Super Silly-ous

Check out the etymology of the phrase “three sheets to the wind“.

I submitted three timesheets for approval today because I’m behind (obviously) a few weeks with my time tracking at work.  I think that’s the part I hate the most about consulting…tracking hours and figuring out which department or projects are involved for billing purposes.  Major pain! =P  Anyway, it made me realize that I was also a bit behind with my updates, so let me do some catch-up before the busy holiday weekend descends.

I started playing in a mens volleyball league this past Tuesday at Balboa High School.  Greg, Ryan, Francisco, Mario and Brad are joining me for Team Old School and Brian has agreed to be our go-to sub.  We unfortunately lost our first match but in general everyone had fun since the level of play was pretty good.  Since half the team is new, we experienced some hiccups on the court and ended up “practicing” a bit more than actually playing.  But we were able to assuage the pain of our loss with some really delicious Hawaiian BBQ afterward. =9

Last night Jackie and I tried going to a Thai place I really like on 6th near Market, but we found out it had closed down. =(  It’s now a fried chicken place (it did look pretty tasty) but Jackie wasn’t in the mood for greasy food, so we ended going to Max’s Opera Cafe.  I had never been there before, but I have to say that the food is yummy and the portions are very generous.  Francisco joined us for dinner and Vince ended up strolling by just in time for dessert.  We sat next to a table of older Asian ladies who were really funny and really sweet…they kept making cute comments that would crack us all up.  Jackie and I now vow to be just like them in another 30 years or so.  I bet we’ll be the coolest old ladies on the block. =)

Oh, I forgot to mention last weekend! Anita and Mike invited me to join them last Saturday at a b-boy exhibition called Renafownk taking place at Poleng Lounge (the old 1751 Social Club).  I ended up running into Laurie and her boyfriend Taek…it was really nice to hang out with them and catch up on the latest news.  Anita and Mike had to leave early but that’s probably a good thing since the b-boys were rather bad.  I was reminded of those high school dance circles that kids form with someone flailing around in the middle.  One or two of the dancers were very good, but the rest were pretty lame.  We got tired of watching bad popping and locking, so we split to check out the new club Crash.  It’s a pretty sweet venue and I really like the all white lounge upstairs, especially since the DJ was spinning good trance.  We didn’t stay very long so I’ll have to come back sometime to actually dance!

Look at the definitions for Baller and Shot Caller according to Urban Dictionary.

I spent this past weekend doing a lot of outdoor activities that were enjoyable, but also very tiring.  While I was glad to be outside in such gorgeous weather, I am a bit sore today as a result.  Okay, scratch that…I am ridiculously sore!  I suppose I can’t complain too much though as I was able to spend time with good friends while working on my tan. =)

Saturday was my Shot Callers and Ballers (and Pub Crawlers!) Tournament.  It was the biggest one I’ve ever organized with eight pools and 32 teams.  I put quite a bit of work into it and I think it turned out well, so I’m feeling pretty proud today.  There were many players who asked me when the next one would be, so I take that as a good sign!  As usual, a lot of my friends offered their help, so thank you to everyone who came early, stayed late, or even just asked me if I needed any assistance. =)  I do need to give special thanks to Greg and Alan…you guys were invaluable on Saturday and I couldn’t have run such a successful tourney without you.  The Cheesecake Factory dinner was just a small token of my appreciation!!!

I was planning to have a very leisurely Sunday after spending 11 hours playing ball in the sun the day before.  I went with Anna down to Central Park in San Mateo for an afternoon BBQ.  I had a great time eating a lot of good food (Sam’s beef short ribs were very tasty and someone needs to give me the recipe for that toffee caramel chocolate cake!) and meeting new friends.  It was hot and there wasn’t much shade, but at least I was sitting and not doing anything too strenuous.  But then someone got the bright idea to go play baseball.  Then basketball.  Then football.  Next thing I know, I’m running around in the sun [yet again] until 8pm!  At least we took a little break at one point for a cool treat at Baskin Robbins.  But still, the best laid plans…

So I’m hobbling around today as a result of my weekend exertions, but I’m glad I was able to create a few more wonderful summer memories.  One of these days, I’m sure I’ll finally have a slow weekend to do simple things like wash my car.  But in the meantime, I learned that I’m a pretty good quarterback and receiver and I also definitely need to go buy a baseball glove for my lefty-throwing self.

Silly joke heard last night: 

“What’s brown and sticky?”

“A stick.”

