It was inevitable

Uyen and I have started a food blog. It's two people who eat too much writing about the food that make, eat, etc.

Brian's gonna wish he never invited me to go camping

Audrey texted me and told me to download the Mad Decent app for my iPhone. It's a very simple app: you choose an icon, touch the screen, and the app plays the corresponding sound. For instance, the default is an air horn. You tap the screen and it makes a very loud air horn noise.

My favorite is a G.I. Joe-ish looking guy on a hoverboard. The sound he makes is nothing like you'd expect. Have a listen here.

Next weekend when we're camping in Sequoia National Park, Audrey and I plan to wake Brian up each day with a few choice sounds. Good morning, Brian!

It's all about me

On Facebook, there's this pass-it-on kind of list where you write 25 random facts about yourself and then tag 25 of your friends and they return the favor. I ignored it at first, dismissing it as another bad survey a la MySpace, but I've actually found out a lot about friends that I didn't know before. Strange as it sounds, I felt a little closer to my buddies.

So, I took some time and compiled my own. It falls in line with my resolution to make more lists this year. See below.

1. I have a hard time giving out details of my life to people, except if it's about something I've eaten or somewhere I've been. In those cases, I'll go into detail and provide photos. This list will be an exercise in self-disclosure for sure.

2. I've really never felt proud of my country until last year, when I was moved to tears.

3. I still think about going back to school to become a biologist; biology intrigues and amazes me ceaselessly.

4. Sometimes I dream about winning the lottery. Then I'd take the money, buy an apartment building, live in one of the units and rent out the rest. Maybe I'd knock out the walls between two units and make myself one big one. It would provide a place to live as well as a steady income. Is that weird...or totally rational?

5. I've done the Master Cleanse once before and am considering it again soon. I like the taste of the spicy lemonade and enjoy the challenge. What I don't like are the salt flushes. I won't go into detail here.

6. I haven't had cable since the late 90's. I have to rely on friends or online video services to catch up on the cable shows I enjoy like Top Chef and Project Runway. BTW, anyone know when (if ever) the new PR will be on next?

7. Speaking of which, Jeopardy! is my favorite show of all time. I'll sometimes plan my night around it. I can do without the short one-on-ones with the contestants. I'm usually embarrassed by the trivial (ha!) stories they tell. Also, note to self: brush up on Shakespeare trivia.

8. I wish I could sing, if only so I could do karaoke. (I'd want to do Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' "Islands in the Stream")

9. "Have I grown up yet?" is a question I ask myself often. I don't really feel 30 or anywhere close to it. I know I'm an adult by definition but feel strange when someone refers to me as one.

10. I don't drink and feel like it's a social handicap so I've made it one of my new year's resolutions to start. Patrick's been helping me but it hasn't really happened yet.

11. I love gadgets and electronics. LOVE. I couldn't/don't want to imagine life without my phone, laptop, tv, camera, etc.

12. I'm allergic to a lot of foods but still eat them anyway. I enjoy food and won't let a few hives get in the way of my pleasure. Watermelon makes my throat close up, but it's SO refreshing.

13. I miss Barcelona to death and can't wait until I'm there again. I think it's incredibly romantic. It's also very beautiful and has tons of history. Barcelona is easily my favorite city and inspired me to relearn Spanish (though Latin Spanish, via tapes). I'm also going to learn to make paella.

14. On the other hand, I was disappoint with my trip to China. If it wasn't for the amazing man-made and natural structures, I would not have ever stepped out into the VERY polluted air. The food we had wasn't that great, which I was looking forward to.

15. The longest job I had was at Johnny Rockets (over 5 years) as a server in downtown San Jose while in college. I worked short hours, made good tips, and had hamburgers and shakes all day. For five years.

16. I've been a cook, a seller of books and clothes (not at the same time), a tutor, a machinist, a server, an intern, a production artist and a graphic designer.

17. I'm grateful to have kept in touch and on occasion reconnected with old friends through social networking sites. Go Web 2.0!

