Insomnia

2002-10-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

Ok. I think this is it. I started this blog when I was going through one of the worst times in my life. It was like a best friend for me... some place to just vent and air out all the shit that was going through my mind at the time... Well I'm happy to say that this is my last post. I'm much better now. If I find the time/energy/motivation, I may start a new blog. Somehow it just feels right to leave this one as is. I hope you all had a good laugh (at me) reading this. Goodnight.

.mike

2002-07-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

i know i haven't posted in a while... but... enh... i really don't have a good reason other than it's very low in priority with respect to what's in my daily/weekly routine these days... but, I've converted tons of pics from the Philippines trip I took last December... I got some pretty damn good nature shots if you're into those things... peep the gallery if you're bored. peace out.

.mike

2002-07-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

Just got back from NYC. What a blast. I'll blog about it later along with Sisca's birthday (that dirty parrot!) and Ant's wedding. I'm too tired to write more than a few words tonight so I'll just leave some thoughtlets (if you chuckled, you're a geek):

What this fuck is up with NYC and revolving doors?

I think my gearbox is broken. I can't seem to get out of first gear.

Ambition is an aphrodisiac.

2002-06-20T01:15:00.000-07:00

6/07/2002 - Dave & Busters

Rolled up with Dean and Chris... hooked up with Frank, Drew, and Alice... God fucking dammit... I can't get a good score off that basketball game for the life of me... I'm sittin' there trying to think of form and release... while these fools just toss it up granny-style in rapid-fire fashion and score like 120 while I score 35... WTF... i earned like... 5 tickets... i coulda cashed out and got a plastic neon green ring. We then shot pool... they didn't have any regular pool tables left so we had to take the "VIP" room... it was pretty nice... sticks were high-quality and two-piece... waitresses came by often to ask for drink orders... however, the music sucked and we couldn't change the channel... Alice fell asleep on the bench and Dean kept looking at her feet.

6/08/2002 - Denni's Birthday BBQ, Huki Lau

My boy D had a BBQ today... he's one of the coolest cats I know... (barbz you better not mess this one up!)... we ended up grubbin' and hangin' out... we played about 3 hours of ball... good lawd am I outta shape.
We hit up the Huki Lau bar later that night to chill... Me, Frankie, Tine... met up with Dawn, her cousin Isabelle, and her cousin's friend Rachel... it's all about pineapple head drinks and good conversation... it's such a small world... we all ended up knowing the same people from Pomona...

6/09/2002 - Laguna Seca

This was my first live race... we watched the Shell 300 CART race at Laguna Seca... those cars are frickin' loud... the first yellow flag went up on the first turn of the first lap when 2 of the 19 cars were taken out in a wreck... i wanted to go check out the "Corkscrew" turn so we hiked up this hill...i got some good pics of the cars taking on the famous "Corkscrew"... we later found out we coulda went around the hill... on a paved path... weaksauce... Tine's mom and dad got us into the grandstands for the last few laps of the race... it was cool to be able to check out the row of pits... I was even able to snap De Matta taking first place (yes, that black blur is his car)... if I woulda known traffic leaving the track would be this bad, i woulda taken advantage of the shuttle service... this car wins the "Best Graphics Under $20" prize... REOWW!!... while this one is my personal favorite... mmm... I covet the Lotus Elise... of course, one can't forget the traditional Sleeping Beauty pic... i'll definitely be going back there for other races... i wanna catch the Speedvision World Challenge GT and Touring races in September... the entire collection of pictures and videos (gotta hear these cars!) from this day are here.

2002-06-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

you ever listen to a song and think "Awwww shit... this is the JAM... I feel like spittin' mad game at someone right about now..." Sade just pushes those buttons... her song By Your Side makes me wanna take a special someone up to the roof of the tallest building and have an elegant dinner for two... watch the stars and listen to her thoughts about.. well.. anything.. good conversations are so damn sexy... haha damn... but here i am holdin' back... i'm gunna school whoever i choose to hook up with next... i feel sorry for whoever follows after me... shiiiit...

2002-06-06T01:59:00.000-07:00

5/23/2002

I didn't mean to, but I hit up Rouge again... rolled up with Tine, Dan, and Alice... blah... can't really say much about this night... i'm tired of the asian party scene... i mean, i still am going to go out... i just need better venues... that night i was in a "god i really am not feelin' this crowd" mode... i was telling Dan that the more you stand there looking uninterested, the more girls will come up and jock you... lo and behold i counted around 5 jock attempts (those are the ones that i noticed)... one of them was this girl dancing near me... just there... dancing... alone... looking at me and smiling... hellz no am i going to go up to you and freak you... you 18-yr-old lookin' hooch... Tine was gettin' macked on by this dude that she wasn't feelin' so I sent her a drink through the bartender and smiled... i think it ruined his flow because he stopped talking after that... i'm such a punk :) ... anyways, i ended up crashing at Tine's that night because I was too inebriated...

5/25/2002

Today, I threw a bachelor party for my boy Ant. Special thanks to Sisca for hookin' us up. We went over to Boy's Toys... We got there around 7:30 pm... They put us up in the VIP restaurant and set our tables right in front of the stage... Surprisingly, the food was excellent... I could get used to sitting back in a plush chair, watching beatiful ladies, and sipping on a glass of fine red wine... I could tell Ant was all up into this... he got up close and personal with all the ladies... even had a lapdance or five... towards the end of the night, we went downstairs to the main club area where there were tons of people... the stage crew cleared the stage and set a chair in front of the pole... and the DJ said "Let's play a game... if I call your name, you have to go up and sit in that chair... alright? Ok... where's... ANTHONY at?"... BAM... he got up there and sat in the chair... i picked three ladies whom i thought he liked all night long to mess with him... they took off his belt and tied it around his neck and around the pole so he was stuck... then proceeded to handle business... haha they even took off his shirt and asked him to get up and freak them while they sat in the chair... straight comedy... it's all good... he got me back with a lapdance from Jade... oh darn :)... are they allowed to do those things to you? good lawd...

5/26/2002

Mission Rock... arguably the best venue in the city... again... another asian party (i know i know)... however, they had really good music on one of the outside decks... rolled up with Annie, Frank, and Dawn... met up with Dennis, Barbara, Oliver, Derick, and his lady (oops forgot her name)... it was just AIGHT... we got separated and didn't find each other again until 2 am... if you ever go there, don't stand underneath the top deck... i got so many drinks spilled on me i swear i'd go up like a torch if you flicked a cigarette at me... Annie got so messed up (she drank, dropped, and smoked out) that she had to stay over...

5/27/2002 (Memorial Day)

Had brunch with Annie at Vic's before Dawn picked me up to go to Chrissy's BBQ... the kabobs were off the hook... it was a nice relaxing day of eating, drinking, and cursing the Nets for making the game as close as it was... also, it was the first time that someone thought Dawn and I were an item... I mean, I guess we look like we can be... she's mighty cute and all (that sounds like it can be taken the wrong way... i'm not saying that *i* am mighty cute too)... it was just funny in an unexpected sort of way... Chrissy's such a sweetie... did you know that she was in Rush Hour 2? she'll kill me if she knows that i put this on my blog... but... the scene where Chris Tucker is choosing ladies at the massage parlor... she's the one in the second row from the bottom, near the middle, wearing a light pink bikini... she's got photos of her and Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan on her wall... how cool is that?

5/29/2002

Gil hooked me up with some sneak preview screening of Sum of All Fears... fortunately, Dawn's plans fell through that night so I scooped her up and we headed out to the Kabuki in Japan Town... overall, I liked the movie... it was quite entertaining, however, i think they gave away a little too much too early... there were some moments of "Whaaaat? no way", but all-in-all it's worth not paying for :) We then grubbed on some Hong Kong style noodles at Sun Hong Kong off Columbus...

