through my mouth while sleeping or doing anything (eating, drinking, talking) is never fun.

i'm not in a whole lot of pain, anymore. i've only had to take one vicodin tablet since i got home. as my sister says, it's good to save the "good stuff." she's funny, isn't she? when i take vicodin, it completely knocks me out. the bleeding has slowed down but hasn't stopped yet. my upper teeth hurt a bit. and to top things off, i look like ms. piggy. ugh.

i'll check back in later...

impending surgery

to my dear faithful readers (all 3 of you out there):

i'm sorry i've been out of touch lately. as you probably know, much has happened but has yet to be posted. for the past two weeks or more, i have not been sleeping well. as in getting less than 5 hours of sleep every night opposed to my usual 6-7 hours. i imagine i am subconsciously and thoroughly anxious about my septoturbinoplasty scheduled for tomorrow. well, now less than 12 hours away. and since i usually post at the office, i've been quite busy getting ready for my leave and trying to take care of everything to do with the current admissions cycle.

i don't think i am particularly stressed out about the surgery itself but the recovery part. the potential risks for infection (which comes with all surgeries) is making me quite worrisome, not to mention the pain i will experience. despite having gone through my thyroidectomy and having had much worse levels of pain (getting my neck cut open and having an organ removed), that was nearly 4 years ago and memories of the pain have been successfully suppressed.

i know the surgery is fairly routine but it's not everyday that one has surgery, right? i have great confidence in my ent doctor so i'm not as worried about the actual procedure. and, for those who participated in my pop (pre-op potluck) party and/or sent me well wishes, i just wanted to thank you. it's tremendously reassuring to know that people care. i feel very lucky to have such great friends & family. you all rock. i love you all, seriously. ♥

ugh, okay, time to sleep now. good nite.

march pumps

on its way is my march pair.

pre-op appointment with dr. wong

on monday, i had some pre-op stuff to take care of, including an ekg. i don't recall getting this done for my thyroidectomy but it was on my check list. i'd made an appointment with my pcp for the ekg but she was out of town and her office rescheduled me with dr. wong.

i went in a bit early to get some bloodwork done, which left my arms with what looked like track marks. that's what the ups guy said. shooting up again? after getting blood drawn, i went to the radiology department for my chest x-ray. and it was done just in time to go upstairs for my ekg appointment.

i'd never seen dr. wong before so i didn't know whether the doctor was male or female. surprisingly, i was seen on time. the nurse took my blood pressure. normal, she said. then dr. wong comes in. he's this attractive tall asian man. i could feel my heart rate going up. so, he's asking me why i'm there and what i need the ekg for. i told him i was having surgery next friday. he asked if i exercised, if so, what kind do i do, etc. then he took my blood pressure. he said, it's a bit high, are you stressed? uh, just a little nervous about the surgery (riight). he said he didn't think i needed the ekg but we'll do it anyway.

the nurse comes back and sets it up for me. the set up is longer than the actual ekg. she sticks these wires all over my body. after it's set up, something starts printing out. that was it! she takes the report to dr. wong and says he'll be back to let me know if i'm ok. he comes back in and says that it was perfect as he'd suspected. yay!

the year of the fire pig

according to chineseastrology.com, here is my overview:

For Tigers, your "ching qi" (sexual energy) is at it's peak this year as your soulmate, the Pig, surrounds you with an atmosphere of love and indulgence. Matters are felt primarily in the realm of the physical this year as your life palace of "unions" is highlighted. You'll desire to stay closer to home this year and redecorating your abode would be enjoyable and uplifting. Appeal is the name of your game this year and in both personal relations and at work, others are powerfully drawn toward you. This passion poses some danger and yet, such delightful opportunity. Magnetism aside, avoid confrontations with Monkeys and Snakes.

they also mention that this year is best for tigers! i'm very curious to see why. in addition, this year is a good year for sagittarians as well. so my luck is doubled this year. which makes me very very excited!!

it's funny they say i should avoid confrontations with monkeys because ted is one and i'm happy to avoid him altogether!

happy lunar new year everyone!!

if looks could kill

venue: bimbo's
artist: camera obscura
who: cousins lam & nina (plus jen, anthony, lou & ro)
when: 16 february 2007 (friday)
doors open at 8p

i hadn't been to bimbo's since... i can't remember! i just remember the night i met david gedge from cinerama at bimbo's. he was really cool. loooove his voice. wow, that was about 3-4 years ago. it'd been too long.

however, it was not that long ago the last time i saw camera obscura. it was the gamh show back in july of last year. it was nice to see them again. the sound at bimbo's is awesome.

the night started off straight after work. i'd picked up my car from the train station downtown, got gas and headed up to mt. view to meet my cousins. we had planned to get dinner in north beach since bimbo's is right on columbus. on the way to the city in the car, i get this call from lou asking what i was doing. i say, uh, heading up to the city? despite emailing him earlier that day about the show, he asked if it was in fact that night. that's affirmative unless they had a second show the following night. apparently, both ro & jenn thought it was saturday! i'd been there before (confusion on show nights) and even missed a show once. so he called them to get everyone's arse in gear for the show.

we had dinner at this burrito place. they claim the best burritos in the city so i had to have a burrito, right? it was good, not sure if you can really go wrong with a burrito though. yet they had very interesting combinations. i had a "british" burrito which included steak, potatoes, and mushrooms. and the blended pina colada was quite delightful. after dinner, i looked to see if i had the tickets with me but couldn't find them!! i was in complete and utter disbelief. what the hell was wrong with me? i had them in the car. where could they have gone?? my cousins were so nice and calm about it. we retraced our steps back to the car and there they were right outside my side of the car. so lam was now the assigned ticket holder.

there was this huge line for will call which we were able to skip since we had our tix in hand. it's interesting, either it's because i haven't been to bimbo's in ages or it's because they recently changed their sign. it's a little more modern now and it no longer says "since 1931" outside of it like it does on their web site. that takes a bit of its charm away. unfortunately. however, after sitting foot inside, it really takes you to the 30's or 40's. at least that's what i imagined it to be. it's very lounge-y. i expected to see fedoras all around me. but alas, i didn't see any. it was too dark and i hadn't really paid much attention.

the opening band listed as "portastic" called themselves "portistastic" would've been confusing if i cared. but i didn't. i just thought, what? portisheadastic? random. they were very folky and bohemian. not particularly appealing if you ask me. i want to see rock stars out there. kinda. it's not to say that camera obscura are the epitomy of rock stars. at least tracyanne campbell has a look of her own that she's going for. which many of the female audience members were trying to unsuccessfully copy. i don't know, maybe i'm in a fowl mood today. hating on everyone. oh well.