18. I own a house in Sacramento with my sister which we rent out to sorta crappy tenants. I'm looking into getting a place in the city, but it seems a little out of my grasp right now. Come on, lottery. Big money!

19. I keep a community garden plot where I've grown lettuce, zucchini, watermelon, sugar snaps, broccoli, eggplants, bok choy, carrots, etc. Some were more successful than others.

20. I can't stand how cute cats are. I'm really bummed out that I developed an allergy to cats, even though I used to have two in a house I rented with Jimmy.

21. I love cooking, but enjoy buying cookware even more. I bought a bunch of stuff so I could prepare a couple dishes for a dinner Christmas eve. Then I spent three hours in bed Christmas morning buying even more online.

22. There's a scar on the bridge of my nose from when I fell when I was six months old. There's also a scar on the pad of my right index finger, but I don't know when or how it got there.

23. Oh my god, I'm almost done. My brain hurts from compiling this list. Are you still reading?

24. I can play the flute, drums, piano (and other keyboardy type instruments), and guitar, but don't because I'm not very good at any of them.

25. I love camping, especially if the camp site is next to water. I love to sit and watch the campfire for hours. I love s'mores. I hate breaking down a tent, though.

iPhone happiness and rediscovering "California's Gold"

After that sad, sad Friday where I wasn't able to get an iPhone, I didn't give up. Uyen and Andrew were in town this past weekend from New York for a wedding. Unfortunately, on Sunday, Uyen drank a little too much the night before and spent the day getting to know my toilet. I wanted to give them a chance to sleep at my place, so I grabbed Patrick and made him go to the Apple store just to check out the line. It was the shortest I'd seen it (still about 50 poeople) so I had to jump right in. After about 45 minutes I was a proud owner of a black 16GB iPhone. It hasn't left my side since; I'm totally in love.

The iPhone has since taken the friendship between me and Tristan to a new level (we've texted each other on our phones!). Incidentally, one of those texts was about "California's Gold," a show I used to watch as a young man. It was hosted and produced by Huell Howser and often showed him on a train full of dining senior citizens or standing on a dry lake bed somewhere in the California desert. Thanks to Tristan, now I know that there are podcasts that I can download and watch!! There's a "spinoff" called "California's Gold Visiting" where Huell goes to different countries. I've downloaded the Russian one and will watch it soon. Check it out!

Sometimes drunk people aren't so bad

Last Sunday I went outside of my comfort zone (i.e., my apartment) and actually went out...to a bar! As I approached the Latin American Club (neither Latin American nor is it a club), I saw Alexis withdrawing cash from the ATM so decided to stop and wait for her. She then proceeds to greet me with some well-aimed punches to the shoulder. This drunken roughhousing would be indicative of the night to come.

During the course of the night, there would be headlocking, verbal threats, fallen hot dogs, more punching and a general hubbub of drunkenness. The night ended with Alexis freaking out over a candle with a baby's face on it and Brian begging to go home so he can throw up. See for yourself.


Yup.


The photog says "hi."


Me and my Bro...phy.


Brian votes Obama, Audrey suffers. Alexis is plastered. Thanks Katie.


It was good, really.


Brian's first bite proves unsuccessful.

Zach Braff rules my world

Using Zach Braff's image as leverage to annoy co-workers is my new favorite pasttime.

UPDATE: Jocelyn has written her own account of the day in The Braff Wars.


Me and Zach on the beach, courtesy of Jocelyn.


Zach on a print ad.


Analog Braff in a digital world.


Jocelyn's husband body snatched by Zach Braff.


Braff v. Braff

Brian isn't that good at making words

Lately I've been semi-addicted to Scrabulous, a Scrabble application for Facebook. It's an intense scramble to make words like "riel" and "jins" and "coilers." Extra points if the tiles land on one of the designated colored squares. Even though there's a dictionary that the game compares the played words to, my opponents (read: losing opponents) still dispute their validity.

One of the said disputers is fellow Outdoorsy Adventure Clubber Brian. In a losing rage, Brian has made accusatory statements such as:

"what the hell? Bads and seemings are words? I call bullshit."