5/31/2002

Mission Rock again... this time, a different crew and a different kind of party. Me, my boy Lloyd, and his cousin Glen hit up the Soulville party. We met up with Rich, Marissa, Dawn, and Lawrence. All these fools are such cool cats... Amel Larrieux performed (singer from Groove Theory) along with Julie Dexter (sounds like a young Badu)... they also had a band play old school funk and soul riffs... good vibes all around... people were singin' to the riffs... "You're all.... that I need... to get byyyyyyyy" ... skunk in the air... people lookin' at you in the eye, smilin', and sayin'... "Wussup dawg?"... it was so refreshing... good conversation... ladies who have brains... masters degrees... phds... i gotta hit up these parties more often...

6/1/2002

Shopping day... i needed new threads... i wear about half of my clothes and only an eighth of that half is suitable for goin' out at night... so Dawn and I hit up Hillsdale... I ended up buying two shirts and these cool draw-string brown pants from Banana Republic... we then headed over to Ikea to grab a TV table and coffee table for her apartment... good lawd that stuff fit in my car! i'm so happy about that... it's the most versatile sportscar money can buy... we then hooked up with Gil at Le Cheval in Oakland... food, as usual, was orgasmically good... we hung out for a bit after closing since Gil knows the owner... cool place to chill... we then went to Berkeley Billiards... that place was packed... put our name on the list for a table and grabbed some drinks... we even made up a cocktail... pineapple juice, midori, safire gin, and kettle one vodka... the bartender asked me what the drink was called, and I said "GHO"... unfortunately (or fortunately for shits and giggles) she asked what it stood for... being that Gil was right behind me, I happily obliged and said "It stands for Gil's Hard-On... and that's my friend Gil"... *points to Gil*... we actually ended up turning down our spot at a table when it came up since we were having great conversation... songs that i requested off the jukebox: Bob Marley - Stir It Up, Prince - Kiss, Jill Scott - Walk in the Park, Earth Wind and Fire - Shining Star

6/2/2002

I washed my car today. I also Zaino'd it. It is quite shiny. I barely finished it in time to hook up with Ant to head over to Score's for game 7 of the Lakers/Kings series... boy was that place packed... good thing Sisca was with us and managed to charm her way into getting us a 12-person table... met up with Gil, Ivan, Cynthia, Dawn, Tine, and a plethora of other people whom I don't know much about... the place was a mad house... people screaming and jumping up and down... running around going to other people's booths giving high-fives to strangers... it would have been quite a study on fan psychology... too bad the wrong team won... oh well... if you can't hit your free throws, you don't deserve to win anyways... and what's Byron Scott doing letting Stojakovic play so many minutes when he knows he's not 100% and can't his the back side of a barn? Go Warriors... *sigh*

2002-05-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

5/19/2002

Ack. I hate the blues.

2002-05-19T03:58:00.000-07:00

5/15/2002

I went over to pick up my friend from the Philippines in Daly City. She was staying at this house that reminded me alot of the house I used to share with Ant, Chris, and Mel in South San Francisco. They had a pool table and turntables all set up. People were spinnin' some drum&bass... I've never really been exposed to that genre of music, but I can see myself liking it if I listen to it more... It sounded alot like hip hop beats and breaks but with a fast tempo... Having a slight fever must have thrown off my judgement a bit since I got smoked out in a bad way... that was the second time in my life that I threw up from too much weed... I'm gunna chill on that shit for a while.

5/18/2002

Saturday it's a Saturday... Me, Frank, Christine, Alice, and Yensoo (sp?) rolled up to Space 550. This party signified the beginning of the end of Asian parties for me... i'm just not feelin' it anymore... it's a different vibe... people starin' you down... people grabbin' your ass... it's no longer a fun place for me to chill with friends... so, as usual... got tore up and didn't give a fuck about what i did on the dance floor... freaky deaky...

2002-05-13T02:52:00.000-07:00

Friday

Dawn and I rolled up to Border Cantina to listen to her friend Dominic spin. Barbara and Dennis met up with us over there. It's a cool place. Took us forever to find parking. The spot is pretty much two rooms... dance room and bar room... The place was packed with people wearin' beanies and baggy jeans... I loved it... I prefer hangin' with that crowd more than the Asian scene full of college frat boys and sorority chicks... We got all juiced up and hit the dance floor when Dominic started spinning... Mad props to his song selections... he took us back to the old school days of Tribe, Souls of Mischief, Pharcyde, De La Soul... and even got a little silly towards the end with BBD and New Edition... and it even seemed like everyone there had rhythm...

Saturday

Alben and Arne's Wedding

Who here has weddings at 10 am? So my ass had to roll outta bed... pop some aspirins for my hangover... and pull on my 3-piece suit... The wedding was held at St. Catherine's in Burlingame... Arne looked stunning in her wedding dress... and Alben looked... well... like a dude in a tux... i guess the groom isn't really supposed to stand out... it is, after all, her day to plunge the new family into financial debt... just kidding........... I was cracking up when Arne was saying her vows... because she hasn't changed one bit... she still has her signature Daria-esque monotone voice... "I Arne... take you Alben... to be....... my lawfully wedded......... husband." The reception was held at Hotel Sofitel in Redwood Shores... it's a very nice spot right next to the water... I was seated at the "Table for Single Guys"... Too bad there weren't that many cute single girls... After glancing at the wedding party table and concluding from the blank look on their faces that they weren't "in the moment", I turned to my buddy Dennis (the dude in the middle licking my boy Ly) and said "Yo man, come with me to the bar..." We walked back in the reception hall, across the dance floor, and handed each member of the wedding party table a shot of 151... Things got a little more lively after that. The food was excellent... for an apetizer they had a lobster pastry thingymajigger with mushrooms and a light sauce... the main course for non-vegetarians was steak and jumbo prawns (in pinwheel formation at that)... and the desert was key lime sorbet... as for the dancing part of the reception... why must wedding reception music always be so routine? So you have your Abba... and your cha cha music... then electric slide... and of course you can't forget "Hot hot hot" for the conga line that snakes around absorbing random people in the audience (i was one of them)... also, for "mixed company" receptions, there's ALWAYS gotta be that person who, in his own delusion, thinks he's a cross between Fred Estair and Usher (WARNING: 5MB AVI movie)... if i ever get married i'm gettin' the DJ to spin old school hip hop and dancehall... at any rate... congrats Alben and Arne!

Frank's BBQ

After Alben and Arne's reception, I rolled over to Frank's BBQ in Fremont. I must have played half a dozen games of basketball... and the burgers and hotdogs were off the hook!... we all ended up hangin' out and downing 1/3 of a giant bottle of Belvedere vodka... word of advice... don't mix it with orange juice... it's all about the pineapple... i ended up passin' out and takin' off at 3 am...

Sunday

Tine had us over for some skunk and beefsteak... what a combination... that girl can cook! also had some red wine... i'm not traditionally a wine drinker but i think i'm acquiring the taste... we watched the season finale of Alias... after that, Sisca busted out with these "VCDs" or Smallville episodes... so we popped them into the DVD player but they wouldn't play... so I checked them out on Christine's laptop and they weren't VCDs at all... it was a just a CD with 3 AVI files burned on it... we ended up watching them off the laptop... heh... ghetto.

2002-05-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

Me, Tine, Sisca, Ron, and Bill ate at Hawaiian drive-in tonight. I actually had ordered mongolian beef before they called so I guess I'll have that for lunch or dinner tomorrow. During dinner, Sisca was talking about some porn format where they go from action scene to action scene without any storyline or anything... isn't that the norm for porn? she couldn't think of the term for it so she dragged us (us guys were kicking and screaming... honest...) to the adult shop two doors down from the restaurant. Damn, are these dildos for real? I mean, c'mon... they're as big as my arm. "The Driller", "The Plunger", "The Auger". WTF. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a disclaimer on them saying "Suitable for use on pachyderms only." vibro eggs... the butterfly... a video titled "Black Jackoff"...oh yeah, so the name of that porn format is "Gonzo"...

