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Friday, November 27th, 2009
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3:23 pm - back east
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after 2 years, i'm back in east coast. coming out of newark terminal, there's a sense of familiarity that came over me. it's really been 10 years since i can call this home, but in a way it's still home to me.
we met up with winka, sherek, and kelena after we took the train into NYC. it never felt like we missed a bit even though we haven't seen each other for a little while, as evidence by the joy we had when we played cranium that night and we are still all on the same page. with the unsurprising victory by the boys, i took the opportunity to announce i'd like my boys to be my groomsmen. it was just too perfect.
yesterday we all convened at sherek's to put a thanksgiving dinner together. it was mostly ACC. good to see more familiar faces. the tiny kitchen churned out a really impressive meal: very juicy/flavorful roasted turkey (oven bag is useful), stuffing, veggie medley, gravy, baked sweet potatoes, our veggie sausage soup, megan's salmon avocado appetizer, nam's corn pudding, and pumpkin cheesecake/pie/coffee cake. most of us were full after the first plate. after the dinner we played some lego rock band (band name: catch the chicken!), and basically just enjoyed the company of each other. it was really fantastic.
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| Monday, November 9th, 2009
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6:35 pm - Wineroad weekend
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Friday
Was supposed to kick it with Relando but it didn't go down. So I ended up checking out the jazz lounge. Zack was working, mike was there and so was Becky. The band was nice but the "singer" killed it. And not the good kind of killing it. It was just straight up garbage. Incredibly atrocious. We took a break outside, and when we got back it was only the band playing. Drums, bass, and a fantastic keyboard player. Zack said he used to play with Issac Hayes. I don't think I've really seen a performance like that. Dude is a mastro! I still have part of a song stuck in my head 3 days later. Really wished I recorded it. Just fantastic. Saturday
After breakfast at Daimo, we picked Valerie up and went up to sonoma for their annual wine and food festival. For a non drinker like me, I'm there for the scenery and the pictures. I've decided that Im gonna focus on being a photographer. Coz Vernon said I'm a grand cat. The day was kinda short coz we got there kinda late. We only got to 6 wineyards. Got some tri-tip, chicken corn chowder, coq au vin. We stayed a little extra after the event was over for the day to take more pictures as the sun sets. Wish we get to see more foliage. That night we went to kathrine's place at twin peaks for her bday. Parking was a bitch, but once we got settled, the rest of the night was nice. Her spot is high up so we had a perfect view of the city and the east bay. Good company and a funny game of taboo rounded out the rest of the night. Sunday
Uneventful until the audit at our walnut creek boutique. It went rather nicely. Dude is a newbie but knows what he's doing and get the big picture. Impressive. The count went long but everyone was pleasant and nice. Can't complain for working on a Sunday night. Posted via LiveJournal.app.
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| Monday, November 2nd, 2009
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12:05 am - halloween weekend
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| Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
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9:03 pm - nba is back!
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2nd night of the season, and we've already seen the dominance of the top teams.
celtics looked to be in mid season form in the first game of the season, handling the shaq-included cavs rather easily. sheed fits in the team quite nicely, stretching the D with his 3's. marquis daniels looks like a very nice addition, with his ability to play d, shoot 3's and a little bit of everything. tonight the celtics kept the poor bobcats from even getting 60 points while scoring 92 themselves. one cohesive units. 65 wins shouldn't be a problem.
as for the defending champ, they just look amazing in yesterday's game. odom and bynum dominant the board, kobe was his usual self taking and making some unbelievable shots, artest not very visible on the court, and they still made a tight game with clippers in the 4th quarter like the clips aren't even there. the lakers are so stacked that no one even noticed that gasol, the other all-star on the team, didn't even play!
and the team that i'm rooting to be the champ this year? the spurs. the new additions in richard jefferson and mcdyess are fitting in really well. with ginobili pulling off a few of his trademark misdirections drives (and 2 three's), the spurs are back being a very very serious contender.
more than anything, i hope for everyone to stay healthy, so that the games will be THAT much more amazing.
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| Saturday, October 17th, 2009
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12:20 am - Itsa Mario!
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The classic - Mario 64. I've been itching to play it recently. I was too young go appreciate it's brilliance back when it came out. I did play it for a bit but I lost interest soon. After much pondering, I finally DL'd it on Wii and played it tonight. To my surprise both Jenny and Megan played it before, and Jenny knew quite a bit about the game. 2 and a half hour later, we have 14 stars under our belt. Not too shabby eh? There's only 106 more to go =P Posted via LiveJournal.app.
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| Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
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12:08 am - What the hell am I doing?
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Day 2 of cycle count hell week. Nonstop work practically every waking moments, other than transit time and food. What the hell is the point of this? I don't see that I'm building anything. It just feel like busy grunt work. This is a meaningless life I'm living right now. I fucking hate this. Posted via LiveJournal.app.
