congrats, serena & tom!!

i have known serena since ucsd (in 1998). she is one of my many good friends i know from alpha phi omega (aphio). through aphio, she was also one of about 10 house/apartmentmates during my years in san diego. and though i lived with her for a mere quarter (taking over anne's room), she is really the only former roommate i am still in contact with. but not only that, i consider her a truly great friend. despite the fact that we don't talk for weeks or months at a time, we still find the time to catch up every so often. i actually met tom back in 2003 when i went to boston to visit serena. they were friends at the time but he always seemed pretty nice.

this is me with my lovely sister at joe & carl's house before being dropped off at the hotel to catch the party bus.on the left: me & lisa just getting on the party bus.
on the right: the party bus, broken down in the middle of the street after smoke came out of the back.
this picture was taken from my seat at the reception. it was a fantastic view of the stage and the very cool jazz band that played all night long. it was exciting to be placed at such a fantastic table with nice people and not be all the way in the back somewhere random. thanks serena (& tom)!
to the left: after the unveiling of the, wait for it... candy bar!!
to the right: the aftermath... a couple of sad empty jars.
finally, right before lisa and i took our leave, this is me with the beautiful couple. the food was a chinese banquet and trust me, i've had my fill of this cuisine. but i've never really had chinese banquet food served to me. and the food here was delicious. not to forget, the very cute older chinese lady serving us was genuinely sweet and so efficient.

we had a wonderful time. unfortunately, i wasn't feeling well and didn't get to bust a move on the dance floor. but coming soon... our silly photo booth picture.

warning: don't click on this image...

... or, you'll get lost in peanut butter cookieland.

in the music x3

venue: ARTiculate @ evergreen valley college
artist: thao nguyen + the get down stay down
who: ro & his library friends
when: 25 september 2009 (friday)

ro told me about thao nguyen before. but only recently, i listened to her last cd, we brave been stings and all and still can't stop listening. the songs are upbeat, fun, and sassy. i am always movin' and shakin' when i am listening to her. in my car. walking around. sitting on the shuttle. in my office. it didn't matter, i couldn't help myself. she is just so cool. so i was extremely excited to see her play live, in san jose. its funny, i have a dear college friend with the same name too.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ i think i am girl-crushing on her.

venue: great american music hall
artist: the pains of being pure at heart, the depreciation guild, and cymbals eat guitar
who: john
when: 18 september 2009 (friday)
doors open at 8:00p

i hadn't planned on going to this show but my good friend mien (in chicago) called me up for a favor, could i show her friend john, around on his first trip to sf? so i said sure, of course!

i wasn't sure what he wanted to do so i gave him options on what i wanted to do. :) he said he was up for anything. we got tickets first, then headed over to tommy's joynt for some grub. it's world famous but the mac & cheese wasn't quite up to par. nothing compares to lisa's mac & cheese. we headed back over around 11p thinking we avoided the openings. but caught the depreciation guild who weren't half bad. and the pains of being pure at heart were quite good.

not only were the bands pretty good but so was the company. john was so nice and fun that he & i stayed out pretty late that night. we ended up at sparky's for pancakes and americanos. m-m-m, good. actually, i spent much of the weekend with him.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

venue: café du nord
artist: trashcan sinatras & brookville
who: cousin nina
when: 31 july 2009 (friday)
doors open at 8:00p

even though this was my 7th trashcans show, this is the first time i am rating them! strange, isn't it? though, due to a very traumatic misadventure (ie little man mccreepy), i can't bear to give them 5 ♥s. the last time i saw them was back in 2005. it's hard to believe it was over 4 years ago. and i'd seen them 6 times within a period of 2 years.

luckily, my dear cousin nina was there to save me and salvage what was left of the night.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ merci, nina!

tiramisu

i've made tiramisu since 1998, when i learned how to make it on a trip to europe in milano, italy. my friend elena showed us how to make it for this traditional italian dinner we had back in august of 1998.

anyway, it evolved into this tiramisu cake (this one has baileys in it instead of the usual kahlua i put in it, though it wouldn't look any different). next time, i'll take a picture of a slice...

my new red suede shoes!

from nordstrom's anniversary sale last month...
can you believe it? i only got one pair of shoes!

tsh levels finalized, finally

last april (2008), i had my last official body scan for my thyroid cancer. and in june, it was official. i'd beat cancer. yet, a problem still remained. my tsh levels were too high. while the main problem was gone, there was still something to worry about. it took 13 months, 28 days and 4 dosage adjustments. as of today (as declared earlier by dr. bruhn), my tsh levels are perfect. just where the good doc wants them. my next appointment with him is a year from now.

i think it's due time to celebrate in style, don't you?

come a little closer

i'm still working on my frosting decoration skills. these are mini chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. and to top off, are actual mini reese's peanut butter cups. they are super adorable. they don't taste that bad either. anyone want some?