"alright, I let "riel" slide and "doer", but reify is just complete and total bullshit."

"Ay think y'all make up words"

"shit"

See the games in which these colorful words were spoken below.

(click for larger shot)

Corn mazes and pumpkin patches

I'll admit...I love the holiday season. It's a time of year filled with lots of indulgent foods. Halloween is the gateway holiday. It starts with candies and pumpkin related food (pies, seeds, bread, etc.) to get you ready for the larger meals later in the year. What better way to kick off the holiday season than to spend a night at a pumpkin patch with a 30+ acre corn maze?

I prepared for the long journey by eating a tri-tip sandwich and a polish dog in 5 minutes flat. I didn't have a soda, I'm watching what I eat. Who needs sugar when you're pumped on adrenaline? The first 15 minutes in the maze were filled with confidence and excitement. I knew where I was going and would hit the first bridge in the maze soon and get an idea of how long it would take to finish the maze. Another 15 minutes go by and I'm getting hungry and cold. I was Jon Krakauer, a modern adventurer, enduring hunger and pain for the greater good. Eventually we found one of the bridges and the exit shortly after that. I celebrated our journey with a churro and strawberry banana "smoothie" which was more of a slushee. It was a bad choice for a cold October night.

I managed to get some good photos despite being famished.


The patch.


Posing for photos.


Alexis enjoys a sandwich.


The rest of the crew.


Trying to survive on corn.


No love for pumpkin.


Pumpkin hill.


Me and Frank, shootin' the shit.

I love New York, but I still love SF more

Every time I make a visit to NY, I love it a little more. It's the city that doesn't know how to be boring (though I can't say that for myself when I'm there). The 4am bar closing time kicks my ass every time.

The best part about New York is hangin' with my main bitch, Uyen. She was nice enough to let me stay with her the whole week I was there. "Ban, ma," she would say. Thanks to her I now know how to make eggrolls (why didn't I take pictures of them??!).

Thanks, also, to my other friends who were nice enough to meet up with me while I was there: Ryan, Caitlin and Jeff, Alicia, Jarron and Ben, Joey, and Ellie, who showed me around Philly.

Though my time in NY was well spent, the heat and humidity got to me. I was so glad to be home and walk out into crisp, cold, dry air. Hello, San Francisco!


When When on the rooftop.


Fun building across from Uyen's apartment in Brooklyn.


Stairway to a hot, sweaty hell.


Young City Fish Balls


Alleyway that looks like other NY alleyways I've been down.


Guilty! (In Philadelphia)


Hangin' by the Delaware River.


FroYo and Andrew's ass (I think).


Lookin' good, feelin' good.

Life is pretty tough

A little taste of a chat with Uyen where we discussed body image. She claims I bring out the bitch in her. This is why I love her.

More candy food

Fortunately for me, I've been blessed with very generous co-workers. Today, Stephanie carried on a tradition that began with Ross and Lucie and the holiday Sno-Balls. And let's not forget the candy ice cream. Anyway, what Stephanie got me was probably the best/worst fake candy food by far. It was Mallow Fries with a packet of Kandy Ketchup. I ate a couple of the "fries" and thought they were actually kind of tasty. Even then, I only ate a couple. Come on, they're called Mallow Fries.

So, thanks Stephanie for the delicious fries!

Goodbye, Rossa Jean (or Ross Goodman)

Today marks the last day of Ross Goodman, web author of Gyro International. It also marks the first day of Ross Goodman, a man who enjoys spending time with his wife. He's been an exceptional co-worker, in-house computer expert, cubicle neighbor, and unconditional friend (except the times when he doesn't want to speak to me). I wish him success with his upcoming endeavors. I'll see you on the courts, my friend.


Ross passes webbie-type knowledge on to Lucie.

Baby Bella is a year old

Bella's first birthday bash was fantastic super fun times. She was smiling the whole time and only cried for a brief second when she realized the wrong Asian (read: me) was holding her. Once she got a taste of the sugary strawberry lemonade I had, you couldn't pry her away.

