Blargh

I accidentally ordered way too much food in Toronto's Chinatown for dinner and felt like I was going to regret it from the moment it arrived at the table. I wasn't even that hungry to begin with! I just wanted to try this noodle place that my cousin had recommended! It was so bad, I started to feel like I was in a food-eating contest. I stopped before downing the last two lychees in my drink.

I've generally overdosed on food over the last couple of days. My friend Amy stopped by for a wedding last weekend, so I joined her for a splurgy Omakase dinner last Thursday at Kaiseke Sakura (tragically, we both forgot our cameras). It was really wonderful, authentic Japanese food.

Then the other intern and I accidentally ordered way too much food at a Vietnamese food on Saturday. Plus we had the jumbo hot dogs at the street vendors for dinner. (Quite a bargain for Toronto food, and tasty too!) And last night, I met my friend Holly, who was visiting her brother who also lives in downtown Toronto.

After Holly introduced me to the delicious sushi from Sushi Marché, we went to get "Timbits" at Tim Horton's, which is apparently some kind of Canadian staple. Timbits are basically donut holes, so as you might guess, Tim Horton's is basically the Dunkin' Donuts of Canada.

I especially enjoyed the cruller Timbits, but ALSO I indulged in a special new strawberry blossom donut they had, that's shaped like a cute little pink flower, with red jelly in the middle and delightful strawberry candy sprinkles on icing. It is a sugary explosion of joy. It reminded me of the strawberry shortcake ice cream bar that you can get at New York ice cream trucks, which I also highly recommend!

I feel very lucky to know so many friends and family (who especially enjoy food), that even when I move to a new city (and country), I know I won't be go for too long without seeing someone I know. I think part of it is also getting older (having met so many people throughout the years), as well as having worked at such a huge company that employed such friendly people (Yahoo!).

I still miss my Karaoke-in' friends, but alas all my fun has to go on hold again, because I'm totally behind on my HOMEWORK! Isn't it enough that we have full-time jobs to deal with? As well as adjusting to new living environments!? I am reconsidering taking that year off from school or... perhaps dropping out. This is redonkulous. I have a degree already after all!

BTW, the judges on "Canadian Idol" are way too nice. Where is Canadian Simon??

(Donut image from Flickr user, Kodamakitty)

Somewhat noteable thoughts and events of the last week

Dancing Human Robots are So Cool

I had a serious regression moment when I watched an enormous crowd of ex-Ravers reliving their chance to revel in glowsticks, LED lights, and robotic electronica music. --Not to mention inhaling intense second-hand potsmoke from my friends, while checking out another friend's freshly-inked tattoo. (Yes, I'm talking about the Daft Punk concert at the Berkeley Greek Theater)

You know those ex-ravers were sore the next day from freaking out about an elaborate lite-brite show.

***

Copping a Feel

Ladies, when packing for a big move in August, especially when you're going to move somewhere very hot, remember to leave one strapless bra out for use. Otherwise you'll find yourself re-opening a taped box, blindly digging in with your arm and searching for one by touch.

***

The Pack Rat's Day of Reckoning

If you are a pack rat who loves fashion, move at least every 3 years, or else you'll find yourself loading 5+ bags and 2 suitcases full of dated clothing and shoes to secondhand shops, who will demoralize you with their rejection of your pile of clothes that you once loved.

***

Finally, San Francisco Crime Comes in Handy

If you want to get rid of anything, especially really crappy music cds, leave it in a box in your garage. It will be gone within a few hours or less.

***

San Francisco Woman Wears Shorts, Stop the Presses!

Sometimes I get warm in my apartment, while I'm packing up for my move. So one day I threw on shorts, which I never wear in chilly S.F. And then I had to throw out the trash and check the mail. So I put on the nearest shoes I could find, which were heels.

As I threw the trash out, a guy neighbor stopped to hold the door for me, and complimented my shoes. And as I walked away he complimented my shorts! Slightly creepy. And then as I passed the garage entrance to check the mail, another neighbor who was driving in, rolled down his window and said, "Hello beautiful!"

Mind you, I don't know these people. But they live in my building. Also, my legs were pretty bruised up from moving (and my own personal clumsiness), and I think I could have used a shave! But apparently these guys didn't mind or notice that part.