if you haven't heard camera obscura, the lead vocalist, tracyanne has this sweet voice that makes me think of du-wop music. the kind that makes you sway without knowing it. the slow songs are lovely but a bit hard to stay awake for. the faster songs are upbeat and makes you wish you too had a floral dress on so you could swing the pleats of it with the music. whenever i hear if looks could kill, i can't help but tap my feet with some sass.

we left after the last song before their encore. it was such a long day. and as my cousin said, we are getting old. ugh. after getting home, i got a call from lou. he said they hung out at the bar after the show and tracyanne showed up. he got a picture with her! i'm totally jealous but seeing as i was half asleep, i couldn't imagine having stayed and driving myself home from mt. view.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

memorable valentine's days

last night, i went to xanh to pick up some calamari & garlic noodles for a valentine's day potluck i was going to. i went to grab a truffucino from red rock café across the way while they were getting the food ready. at the cashier, there was this sign on their tip jar. it read please contribute to the s.a.d. fund (singles appreciation day). it was a little depressing to see that because being single isn't sad. it's kinda lucky sometimes.

the potluck was just with the ladies. and it was much fun. the food was yummy. we had this delightful chicken that was flavorful and moist. we had bread and salad. the calamari and garlic noodles i picked up. kir royales and bubbly. lots of random conversations about what rochambeau means and associations with the "junk in the box" song. it was quite entertaining.

afterwards, it made me think about past v-days and i couldn't really remember any. then i remembered the time my ex and i broke up on v-day of 2001. and i moved back here two weeks later. there was also the time i got into my first major car accident on v-day of 1992 because i drove my lame ex-bff thao vu in the pouring rain to eastridge just so she could pick up her paycheck. yes, we hate her.

yeah, i'm not a big fan of v-day. but i ♥ my muffin ladies!

february boots

just in, my new cowboy boots.

lost in time

venue: bottom of the hill
(sold out!)
artist: stellastarr*, monsters are waiting & minipop
who: sis (plus ro, jen & jonathan)
when: 10 february 2007 (saturday)
doors open at 8:30p

the show actually started at 10p. not sure why doors opened so early. we got there around 10p so parking was good and there was no line to wait in the rain either. good stuff.

minipop started on time. the lead vocalist is this cute petite blonde chick. they are a local band. she had a voice reminiscent of that of emily haines from metric. the sweet, potentially angelic sound yet with some sauciness mixed in. i'd heard of them but hadn't really heard their music. lisa seemed to enjoy them. and lucky for us, ro got their last cd.

next up was monsters are waiting from los angeles. i'd seen them at popscene before and remembered liking them. not quite what they sounded like but i just remember thinking, they're not too bad. this band had yet another female vocalist with a voice similar to minipop's lead vocalist. however, the music was a bit different. but when this woman spoke, it was the most annoying thing. she sounded like a little girl with this little voice. she spoke as if she were ten y/o. i absolutely hate women who do this. for some reason, there are many large women that do this too. as if it was a way for them to seem smaller. i just want people to speak normally!! is that too much to ask? apparently so. i think this smallish voice is more common with asian girls. betty and i bitch about this all the time.

finally, sometime after midnight, stellastarr* came on. and the lead singer, shawn, is quite cute. the pics don't do him justice. he's the one with his hands on his knees in the above pic.

in the last few weeks, i've been listening to them online on and off. i wasn't sure whether there were female vocals as this one song sounded like shawn but like a girl. so i mentioned this to ro. i said, i think he sounds like a girl sometimes. and ro looked at me as if i were crazy. and when i heard the first song (lost in time) which has him singing in this very deep, manly voice, i thought i was crazy too! then there was this song, the one he sounds like a girl in, and i ask both ro & lisa, doesn't he kinda sound like a girl? they both concurred with me. i knew i wasn't crazy!

even though we left a bit early (i wasn't feeling well), i really enjoyed the show. the range of music they play is quite eclectic. songs that were slow and fast, deep and upbeat. someone had mentioned that they thought they were like the band interpol because they are both from new york, but i beg to differ, stellastarr* are much better. i don't think of interpol at all when i listen to them.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

smile

venue: gamh (sold out!)
artist: lily allen
who: lisa, cousins lam & nina
when: 6 february 2007 (tuesday)
doors open at 8p

i went to the lily allen show last night. and even though i only knew one song by her (thanks ro!), i went along because my cousin wanted to go. my sister lisa hadn't even heard of her at all which would have pissed off the fan asking for extra tix out front. i guess i mostly went for the company.

we got there at around 8p. there was this really long line for will call and then another line to get in. the crowd was so-so. we went straight upstairs to get some dinner. there were these little girls with matching outfits in front. i think someone's mother was there to chaperone. there were these older creepy men who pulled out all their dance moves. it was more distracting than entertaining. needless to say, lily allen brings in a wide range of people. which is not particularly good.

as for her music, i was pleasantly surprised by this 21 y/o. her sound was upbeat and crisp. really crisp. can i say that about music? that was the first word that came up. the songs were danceable and fun. there was a lot of dancing going on around us. and she was as cute as a button. i was really impressed by her. i've been listening to her other songs on her web site and they are quite good.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

mcdreamy

i've decided to code my work crushes... or crush. and the older one is my mcdreamy because he is oh-so-dreamy. heehee. i suppose the younger one can be mcsteamy. but steamy in a different kind of way.

superbowl sunday

i didn't do much this past superbowl sunday. i spent the day with my sister shopping. it was the best day to go to costco after the last-minute superbowl party stock up, which was sometime after 1p because it wasn't the zoo it usually is on the weekend.

when i woke up that morning, i got to thinking... wow, it's been a whole year since ted moved out. it's strange to think about him sometimes. but the negative always outweighs any positive attributes he might still have. i doubt that will ever change since that's the case with all my former boyfriends. it's a bit sad to think about because at one point or another, i thought the world of these guys.

thanks to my lovely muffin, i got out of helping him move last year. i told her, i need to be busy and not around for it. i knew he would assume that i was available to help him. i hate that jackass. can you believe he had the nerve to ask me? see? yet another negative. so thankfully, i was invited to a superbowl party (which is quite funny because i hate american football) and not only that but i found out later that some guy was checking me out at that party. even though this guy may not have been my type, it's flattering and a great ego boost when you are feeling your lowest. oh, life.