Heidi is here!  It’s been a while since we’ve hung out because she hasn’t come up for work lately and I haven’t visited home as much.  But one of the beautiful things about our friendship is that no matter how much time passes or how little we’re able to talk, whenever we finally do reunite, we’re just as close as ever.  I guess it’s a good thing that we’re both low maintenance friends!  The bad thing is that we lose a lot of sleep when hanging out together. =P

I met her cousin Mike yesterday…fresh out of school, he just moved up to SF and is on his own for the first time.  Remembering what it was like to feel a bit lost in a strange city full of fog and hills and lots of weirdos at every street corner, I decided to make him my adopted little brother. =)  In return for taking him under my wing, Mike has promised to give me an insider’s tour of the Letterman Digital Arts Center (yay)!

Food is very important to Heidi and me (and now of course Mike) so we are always embarking on gastronomical adventures together.  Last night we decided to go to Kabuto, a sushi restaurant that everyone and their momma has been raving about.  Now, no offense to any mothers, but I think Kabuto sucks.  Yes, you heard me, SUCKS!  It’s completely overrated.

I checked a bunch of online reviews and apparently I am the only person on the planet who does not like Kabuto.  But seeing as how both Heidi and Mike were also very unhappy about dinner, we are now a minority of three.  I won’t go into all the details here (you can read my full review on Yelp when I post it up) but I honestly can’t imagine returning there unless perhaps they could guarantee absolutely no wait and I could expense everything.

Fortunately I was with awesome company so I had a great time overall.  But then again, when do I not have fun with Hyd?!  Her cousin has a lot of promise as well, although I don’t know about his joke telling abilities (but his delivery alone is pretty priceless).  He is a cool kid overall as he is super nice, very artistically talented, will carry heavy things and lets me borrow his DVDs.  I think I’m going to like having a little brother!!! =D

How to duplicate Helen’s weekend-of-jam-packed-fun:

1. Tapas at Cha Cha Cha (warning: it gets REALLY hot inside).
2. Drinks at Wish…although I copped out and didn’t actually drink!
3. Slumming–oops–dancing at The Holy Cow (note: schizophrenic DJ).
4. Hang out with some AACO folks.
5. Bounce to some hip-hop at Suede.
6. All-you-can-eat meat at the Brazilian chophouse EspetuS.
7. Watch car tires squeal like mad in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Friday was my buddy Greg’s birthday so we celebrated at Cha Cha Cha, Wish, and The Holy Cow.  Everyone had a blast but it would have been nice if one of us had remembered to bring a camera to record some of the more incriminating moments…Peter and Ehb had WAY more fun than the birthday boy…endless pitchers of sangria at dinner are a really bad idea!  Wish was cool but I was too busy munching on pretzels and “drunk-sitting” to really check out the scene. As for The Holy Cow, well, all I can say is that it was free…and you definitely get what you pay for.  Greg had a good time though, and that’s all that counts!

Saturday I went to a BBQ sponsored by AACO, a community volunteer organization I’m thinking of joining.  It was okay…I didn’t know anyone there, but the few people I met were pretty nice and there was a lot of food.  I did get to throw my football around for a while, so that made me quite happy as usual!  I’m going to try some of their volunteer events, but I’m not sure if it’s the right group for me.  It feels more like a social club, which is fine, but I am looking for a more structured organization that really focuses on volunteering.  As for Suede, it was mostly memorable because Jackie and I saved a smoking speaker from bursting into flames!

I did get to sleep in on Sunday, then had a yummy dinner at EspetuS.  You can’t really go wrong with fresh roasted meat that comes right off the spit and is carved at your table…I think that we definitely need more Rodizio style churrascarias in the Bay Area!  I can’t believe I ended up watching The Fast and the Furious movie later that night, but it wasn’t that bad for an action flick.  There were plenty of riced out cars, scantily clad women and nice racing/car chase sequences.  Of course there are better drifting movies out there (Initial D comes to mind) but if you ignore the bad acting and cheesy plot, Tokyo Drift is a mindlessly enjoyable summer movie.  Maybe I should get a 1986 Toyota Corolla and start delivering tofu…

Because we’re night owls, Jackie and I decided to catch a late night showing of Mission: Impossible III yesterday at Century 20 Theatres.  I really like that place, if only because of the easy and free parking!  Another thing I recently noticed that makes me like this cineplex even more is that they haven’t jumped on the super lame bandwagon of showing TV commercials before the feature movie.  Just like the good old days, there are only preview trailers of upcoming attractions for us to enjoy.  I wish more theaters would revert to this!