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| Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
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10:46 pm - Dinning at Fleming's
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to (belatedly) celebrate Mo's birthday, we went to Fleming's for dinner tonight. Jenny had previously went there for a company holiday party, and really liked their steak. currently there's a prix fixe for 3 courses so it was more incentive for us to go.
starting off the night were good drinks. blueberry lemon drop for Megan and mojito for Mo. Jenny got a shrimp cocktail appetizer, and both megan and I got the butternut squash soup for our prix fixe. the soup was so thick and creamy that we were able to share our soup between four of us. very flavorful and rich.
as for main courses: Mo got the scallop with lobster sauce, Jenny had the ribeye, Megan got Filet Mignon Brochette, and i had Pork Osso Bucco. i really loved my plate. it was crispy on the outside, super tender and full of flavor inside. we also had 3 sides: creamed corn, baked tomatoes with parmesan stuffing (came with prix fixe), and a GIGANTIC baked potato.
our waiter recommended a chocolate lava cake to us, even though we are getting a piece of chocolate mousse cake for each prix fixe. it was really good, and we even got chocolate truffle AND a picture of us with our desserts in a paper frame.
it was a really wonderful dinning experience. i definitely recommend Fleming's.
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| Monday, September 28th, 2009
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8:06 am - Monday
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After a hot and sunny weekend, it strangely feel like a fall/winter morning in new jersey. Odd. Good thing Megan will be back from New York tomorrow. Posted via LiveJournal.app.
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| Saturday, August 29th, 2009
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11:54 pm - New home!
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I'm now officially moved in to our new place in walnut creek! This has definitely been long time coming. It was 10 years ago when I moved to berkeley to start my college career, and now I have finally moved out and begin a phrase in my life. Exciting! Posted via LiveJournal.app.
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| Monday, August 3rd, 2009
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11:30 pm - idiocracy
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is the title of one of those good-for-saturday-afternoon tv movies. it started off with an amazing observation/theory: theory of evolution describes the strong dominates and survive, but with human it maybe complete opposite.
the intelligent/responsible people first hold off on having kids until they can support the new lives, then maybe later on they have trouble conceiving and eventually died off without having kids; the irresponsible/dumb people would have created a segment of population by having multiple children who grow up and have multiple children too.
eventually the dumb mass will outnumber the intelligent ones completely.
it's a comedy, but this possible vision of future is very unsettling.
current music: rem - strange currencies
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| Friday, July 17th, 2009
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11:47 pm - Take me out to the ball game
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| Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
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6:28 pm - It's official!
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i just signed the lease to our new spot at Walnut Creek yesterday!
so after 10 years of being in Berkeley, i'm finally moving on. it's about damn time anyway. granted i'm still living in the bay area and we'll still be back to places we frequented before, but it'll be a big step forward, a big change in scenery, and i'm damn excited about it!
i've already started planning for the move. it's still about 2 months away but i really only have about 5 workable weekends for pack and move. with all the crap i've accumulated the past 10 years, that's not a whole lot of time. just sorting out all the clothes i don't wear will take me at least one full weekend.
i've also sketched out the floor plan of the new spot this past weekend, and took some measurement of the place after we signed the lease. we need to get some new furnitures and figure out how to set up our room, and the earlier we start planning for that, the better.
i can't wait to move!
just for kicks i attached my re-drawn sketch here. see i ain't bullshitting about planning.
 
[ed: this post was supposed to be from the livejournal app on my iphone, but for some reason it didn't send the text so this was a rewrite from my comp.]
current music: barry manilow - weekend in new england (yeah i can't believe it either)
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| Friday, July 3rd, 2009
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6:32 pm - Bakesale Betty
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Fried chicken sandwiches: great Brisket sandwich: super tender beef. Fantastic Strawberry short cake: amazing 30 minutes wait line with free pecan shortbread Posted via LiveJournal.app.
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| Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
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11:18 pm - Happiness here I come!
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Last day of work before 4 day weekend. Got the japan stuff done in oracle. Last minute but I'm happy I learned how to do it. Last day before Vilma's maternity leave too. Wonder what's gonna happen the next four month. Dinner at dojima-an. Usual good katsudon and slightly overpriced croquettes. Wicked at Orpheum! Surprisingly well written story, really superb production, good casting and acting. Really really enjoyable. I had a great time. In the biggest news, I'm FINALLY moving out of Berkeley after 10 years! We are moving to a great 2 stories condo at walnut creek, right next to BART and 680. Super convenient and a nice place to live. I'm excited!!! Posted via LiveJournal.app.
current music: Michael jackson - smooth criminal
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| Monday, June 29th, 2009
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11:20 pm - Test post
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| Friday, June 26th, 2009
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11:59 pm - party friday
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office recognition party
hosted by IC and allocation
- magaritas (alcoholic and virgin)
- ice cream (bars, drumsticks, sandwiches)
- slide show guessing game
Jayakarta dinner
- 28. Mie tek-tek (spicy noodles)
- 46. Oseng - oseng tempe (spicy stir fried bean cake/tofu/string beans)
- 69. rendang (beef in spices and coconut milk sauce)
- 72. glai kambing (curry lamb)
- 76. saus mentega (shrimp in sweet sour sauce)
with coconut rice. 5 people got into food coma.