dreidel dreidel dreidel

i have a little dreidel... i made it out of clay

les poupées russes

i'd been wanting to watch l'auberge espanole with audrey tautou for a while now. then i heard there was a sequel, called les poupées russes (russian dolls). i got them both on netflix. there was an interesting concept with the russian dolls. so i don't ruin the ending (as i seem to always do), i won't go into detail how it relates to the movie. but the concept was simply that love is like the russian dolls. in life, you go through so many "dolls" until you get to the last one. and i suppose that last one is the one. it's kinda hopefully romantic of me, isn't it? ♥

response to comments on my last post

dear anonymous commentator:

thank you for stopping by and for your uninformed note. perhaps your green-eyed monster should retract her fugly head (and snide comments) and return to hiding.

what i would like to know is... what the hell is wrong with being ecstatic about having had a brilliant surgeon who did his job magnificently? i still have thyroid cancer. a bit of sensitivity would be nice from someone who's been there.

christ, what the fuck is wrong with you?

scar? what scar?

here is a mini comparison that i thought was neat. the top image is my scar 6 months post-op. the one in the middle is the 12-month post-op scar.

and finally, the above image was taken just last week. no wonder my surgeon was patting himself on the back only 2 weeks after my surgery. he knew how it was going to look. and it looks like there is no scar!

january shoes

my one pair this month. i got them at the rack for less than $40! aren't they sexy?

upcoming surgeries, ugh

i saw my ent doctor this morning. he's scheduled me for a septoplasty and a turbinoplasty (aka septoturbinoplasty) in march. and a month after that, i need to schedule an endoscopic dcr which is the initial reason for seeing him. i just have to check in with my endocrinologist on my body scan to make sure when it is okay to have the dcr done. hopefully i will be as good as new once i recover from everything.

random - nordstrom reward certificates

today i got my nordstrom reward certificates. for those of you who can share in this bit of joy when receiving one, i must offer some background details. i went to two customer appreciation events and the half yearly to get these. when i opened the envelope, i saw $20. and i thought to myself, hmmm... i swore i would have gotten at least $40. then, i opened it up some more and i see another $20... but then, i got to the last part of it and i see... $40! so, it was a total of $80 in rewards. um omg, i blame the holidays for that.

but yay! $80!!

2007 new year's resolutions, so far

*in no particular order*

- update debbie's website!!!
- drink more water
- work out 3-4 times/week
- travel boston/dc
- limit purchasing 1 pair of shoes/month
- buy 1 pair of dark brown boots
- limit purchasing 2 pairs of designer jeans this year
- buy 1 handbag
- be nice

mancott unofficially over, i think?

um... it turns out that my mancott may be over a little early. i think this incident kinda makes it over, right?

christmas eve

we had our family christmas celebration at my parents' house on christmas eve so our brothers can spend christmas with their in-laws'. plus, it was my mom's birthday. we also had cousins tony and justin over. it was nice to see them. i haven't seen tony and his family in a while. justin was down from oregon sans his family. it was a nice and small gathering. tons of food. ugh, i stuffed myself silly.

it was a little bittersweet being with my family during christmas. i've spent the last two christmases in boston. although it feels like ted never happened (thanks to osoms), i enjoyed spending time with the parkers. especially his mother, paula. she and her husband (ted sr.) were both so nice and always hospitable to me. the last time i was there, paula told me that ted and i would have beautiful children. a little sad, isn't it? i never really said goodbye to them. honestly, i think it was because i never wanted to have to say goodbye to them. they are really good people. it still amazes me that ted could have come from that family. bygones.

anyway, i hope that everyone has a lovely and safe christmas!

Linda, you're single because you don't want to commit

um... so i took this test on tickle.com and here are my results:

Once the blush of first love wears off with your partners, do you get a little antsy? You probably crave excitement in all realms of your life, and you need a relationship to keep you filled with possibilities. Let us guess: Someone has probably told you that you haven't quite grown up yet, that you're still holding out for the perfect "whatevers" (job, car, home, date) in your life to come a knockin'. Or perhaps you're just having a difficult time accepting that your comfortable little place in this world is always growing, always evolving — and that means you have to be willing to accept big life changes, too. Not that there's anything wrong with that. After all, you're probably a lot of fun to be around and may be the life of the party.

But when it comes to settling down, you leave without looking back twice. Now's the time to ask yourself: Why? What's holding you back? Maybe you don't want someone to get to know you fully? Perhaps by saying "yes" to someone, you're afraid you'll lose yourself, or the possibility of something better coming along. Just remember that the best relationships are those that never stop growing. That's something you can identify with, right? So keep that in mind next time you find someone you're really comfortable with. You never know, it may prove even more exciting once you really get to know each other, teensy flaws and all.

surprisingly, it kinda makes me feel better about being single. not sure if i agree with the explanation above. at least the next time someone asks me why i'm not married or why i'm single, i can say, it's because i don't want to commit. hahah

monday events

*** yeah, yeah, i'm back dating again***

on monday, i had two events. . .

the first one started in the morning. it was my second opinion for my blocked tear duct condition. i met with an otolaryngologist (ear-nose-throat physician) to get an endoscopic dcr done on me. the initial procedure was the external dcr which leaves an unnoticeable scar on the side of my nose. i already have a few unnoticeable scars in my upper body. i'd really rather not have one in the middle of my face. would you? especially if there is a similar procedure that doesn't leave a scar.

anyway, so the ent doctor gave me his typical exam. he checked my ears (fine), my throat (fine), but my nose was a problem. apparently, i have a deviated septum in my left nasal cavity. and it's a little deviated in the right cavity as well. he sprayed my nose with the most distasteful anesthetic (i suppose they are all distasteful), then stuck this probe up my nose so he can take a look. i know, gross huh? hahah. so, he started with the right side, and it went up pretty far. so far that it made me tear a bit and without the help of my blocked tear duct, er, on my left side. when he tried the left cavity, apparently, it's so deviated that the probe couldn't move. ugh.

my doctor had asked me if any of the two opthalmologists that i'd seen told me what or why was the cause of my blocked tear duct. i couldn't really remember because, well, they didn't really say. i remember something along the lines of dirt. but it would have been years of dirt build up, hence, most of the patients with this condition are very elderly. then, he asked me about allergies. when did i get them. year round, i told him. and he asked me if i snore, um, i used to but i think i've got it kinda under control. i'm mostly sleeping alone anyway so who cares? i did not just admit to the public that i snore, did i? uh... back to the doctor, he said that this deviated septum could be the cause of one and all. that if we fix it, it could take care of everything, including the blocked tear duct! it would be like a one-stop shop, kinda.