Even though I find these skeevy comments from random men to be annoying and sometimes completely off-putting, I suspect that in about 10 or 20 years, I'll probably miss it. But I won't miss the naked guys waiting to fondle themselves in front of me.

Anyway, I think San Franciscans just aren't used to seeing shorts on ladies.

Am I glad to move out of this apartment now, or what?

***

Stuck in the Friend Zone

It's strange to be friends with a mega-hottie guy.
I guess I'll take friendship over rejection drama. Sigh.

***

Hmm, My Tolerance is Not as Good as I Had Thought

Beware of the cocktails served at Amnesia on karaoke Tuesdays. What may sound like a friendly, girly cocktail may just end up being straight vodka that will kick your ass the next day.

But it may be worth it to see a guy wholeheartedly sing The Never-Ending Story.

***

Tip of the Day

If you're ever feeling down, just think of the line, "My hat is AWESOME!"
It really works.

***

A Case of the Happy Mondays

This morning, I signed the lease to my fabulous future Manhattan apartment and visited my friend Jen to get it scanned and sent back to New York to cinch the deal. Jen was working from home because she had a cold.

To comfort her cold, we headed to our favorite Mission restaurant, Luna Park, where she had a steak, soup, and salad, and I had a sweet corn risotto with English peas and cherry tomatoes. I "Dodgeballed" "@ Luna Park," to gloat about our lovely lunch, and so later a couple of my friends in the neighborhood later passed by to say hello.

Then I ran a few errands in my VW convertible bug with the top down, while Pink Martini, Digable Planets, Arrested Development, Smoosh, and Michael Bublé emanated from my car stereo, connected to my new iPod. It was just set to random shuffle, but the songs seemed oddly appropo. Then I came home to find an IM from KT, saying we should grab dinner and hit the Mint later this evening. That sounded like a plan to me!

Then I played a couple turns of "Scrabulous" (basically online Scrabble, my latest addiction) on Facebook and decided to take a nap, until I realized that it was so warm and sunny that it would be a travesty to not go lounge by the pool.

I got on my red Paul Frank bikini on, grabbed an amusing novel called "Love Monkey," and then decided it was so warm that I deserved a bowl of ice cream. Then Linda called me, and said, "Well you sound happy!" And I replied, "Well, I'm in swimwear, eating a bowl of Bi-Rite ice cream, listening to Britney, so yes, I'm pretty happy."

She confirmed that the papers went through, so we are, indeed, going to share an amazing apartment in September!

After I finished my ice cream, I grabbed my cowboy hat for shade and went down to go read by the pool, as I listened to mellow summer tunes from Beck and Emiliana Torrini.

Then I pondered what I should do with the two weeks' time I'll have between my last day of my San Francisco lease and when school starts. Quick trip to Los Angeles? Hawaii? Road trip to New York? Last-minute trip to Costa Rica? Or hitting as many bars and restaurants in San Francisco as I can before my time is up? Hmmm. Anybody up for a quick last-minute trip with me? Or San Francisco drinking and karaokeing? I'm hoping to check out Amnesia's Tuesday night karaoke tomorrow.

And just now Nicole called me about grabbing a snack at Ti Couz later after she's done browsing at Therapy. I'm trying to cajole her into joining me at the Mint later, with the offer for her to crash on my cozy sofabed, as I am just walking distance from the Mint.

I shall now return to enjoying the rest of my Happy Monday.

---

Soundtrack songs of the day:

Pink Martini: "Sympathique" (a song in French, about not wanting to work but rather to go smoke.)
Digable Planets: "Rebirth of Slick (Cool like Dat)"
Arrested Development: "Everyday People"
Smoosh: "Find a Way"
Michael Bublé: "For Once in My Life"
Britney Spears: "Outrageous"
Emiliana Torrini:"Unemployed in Summertime."
Beck: "Earthquake Weather"

The 10 BFF Factors

It has occured to me over the last year, that there are common themes among my very good friends. If you basically can identify with the following 10 BFF* factors, you can pretty much almost guarantee being my new best friend.

1. Food-lover:
You enjoy all kinds of food, cheap and expensive, various international cuisines, raw, cooked, meaty, veggie, carbs, seafood, cheese, desserts, etc. and will even venture into things like stinky tofu. You love to try it all. And you feel sad for people with food restrictions.