2002-05-08T02:21:00.000-07:00

I just got back from this club called Icon in Shallow Alto. I was surprised at the turnout for a Tuesday night. All the cows were out in full force. It was like a pasture out there on the dance floor. Dancing was fun, though somewhat painful since I twisted my right knee playing basketball a couple of hours before. There were supposed to be these $2 drink specials for shots of vodka, tequila, rum, and gin. However, a raging bull cost $9?? Excuse me? Give me a $2 shot of vodka and cup of red bull please... morons.

2002-05-06T01:02:00.000-07:00

Let me take you back... way back... back into time...

--04.27.2002--

The Last Snowboard Trip of the Season

slept at 12:30 AM, woke up at 4:00 AM (good lawd!) and headed to Dawn's house

The crew: me (I'm wearing that beanie just for you, Tine), jason, dawn, and her sister ashley. (these pics are kinda blurry because it was so cold that my camera had condensation between the lenses)

The resort today was The Ice Planet Hoth (aka Alpine Meadows)

The conditions were perfect and visibility excellent (for the blind, the sign reads "Easiest Way" with an arrow pointing to the right)

I wiped out pretty bad. I did an end-over-end flip, landed on the back of my neck (accompanied with the popping of spinal air pockets), jack-knife bounced up, did another end-over-end flip and landed on my back...all while laughing. I've never been more thankful for fresh powder in my life.

Jason accidentally went over the side of the mountain and had to bust a "shit I have to climb back up onto the trail" move.

This resort is "the bomb" (har har *rimshot*)

Ashley's snickering because we caught a picture of her sister sleeping. Little does she know about this bad boy.

So we got back to Dawn's place around 6:30 PM. Returned the rental car at SFO. Jammed home to San Carlos. Took a shower. Frankie came over. We picked up Dawn and made it to the Huki Lau bar in SF (corner of Masonic and Geary) at 11:00 PM. By 11:45, I was drunk and Dawn was puking outside. Got home around 3:00 AM and passed out (darn, just an hour and a half shy of staying up for 24 hours).

Collection of pics are here.

--05.03.2002--

It's Friday, and we ain't got shit to do... so, we all decided to hit up Le Cheval in Oakland for dinner. We had a tough time getting our party of nine (Me, Dawn, Christine, Sisca, Rianne, Dean, Drew, Wilfred, Frank) a reservation, but luckily one of our friend's good friend owns the place so he "made space" for us. This French-Vietnamese restaurant is now my favorite eatery in the whole wide world. If I were an Iron Chef judge, I'd state that "the cube beef steak is... so... commanding... yet gentle... it reminds me of the harmony between the stone pagodas and the cherry blossoms in Kyoto during the spring." Maybe it was the gorilla fart shot before dinner that made the food taste so good... hmmm. So I'm chillin'... eatin'... buzzin' off the shot because I didn't have anything to eat all day... when Quan (the owner) sets down in front of me this shot of pink liquid... "WTF is that?"... "Don't worry about it. Gil called in and told me to give it to you."... now I'm worried... ever since I put up a picture of Gil holding a purse on www.hotornot.com, he's been on a mission to get me fucked up at every opportunity. Not one to turn down a UAB (unidentified alcoholic beverage), I down it. After dinner, as we were leaving the restaurant, Quan calls me over to the bar and asks how I liked the shot. I said it tasted like cognac, but there was some other distinctive taste that I couldn't pin-point. Quan, not saying a word, points at this huge glass jar on the far end of the bar. I walk over to it and see a bunch of dead coral snakes chillin' in this pink liquid. OH HELLZ NO I JUST DID NOT. Apparently it's a Vietnamese fertility drink...

After Le Cheval, we hit up Gil's party (he couldn't join us at dinner because he had to set up) at Tabou. So the Evite said "no dresscode". I'm wearing a beanie, sweatshirt, and jeans. I've been here many times before and there never has been a dress code. This I-went-to-Oxford-can't-you-tell-by-my-preppy-turtleneck-and-sweater-ensemble guy says to me "Sorry, no hats tonight... I'll be happy to put it in the coat check for you"... First off... when I wear a beanie, that means my hair is JACKED underneath. Hellz no am I going to take it off. So I'm like "I'll take it off in the bathroom because I have to do my hair"... of course I had no intention to do such a thing but it got me in. So I'm chillin' at the bar hangin' with my friends Gil and Cynthia when mr. I-need-to-act-like-the-bouncer-even-though-i-look-like-i-should-be-brushing-down-my-horse-for-my-equestrian-lesson-tomorrow goes up to me and says "Sorry, you have to take your beanie off"... so I say "Fine. I'll be out of here after I finish this drink."... and so will half of the people in here since we all rolled up together, but i didn't say that... and he's like "Well, you don't have to leave." and to that I replied "Well, I don't want to take my beanie off"... he goes on about some bullshit about "Well I just don't want you to be mistaken for a gang member and get shot"... WTF? just because we don't have valet service at this place doesn't mean that we're in the ghetto, mr. grey-poupon... so whatever... walks away... five minutes later he comes back and asks "What are you having?"... "Currently a Corona"... "Bartender, his next drink is on me. Sorry about that. You can wear your beanie."... where the hell did they get this guy? if a fight really broke out at the party, he would be at the periphery going "Heyyyyy....thhoop ithh!!" The rest of the night was a blur... I was so gone... the only few things I remember are:

Tine and Sisca putting a bunch of glow-sticks in my beanie (thus jutting out over my face lighting it up like a hotel sign)

old-school Soul Train-esque dance line... i think i did "the butt" down it once... erm...

looking at Willieboy and wondering if he was messing around or dancing for reals

licking sugar off a glass *winks at Tine*

grindin' with freak momma Dawn to some reggae... damn fun

One of my friends had an altercation with some guy when we were chillin' outside. Although I was pissed to see him get hit (even though it didn't faze him), I'd rather see that than him get shot. Yo man. I understand where you're comin' from. But really... violence is never the only way to deal with confrontation... kill em wid de know...

--05.04.2002--

This morning I got fitted for a tux for my best friend Ant's wedding. I'm honored to be his best man. This guy was helping me try on some shoes when his lady assistant hands me a coat. The guy then proceeds to snap at the girl saying "NO. No no no no. One thing at a time. You're going to overwhelm him." I had to muster all my willpower to not look at Ant because I know if I did I would have busted out with spittle flying all over the place.

After getting fitted, Frank met up with us at my place and we all headed to the Giants vs Reds game. I must say that Pac Bell park has to be one of the most beautiful baseball parks around. It also helped that we had my company's seats. Bonds hit a home run (yes, I caught it in-action) on his first at-bat. It was his 400th as a Giant, and 576th overall. There are currently 17 (my lucky/jersey number) splash hits (home runs into the bay). What kind of parents would name their son Gookie? And what's that Enron ad still doing up there?

After the Giants won 3-0, we headed over to the Metreon to catch Spiderman. I didn't have high expectations for this flick so it sorta blew me away. I was skeptical about how well they'd pull off his brachiation, but they nailed that. What would have been most excellent is if they had Steve Buschemi play Peter Parker (just like I think how they should have casted him instead of Keanu in The Matrix)...

Later on that night, I rolled with Dean, Drew, and Frank to Paul's Pajama Jammy Jam party at his house in Union City (yes, we all adhered to the dress code and put on our flannel bottoms). The music was pretty good once the DJ moved away from drum-and-bass to hip-hop and reggae. And it wasn't no mainstream shit either. We're talkin' Tribe, Capleton, Pharcyde, etc. Dean got so tore up I had to baby-sit his puking ass. Oh, and g-strings are cool.

2002-04-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

Fortune cookie fortunes have come a long way. I got this one yesterday:

Imitation is suicide.

Although it's the kind of statement that you can base a good discussion on, all I wanna know is... WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY LUCKY NUMBERS?