the causes of a deviated septum are as follows:

getting punched/hit in the face;
trauma of some sort;
and being born that way, the septum never developed correctly, which turns out to be the case for me.

before scheduling the surgery, he wanted me to go on flonase and this other nasal spray for a month. he mentioned that might solve it. anything to avoid surgery. so far, it's helped with my breathing but my eye is still very teary. the air way in my left nasal cavity is barely breathable. it's strange that i never stopped to notice. isn't it? i suppose i was overcompensating with my right side. strange. so, i go back in a month to see him.

my second event was dinner with my work colleague. the so-called date, which proved not to be a date so much anyway. as it felt totally and utterly platonic. maybe some of you men can clue me in because i just can't seem to figure him out. and perhaps there's nothing to try to figure out. i guess that would be best, just not to think more about it than i have to.

we agreed to meet downstairs at around 6-6:30p. he showed up at my office at about 6p almost on the dot. maybe he was just waiting around, who knows? so we leave together and he drives us to the restaurant. here's some background info... basically, i told him about my brother's restaurant in downtown mt. view. he'd mentioned he liked this other place that was similar. so i said to him, hey, i think you might like it here. he said mt. view was a bit of a ways from home (sf) but that he had friends he hadn't seen in mt. view. the next day or so, slyly, i emailed him the web address and say, hey, if they can't go, i'll go. just let me know! and he did. he said it would be fun to go with me. heehee. there was some tiny bit of flirting going on in between the emails. but it ended with, sure, it would be fun to have dinner with you again. weeks passed and nothing else. finally, about two weeks ago, we were alone in the office after hours and having our somewhat usual-after-hours chat. as i was about to leave, he asked if/when we were going to have dinner? i said i would get back to him. that's the gist of the background.

back to 6p... this is when we started talking. and it continued to when we were at dinner. we talked about work, friends, life, family, love, events, mostly everything. he said that he was glad i was in the office. he said that a few times actually. he knew that i'd applied to a different position, (not sure i remember telling him this myself) but even though he knew i could run an office somewhere else, it might be nice that i stay a bit longer. it was endearing of him to say. isn't it? very sweet really. i don't quite know how i brought up ted, (i think i was saying how i never keep in touch with my exes), but i mentioned ted. and he asks me, was he the one you brought to last year's department dinner? i'm thinking, shoot, i don't remember you being there! i did in fact bring ted to last year's dinner. it's quite amazing that he remembers. that he might have noticed me back then. we ate and talked until nearly 10p. when he dropped me off at my car, we both said, that was fun... uh, bye. and that was it.

despite the lack of obvious interest the night before, he walked by my office about 10x on tuesday. going to the storage room, to drop something off in the students' mail box, etc. he didn't really say anything as he repeatedly walked by. just a smile here and there. i never see him that many times in a day without purposely trying to. this whole thing is really odd. after talking to lisa about it, she thinks he's got these new feelings for me. that apparently, he has no idea what to do with. not sure what to do with that. i suppose there's really nothing to do with it. so nothing, it is!

my lovely cousin

happy birthday caroline! i had too much fun. i can't believe you're already 22! where did the time go??

thyroid update

today, i saw my endocrinologist who takes care of my thyroid cancer. i only see him 4 times a year now. the first two years, i saw him about every other month. i have him to thank for a great deal of how i was able to deal with the cancer. he's an excellent physician, knows his stuff like the back of his hand, has great resources (like sending my biopsy samples to the guy that wrote the textbook on thyroid disease as well as sending me to my surgeon who left me with a barely noticeable scar - will post pics soon), and best of all, he calls me dear almost every time i see him. which if you haven't had to deal with any health issues is really comforting when it's needed most by someone you need it most from. the person taking care of you.

back to the update. my doctor recently got married, i can tell by the change in attitude. despite his previous slightly bitter regard on life (he used to give me advice about love and marriage when i was with ted), he seemed happier. plus, i saw that he was sporting a new wedding ring. anyway, he checked my levels, my weight, my neck to make sure nothing has sprouted out in place of my thyroid, and my breathing. he even checked my blood pressure even though his nurse took it before he came it. he never does that. he said i was in perfect condition for my condition. i guess i'm progressing nicely despite the stress i've taken on this past year. it's just so reassuring when you know that your physician genuinely cares about you while he is caring for you. makes me smile just thinking about it...

two more body scans (equals 2 more years) and i only get to see him once a year after that. :(

mancott conversation with myself

could i go on a date if i'm on a mancott? probably not.

perhaps, it's potentially not a date, just dinner with a work colleague. right?

dinner with a work colleague i'm attracted to isn't really a date. riight.

another year - the big 3-2

some random updates... and back dating...

a couple of weeks ago, after the beautiful south show, i did some research on my pending eye surgery. the procedure is called a dacryocystorhinostomy (dcr for short) and the one that my opthalmologist scheduled me for is the external dcr which involves an incision on the side of my nose. well, i've discover (thanks to the internet) that there is a endoscopic version of the dcr which is done through your nose and typically by an ent physician. some opthalmologists do both but apparently, mine does not, as he didn't not even mention the endoscopic dcr version to me. i'm guessing, he wants the business, obviously. damn greedy doctor. so, i've cancelled the dcr scheduled in december and on the same date, have scheduled an appointment with an ent to discuss my options for the endoscopic dcr surgery. it's bad enough that i'm constantly teary in my left eye but the prospect of having a scar right in the smack middle of my face is enough to try something new. actually, the endoscopic dcr has been around for over 25 years. and the success rates of both the endoscopic and external procedures are essentially the same. the external dcr success rate is only a little bit higher but there are more chances for side-effects and infection, not to mention that scar. and if the procedure guarantees a 50% improvement, so be it. anything is better than what it is now.

what else... my roommate is finally moving out. yes, i have a roommate. she moved in during the summer and is my sister-in-law's friend from high school going through her second divorce. i know, yikes. she's only 33. now that she is moving out, my sister is moving in. it's going to be nice to have her back in the house again.

and it looks like i have less than a month and a half until my mancott is over. maybe. depending on my mood, i think i might file a few extensions. who knows.

last but least, the big 3-2 years of age tomorrow. i've been telling everyone that i was 32 so it doesn't feel different. 31 is such an ugly sounding age anyway. yeah, i'm happy actually.