Missouri Lounge
- feels like a very large living room with a bar and foreigners
- cheap and strong drinks
- okay DJ
- had a blast dancing with megan
current music: michael jackson - rock with you
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| Monday, June 22nd, 2009
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11:43 pm - Escape to Reno
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this was all because, against all odds, i won a raffle at an event before the SF chinese new year parade months ago. (thank you emmie for inviting me to that event) normally i don't ever bother with this but i somehow luck into a free night stay at Reno Harrah's and 2 tickets to a show. this must be my year.
this weekend was chosen because the offer is about to expire and it's one of the few Mondays that i can take off from work. turned out to be a great weekend. the drive was long but smooth (3 hours+), partially scenic and not too much traffic.
Reno calls itself the "biggest little city in the world" and it's true. it's really only a couple of small blocks and not much around. there was a river/creek that went right through downtown, and cleverly they made it a small natural waterpark (Wingfield Park). it's definitely a cozy little spot to hang out and chill. since megan is so into anything water-related, that's where we checked out first. water was damn cold but we still stick our feet into it. it's good to getaway.
 
we had a super late lunch/early dinner at the Harrah's buffet. it's not the high class gourmet affair from vegas, but it's also about only half their price. the carving station can be skipped, but there are gems hidden here and there. we stuffed ourselves silly and that was always a good thing (to me anyway). megan had a bunch of dungeness crab, which was a bit surprising. that alone was worth the admission price.
we took a small break to recover from food coma, and off to the show we go. it was called Iconman by Greg London. i was a bit skeptical at the beginning but he soon won the crowd over. terrific singer (yes, actually live), and great impressions of many singers. the most memorable segment was without a doubt when he became ozzy osbourne, who even had a "duet" with Kermit the frog on "Rainbow connection". absolutely spot on and hilarious. he definitely busted his ass to put on an amazing show. dude actually was voted Nevada's best entertainer of the year in 2009. the band was no slack either, and the light design/show was superb also. all in all we had a great time.
 
we took a walk to check out El Dorado and Circus Circus after the show. El Dorado seemed to be the most vegas-like casino/hotel there, though Circus Circus was nowhere near the size of its vegas counterpart. i eventually got sucked into the carnival games, and went to shoot some hoops. make 2 "freethrows" and win prize. i had 4 tries and only succeeded once. i felt like dwight howard. so no championship ring (stuffed bear with a hoodie), just a consolation "bob the builder" pillow. meh. i guess like megan said, i still won something.
the next morning we got done packing/checked out, and went to Silver Peak restaurant for lunch at their patio. fantastic fries, cheap jambalaya and shrimp pasta. all terrific in flavor and generous with the ingredients. we topped off our lunch with an awesome double chocolate bread pudding (a la mode to boot!), and we came away super happy.
the drive back wasn't too bad at all. though it was pretty hot, and after megan took over the wheel in sacto, i fell asleep in the passenger seat. it's been a while since i've sat there. it's kinda nice sometimes.
current music: rainbow connection
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| Sunday, May 24th, 2009
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5:30 pm - there's no "you", there's no "i", there's "us"
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We are now engaged. =)
current music: Jason Mraz - I'm yours
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| Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
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10:39 am - still dreaming
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you are talking to me, aren't you, Nas?
"How you a man waitin' for the next man to get rich?
Yo' plan is to stick out yo' hand real quick
So if he feed ya family and he serve you shit
Then he need that head you get and he deserve your bitch
Since you wishin' cash fall from the sky all ya life
Dwellin' on the past when you was alright
When you was gettin' cash but wasn't too bright
Now ya luck down you feel like, bustin' them shells
Nobody owe you, can't do nothin' for self
Want niggaz to show you, how to come up wit' green
I scheme since I'm fourteens, what the fuck was your dream?
Rental cars, little broads, sayin' you was seen
Wit' little niggaz wit' a chain you was doin' ya thing
How high was I? You the thousandth guy
That came around thinkin' we can see, eye to eye
We on a different echelon, coulda got bread together
Now you gets deaded on
Keep dreaming"
current music: NaS - still dreaming
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| Thursday, December 11th, 2008
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12:37 am - back from the moon
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2+ MONTH!
this is without a doubt the longest time i didn't update my journal since i first got it in 2002 (actually 2001 or maybe even 2000 when it was on another blog site). Me and Relando started a writing project in mid october, so that just makes me less incline to write more to the public. it's nice and comforting to just write on my own. knowing i don't have to watch what i say. this is still public domain. it's like if i talk on the street i better be careful what i say.
so the point is that since i'm writing with pen and paper, i stopped writing online. thought about updating a few times but didn't. so many life changing things has happened since i last updated. let's just run down the list in chronological order:
11/4 - obama.
11/14 - iPhone. amazing tool/gadget/toy/entertainment system.
11/25 - Megan left for Australia. she'll be working and traveling in the area for the next 6 months.
yeah.
current music: misia - missing autumn
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