I liked the movie a lot.  It had all the earmarks of a quality action flick:  flashy pyrotechnics, guns & ammo, hot chicks, frantic chase scenes and ridiculously unrealistic techie gadgets.  What’s not to love?!  The acting wasn’t too bad either, which was a pleasant surprise…I thought Cruise & co. did a pretty good job with the script.  The only moment in the movie I thought was noticeably lame was the usual villian-revealing-the-true-evil-extent-of-his-diabolical-plans scene.  It felt forced and the explanation was initially confusing…I got the feeling the script writer and/or director kind of rushed through this part, or maybe the idea sounded better in their heads than on paper.

So despite not being a Tom Cruise fan (I didn’t like him even during the days of Top Gun, but that’s a whole other story you can ask me about some other time), I give this movie two thumbs up.  I liked it much better than the only other summer blockbuster I’ve watched to date, X-Men 3: The Last Stand (I can’t believe how badly they jacked up the Phoenix Saga storyline).  Now the only current film left on my list is The Da Vinci Code…anyone want to see it with me? =)

“Whoever said progress was a slow process wasn’t talking about me.  I’m a P.I.M.P.  Plus, I got the magic stick.” - 50 Cent

Last night after playing open gym volleyball, some of us headed out to dinner at our usual post-Burlingame haunt, Thai Stick.  The food is okay, but we go here primarily because they’re open late until 1am.  Unless one feels like fast food, there just aren’t a lot of options for late night dining on the Peninsula.  If you combine that with the fact that I work nearby and go to Thai Stick for lunch sometimes as well, I’ve eaten there a whole lotta times.

Anyway, I had dinner with Rick, Fran, Greg, and Vivien…it was nice to just chill and shoot the breeze with them.  I got my usual fresh coconut juice and of course spent much of the meal carving out pieces of coconut to feed everyone else.  It’s funny how everyone likes it and wants it, but nobody actually orders it except for me.  I guess they think it’s too much work and they’d rather mooch off of me!  I didn’t have room for dessert but I’ll have to remember to order the mango and sticky rice next time since it’s now in season…I’m such a sucker for fresh mango. =)  This entry isn’t supposed to be a food review, but in case you’re interested, I actually wrote about Thai Stick on my Yelp page.

Afterwards, as I was driving back to the city, I started to reflect on how much I’ve gone through during my time here in the Bay Area.  I’ve lived in nine(!) homes, had six jobs, bought ten fish (three of which are still alive), and driven over 70K miles.  I also drank alcohol for the first time up here, went through a huge career shift when I decided to not be an engineer anymore, totaled my first car (not my fault!), and successfully paired up and married off two dear friends to each other.  Healthwise, I rolled an ankle and dislocated a toe.  Familywise, I gained a sister-in-law and two nieces.  Lifewise, I learned exactly how important it is to be surrounded by those who are near and dear to my heart.

I didn’t intend for this to be a serious post, but Bay Area, I just want to say thank you.  Thanks for giving me a place to experience my formative adult years.  Thanks for taking most of my income to pay for your exorbitant housing costs, but giving me the best friends one could ever hope for.  Thanks for the crappy San Francisco fog which now makes me appreciate sunny days instead of taking them for granted.  Thanks for the annoying transplanted yuppies to remind me why humbleness is so important.  Thanks for your ridiculously delicious culinary delights.  Thanks for opening up my mind and opinions to my loved ones and even strangers.  Thanks for helping me find myself and my place in this world.

For more music information:

Alice @ 97.3

Cake

O.A.R.

Missy Higgins

I went with Jackie and Theary to Alice’s Summerthing concert today.  Despite the fact that San Francisco’s ubiquitous layer of fog and mist never budged, we had an absolute blast listening to great music, people watching, eating multiple lunches and generally just having a really long all day picnic in Golden Gate Park.  We went early to stake out a nice spot and spent a couple hours chick-bonding as we waited for the concert to start.  We were eventually joined by Ha, Maria, Ehb, Yenly, Jorge and some more folks so it’s a good thing we saved a lot of room!

I had never heard of Missy Higgins before, but she has a beautiful voice and her first number on stage was a gorgeous, haunting ballad.  I didn’t catch the song title, but I’m definitely going to find it and put it on my playlist.  I had gone to an O.A.R. concert before and as usual, they did not disappoint as their energy and enthusiasm were contagious.  Cake played some songs I wasn’t familiar with but they had hilarious lyrics that kept cracking me up.  And for their last encore, Cake did a catchy rendition of “I Will Survive” that I really enjoyed.