hot chip @ the mezzanine

venue: the mezzanine (completely sold out!)
artist: hot chip
who: betty
when: 17 november 2006 (friday)
doors open at 9p

this time, we arrived 2 hours late and luckily, hot chip had not started. there was an opening band that was horrendous. so much that i don't remember their name. actually, i rarely remember the opening bands. we were just dying for them to finish up already. the mezzanine is an interesting venue. it's pretty spacious and there is a second floor with private rooms that were occupied with parties. they closed off the areas but you could still get through. and we did. we found our spot right up there next to a private party. i kept thinking someone was going to tell us we couldn't be there. but surprisingly, no one was the wiser.

the stage at the mezzanine is much smaller than that of the last show at the independent. actually, the independent seemed much bigger and better than the mezzanine. not sure why i detest the mezzanine venue so much. i just do. since the stage is smaller, the band could not rock out to their full potential as we'd seen at the last show. in addition, there are these huge columns in the middle of the venue and granted, they are required to support the structure of the building, it's a major obstruction of view to the stage. i think it makes more sense that the mezzanine is a dance club rather than a concert venue. greedy and sucky bastards.

i don't know if it was the lack of stage space or my foul mood of being at the mezzanine that made hot chip lose a bit of their contagious energy. it was still a great show but just not up to par as that at the independent back in august. watching the 5-6 cramped men on stage trying to rock out while playing their synthesizers and miscellanous instruments, just wasn't ideal for everyone. especially the band. but they made the most of it and gave a great show, which i very much appreciated. plus, you can't beat a $12 show!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

superb

venue: the fillmore
band: the beautiful south
who: betty
when: 11 november 2006 (friday)
doors open at 9p

once again, i missed the first part of the beautiful south show. this time, it wasn't a delayed flight. more like, a delayed friend. that's right, it was betty. assuming that there was an opening band, we arrived sometime past 10p. at least this time, it was only an hour later. i'm told we missed 20-30 minutes which isn't so bad except that the tickets cost $40 and there was no opening band and they only played for about an hour or so more.

otherwise, the show was awesome. paul heaton is brilliant. and so cute doing his little dances on stage. and utterly flawless in his singing. without any obvious effort as well. wish he would do some housemartin songs...

the new female vocalist sounded just like the one prior. they are both folky-sounding which give the beautiful south a more folky sound, unfortunately, that is. but i know i can't really blame the ladies for that. betty and i missed song for whoever which they played early on. bummer, that's one of my favorites by them. ugh, not sure what else we missed.

also, they did two encores! they left the stage and came back twice!! who cares about their fans that much? i've never seen that happen.

betty, if you are reading this, you know i love you... but you've really got to start doing something about this tardiness, i'm not sure how much more i can handle it.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (despite missing the first half hour)

shop like you mean it

on wednesday (the first day of the sale), i got these brown suede ankle boots. i got these from my shoe guy at the valley fair store.
and on thursday, i got the black pumps at the stanford store. the evil sales guy brought out the brown ones too. i was tempted but said no. aren't they pretty??

that's right, voxtrot again

venue: great american music hall (gamh)
band: voxtrot
who: betty
when: 4 november 2006 (saturday)
doors open at 9p

betty and i had dinner tickets this time which guaranteed us a balcony seat. so, we sat right up front just to the left, and above the band. which was great for spying on people. somehow, in the dark, i found will in the crowd below us. with two girls. one seemed particularly close to him. turns out, that's his girlfriend. or some girl he's really close with. there was a lot of pda going on which tells me that the relationship is fairly new. no wonder he hasn't been to popscene. she wasn't particularly pretty either. and i'm not saying that because i'm jealous. well, i am but not of her. she was a little pudgy too. i've decided that i'm out of his league. judging from the women he has dated, i'm not assertive enough. and i actually care what i look like. which seems to go against the grain in the women he likes. oh well, his loss.

back to voxtrot... i forget the opening bands. magic bullets and someone else. i think will was distracting me during their set. voxtrot was exactly what i expected. three words to describe them: fun, amazing, energy. they were awesome. the set was longer. they played songs i hadn't heard. songs i wanted to hear. thinking about them makes me want to break out in a dance! their bass player looks a little like topher grace from that 70's show. he was totally rockin' out! and very fun to see that they like their music as much as i do!

i'm soooo glad i saw them again (3rd time this year).

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (loooved them)

update on my blocked tear duct

surgery. apparently, since the 2 intubations didn't work, the only thing left is to cut open the side of my nose, unblock the blockage, put some plates to keep it unblocked and close it back up. oh, and hope that it doesn't get infected so the scar is minimal. ugh.

i'm in the process of getting a second opinion. but i'm scared...

soft and warm

venue: 330 ritch (popscene)
band: voxtrot & love is all
who: betty & will
when: 2 november 2006 (thursday)
doors open at 9p

i first heard voxtrot back in may. they opened for elefant and blew me away. i couldn't even think straight or chat with betty during their set. i had to stop and listen. it was the strangest feeling. i never get that way about live music. it made me feel soft and warm all over.

last night, they played at popscene with love is all. we got there during the love is all set and didn't pay much attention as i was stalking ramesh (singer of voxtrot) without trying to be so obvious about it. he's actually a very little man. short and skinny but cute. not sure if i was successful. for some reason, he kept moving away. then we found will. ♥

voxtrot have 3 new songs. i got the cd single. and a cute shirt (will post pic of it later). very very exciting! it was a short set and we were close to the stage for once. i never care about bands at popscene. ramesh is cute, spunky, and full of energy. voxtrot is a great live band. not only do they sound awesome, they are awesome. they are fun and happy on stage. it's refreshing to see a band not just stand there and play.

can't wait to see them at the gamh tomorrow!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (obviously)

coercive child-begging

on halloween, i went trick-or-treating with my brother, sister-in-law and their two kids. it's been ages since i've gone. i think the last time i went was for myself. and that was probably middle school for me. while i was probably too old for it, i still looked like i was 10. i remember filling up my pillow cases with candy. halloween was as good as christmas.

it's such a shame that halloween has been ruined for the kids these days. all the hooligans, freaks and psychos out there preying on poor innocent children. i remember the streets being full of kids in cheap plastic costumes with those hard-to-wear-masks. the costumes now are so much better than they were back in the day. and having gone again after nearly 20 years, i was pleasantly surprised to see people still in the mood to scare children, in a good way.

we had dinner in mountain view so we went to the neighborhood next to castro. the first house we went to had no candy. she gave the kids quarters. she said that they never got trick-or-treaters. so we moved on to a different neighborhood. the older the homes, the better. we came to one house where superman answered the door. then he called out for wonder woman to come see the trick-or-treaters. lo and behold, it was both wonder woman and superman! harry potter was so in awe, that he was totally speechless and forgot to say the 3 magic words. it was awesome.

