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!

love at first sight with voxtrot ♥

venue: gamh
artist: voxtrot, au revoir simone & sound team
who: alex, betty & gillie
when: 30 may 2007 (wednesday)
show starts at 8p

when i first saw voxtrot over a year ago, i don't think i realized the impression they left on me. i've yet to experience love at first sight (that i can remember) with a man but i know, i did in fact experience it with voxtrot. it's sort of this helpless feeling that's come over you. when your jaw drops and you can't pay attention to your good friend who is talking at you because you froze just to keep the moment going a bit longer. right? well, that was me at the elefant show last year.

since last may, i've seen voxtrot twice. so, it would have been 4 times in one year short of 3 days. and more if they played more shows. i can't seem to get enough. their debut album came out last week and they are touring to promote their cd. i love their eps so i'm hoping i'll love the cd. it's still warming up to me.
after work, i got a ride with alex and got ready at her place in mt. view. then, betty and gillie came to pick us up. the show started earlier than usual. we left at 7p so we wouldn't miss au revoir simone and get a balcony seat upstairs. we had dinner there. it was a lot of bad food like nachos piled up a mountain high (a mini mountain anyway), cheesy fries and quesadillas.

au revoir simone were these three very homely-looking girls. alex made them honorary sociologists as they were sporting the hairdos of female sociologists (well stanford sociologists). all three of them sing and play synthesizers. so it was very electronic. there was one with glasses who was really rocking out. she was the only one! alex chatted with her later when we were purchasing our merchandise. she was quite lively and nice.

the second opening band sucked. they were called sound team. there were some tall band members and that's all i remember about them. i hope that wasn't too harsh.

before voxtrot, i went downstairs to pick up a copy of their new cd. and buttons for one and all. they were 50 cents each but he didn't charge me for them! i think it was because i had on a voxtrot shirt from the last show. the band started with songs from the new album. i will post my blurry pics from my camera phone later. their set was as expected. tons of energy. rocking out. arms wailing. jumping/dancing. they are so animated that you couldn't help but move along with them. so we were all up from our seats dancing on the balcony floor and shaking it up!

i can't wait for their next show!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ indeed.

day at steinhart

i took my nephew & niece to the steinhart aquarium at the california academy of sciences up in sf. last time i was there, i went with my sister (for her 16th birthday) at the golden gate park. there is reconstruction for a new academy there and isn't expected to reopen until end of 2008.

so we went to their temporary location on howard street. their main exhibit is penguins. we went to the feeding of the penguins and it was absolutely packed. it was really interesting. there were about 9 or so penguins. all but 1 or 2 are coupled up. there was one that we thought was fat and lazy (because she didn't swim and just stood there), it turns out that she's losing her baby feathers (still kinda fluffy) and isn't able to do anything (swim or eat) until her new feathers are all in. but about 20 minutes in and after spending nearly 3 hours there, we were tired and left early.

we saw loads of other sea life and reptiles. jaden really wanted to see dolphins and sharks but alas, there were none at the temporary site. much fun was had by all. and during the "who can be quiet the longest" game, they both crashed on the way home...

we drift away with torquil

venue: café du nord
artist: memphis & the postmarks
who: alex
when: 2 may 2007 (wednesday)
show starts at 9p, dinner reservations at 8:45p

if you are a fan of the canadian band stars, you should know that torquil campbell is in this other band called memphis. i saw them this past week at café du nord in castro.

we had dinner reservations just for the seats. and at this age (because we are so old), it's something we can appreciate. that is, not stand all night. plus, i see much better with seats. otherwise, i don't see at all. the only catch to reservations is the $15 minimum per person. since we planned on spending at least $15 on drinks anyway, it was an easy minimum. the only thing that sucks about this place is parking. i thought i had secret parking at the mortuary but to my disappointment, it was closed. ugh. we eventually found some restaurant parking just down the street.