2002-04-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

Damn us...

alethia8: there are around 20 people here. the warehouses in paranaque have around 50 people
Mr Chilipino: that's a good-sized business
alethia8: and the stores have around 50 too
Mr Chilipino: your father owns it all?
alethia8: yes sole proprietorship. of course he made us his stockholders so we can argue later on.
Mr Chilipino: hehe
Mr Chilipino: that's a good deal
alethia8: there are around 23 company-owned stores, 5 franchised stores and 70 consignment outlets.
alethia8: not bad since he's just doing it on his own.
Mr Chilipino: yeah
Mr Chilipino: and to do it in the PI, he must have good business sense
alethia8: yeah my dad's pretty much a genius. he went to school in patty's university. business is hard for everyone here in the PI but we're doing surprisingly well.
Mr Chilipino: yeah there's a big discrepancy over there... you either make it big or you struggle
Mr Chilipino: there's no in between it seems
alethia8: yup.
alethia8: you got that right.
Mr Chilipino: when i was there, i was pretty upset... i kept trying to think of ways to change that
Mr Chilipino: i didn't like seeing so many people suffer
Mr Chilipino: while so few have it good
alethia8: yes but the plight of filipinos is deeply ingrained in their collective psyche.
Mr Chilipino: i was even contemplating a plan on going back there and opening up a free school to boost the common person's skill set
Mr Chilipino: but yeah, you're right...
Mr Chilipino: we're a very jealous people... trying to climb to the top of the hill on the backs of our fellow men
alethia8: that's why even the most patient philanthropists give up on us.
alethia8: jealousy i think is a result of many years in poverty. when you get the chance to succeed you grab on to anything even if it's wrong.
Mr Chilipino: yeah
Mr Chilipino: same issue over here
Mr Chilipino: with the ghettos
Mr Chilipino: people doing anything to make money... even selling drugs that kill their friends
alethia8: if you go out to the streets and give families 10,000 pesos each, instead of keeping it for school, or buying food or investing in a business, the people will buy an entertainment system even if they don't have a house or food for the next meal.
Mr Chilipino: that's sad
alethia8: it's that bad, so where do you really start except with the next generations, trying to change their mindsets.
alethia8: work with the government and they too will eat you alive
Mr Chilipino: yeah the govt is so corrupt
alethia8: my father came from the dumps and shined shoes to finish school.
alethia8: that's why i think it's a matter of upbringing rather than economic status at birth
Mr Chilipino: i believe that as well... however, the opportunities are so slim
alethia8: yes they are. that's why where do you really begin to change things?
alethia8: i think it will be bad for quite some time.

2002-04-24T00:37:00.000-07:00

pump-fake + big dude guarding me = ouch, my back

2002-04-23T01:20:00.000-07:00

On dating...

I don't do dates unless I've already established a friendship with the person. I have issues with the fact that you're semi-faking someone out by putting on your best face during your first few encounters. By doing so, you've just set unrealistic expectations on yourself. Then it gets to be some sort of game. "He didn't pull my chair out. What a Neanderthal." "She pushed me away when I tried to play tonsil hockey. What a prude." To that, I say "Homy don't play dat."

What ever happened to the process of getting to know someone before you jump into the "relationship" phase? It seems like the majority of the women out there these days want to just get right into it. Then they complain that the guy's a jerk or he's turned out to be a player. Now that pisses me off because it makes it even that much harder for us nice guys since we have to wade through all the layers of bullshit the jerks/players have laid in our path. If you would have taken the time to get to know the guy as a friend, maybe you wouldn't have gotten yourself into that situation, hmmmm?

And I'm tired of hearing about this mythical "friend zone". I conject that the best relationships are based on a deep friendship. You wanna be able to talk to the girl, not just fuck her and treat her like a trophy.

Maybe I'm noticing this more because of my age range. I've got friends getting married left and right. This year will potentially be a 4-wedding-attendance year for me. It's like a scramble to find a spouse. Age ain't nothin' but a number and people grow at different rates. In fact, I think I'm growing younger.

2002-04-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

if you had to keep in mind one thing when you're learning how to snowboard, it's this:

The snowboard is your bitch.

What I mean is... dictate where it goes. If you don't, you're letting it take you for a ride that will eventually lead to you falling on your ass. Whip it around. Stay on an edge. Always be turning left or right. Make the call. Make the commitment. Go big or go home. I guess that's why I like the sport. It's how I wanna live the rest of my life.

2002-04-20T23:38:00.000-07:00

holy shit did i do absolutely NOTHING the entire day... it was so much fun... it's also very liberating to be able to stay home on a Saturday night and not give a fuck about what other people think you SHOULD be doing... although i do kinda wanna catch a flick... i'll probably catch up on my anime though.

recollections from last night:

hotboxing with the goods imported from Amsterdam.

Hip Hop and Reggae party at Decibel.

Some chick asked me to dance. (a girl actually asking a guy to dance? like whoa.)

2 shots of remy, 2 kettle and crans, 1 kamikaze, a few swigs off a bottle of Scotch... that's all I remember although my friends told me I was drinking way more than that.

Dancing with two nubian princesses. Drop it like it's hot.

The Wong brothers are ghetto fabulous.

27 is not old. Everyone ages at their own rates. No matter how much you scowl, you can't turn back the clock.

Korean food at 3 am. Blissful.

sleeping at 7:45 am (how it got to be so late is beyond me)

Ron and Ray are cool cats. It's all about meeting new friends.

2002-04-19T00:33:00.000-07:00

I actually saw the Extra piece on Krista Allen. She looks way better on television. Apparently she's on her way to becoming a huge movie star. At least I can say "See her? I taught her how to twist her hips on the slopes."

2002-04-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

My buddy Ben is the dopest artist I know. Peep his work here.

2002-04-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

Blah... i'm doing my taxes (it's the Pinoy in me that induces procrastination) and am trying to figure out if i can deduct the closing fees from my mortgage refinancing... so, i figured while i'm waiting for a call back from an accountant, i'll use this time to catch up in enumeration format:

Thursday: Coyote Ugly

Not the movie but a party that my good friends Christine, Sisca, and Alice hosted at Harry Denton's Rouge in San Francisco this past Thursday.

For the first time in my life, I had a booth reserved under my name. Now I can die happy.

4 shots of Remy, 1 shot of Jager, and 3 Coronas seem to be somewhere between my buzz and drunk thresholds.

DJ BoyWonder turned the mother out.

Partied with many friends. This is what life is all about. Well, not entirely... maybe 90%.

Partied with an old friend. That was nice... and different.

This is why they called it Coyote Ugly.

Pictures and a couple of movie clips are here.

Some chick grabbed my crotch. I wanted to hop into my shower and curl up in a ball.

Friday night / Saturday day: Eighth Snowboarding Trip of 2002

Arby's is "the shit".

Dawn is "the shit" for always driving and inviting me (and taking us to Arby's on the way up). THANK YOU.

Lost 80 bucks playing Blackjack. Dealer busted out 3 blackjacks and 4 21s in the last half hour of play. Apparently the slow economy is affecting casinos too.

It was 71 degrees Farenheit on the slopes so we boarded in t-shirts.

Bruised left elbow. Drew a little blood.

Scraped right shoulder. No blood. Just a patch of no-longer-sunblock-protected skin that proceeded to soak up UV rays (i.e., burn) like Bounty on spilled milk.

We took Willieboy up to the peak of the mountain. It was his first time boarding. Trial by fire, baby.

I ran into (actually, she fell in front of me) Krista Allen on the bunny slope. It was her first time (snowboarding... ahem). She had to learn because she had a photo shoot to do the next day for Extra so I gave her some very basic pointers and coached her down the slope.

To make soup, place Balance Bar in car, wait 7 hours (you can snowboard while you're at it), open balance bar. And there you have it. I ate it anyway.

It was 92 degrees in Sacramento. At 6:30 in the evening. Why is it always hot as balls over there? Wouldn't it be the best practical joke ever if, when Sacramento was founded, a couple of engineers embedded a big-ass heating coil under the city? Talk about "easter eggs".

The collection of pics and a movie are here.

Saturday night: Alben's Bachelor Party

Gold Club.

-200 bucks in 2 hours.

Someone (I still don't know who) bought me a lapdance. Are they ALLOWED to do those things to you? Not that I was complaining or anything...