as for me, after walking in 4 inch heels all day and night, i was ready to call it a day. while my brother and sister-in-law took the kids to grandma & grandpa's house, i went home. to do some ironing.

what a wild night. hope everyone had a fun halloween!

this morning

i was on the train heading to work when we stopped in sunnyvale, i see this couple rushing to get a train ticket. then they give each other a quick kiss goodbye. the girlfriend gets on the train and the boyfriend is standing there seeing her off. he finds her at her seat and is waving to her in the most gay way possible. if i didn't see them together, i would have guessed he was totally gay. while watching him wave at her, he does this catching gesture as if she'd blown him a kiss and put it in his pocket. it made me to want to barf. which made me think twice whether i can claim to be an incurable romantic. i mean, this is just pure cheese, isn't it?

maybe i'm just bitter that none of my boyfriends have seen me off on the train and caught pretend kisses i supposedly blew at them. and cliff, doesn't really count when he used to see me off at the bart station. we weren't officially together back then. lame.

confirmed distraction

i so have a crush on one of my faculty. the older one. even though, he has the same first name as my brother, not to mention is the same age. weird, i know. isn't it? the long hair is kinda weird too but since he ties it back, it gives the illusion of short hair (right muffin?). anyway, i was chatting it up with him the other day. he just gets nicer and cuter. ugh. still on my mancott though. oh well.

i was thinking about ted today. about whether i loved him or not. i don't think i did. i wanted to so badly because i didn't want douglas to be the only one i said those 3 words to. lame. i was talking to my sis-in-law the other day about douglas, how she thought he was in love with the person i am now, how i am single. strong. slim. fun. when i'm in a relationship, i'm this pathetic useless person. and a fatty. totally lame. how do i stop myself from becoming that girl again? stay single. i think that's the answer.

the warfield after a 4 year hiatus

venue: the warfield
band: clap your hands say yeah & architecture in helsinki (2nd opening)
who: betty, lou & ro
when: 13 october 2006 (yep, friday the 13th)
doors open at 7p

the last time i was at the warfield was the travis show in... i think it was 2002 because i was still "friends" with smella. and um, still with cliff. i still have the travis cd he sent me prior to going to the show. anyway, bygones.

i discovered aih while listening to my musicmatch radio. i forget which band i put in. it was probably hot chip or death cab. i put a couple of aih's songs on my wishlist to download. later, i just put all their songs i could listen to on my playlist. this was before i found out they were opening for cyhsy. when tix went on sale for cyhsy and i saw that aih was opening for them, i was uber excited!

when they first came on stage, i didn't know it was them. i thought it was the first opening band. we got there sometime before 9p and didn't think they had started. the first song was really noisy and very 80's, in a bad way. there was all this energy on stage, reminiscent to the hot chip show. the second song was one that i recognized and i had this look of shock on my face when i realized it was aih rather than the sucky first band (who may not have sucked at all since we missed them) we assumed them to be. the band members all switched off playing different instruments and took turns singing. it felt like a theatre production. a musical of some sort. it was the coolest thing. they were so engaging and fun.

they even embraced friday the 13th by bringing a mirror onto the stage and breaking it. as well as opening up an umbrella though it took cameron bird a while to get it open. it was quite entertaining. he read some story during the whole thing.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (loved them!)

after aih, we were totally hyped up for cyhsy. but they weren't as good. they were a little boring. the lead singer, alec ounsworth was totally bored singing all the old songs. and actually, we were bored with him. i felt sleepy in the middle of their set and before they could come back for their encore, we decided to scram. that was enough disappointment for me. and many others as we all rushed to leave the warfield.

rating: ♥ (that's right, one ♥)

superbi

the beautiful south has a new album called superbi. their last album came out in 2004 but i didn't pay much attention as there was no tour. well, not to my knowledge. i've only ever seen them play once and it was in 2000. at the time, i lived in san diego. i flew up to the bay area for the show. there was a storm and my flight that was supposed to have left at 4p (the show started at 9p), was delayed so late that i missed half of the show. despite the ordeal getting there, the half of the show i did catch was awesome.

with a new album in tow (and on its way to me via amazon), they are scheduled to play at the fillmore (again) on friday, 10 november. they are only playing 4 shows in the states so this is very very special. i read somewhere once that they would play more shows in the states, except, it actually costs them money to play here so they don't come very often.

as you can imagine, seeing them live is not only very exciting (for me) but an extremely rare event as well.

google-stalking again

this time, i google-stalked myself. and after filtering through countless women with the same name, i came upon this link. if you go down to 30 august, you'll see my name amongst many who won a new order contest. i think i actually still have the t-shirt? not sure, it was too big. i meant to give it away to louis. i hope i did!

anyway, it's kinda random but cool. i keep forgetting that i did that. hahaha.

nervous habit

so, i have this bizarro nervous habit that makes me look like a retard. i do this thing with my lips which keeps me from speaking clearly. and i'm already stumbling over my words because i'm nervous. on top of that, my lips (if you know me, you know that they are kinda full sized) are in the way!

last night, there was a work dinner and i was seated next to a colleague whom i hardly speak to. mostly because he's a little intimidating. i was the only one sitting next to him (there were two empty seats to his left) so we were talking almost the entire time. i was surprised how nice and funny he is. i thought there would be these uncomfortable silences but he always said something when our conversations ended.

i realized i was nervous after seeing someone else there and interestingly, noticed how i didn't have to struggle with my lips when speaking with him. weird huh?

silversun pickups & the rickshaw

venue: the rickshaw
band: silversun pickups & viva voce (opening)
who: lou & ro
when: 28 september 2006 (thursday)
doors open at 9p

last thursday, i saw the silversun pickups (from LA) with my friends louis and romano. the show was sold out. i'd only heard their old stuff on musicmatch. lou & ro had only heard their new stuff. it was a nice balance. there were two opening bands. i don't remember the first one but the second band was viva voce. i think they were from oregon. according to the guys, the singer was cute and that certainly added to their appeal. i thought she was ok.

it was my first time at the rickshaw. they have actual rickshaws there. it's kinda fun. it was a small venue. nice and hip. apparently, it's some indian club on the weekend sometime. i think it'd be fun to go to.

the silversun pickups were quite good. i was impressed. i was especially excited when they played their old stuff. i'd been listening to it non-stop since will told me about them. i thoroughly enjoyed the show. and to think that ro thought they were too rock 'n roll for me. and that he'd been filtering out such bands on my mixed cds he'd been giving me. but he knows better now.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

emily haines of metric

venue: café du nord (sold out)
artist: emily haines & the soft skeleton
who: betty, cousin lam & nina (again!)
when: 22 september 2006 (friday)
show starts at 9p, dinner reservations at 8:45p

yeah yeah, i'm back-dating but who cares...