2. Karaoke-enthusiast:
You like a good melody and you're not afraid to let it out, even if it is KC & JoJo, Fergie, Tupac, or Hall & Oates. And you've probably scoped all the local karaoke venues.

3. Dancin' fool:
You've got rhythm & moves, and you don't have to wait for others to get on that dance floor; well maybe a drink sometimes helps. Bonus points for knowing how to pair-dance, as in salsa or swing.

4. Parappa the Rappa:
The combination of animals, rap, cuteness, great illustration, bizarre humor, and a cleverly designed video game pretty much puts you on cloud nine.

5. World explorer:
You've visited other cities and at some point ventured into Europe and Asia. And you want to see more.

6. Rushmore:
Yes, Max Fischer was kind of a jerk. But you love him anyway. And Wes Anderson. And wasn't that soundtrack fantastic?

7. Shoe freak:
You've got good shoes. You probably have a variety of them --maybe too many, but you certainly don't mind.

8. Color embracer:
You're not afraid of color in your wardrobe. And when I say color, I mean, beyond gray, black, white, blue, and beige.

9. Nerd love:
You are in some way, kind of a big nerd. --Maybe not in a totally awkward way (anymore), but you likely get really obsessive about certain topics, and maybe you're a little embarrassed by this, but you can't help it. It keeps you humble, anyway. Maybe it makes you delightfully strange. Or you have probably have dated some nerds. I guess they tend to go hand in hand.

10. Maker-folk:
Whether or not you are a creative professional, you have a craving to make things, like food, photography, pillows, jewelry, cards, cross-stitching, RFID-based stuffed toys and the like.

Those are my BFF factors. What are yours?

* "Best Friends Forever," for those who have forgotten their Junior High school days

Hangin' w/ the L.A. homeys

I just got back from another sun-filled trip to L.A. I think I broke a record for the number of neighborhoods I visited. In six days, I went to: West L.A., Torrance, Whittier, Pasadena, Downtown L.A. garment district, Arcadia, Chinatown, Santa Monica, Los Feliz, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Ventura. Good thing my VW Bug is fun to drive around, and the traffic was surprisingly not bad!

I visited my brothers & other relatives, and finally got to meet my 3-month-old nephew, who is super cute. Here are the other trip highlights:

• KT introduced me to "Dark Angel," featuring my favorite soap/sci-fi actor, Jensen Ackles. We also had a dvd fest of "Entourage" Season 3 to kick off my L.A. mood.


• Shopping score #1: Macy's friends/family sale. I picked up a Tokidoki gray/black shirt and a leSportsac tote with a summer print involving: skyscrapers, poodles, convertibles, and flowers. How perfect is that!?


• A delicious Japanese-fusion-tapas sort of meal at Orris on Sawtelle, where this funny old guy on a date, at the next table, gave KT and me the rest of his bottle of wine. And when he saw us photographing our food, he made us take a picture of him. His date was very good-humored about it.


• Shopping score #2: Angie took me to a new little outlet store on Sawtelle where I got TWO Members-Only-styled jackets -- but cuter, for about TWENTY DOLLARS.


• Pinkberry: the fruit-topped fro-yo cup of heaven that has taken L.A. & N.Y. by storm. I could eat it everyday. I had it on Sawtelle one day and the next day in Los Feliz... as we saw Griffith Park go up in flames in the distance. It was a surreal moment.
  


• Shopping score #3: At the Beverly Center, I discovered Heritage, which is like a slightly nicer Forever 21. I bought a super cute green jumper with heart-shaped buttons. This continues my tradition of buying a sun-dress every time I visit L.A.
  


• Private-room karaoke at Yuu Yuu, on Sawtelle, where Jo sang a heartfelt Boys II Men love ballad, KT did Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable" as we danced backup, Angie wailed Def Leppard, and I ambitiously tested my rap skillz on "Fergalicious."


• Shopping score #4: Also at the Beverly Center, I went to Momoberry, the Hello Kitty boutique for "grown-ups." No, I did not buy the Kimora Lee Simmons diamond-encrusted Hello Kitty ring. But I did buy the dumpling-headed Hello Kitty phone charm.


• Shopping score #5: I went to Chinatown, in search of a cheongsam. The first one I tried on was a perfect fit!