What is white and black, shaped like a square, and will cause you to evaluate your financial priorities every month? A free entry pass that expires in 30 days.

Best wishes, Alben.

The collection of pictures and movies are here... just kidding.

Sunday: Taxes and car wash

Doing taxes suck. They should really simplify this system. The more complex it is, the easier it is for me to find the loopholes.

I'm getting back six-and-a-half G's. You're welcome, Uncle Sam, for the interest-free loan you just took from me. And, of course, if we happen to owe you, you slap a penalty on top of that. Bastard.

My car is shiny.

2002-04-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

hmmm... I just realized that I didn't upload my "Touch the Sky" pictures and videos. I'm debating not uploading them in order to keep some people (including me) out of trouble. That's the problem with these blog thingymajiggers... all your shit is aired out for the world to see. Maybe I should start up a 'private' site...

2002-04-05T00:13:00.000-08:00

Everyone who can appreciate hip-hop or passion in general should go check out Scratch. That shit makes me wanna buy some turntables. I watched it over at the Opera theater on Van Ness in San Francisco. I remember when we walked into the theater:

Frank: "Whaaaaat?"
Me: "Is this for reals?"
I count the number of seats in the theater.
Me: "Yo man, there's 25 seats in here. It's like watching it in your living room."

I swear, Hitachi makes a TV larger than the screen we saw this thing on. There were even people sitting on the floor. WTF. I guess the ghettoness (is that a word?) added to the film.

2002-04-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

I actually had fun at work this week. Our department (engineering) is hosting the company meeting this Friday. We've got to do this whole "Who we are and how you can't fucking live without us because we're the heart and soul of this company.... recogniiiiize!" kind of presentation. We're planning on doing a skit and I got the opportunity to write it. It's quite funny. You'll just have to trust me since you most-likely won't get it without knowing the history of our company. I also was tasked to "spice up" our pictures since we'll be putting them up on the screen during the "Who we are" section of the presentation. I brought my digicam to work and took everyone's pics and asked my boss how he wanted them altered. He told me to surprise him. Ok. Bad move on his part since this is what I did to his. He's a conservative, Senior Vice President of Engineering from South Africa (complete with the accent and all). I figured Bob Marley suited him best. Puff puff give mon!

2002-03-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

Damn am I tired... woke up at 4:30 and headed out to Tahoe with my girl Dawn, my sister Jen, and my friend and coworker Jason.

We stopped by this weak-ass McDonald's in Davis that had this lame sauce policy. Come to think of it, it must have been the first time I had a McDonald's breakfast in over a decade. I should get up earlier during the weekends. Those hashbrowns are the shit. They're like one big tater-tot.

I must say, I loved the conditions today. In the morning it was slightly chilly. However, once 10 am rolled around, it was hot as hell. The snow was OK (wasn't the best, but ridable). We ended up ditching our jackets after lunch. There's nothing like the fear of iceburn to make you not wanna fall.

I tried a couple of jumps... I've learned the hard way that it's all about your take-off. You have to be well-balanced or you'll land sideways and scrape the flesh off your arms. Even though I didn't land one jump cleanly, it was still fun as hell to get up. "I'm up! I'm up! Oh shit... *smack*"
All good though... balls out, baby!

On one of the afternoon lift rides, Dawn decided to drink some gatorade only to have it spill all over her face and shirt. We couldn't stop laughing... oh man... so hilarious. The phrases "wet t-shirt contest" and "Rorshach test" came immediately to mind.

All-in-all it was a great day. My sister even learned how to carve. I'm so proud of her. She put up with my drill sergeant style of training. I was only hard on her because I knew she could do it since she's althletic and has a good sense of balance. Plus, she kept up with us all day long. I'm glad I bought her snowboard gear since now I feel that she'll use it as often as she can. Season passes next year!

On our way back, I saw this billboard saying "Visit Benicia". Um. Why? What's there? The only thing I know about Benicia is the bridge that we cross to get to and from Tahoe. No offense to anyone who's actually from Benicia (my condolences... j/k!). I'm sure it's got SOME redeeming qualities...

I think this was the most fun I've had on the slopes ever. What an great day trip. Dawn and I were going to go to a party at the Beer Cellar later that night but we both passed out. We blew that opportunity to stay up for 24 hours. Maybe next time :)

For all you bored folks, the trip pictures are here.

2002-03-29T01:49:00.000-08:00

i'm in a bind... so i just found out that my boss doesn't want me to program anymore... he says it's not "maximizing my leverage"... he's admitted to me countless times that he's grooming me to become the CTO... and i can't figure out what the real reason is behind me resisting that... i mean, i can come up with tons of reasons:

1) i feel 'out of place' when i hang with the suit crew... it would be different if all the other suits were my age (bonus if they were asian or listened to hip-hop)

2) i love programming... it's so tangible... your shit either works or it doesn't...

3) i think i'm burnt out on the company and industry in general

4) i'm afraid i'm not cut out for it

5) i don't have the wardrobe

6) i don't have the buzzword lingo

7) i HATE public speaking (sorry Ant, if you're reading this... I'll still be your best man though!)

so which is the real reason? all, none or some of the above... "progress" is an impatient motherfucker.

2002-03-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

*begin vent*
ok ok ok... it's only a CAR... there's more to me, really.
*end vent*

However, taking a philosophical angle on things, it actually helps me weed out shallow people.

2002-03-25T01:47:00.000-08:00

Converting Pictures Is So Tedious!!

I just spent 4 hours webifying (compressing and downsizing) a large portion of my digital photos. I'll get around to making thumbnails and webpages with captions and what-not sometime later (like in a year or two). If you're REALLY REALLY bored, peep them at http://www.mike.ph/Media.

To help you out, here are several notables:

A movie of Dean singing "I Swear". There are a few other movies in there that are equally embarassing, including me, Chris, and Dean singing "Girl You Know It's True".
My sister dancing at a Warrior's game. The quality is shitty. She's the short-haired girl in the second-to-the-last row, right-most column at the start of the routine.
Get a taste of Hong Kong.
There are several pictures of my girl Dawn from our first and second boarding trips together.
Anti-Valentine's Day Party at the Rouge.
My baby.

I still have to convert my Philippines pictures...blarg. I've got some really cool nature shots in those.

2002-03-24T22:34:00.000-08:00

crap... all the image links in this blog are broken since i'm in the process of moving the media over to a new server...

2002-03-24T22:29:00.000-08:00

5 reasons why I haven't blogged in a while (was 10 but I got lazy)

#4

M3: I've been diligently trying to reach the magical 1200-mile break-in point. I now have over 1400 miles on it and the fun's just beginning. I did a nice run to San Louis Obispo during the break-in period. I'm planning on taking it LA/Irvine next month.

#3

Gym: 3-5 times a week depending on how many parties are going on. My friends think I'm a meathead even though I still think I'm skinny as a crack fiend.

#2

Riding: I guess the real deals call it 'riding' as opposed to 'boarding' or 'snowboarding'. My icy dojo is the Sierra at Tahoe resort. I've been up six times this season although I started late (January). If you can get past the initial bruises and dislocations, it's damn fun. I plan to get a pass for next season.

#1

Work: I have a sh*tload of stuff to do but no motivation to propel me. It sucks because I stress out about not having any motivation, which in turn causes me to fall back even more. The problem is that I don't give a sh*t anymore. I think I'm burnt out on my industry. E-commerce is SO BORING. Now I know I wouldn't be thinking that if I ever lost my job *knocks on wood*. Can someone recommend a remedy to this negative spiral that I'm in?

#0

Play: I've been hanging out with my friends and meeting new friends almost every week. It seems like any given day of the week there's something to do (hence my variance of 3-5 workouts per week). I am slowing down, however. Aside from a little drinking at a wedding reception (congratulations Eva and James), it was a pretty dry weekend for me.

All you techies should know why I counted down from 4 to 0.

2002-02-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

My M3 is at the dealer! I will be picking it up around 2pm tomorrow. I probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

2002-02-28T23:45:00.000-08:00

High and the munchies (after a Cha Cha Cha dinner)...