i went to this show with my cousins lam & nina (future cousin) and betty. the great thing about café du nord is being able to get dinner reservations (with a $15 minimum) to get great seats. betty and i did this for trashcans back in 2004. the food is actually really good too. i had the steak entree we always end up spending more than $15/person but it's nice that we don't have to. and this time, it was lam's treat. thanks cousin! xoxo!

we got there a little late, they said to be there at least 30 minutes before your reservation but we didn't get there until close to 9p. which was fine because they hadn't even set up the tables yet. we had the same waitress as last time. i remember her because she was cool. we parked at the mortuary again, $10. it's just a block away. not bad considering parking in the castro is horrendous most of the time.

after getting settled with our dinner (we ordered at the bar), emily haines started the show soon after. the show was sold out and they added a late show at midnight so they got right to the point. she chatted us up more this time than she did at the metric show. her music is a lot more mellow than metric. it was like having her in my living room and just hanging out. she's got a great voice. it's really sultry and sexy. there was a picture show coordinating with the music. it was a nice artsy touch.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

the little things in life

...are what seem to matter most these days.

what i've learned this past week with the passing of our beloved brother dochi is that life is really too short. especially to have life end at 32. and that he should be a prime example of life and how people should be.

always happy.
always positive.

despite the hell he'd been through. he was always smiling and friendly.

we miss you dochi. ♥

in memory

dochi pham
1974-2006

i've decided...

on the subject of dating, that i'm taking the rest of the year off. no more dating. 2006 has been a horrendous year for me and i think it best if i just go solo for a while. after the break-up, the 22 y/o liar, two of my "so-called" friends hitting on me and others, i've had enough.

it's not that i won't stop "hanging" out with guys. it just won't be anything romantic. there's something i have that's also helpful. i like to call it the osoms, short for out-of-sight-out-of-mind syndrome. even when i was dating ted and since he was down south, i couldn't help but forget about him when i was out and about. i never cheated on him, i was just a little friendly is all.

with osoms, it feels like ted never happened. which is nice because he sucks.

omg, he lied!

back in april, i met this stanford grad student at popscene. he was really cute and pretty assertive. i remember asking him how old he was, as i always do. he said he was 26 and i remember thinking, good, that's one year older than ted. but the other day, i was on the stanford system (because i have access) and looked him up.

it turns out that he lied about his age. and is actually 22 y/o, not 26. that's 3 years younger than ted. 1983. i'm 9 years older than he is.

oh. my. god. i'm such a cradle robber!

congrats to new proud parents

welcome...

charlyse
lilia
celeste

born 31 august 2006 @ 4:31 am to proud parents, cousins debbie & roger
6.13 lbs, 19 inches, healthy & perfect!

congrats!! can't wait to see you guys!

dcfc

as mentioned below, here is a picture from the death cab show. a pretty good image considering i took it with my dinky camera phone!

new crush

so, there's this new guy at work. and apparently, we have similar taste in music. my manager told me stuff about him before i actually met him. i also corresponded with him via email and phone before we met in person. so, i had an idea that we listened to the same type of music. which is one of those non-negotiables for me...

he's sooo my type, which is actually really very bad. plus, he's a work colleague. i figure i could use him to get new music. kinda like how i want to use will.

anyway, i'm not so sure about dating these days. i think i just want to be single for a while ...

what was i thinking?

this may be a little mean but i prefer being brutally honest. its always so comforting to me when after a relationship goes wrong that the ex turns into this disgustingly gross slimeball of a human being and that his new girlfriend is just as repulsive.

i don't know what in the hell happened to him but i'm glad i'm no longer with him.

yikes!

happy 30th ben gibbard!!

venue: the greek theatre in berkeley (sold out)
artist: dcfc
who: betty, cousin lam & nina
when: 11 august 2006 (friday)
show starts at 7p

ok, i'm back dating. i wouldn't really be up this early on a saturday morning but i haven't been online for a while...

the opening bands were spoon and mates of state. i think we missed spoon but made it to mates of state. they seemed a bit 80's rock to me. but i've listened to some of their stuff and it's actually not bad.

i took pictures with my camera so i'll upload them shortly. the stage had props that were really visually appealing which we didn't get at the last show. if you've ever been to the greek in berkeley, you'll know that the acoustics is awesome. anywhere you sit gives you a pretty good view of the stage. there are tall trees surrounding the theatre so it feels really enclosed. they had these two little houses and these trees in the background that almost looked 3-dimensional. with the lights, it gave the impression of being in a forest. kinda.

the great thing about death cab is that they are just awesome live. it's almost flawless. and ben gibbard with his swaying. he really got into it too! he looks like he's shed some pounds. midway through the show, his band mate (don't know their names) announced that they were in the bay area 10 years ago on ben gibbard's birthday, 10 years ago that day. and that it was his 30th birthday! it was really a nice touch and for some strange reason, made the show even better.

lam & nina hadn't seen dcfc before and i know nina loves them. so, it was fun to go with them. great show. great company. awesome time.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

congrats aileen & billy!

on saturday, i went to aileen & billy's wedding in redwood city. since my cousin debbie was doing aileen's make-up, i came along to get ready with the bridal party so i can get my hair & make up done too.

it was a lovely wedding. i got most of the ceremony with my canon powershot sd450. my hand was a little unsteady and tired and the video looks a little like the wedding version of the blair witch project. hopefully, people won't get nauseous when they watch it.
aileen is friends with my sister lisa. lisa was one of her bride's maids. but i also know aileen from ucsd. we all went to college together. it was like a mini-reunion. with almost the same small group of friends at hao's wedding last may.
after the ceremony, there was an open bar and appetizers. i had plenty o' bubbly. i was seated with bryan and kay as well as thao and her sister lily. much to my delight and surprise, the food was pretty good. and the dancing was highly entertaining.

i still remember clearly at lisa's birthday dinner in 2003. it was after dinner and we were at this bar/club. when aileen wasn't there, billy said to me that she was the one. and that he planned on marrying her. i love hearing that sort of thing from men. i think it's so rare that men are vocal about romance and love. and the fact that he followed through. it makes me really happy for aileen and billy. there's so much love in that relationship. as it should be. ♥

eye probing - graphic details

yesterday, i had my eye intubation surgery. the same one i had done last year. i didn't go into detail previously but perhaps i should have. i suppose i didn't think i'd have to go through it again so i didn't feel the need but in case you get queasy with details, i recommend you stop reading now...