It’s been a while since I have been to a live concert and I had forgotten how much I enjoy listening to musicians just jam away.  I find it so inspiring to hear art being created right in front of you and I started thinking about how much I miss being involved with music.  While I certainly was never good enough to consider having any kind of musical career, I was in various orchestras for seven years and a few choirs for about seventeen years.  It would be nice to be involved in some sort of musical group again…maybe I should talk to Tamra…heh heh…

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about sleep:
National Sleep Foundation

I meant to write a post yesterday (how can one resist with the provocative date of 6/6/06?) but was derailed by a rare but much needed nap…one that ended up lasting 13 hours!!!

I had an interview last week that ended up being rescheduled for yesterday.  Things went well…I spent an hour shooting the breeze with the company’s general counsel.  Really bright, really nice guy and I could tell that working with him would be a great professional challenge.  Also, this company offers all sorts of free munchies since it’s in the food business (but located in the financial district…go figure!), so that’s always a fat plus in my book.

I got home around 6:30ish and decided to take a nap before dinner since I was really tired.  My head hit the pillow at seven o’clock…I didn’t get out of bed until eight this morning!

It’s been a while since I’ve had the luxury of so much uninterrupted sleep and my brain is thanking me today.  Work is pretty effortless despite being super busy…usually I’m not the best multi-tasker, but I’m finding it quite easy to juggle and churn out reports for nine (oh yeah) different projects this morning.  I also have a lot of excess energy so I’m excited about going to the gym tonight…but then again, I’m always excited about volleyball!

Random Fact: The original name for Ovaltine is Ovomaltine (from ovum, Latin for “egg”, and malt, originally its main ingredients).

Today I played in a VBmatch doubles random draw tournament at the Stanford Oval.  Whether you love or hate the school, the Oval is the preferred location for tourneys on the Peninsula since it has such a nice and big expanse of well-cultivated grass.  It was my first outdoor doubles of the season and I am very happy with my overall performance although I tanked big time in the playoffs. =(

I drew some great partners for pool play with Kissel, Rene, Greg, and Baris.  I went into playoffs with an undefeated record (the only woman with one!) and a 30-something point differential.  I’m so glad that my grass volleyball skills have improved…my indoors is fine and I’m okay on sand (I am from Southern California after all) but I’ve only been playing the “hybrid” grass game for a few years.

It was weird playing on the women’s net though…I guess I’m just so used to playing men’s now because of NCVA and open gyms.  I realized that I hadn’t played on a women’s since last summer!  One would think I would be better on a lower net but I had to spend some time getting used to the tighter sets and adjusting my snap, leading to more than a few hits in the net. (sigh)

I drew GW as my playoffs partner as he was the other number one seed.  I was psyched because he’s really good and we’ve played together a few times before so I didn’t have to worry about getting used to some stranger.  But for some odd reason, our chemistry was all off and we ultimately lost rather badly.  Or I should say, I know that I was awful and I took GW down with me…sorry George!

Knocked out of the tourney much earlier than I anticipated, I was still mentally itching to play more ball but was physically pretty tired after 10+ hours in the sun.  Att least I got a nice start on my summer tan, met some cool new people and used my Jamba Juice gift card to score a free smoothie. =)  I also have a blister/cut on my foot and a bunch of grass burns, but good ball is worth it!

"I should like to enjoy this summer flower by flower, as if it were to be the last one for me."  -Andre Gide

I know that most people consider this past holiday weekend the beginning of summer and they will bookend it with Labor Day later this year.  But to me, May belongs to the spring and September is definitely a fall month.  My summer officially started today and will end on August 31st.  I’m hoping to finally go kayaking, sailing, and deep sea fishing this year…anyone want to join me on the water?

The most interesting thing I have planned for this first day of summer is a second round interview in downtown SF later this afternoon.  I have mixed feelings about this job opportunity…I think it will be a good career move but the idea of the required commute dampens much of my enthusiasm.  Driving, BART, and walking in heels?!  Maybe I can convince them to include a parking bonus.

Work has been quite interesting of late.  Keywords like "merger", "reorganization", "attrition", and even a bit of "embezzlement" seem to fill my days.  It makes me glad that I stayed a mere consultant at this company.  On a more positive note, there have also been a lot of free lunches, what with the many employee send-offs and strategic integration discussions.  I had curry fried rice with crab yesterday…yummy!