the postmarks opened for memphis, and i was pleasantly surprised. their lead singer, tim yehezkely has this lovely sweet and soothing singing voice. it doesn't really match her. on their website, her look makes me think of the 60's mod style with her long straight hair and dark outfits. i was expecting that at the show. but, she showed up in jeans and a t-shirt. not attractive at all. very plain and homely looking. in other words, kinda ugly. however, their set was very good. i guess that's all that matters. the music, right? i don't know, i think it helps to have the rock star image down. especially if you are one. yes?

i was again happily surprised when memphis came on. i've always enjoyed the stars shows. torquil campbell is quite the firecracker. he reminds me of me! heehee. not only is he funny and clever, he's also very personable. he talks to the audience like he's your friend. you want to be friends with him. his live performances have improved as well, not that he was bad before. he wasn't. he's just gotten better. he's got a very distinguished voice. it can be soft and rock at the same time. what can i say, he's awesome.

after the show, i went and bought the new memphis cd. we got hooked up with free posters too! what a great end to the night! free posters, woo hoo!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

april boots

aren't they sexy??

a really great kiss *

have you ever noticed how recently-separated/broken up-newly-single women in the movies or on tv (most recently starter wife) always end up eventually professing to their girlfriends that they just need/want a really good kiss? and of course, they get to make out with some hot young thing?

well, i'd always thought it was lame and never thought i'd ever think that i needed/wanted a great kiss. but i go out last thursday to celebrate two things: my body scan and betty's birthday. there was a show that night that was completely sold out. i thought it would be like when the cardigans came to play there, but it wasn't. it was semi crazy. maybe it was because we showed up late and after amy winehouse played. so, we get there sometime after midnight. i had to pick up my cousin nina in the embarcadero which turned out to be quite an adventure. we get there and there is no line. and the cover starts up again at 12:15a. it's not yet 12:15. the band is still playing. and we certainly don't want to pay for the band. so we ask the guys up front, how much is cover right now? there's some signaling going on and tony (who is next to the stamp girl) takes her hand (stamp in hand) and stamps each of us. we're in, free. nice.

we head straight back to say hello to jason (back bar) and check in our coats. as we are greeting jessica, who else do we see? but my current favorite popscene guy... chris. and he's looking really hot. i'm totally thrown off because of the last couple of times we both were there. it was not hot at all. and there was no making out resulting in any of the two previous visits. so we chatted a little bit. and headed over to get drinks and talk to cousin jason (who earlier made out with amy winehouse!!). chris stays with his cousin and we hit the main bar to get more drinks. which is where will suddenly shows up. after drinks, i decided i had a mission, i'm making out with chris tonight. i say, i'll be baaack.

i head back over. i find chris and we are just chatting. somehow, i get him to smell my hair (it smelled like candy) and then, somehow, i get him to play with my hair. next thing i know, he's got his arm around me and is leading me to the back bar. we're sort of close. and suddenly, we're making out. it's very nice. my knees are wobbly as we're kissing. i don't know how long we'd been at it. and i'm getting really really warm. so i have to stop. i look up and see will from the dance floor. then go back to kissing him some more.

i realize later, that this was one of those really great kisses they talk about. i didn't think i wanted one but after making out with young hot chris, i'm not so sure how i feel about those stupid scenes anymore. perhaps they are not so stupid?

body scan --> clear!!

i had my annual body scan at o'connor hospital on monday. it is my fourth year and i had the procedures down. mostly. it helped that i put all the details on my blog last year. hehe.

here's what i went through...