anyone want some freshly made sweet bread?

this amish friendship bread (with dried cranberries) took 10 days to make. this came out of the oven just 10 minutes ago.
does it look yummy?

more shoes

my new shoes! these are white patent leather with a 3½" cork wedge heel. they are super comfy but as my cousin says, they better be for what you pay for them! aren't they sexy?

song for the leftovers

venue: the independent
artist: a camp, gentleman reg & rubies
who: betty
when: 14 june 2009 (sunday)
doors open at 7:30p

i first heard a camp in 2001, an ex put their songs on a mix cd. when he asked me if i knew who the band was, i said, sounds like... nina persson from the cardigans. and i was right. :) except, it's her side project with her husband, nathan larson, formerly the lead guitarist in shudder to think. the combination produces tenderness. their songs are slow & sweet, like young love. remember those days? i don't. :p

betty and i actually saw the cardigans at popscene back in may 2004 (predates this blog). it was so crowded that night, i spent most of it hanging out with chris (my former popscene bt) at the back bar. there was a random guy dancing back there. at one point, he stopped to tell me i was beautiful. something i wasn't used to. i told him he was just drunk. i'd just started seeing ted and got tricked into kissing chris the first time, that night. wow, i forgot about that... this old man tricked me into it. really!

the rubies was the first opening. at first, we weren't getting into them but then, we heard the second song and it was a lot better. they felt very pop candy 80's. reminded me a bit of call & response. the band had a strange dynamic. the keyboardist/vocalist was this chubby girl. their bassist is a very tall and masculine woman who was going for a very unflattering 70's look. the guitarist would have been cute if it weren't for his douche bag faux-hawk. and i couldn't really see the drummer. next up were gentleman reg, coming to us all the way from toronto. the vocalist, reg vermue's singing style was reminiscent of paul heaton back when he was the housemartins, except much more effeminate. way more. turns out, he also speaks that way. despite that, they weren't too bad. i actually enjoyed their set. i told him so when i passed him by on the way back from the restroom.

there is something so sweet about a band lead by a married couple, despite how i feel about marriage. there is also something wonderful about nina persson. they had this 20's and 30's theme going. it's always nice when bands put extra effort in their performances, whether it be their appearances or something else. her voice is sensational and beautiful and just lovely. they played all the great old songs (from their first cd) that i loved. ended their encore with my favorite song by them, song for the leftovers. i also really enjoy their latest cd (colonia, got the download on amazon for $2!). it is shows like this one that makes me so so happy.

afterwards, they invited everyone to meet them at the merch table. i never know what to say during these situations so i skipped it. however, betty was first in line and had them sign her t-shirt. she said they were really nice. :)

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ love has left the room

my collection of pendant watches

from left to right: an orange (w/ leaves), a daisy flower and a zipper.

rose, i'm feeling older

venue: the fillmore
artist: camera obscura & agent ribbons
who: ro
when: 8 june 2009 (monday)
doors open at 8p

this is the 3rd time i've seen camera obscura, and all three with ro in some shape, form or another. we missed the opening band as we were upstairs watching the bohemian band with the cellist/vocalist and violinist. there was a drummer too but there's always a drummer. the cellist/vocalist had her hair in dreadlocks which always seems really dirty to me. don't you have to stop washing your hair for months in order for it to form proper dreads? i can barely go without washing my hair once a day, which is supposed to be bad for your hair but my hair gets so... uh, too much information so i'm going to stop there. anyway, i really enjoyed her voice and cello playing. it was very folky and ethereal. pretty, unlike her hair. ha. ok, no more.

the first time i saw camera obscura, i was really impressed. and i loved that cd (let's get out of this country) so much that i didn't mind tracyanne's pitch being slightly off. as happy as i was to hear them live, i still noticed it. this time tho, i felt like a proud parent. her pitch was right on. still lovely and angelic. their songs take me to a different place and time. it makes me want to get out of this country, really.

i keep referencing the last album because i liked it so much. i'm still listening to my maudlin career.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ i was lucky, like a 4-leaf clover...

double the shows, double the love

venue: bottom of the hill (sold out!!)
artist: jens lekman & tig notaro (opening act)
who: ro
when: 1-2 june 2009 (monday & tuesday)

i flew back early from LA last weekend to make it to the jens lekman show on monday. ro was kind enough to pick me up from the airport to head straight to the show. we planned on going to goat hill pizza again but the wait (it was all-you-can-eat night) was too long so we ended up at lingba, just across the street. no wait and actually, not a whole lot of people in the lounge. we ordered the seafood platter, which was nothing special. maybe it was all the fried food (french fries & onion rings) i'd had in burbank. but i couldn't really handle all the fried calamari and fried prawns. ro & i barely touched the calamari but we finished the spring rolls and grilled prawns. i also ate the pineapple base for the grilled prawns. it was so-so for the price.