• Public karaoke at the Gaslite, where I tried to ignore the guy who couldn't stop spitting when he talked to me. KT did a Fleetwood Mac number, and then I improvised my way through the Lisa Lisa Cult Jam classic, "Lost in Emotion."


• Catching up with old college friends at Montana Restaurant and Lounge, in Santa Monica, for Olivia's 30th b-day dinner. It was a very L.A. restaurant, where they had drinks like jalapeno martinis and yummy kobe burgers. But best of all, the waiters (and waitresses) are smokin'. They looked like they could have been stars from the CW (formerly known as the WB). I hear it's gonna close in 5 weeks, so check it out while you can!


• I wore the cheongsam to a Wong Kar Wai-themed closing party for an Asian Film Festival, which was surprisingly packed! The ladies were looking lovely in their vintage dresses. It was partly an outdoor party, on a warm night, and they had good mojitos. A guy was hitting on me, but I told him the sad truth: it was my last night in L.A., I live in S.F., and I'm moving to NYC. So I told him it'd be like a true Wong Kar Wai movie: nothing was going to happen.

Left your name? Look ovah here! (Part II)

Okay, here are the last responses to "Leave me your name." You guys get accompanying photos this time, since you had to wait:

Joy:

1. You have a magical power to unite all types of folks through '80s music and fashion. Don't Stop Believin', baby!
2. "Xanadu," and any song by Duran Duran
3. Cranberry & Orange (with vodka)
4. No, I am still not dating him, and he is still cute and too young.
5. I think you were working on 360° and came by to give me a lovely compliment on my shoes and skirt.
6. A lovebird
7. How have we not yet gone to the Mint together?

tatertot:

1. Little. Yellow. Different. Better. And when I say different, I mean the part where you love Hilary Duff and have hairy arms. :D
2. Hilary Duff movies and "LDN" by Lily Allen
3. Strawberry Watermelon
4. I don't think I would have had those crazy makeout dreams if you hadn't left our threesome.
5. You were sitting in the Design department at Kerckhoff, at the Daily Bruin offices, doing page layouts, I think in a long skirt.
6. A chinchilla. Do you know that they can jump up to five feet above their heads?
7. How did you get to be so deceptively innocuous?

Kevin:

1. You LIED to the moving man, just so he'd use Local!?
2. "Sexyback" by JT (That was a good concert, huh?)
3. Lime
4. No one can touch the Tasmanian Devil on the dance floor.
5. Hmm I think you were sitting in a UED Flash class.
6. Butterfly
7. When are you going to quit smoking?

And now, I will get back to work! Ooh, can it be? The sun is coming out? YAY.

Left your name? Look ovah here!

I needed a break. So here are my responses to the first 4 commenters to the "Leave me your name" entry:

Aynne:

1. You have the most fascinating dating stories.
2. Hmm, I'll say... "Grosse Pointe Blank" or "Beat It"
3. Grape
4. I bet that damned goth trashed my hearts!
5. Hmm, I think it was drinks at Encore for karaokeing w/ Joy
6. A raven
7. Were you named after Ayn Rand?

Karpar:

1. Your stitchwork is the #12 most popular photo on my Flickr.
2. "Lonely Rolling Star," or "Oops, I Did it Again"
3. Black Cherry
4. Wearing rings is the problem? As opposed to too much David-Hyde Pierce?
5. You were a Yahoo! intern, and you asked me something about... children's books' authors or something, I think for a thesis proposal.
6. A penguin :D
7. Will you always love "America's Funniest Home Videos"?

Warren:

1. Your masterful doodle of Mr. T on the Yahoo! Messenger Scribble IMV is an inspiration.
2. "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker or "Please Don't Go Girl" by NKOTB
3. Berry Blue
4. WHAT??? You LET me sleep through "Sidekicks??" Nooooooooooo!
5. I think it was your pseudo-cousin introducing me to you at URL's
6. Hmm, Bonobo ape? (They like to play games) Or maybe a Gibbon. (They like to sing duets.)
7. How do you stay so trim with your love of fast food?

Anita:

1. She pities the fool who doesn't like Mr. T
2. "Who's That Girl?" by Madonna. Or Eve, I guess.
3. Mixed Fruit
4. Uhh.
5. Your comment earlier about jello wrestling.
6. The elusive DoDo bird
7. Who are you?