Becky and Ziad did a great job organizing/hosting the party/BBQ for the 30+ guests, babies, dogs, etc. It's hard to believe, but I haven't eaten that much in a while. The tofu and veggie kebabs were amazing!! The other culinary highlights included Sarah's tofu pate and Becky's chocolate chip cookies. My belly thanks you.


Guests vs. Ziad and Bella.


Becky takes a break from running around to pose for me.


Bella with second favortie Auntie Lark.


Peace.


Brent and the girl that kept following him around.

Text wars

I felt like a retaliatory blog was in order to prove just how hypocritical Blahdrey and her blogs are. She recently had to pay and extra $15 because her text-happy fingers couldn't keep themselves off the keypad. So what does she do? She blames me for sending too many trifling texts. So what if I happen to be indiscriminate when it comes to texting?

Jump to tonight. I check my phone and what do I get? A text from Text Nazi herself with two words: "White power!" Nice waste of ten cents. I hope Timmy Von Trimble drops into your rain gutter tonight! Also, stop drawing Hitler on my memo board! You and Ross should get your Fred Perry's and Doc Marten's ready for the "rally."

Here is her diabolical dry-erase drawing:



In an unrelated story, I was hoping this video would be a lot funnier, but it wasn't.

A Monday afternoon chat

Chatting with Sheila can be fun sometimes. See example below.

Bottom of the Hill, or Happy Bday Audrey

It's been a few years since I've been to Bottom of the Hill for a show. I forgot how crowded the tiny venue can get. At certain points, it felt like I was in the steam room at the gym. But having said that, it was definitely worth it.

We went to the Matt and Kim show in celebration of Audrey's 28th. One of the opening bands was The Mall. The drummer made her a bday DVD which made her feel special or something. I asked her if she was a Mallrat, which she responded with a nervous chuckle. You can draw your own conclusions. The second The Mall started playing, a mosh pit pushed and shoved its way to life. Pooh and I stood there, feeling betrayed by our age. It made us feel old and just a little afraid. The surprised came when we spotted a drunked Brian moshing right along with the 17-year-olds.

When Matt and Kim came on, they were all about smiles and funny anecdotes. Kim drummed with a giant smile on her face the WHOLE TIME and Matt stopped in between songs to tell stories about motel ghosts and pizza shaped marshmallows. Three words describe them: Extra Super Fun! No, the exclamation mark is not a typo. I want them to play at my next house party.

The big pay off came after I was dropped off. I spotted a hot dog vendor (yes, at 1 in the morning) selling bacon-wrapped hot dogs on the corner of Mission and 23rd. This bad boy was topped with grilled onions, mayo, ketchup and mustard...in that order.

Advantage: Tran...AND Goodman

The long awaited showdown between me and Ross finally materialized today. It started out with a scramble in the morning to get to the courts on time. There was a moment, while waiting for my non-existent BART to the East Bay, where I thought our tennis game might have to be canceled yet again.

Luckily, everything went smoothly. We even stopped off for me to get a sandwich and Ross to get a present for a birthday party. Apparently not too many people like to play tennis on a nice day in Berkeley, so we got a pretty prime spot right away.

Now, just let me say that Ross has been very humble about his expertise in tennis. For someone who hasn't played in years, he had me on the defensive constantly. Don't mess with his backhand. I've found a worthy opponent in my co-worker and look forward to learning from him on the courts. After all, he is a little older than me.



Ross: Ready to rock and roll.

Lucie does geriatric drag

Chatting with Audrey is unpleasant

Mitchell's ice cream is good on a hot day

After an exhausting short game of tennis today (note: don't ever play tennis in your Chuck Taylors or you will suffer), we went to Mitchell's for ice cream. It was a take-a-number-and-wait place. I was #72 and they were at #8. The wait reminded me of my good friend Ross' account of his pizza adventure in Arizona. It was a good 45 minute wait, but I finally got two scoops on a cone. Surprisingly, I got sherbert (sorbet?) because I wanted something light. I couldn't tell if I was bloated from all the water I downed after tennis or extremely dehydrated from the sun, so something not too creamy was in order.



Photo by Audrey