they actually called me to come in earlier than scheduled since they had a cancellation. so i got there an hour earlier. i figured, i just want to get it over with. i didn't really think of it as surgery since it happens at the eye clinic as opposed to a hospital and i'm in and out in about an hour. i guess it's more like an out-patient surgery.

so, i get there and they are preparing me for the procedure. the nurse puts in drops of anesthesia in my left eye. it's already taking it's effect by the time the doctor comes in. then i lay down on the operating table. he sticks this tools into my left nostril (which apparently keeps it open to work in) and stuffs in this huge blob of cotton that's soaked in some sort of anesthesic fluid which goes down my throat a bit. it's really gross. and here is the part i didn't remember from last year, he gives me two injections in my eye!!! the nurse puts her hand on my arm, either to comfort herself or me, i wasn't quite sure which. now, everything is ready and he just has to put the tube through both tear ducts and tie them together. the tube goes into my lower tear duct just fine. it's really smooth. i can feel something being pulled through my eye & nose but it wasn't bad at all. however, the upper tear duct didn't turn out quite so simple. the tube got stuck somewhere. and he's pushing and shoving this tube through my eye. and he can't figure out why it's stuck. but all the pushing and shoving gives way and it goes through but then, he can't find the tube in my nose. after fiddling around with a q-tip in my nose, he sees the tube and ties it up. the last time, it was too tight so he's taking extra time to make sure the tension of the tube is just right. finally, i'm done and good to go. until my post-op follow up anyway.

the nurse hands me some dressing for my eye. i should of course, expect bleeding in my eye and nose. sure, people get bloody noses all the time, but i very much doubt it's as common for people to bleed through their eyes. it's really quite disturbing to see bloody tears. and if you haven't experienced it, i don't recommend it.

i also got some antibiotic drops for my eye. he says to put a lot of drops in today since my eye went through a lot of trauma. ugh. trauma in my eye. yikes.

i got home and couldn't do much despite the excitement of the kiddies to have me home all day. i took my nap around the same time they did. they woke up from their nap earlier than i did. they came back later and saw me emailing sometime before 7p. i hung out with them until 10:30p and crashed again. ugh, what an ordeal!

over and over...

venue: the independent (first time!)
artist: hot chip
who: betty
when: 01 august 2006 (tuesday)
doors open at 8p

last night, betty and i went to see hot chip at the independent off of divisadero. parking was horrendous. we couldn't find anything for the longest time. and finally, score! only one block away! it was almost rock star parking for that area. heehee.

after playing real-life frogger to get to the independent, we found the venue to be very charming. it was big but small. bigger than venues like cafe du nord and smaller than slim's and gamh. the first band... um, fabulous something, sucked. they had these two bimbos on stage with matching platinum wigs as well as voices and cheap dance moves as a poor distraction to their awful music. it was like a storm. random and noisy. the music was bad. the songs were bad. the lyrics were even worse. the band was just bad. next was some bobby something's solo set. while he was a lot better than the first opening, after two or three of his songs, we'd had enough. he was like a cartoon character. he had a great voice, reminded me of sondre lerche. but his style seemed better on a tv jingle than live before a band like hot chip.

i wasn't sure what to expect when hot chip came on. there were 5 guys and a ton of instruments on the stage. i couldn't really see, as usual, so i ask betty, who the heck is singing? just like the good friend she is as well as brilliant, she suggests i sit on top of the railing by where we were standing. my first attempt at hopping (it was pretty high up) was pathetic and a little embarassing. so, i put some effort into the next jump and made it! and what a difference! to be able to see a band like them. it was amazing. there are two singers, alexis taylor and joe goddard. alexis does most of the singing. he's amazing. he's the short one, looks really young and kinda cute and is crazy on the keyboards and guitar. joe is older and a bit of a fatty but his voice is deeper like damon albarn and compliments alexis's soothing vocals very well. they were so lively on stage. it was refreshing to see such energy. which of course was contagious. i looked down at the crowd and almost everyone is dancing! it was just like a dance club.
i'm listening to the warning right now and it's great but hearing it live is no comparison. everyone there felt the energy. they were gorgeously amazing.


rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (i've decided to start rating the shows with hearts. 4 ♥'s means i loved them and would see them again!)

the best irish car bomb ever!!

so if you've ever had an irish car bomb, you may or may not know that they are usually lit on fire. hence, the car bomb. but with the fire hazard, they won't/don't light them up anymore. some places won't make them because some retards have been chipping the glass when dunking the shot.

if you know me, you know that i looove car bombs. they are my drink of choice when dancing because it's a quick and substantial amount of alcohol i can dance off for a while if not hours. but of all the car bombs and of all the places i've had them, i've never had one lit on fire. until, i went to this gay club in west hollywood on saturday that we've decided to call corndog because it's so corny. it's actually called hotdog. they don't seem to have a web site i can link to.

back to the car bomb. it was me, kiki, and our friend jodargo there. his friend met up with us. we asked the bartender for car bombs and it was odd, he went to talk to another bartender about it. who sort of looked us up and down. straight, i gathered. so they say, yeah, they'll make us car bombs. they started them as usual. filled up half a pint of guinness and started the shots of baileys and whiskey. then, he brought out some barcardi (?) and topped off the shots with it. in addition, he put some barcardi in a separate glass. he told us to move back and by this time, EVERYONE is watching us. he dips his hand into the barcardi and lights it on fire! then he put his hand on the bar where our shots were and part of the bar is on fire! and he dunks our shots into the guinness pints and we down them. i don't know if it was the fire or what but it was the best tasting car bomb i've ever had. that was the only redeeming thing about that stupid club.

let's get out of this country

venue: great american music hall (ugh, the tenderloin)
artist: camera obscura
who: ro, lou & betty
when: 20 july 2006 (thursday)
doors open at 8p

betty and i got there a little late but didn't miss much. it was quite an adventure getting to the venue as we parked about 3 blocks away. the tenderloin is filled with freaks & crazies. camera obscura had just started their first song. romano & lou were at the hemlock tavern waiting for us. afterwards, we headed over to popscene.

i'd been listening to their new album let's get out of this country almost everyday since i got it. tracyanne campbell's voice is lovely. it sounds sweet and innocent, even a little angelic. the six member band is very dynamic. with instruments that include a trumpet. and it makes all the difference in the songs. they played most of the songs off of their new cd. i was very impressed with them. it was one of the best shows i've been to in a while.

i'm still impressed... would definitely see them again.

i now have video...