*Mike and Chris exiting Cha Cha Cha*
Mike: Let's get a big bag of chips from the store and eat it while walking down the street.
Chris: Yeah. Sounds good.
*Mike and Chris walks down Haight*
*Mike and Chris are halfway to the car*
Chris: Hey.
Mike: Yeah?
Chris: Where's our bag of chips?
Mike: Oh yeah. I totally forgot.
Chris: Let's go back.

Things that were said to us on our way to our car from Cha Cha Cha on Haight

Bum #1: Spare any change? I'm trying to free Jose Cuervo from the shelf. I swear. He's stuck there.
Bum #2: One wonders if Stony will eat this week.
Starving Artist: BUY MY ART!
Goth Girl: Care for some chainmail?

On why men's bathrooms are so nasty...

A men's public bathroom would be spot clean if it weren't for that first guy who fucks up. This sets off a chain reaction since all of the following guys have to stand awkwardly to avoid the misfire on the floor. Because of the exponential decay, you shortly have a stall that's covered in piss.

Misquoted cliches...

Chris: Yeah, you're like caught by the seat of your pants.
Dean: You mean 'fly by the seat of your pants'?
Mike: Yeah, that sounds more correct. If you were caught by the seat of your pants, are you running with your ass sticking out?
Chris: Yeah, that's why you get caught.
Mike: Is that what they mean by 'assed out'?

2002-02-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

what the hell is this? posting multiple times in a day? damn I feel like my homegirl dawn.

i just can't work today... i hate it when i can't focus... i really need to get some shit done, but once i glance away from my screen, something else catches my attention (like my other monitors or this one with my blogger edit page)... then something else takes me away from the activity that took me away from my primary task to begin with... it's like i'm the little silver ball in that wooden maze game (ya know the one with all the holes and shit?) and someone's changing my direction every few seconds...

and i know i shouldn't spend too much time analyzing this... but hell, i'd be procrastinating doing something else anyways so i might as well get some mileage out of this activity... so i don't know what this inability to focus is... it's almost like i can't finish what i've started... like i can't follow through... a little progress here... a little progress there... i wonder if this says something about my aversion to commitment... things that make you go hmmmm...

2002-02-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

I swear my WinAmp is some sentient being that thrives off my pain.

I'm working from home today so I have the privilege of blasting my MP3s.
So I created this playlist with all of the songs in my collection (about 10 GB worth), loaded it up, and put it on 'shuffle'.
Out of the first dozen songs, ELEVEN of them were of the sappiest quality.

*flips off monitor*
*pops in reggae playlist*

2002-02-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

Someone told me recently that "You need to find your center."

*sits cross-legged and assumes a meditative pose*

WTF is a center? Do I have a gaping hole in my torso or something? If anyone's got a center they wanna give, just let me know because apparently I need one.

2002-01-23T02:08:00.000-08:00

Thought bubbles while at the gym...

Envy

Don't wish you were someone else. It's easy to look at that guy or girl with a greaty body or plenty of money and wish that you could switch places with them. Focus on being happy with yourself. And if you're not, set some goals to get to where you want to be. Set goals that can be measured within your realm of self. Since there will always be someone better in any aspect you can think of, measuring yourself against others will yield perpetual failure and unhappiness.

Externally Defined

It's okay to care about what other people think about you. That's human. However, it gets dangerous if your sense of self-worth is purely derived from other else's opinions. Don't let others define you. Define yourself internally. Take the time to know who you are. If you don't, you're in for a rollercoaster ride.

For the Long Haul

View her as a person, not an object. Take the time to establish a friendship. Friendship begets trust. Although many of you are probably afraid of entering the mythical "friend zone", keep in mind that relationships fail not for lack of love, but for lack of friendship. Also, since the mind is the best erogenous zone, don't neglect to converse.

2002-01-15T01:34:00.000-08:00

Hong Kong in a nutshell

Each of my dollars were worth 7.8 Hong Kong dollars.

Everyone is so skinny, you'd swear that cocaine is used as a sugar substitute. It's either the climate, food, exercise (you have to walk and take public transportation unless you're really rich), or the fact that it's so damn crowded everyone wants to take up as little space as possible.

There aren't any houses, only skyscraper-esque apartment complexes (which they call houses).

A 600-sq-ft apartment will cost you 400K USD.

I probably won't make any money being a software engineer over there since they'll pirate all my sh*t.

San Miguel appeared to be the most popular vomit-inducing (read: alcoholic) beverage.

Asian women with British accents are very sexy.

Nobody talks to strangers, let alone pick up on them in bars or clubs, for fear of being beat-down by Triads or possessive boyfriends (applies to women only of course). You only talk to those who you've been introduced to (friends of friends of friends etc.). I had to learn this the hard way.

McDonald's has McWings (fried chicken wings) as a standard item along with McNuggets.

In eating establishments that have the choice, instead of "for here" and "to go", it's "stay here" and "take with you"

Drinking in public is allowed. It's such a liberating feeling walking down a main thoroughfair with a San Miguel in hand and smiling at a police officer along the way.

FedEx uses Mercedes delivery vans.

You can purchase prepaid cell phone SIM cards from 7-11 as well as "recharge" a depleted one.

You can also purchase pirated software and movies (porn VCDs even) from 7-11

Many females play Counter-Strike

For 2 USD per hour, you can play in the computer gaming LAN and help yourself to free food and drinks

There are free internet terminals at coffee shops and bars (yes, right on the bar counter itself)

Lantau Island is home to one of the largest Buddha statues in the world.

Discovery Bay (I stayed at the Greenfield complex) on Lantau Island is a community that does not allow cars. One can purchase a golf cart for 64K USD.

I don't think I've ever seen a better skyline than Hong Kong's.

They take their fishing seriously.

Traffic sucks so bad even God acknowledges it.

The full collection of pictures are here.
Upcoming episode: Philippines in a nutshell

2001-12-09T23:28:00.000-08:00

i'll spot you ...

one more...
you can do it...
yeah... just like that...
all you...
i know it's tough...
those emotions weigh a ton...
but it's all good...
i'm here to spot you... just let me know when...
when you're done, even Atlas won't have nothin' on you...

2001-12-09T23:09:00.000-08:00

don't go ...

don't go pointing out something someone else gave you and refuse to tell me who it was...

don't go complaining about that other guy that you were messing with telling you he's over you...

don't go saying how much so and so wants you...

don't go calling me up saying you're going to see a movie that we were supposed to see and not invite me...

don't go asking me whether i'm interested in so-and-so like you care...

don't go crying when i tell you i still think about you...

don't go inviting me to a party and then ignoring me the entire night...

don't go... but if you do, that's fine... you know why? because i'm strong as fuck now and i can take anything you throw at me...

2001-12-04T02:04:00.000-08:00

*looks at last date of update*

good lawd... ok this is getting bad... i can't even keep up with this thing... or perhaps it's OK to not update every day like i started off doing... hmm... ok maybe once a week... that way i have a whole week to scrounge up some knowledge to drop... enh...

so i left off last sunday... hmm... ok monday... er... can't remember... must not have been important... oh yeah... cleaned the house more... bleh...

tuesday i had guests over from LA... the banana and the broken-hearted... i had to pick them up from SJC (that's the airport code for san jose airport in case you're wondering)... it was kinda late so we just hit the sack when we got home...

wednesday... pizza dinner with the guys... LA guests were out with a friend the whole day but we met up later that night... we hung out... sparked up the fireplace... and talked until 5 am... banana's sister, the broken-hearted, apparently is in pretty much the same boat as i am... well actually i have had a head start in recovery so i was able to share a thought or two that may help her out... it troubles me to see her in pain... i know what it's like... nobody should ever have to go through something like that... it was a good night... a night of smiles, solemn pauses, and knowing nods... i need more of those in my life...