ro read that the opening was something we shouldn't miss. so, we got in line and waited to get in. tig notaro is a stand-up comic who does this type of awkward comedy. she was very entertaining. so much that i became of "fan" of hers on stalkerbook. check her skits out on youtube.

about jens... i don't know if this post can convey the awe & love i feel for him and his music. and, i know i'm not the only one. as i stood in the middle of this sold-out crowd watching him, i could see and feel everyone around me doing & feeling the same. we were all completely and utterly mesmerized by jens. he's spellbinding. and his voice is perfect with every pitch and beat. we didn't want him to stop. even if he was just talking, i think we'd still all be totally hooked and hanging onto his every syllable. to top it off, he's absolutely adorable! this was just from the first show.

on the second night, we decided we could skip tig notaro and make it to goat hill pizza. we were seated next to these two guys. i swear, if i couldn't hear their voices but heard every single word of their conversation, i would have thought they were chicks. because they were whining about the opposite sex like stupid little girls. i mean, the guy was analyzing every l i t t l e thing. and the chick he was in love with was playing him like the fool he clearly is. pathetic. ro & i hardly said a word to each other in an effort to eavesdrop on our neighbors. you couldn't not eavesdrop as you are seated in such close proximity to one another. they were so absorbed with this guy's girl problems that i don't think they noticed us listening. heh. oh yeah, the pizza was yummy.

at the last two shows (three including this second night), jens makes an announcement about recording his shows. well, a request really. he asks that if we so choose to film the show, that we don't put it online. this second night, i decided to bring my flip and i'm not talking about ro. hahaha. anyway, ro was again, so kind to be the guest videographer for the night. he has the creativity for it and frankly, if i had filmed it, it would just be a bunch of backs & heads of the people in front and all around me. the sound on that little camcorder is pretty amazing. i was quite impressed with it as well as ro's zooming in & out at all the right times. thanks ro!

jens invited us to stay after to talk to him as he did the last two shows. i was a bit too tired the night before so tonight was going to be the night! we went outside and waited for him, along with everyone else. i so wanted to talk to him but i didn't want to be the retard i was the last time. so i chickened out and we left. booooo. i know, i'm lame. :(

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ bom, bom, bom, bom, bom....

new shoes!

these cole haan shoes in champagne (how fitting!) are in the nike air collection. which means they are uber comfy and sexy. i wore them to a wedding last saturday in pasadena. not only were they perfect for my tadashi dress in chocolate, they were also painless and so so pretty. they are padded in all the right places. i got them 60% off at the nordstrom half yearly sale! yay!

bling! ...because i ain't waiting for any man to buy me some...

i got my first one in the summer of 2007. it's nearly 2 years later, and due time for the second one. this is the bony levy swirl ring by carriére from nordstrom in 18k white gold, diamond weight per ring is 0.51ct (totaling 1.02ct), g color and vs clarity.

i'm debating a third one...

i have another nephew!

say hello!
to my new nephew...
born on sunday, may 24 @ 7:37am.
meet pax
nhat khanh.
he weighed in at 6 lbs and 3 oz at 19 ½ inches. my brother's second son. he looks just like his daddy and his brother!

and pax's big brother, jett. they are 2 weeks shy of being exactly 2 years apart. he's such a happy boy! congrats to david & thuy!

finally... these shoes after nearly 4 years

i've been eyeing mbt shoes for over 4 years, maybe 5. i'd decided to buy a pair back in 2005, but i used my bonus for something else. these orange ones are especially cute and bright. and best of all, they are mine and still give me height. now, i just have to learn to wear them...

oodles and oodles of cupcakes

chocolate peanut butter, vanilla coconut w/ marsh-mallow cream cheese frosting, and strawberry cupcakes... oh my!

i made over 100 of these, each. totaling approx 350, for my niece & nephew's birthday party today. i'm cupcake'd out!

dance dance dance

the chunkster has an upcoming dance recital next month. on the right, she's a fairy princess. this is the costume for the ballet portion of her recital. and to the left(below) is her tap dance costume. she's a lady bug. isn't she the cutest lady bug??

happy 1st year anniversary to me!

last year, today, i kicked cancer's ass. naturally, i had to celebrate. it was planned last minute, but quite successful. betty and i went together. grace, bobby, tony and jordan showed up later to make our intimate party better i went to my usual place, xanh, to celebrate. shea, their bartender is the coolest. his presence helped make the celebrations fabulous. he also makes the best deviations.

and the cherry on top, kelly gave birth to her second beauty. so i had to go visit and meet sophia grace. please help me welcome sophia grace keiko burich. born earlier today @ 2:56p weighing in at 7 lbs & 15 oz and 20" long. what a cutie!

congrats to kelly & chris! and emily for being a big sister! ♥