10 days before the scan (or 11 since i started it on the 12th), i get on my low iodine diet. in summary, i must avoid the following foods: first and foremost, iodized salt (i think i am the only person who has non-iodized salt in the pantry); anything from the sea including but not limited to sea salt, seaweed, seafood, etc; egg yolks and whole eggs (egg whites are ok); dairy products (which means... no ice cream!!); bakery products containing iodine/iodate dough (i just avoided all baked goods); red dye #3 (random, i know); most chocolate (due it milk content); soy products including tofu and soy milk; certain beans (red kidney, lima, navy, pinto, and cowpeas); rhubarb and potato skins (plain mashed potatoes were fine); rice also contains iodine but depending on the amount you ate. i just avoided rice altogether too. what did i eat? i had a lot of stir fry with ground turkey or chicken. some turkey patties. a lot of fresh fruit. it was sort of a cleansing diet. cleansed of all processed foods.

the body scan was scheduled for monday, the 23rd. however, the week before included injections, bloodwork and one I-131 pill for the scan. but last monday (the 16th), i get this random call from the nurse at my dr's office. she says that there's some sort of shortage of I-131 pills and that i should call on tuesday to make sure i can come in for my thyrogen injections because if there is no pill for me, there would be no point for the injections. apparently, they'd given a patient an injection and found out before the next injection that there were no pills for this patient. hoping not to make the same mistake twice, carol (the awesome nurse that she is) had me call o'connor to make sure i had a pill with my name on it. later, i got a call that it was okay to go in for my injections. on wednesday morning, i went in (i had to meet with my doc to go over the side effects and precautionary information) to get my first injection on my upper right buttock. very interesting location. i didn't really notice any pain or side effect. when i removed the bandage, there was a small spot of blood on it. no biggie. the next day, i went in for my second injection and it was much different afterwards. it was painful for a while back there. later that day, when i removed the bandage, there was a splash of blood! much more than the first one. no wonder why it hurt. ugh.

last friday was the I-131 appointment at o'connor. i had to get bloodwork done right before the pill appointment across the street from the hospital. it used to be a really long wait but in the last couple of years, there has been no wait. which is nice. after the bloodwork, i went to outpatient registration. that took a while. then headed down to nuclear medicine. amanda, the front desk admin was there four years ago when i had my surgery there. same with dr. yen, my nuclear medicine doc. he's the coolest guy ever. always so nice and remembers me every year. we talked about how i had one year to go and i was going to be out of his hair forever. he replied that they didn't want to boot me out just yet. aw. then there's bruce, one of their techs has been there this whole time too. he's super nice. always calls me 'doll.' another tech is jennifer, who's been there at least the last 2 times i've gone. there's something really special about coming to a place, and going through a procedure that scares the hell out of you and yet, the people there that care for you, remember you and really do take good care of you. i can't thank them enough. so, i get my pill (hahah, there's a label with my name on it!) at ~9:30a and i can't eat until 11a. ugh. i was already starving. and there was this weird taste in my mouth. yuk. before heading off to work, i go grocery shopping. as soon as it hit 11a, i'm stuffing my face with almonds. mmm.

the weekend is a little boring for me since i'm still on my diet. i basically spend it alone (except the mornings when my niece and nephew wake me up). i just cleaned and ran errands. then monday, i go in for my scan. i get my lemon drops (to help keep me salivating, i know, sounds gross) as usual. the scan machine is set up like a bed, with pillows and blankets. it's quite nice. they put on some enya to help me sleep/relax. the first part of the whole body scan takes 30 minutes. there's this top part that comes down about an inch or less from my face and slowly scans every inch of my body. next is the neck scan which takes about 15 minutes. i doze off for about 5-10 minutes for each part. they have these panels in the ceiling of an island scene with palm trees and the ocean for you to look at while lying down. it's quite serene. when it's done, dr. yen comes in to tell me i'm okay or not. and i'm good to go! yay!

it's been a bit of a ritual for me to head over to nordstrom for cappuccino afterwards. i try to see some of my cousins there. and then, i head to work. i got to work around lunchtime and adriana (my work colleague & friend) is waiting for me to have lunch. she's waiting in my office with a cute floral arrangement as well as two pints of ben & jerry's. she's the sweetest ever! i've been craving ice cream SO MUCH. we had turkey burgers and came back to the office for some ice cream. yum! thanks adriana! you're the best! ♥

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...