needless to say, i "worked from home" the next day... my morning meeting was cancelled and i was already planning on going home for the afternoon to receive a delivery... now i have 300 pounds worth of outdoor garage material... i just have to find time one of these weekends to assemble it... this is where my new car will go... free from the elements and especially the falling sap from that stupid pine tree... you don't even know how much i hate that tree... if it weren't so close to my house i'd burn it...

we hit up Butterfly that night for dinner... what a nice restaurant... good ambience... small, intimate dining area... live jazz band... and a menu of delectible tapas... and the creme brulee... omg... almost as good as an orgasm... i highly recommend this place... we ended up staying there until almost midnight... conversation was that good... we mostly talked about dealing with heartache...

the more you hold on, the farther you push away

let's see... friday... hmm... work was uneventful... had dinner with more friends from LA at this restaurant in Palo Alto called Zibibbo... it's one of those upscale places commonly found in Shallow Alto (got that from a friend... no offense)... the food was pretty good... we had a bunch of appetizers and a couple of main dishes... they serve it family style but each dish only served two people at the most... then we met up with a bunch of friends at my place... i've never had that many people in my house before... we all rolled up to Bel Mateo Bowl... that's right... bowling on a friday night to rock and roll music... yeehaw... nah, it was fun though... i broke 100 in all my games except for one...

saturday was a lazy day... we didn't get out of the house until 4:30 pm... of course, the rain didn't help much in motivating us either... we headed out to downtown SF... Old Navy... San Francisco Center... i had to buy a card for my friend's birthday... went over to Papyrus but they had jack shiznit for birthday cards... i mean they had birthday cards but there were all el-cheezo... so i picked up a blank card with a picture of a nice ocean-side mediterranean town... enh... why not... i just wrote a 'happy bday' inside it... i wanna go to such a place in the future... just sit there and chill... read a book... eat pasta... yummm...

so we head out to this tapas place called Lorca... dinner was supposed to start at 8:30 but we didn't get seated until 10:15... had a kahlua martini and some sangria... i was feelin' good... birthday presents openings... i was mortified to find out my friend was going to quit smoking that very night... and i got her this limited edition Cowboy Bebop Zippo lighter... it's #56 out of only 500 made... ah well... there's always Christmas...

rain rain rain rain... oh man... i must have taken an equivalent of a dozen showers that day... walking around the city... walking to lorca from the car... hanging out in front of lorca to keep the smokers company... walking back to the car from lorca... ugh...

then we hit up the monkey club... it was aight... we got in and it was pretty packed... majority of the clientelle were puti... the music was damn good when we walked in though... some tribe... some reggae... and then the dj started housing it up... it went down south from there... plus, we had a large group and we really couldn't talk since it was so loud... i could only talk to the people adjacent to me... ah well... i would have liked to chat with the birthday girl for a little bit...

i was sittin' in this chair... and they don't really have a dance floor there... but whhoever was standing was dancing... and *blam* i get this elbow to the temple... i was like "wtf was that?"... and next thing i know these two arms wrap around my head, cradling it... then these lips start kissing my forehead and cheek... "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you"... i was relieved to find out it was a lady, and a good looking one at that...

didn't wake up until 2 the next day... just decided to stay in... again more rain... watched TV... niners... then dinner in milpitas with the LA folks... overall, a nice week...

hmm... i'm unsatisfied with this format... this summarizing of my days... i'm going to change things next post... no more chronological accounts... stay tuned...

2001-11-26T23:02:00.000-08:00

damn, i can't keep up with this thing daily anymore... wussup with that? what does that mean... either A) i'm lazy or B) i'm lazy... hmmmm

sunday... oh man... stayed in to do chores... laundry... vacuum/sweep hardwood floors... vacuum rugs... sort through mail... oh god i hate that activity... for some reason it takes only a couple days for my mail to pile up like i'm some sort of CPA at year-end... wtf... i get wayyyy too much junk mail... i'm starting to believe that the worst thing you can do to your worst enemy is to sign him up for every damn thing you can think of...

had dinner with a friend... helped her "even out" her down blanket... i don't get those things... i mean after like three hours all of the frickin' feathers gravitate towards the outer cells... after a while it's more like a down body pillow that surrounds you while your topside freezes to death... and what's the deal with all these types of down blankets? domestic goose down... domestic white goose down... european white goose down... mother goose down... wtf? can you really tell? if i sit my ass on one of these blankets, i'm not going to be like *nods head* "yeaaaah... this has got to be duck duck goose down..."

anyways... she's got this velvet ensemble thing going... i dunno about velvet... you stroke it one way and you're like oooh la la... the you stroke it the opposite way and you've got a rash the size of montana on your face... her bed looks like a big prom dress...

monday was an overall good day... my cowboy bebop limited edition box set came in! this has got to be one of the best, if not THE best, anime series ever... it's my favorite so far... if you are even remotely interested in anime, i highly suggest it... dealer also called me to confirm my car order and i actually have a production number... great... now i'm going to be a crack fiend calling the 1-800 number five times a day just to check the build/ship status... oh and my passport and plane tickets also arrived... whew... i was worried that it wasn't going to arrive before my Dec 15 departure time... hong kong and PI here i come... my mortgage refinancing docs are also done and ready for me to sign... and my external car garage has arrived as well... just gotta arrange a delivery time... eesh... everything's just happening today...

worked out... boy did i wreck my legs... they and my abs are going to hate me tomorrow morning... and what's up with these fly asian ladies at the san carlos 24hr fitness? i saw like four of them... that's unheard of over here in whiteville...

damn it took me two hours to clean the frickin' bathroom... next time i'm getting a maid... i must have been doing something wrong because i went through an entire roll of paper towels... that strikes me as slightly inefficient...

so i've been on this cleaning binge since i'll be having guests over from tuesday through the weekend... she's a trip... always cracks me up with her discombobulated phrases... so i think i'll be going out alot during the week... maybe hit up 111 minna wednesday... and maybe butterfly or rawhide or both thursday... and friday there is this VIP-only lounge party... we'll see... play it by ear... oh and it's my friend's b-day this weekend too... not sure which day though... her present better arrive on time... oh reminds me i have to do more shopping (online)... alright i better get goin'... adios maddapakkas...

2001-11-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

warning: no knowledge dropping in this post... too tired...

hmm it's pretty late/early...

Spy Game was a pretty good movie... if you don't like to think, don't see it...

bigups to the hawaiians over at the huki lau bar... mmm pineapple heads...

overall, it was a good day... i'll be more "substantial" in my next post...

2001-11-24T01:32:00.000-08:00

catch up time...

wednesday night was fun... caught a flick... The One... with one of my boys... it was just aight... good concept... poor execution... however it was entertaining to see Jet Li bust out some Street Fighter triple combo moves... and if i'm not mistaken, this movie came out three weeks ago... it's already in the "sh*tty movie" screens of the theaters... you know... those screens that are like slightly bigger than your livingroom TV and with just as much seating...

hopped over to our bar Huki Lau... it was the most packed i've ever seen that place... and with women too... and then i remembered wednesday is ladies' night at that bar... we just never had a chance to go during the middle of a work week... thank you Thanksgiving... i had my strongest Adios Mother F*cker drink ever... i don't think the bartender put any sweet-and-sour... that one drink actually got me pretty drunk...

rolled over to Storyville around 1 am... had another AMF drink... now i'm pretty plastered and the rest of the night was pretty much a blur... i vaguely remember seeing some friends there... heading to Denny's... making several deposits onto the parking lot pavement... then somehow i ended up in my bed... a friend came over to check up on me and i barely remember that happening as well...

woke up at 2 pm with the worst hangover ever... recovered as much as i could before a big Thanksgiving dinner... it was nice to see a bunch of relatives at my parent's place... it reminded me of when i was little... every single holiday we'd have these huge get-togethers... i'd eat and watch tv and fall asleep to the backdrop of conversations among familiar voices... life was so simple back then...

friday i hung out with my boys... we headed out to the car show... smoked a blunt while walking to the moscone center from the parking garage on fifth... you could tell which strangers smoked bud by the way they smiled and sniffed the air when we walked by them... car show was cool... sat in my future car... very nice... i can't wait until january when it arrives...

ate a late dinner at uno's at embarcadero... smoked a blunt outside afterwards... didn't know what to do so we just rolled around town... put on some reggae from the CD changer... cruised down Broadway and other parts of the city that we used to frequent... union street... the vox... standard... from the time that first song hit the speakers... everything was alllll goooooood... that is a "happy place"...

one thing that is beginning to sink into my head (thanks to all the friends that have been there for me)... the more you hold on... the farther you push it away... sad, but true... it's time to more forward...

2001-11-21T00:36:00.000-08:00

i hate that nagging pain in your chest... you know... the one that won't go away? it's always there... sometimes it's prevalent enough that you need to take deep sighing breaths... often times it steals your apetite...

and i hate that nagging voice in your head... you know... the one that keeps telling you that you're being a fool? the one you keep dismissing because whatever it is you're fooling yourself about is worth the risk seeing it through... even in the face of hard evidence...

and i hate it when things feel so different... you know... like you're in the Twilight Zone? the things you're accustomed to seeing and feeling just aren't there anymore and you feel like the world just passed you by...

i actually smoked my first cigarette tonight... it didn't do anything for me... i certainly don't feel the urge to pick up a pack... i figured i'd try it once... that's my motto for the time being... try everything once...

there's some comfort to this wrecklessness... it's like rolling down a snowy slope, not knowing where you'll land... you just hope you don't hit a tree...

2001-11-18T23:50:00.000-08:00

i wish her well... i really do... happiness... love... self-awareness... sense of being...

however, when these things happen without my involvement... it's a cruel reminder that it's unlikely that we'd be in "that state" again... of togetherness... of companionship... of affection...

finality is painful...

2001-11-18T16:50:00.000-08:00

hmmm... i've been slackin' on this blog... ok catch-up time...

friday... slightly strange day... some drama... finding out who your real friends are... the hard way... being diverted on that path of getting over someone at the same time... no big deal... life throws sh*t at me every now and then...

decided to stay in that night... i've been going out every weekend for the past several weeks now... i did some overdue cleaning of the house... had my boys over... watched the Memento dvd... damn good movie... highly recommended for those who appreciate creative directing... the movie is told in a reverse chronology order... so you see the "end" first and it works its way back to the "beginning"... but it's done in such a way that you piece the story together as you go and it isn't until the end of the movie that you understand it all...

saturday... slept in... ahh i love weekends... did some faxing with my bmw dealer so i had to go to work for that... hung out until it was time to head up to the city... it was one of my boy's bdays... we had dinner at 21st Amendment on 2nd Street... decent food... decent prices... great interior decor (very industrial)... bought my boy a shot of jaeger and a shot of white tequila... mission for the night: get him f*cked up...

after dinner we conversed with our good friend Mary Jane... it was quite an upLIFTing dialog we had... then we headed over to club 238... saw a bunch of people there... even my ex... we keep running into each other... saw piaadoll and her crew... i must say... i haven't seen a more attractive group of ladies... i curse my shyness for not asking any of them to dance... i'm so out of my element now in a "meatmarket" environment... i used to not be that way... i guess time has inserted a bit insecurity in me when it comes to being physically scrutinized... sometimes i can overcome it... although that night i was designated driver so i didn't have any liquid courage in me... not that i should need it, of course... i'm just so used to knowing the people before we go to such places... and i find it challenging to hold a conversation in a club due to the noise volume... all you can do is... shake it and flex it hahaha...

so i'm pleased to say that the mission was successful... birthday boy, after seven drinks, made a couple of "deposits" onto the floor which prompted us to head out for fear of getting in trouble... we hung out a bit outside the club... saw a few shooting stars from the Leonid storm... birthday boy left his cell phone inside and was lucky enough to find it... my other friend, however, had no such luck... so if any of you reading this was there last night and had the off chance of finding his phone (Nokia 8890 inside a belt case) leave a comment on this blog...

went to lyon's for a snack... birthday boy was passed out in the car... he also decorated the exterior passenger side with yack... didn't get home til 5:30 am... it's a pain living semi-far from the city... i really should look into getting a loft... hopefully the prices have come down some...

sunday... woke up and watched the last half of the niner's game... come-back overtime win over the 1-8 panthers... way to play down to your competition... decided to stay in all day... feelin' the aftermath of Mary Jane... pizza is comin'... looks like i'll catch up on some reading...

2001-11-16T00:46:00.000-08:00

omfg... ok i normally don't post twice in one day but... so one of my homies was like "I am liking MJ"... and i was like... "Michael Jordan, right?"... and he doesn't say anything... and i'm like "Yo...Jordan right?"...*silence*... "It better be Jordan.".... "Nah, Jackson"... WTF... that guy is no longer human... once you alter yourself so much you shouldn't be considered part of the human race... you're just a walking conglomeration of either sand or dupont plastic or both... and for Jackson, throw a little bleach in there... i mean jeezus... that guy can have a snowboarding accident and the rescuers would never find him in the snow... and did you see his nose? i swear he's trying to look more and more like his 3D avatar or something... gah... now i have to sleep with these thoughts... i better go read a book...

2001-11-16T00:16:00.000-08:00

what a good day...

started off with a dealer giving me a call telling me that he has a first week of December build slot for an M3... 1 millisecond later i'm giving him my credit card number for the deposit... should arrive sometime in January... now i have to track down where my portable car garage that i ordered is... yep... i have a small-ass garage that only a mini cooper would fit in... of course, that isn't saying much when you can just put straps on the car and wear it as a backpack...

then i found out that we have a 4-day weekend next week... call me slow... i totally lost track of the days... in a meeting, my boss said we weren't going to meet next thursday and i was like "why? you're going to be out of town?"... it took me a little bit to figure out why everyone was staring at me blankly...

had a good workout after work... the lady at the front desk of the 24-hour fitness was trying to get me to "lower" my membership fees... she was shocked to know that i'm paying only 10 bucks a month for all-club... boy is my chest sore... i'm such a weakling... i'm all looking around at these huge guys benching 200+ lbs... i was like... damn... they have three times as many plates as i do... one of these days... well... maybe not... i don't think i have it in my genes... someone up there beat me down with the "small frame" stick...

then i went hunting for a digital camera (online) and found one that i fell in love with... it's the Canon PowerShot G2... i almost wussed out since it retails for 900 bux... but i lucked out and found one for 620... not too shabby for a 4 megapixel digital camera... if anyone's interested in this camera, buy it at this store... thank you Yahoo! shopping... i can't wait to use it on my trip to Hong Kong and the Philippines this December...

it's not too often that i find myself watching TV...it's even more rare that i find myself wanting to watch three shows that are on at the same time... i was watching The Tick... not sure if it was the premiere or not... it was weird... i was so used to the cartoon and it just looked strange to see live people acting like how the cartoon characters act... the live Tick looks and sounds more stoned than the cartoon one... my favorite character has gotta be Batmanuel... i mean... that's like the best play-on-hero-name ever... and he's hispanic... i was also flipping to Who Wants To Be a Millionaire since they had supermodels playing... Eva Herzigova (sp?) was pretty smart... i'd get with her for her mind... uh... yeah... then i flipped to Survivor... i don't really watch that show and haven't been following this season at all... i think they were in the Outback? or was that last season... anyways, for some reason i watched it for a little bit... maybe because i felt that i should make a little effort to understand why everyone loves the show so much... apparently i didn't expend enough effort...

tomorrow's friday... and i don't know what the hell i'm going to do... i'm tempted to just stay in... i've been going out non-stop for the past two months and i think it's catching up to me... i think this weekend will be a "clean the house and bum around watching DVDs" weekend... oh except for my boy's birthday bash on saturday... sh*t... i'm on antibiotics (root canal) so i can't drink... what a bummer... on the bright side, my sunday will potentially be productive... i'm gunna get that guy tooooooore uuuuuuuuuup...

2001-11-15T00:56:00.000-08:00

blah... i really don't have much to say... pretty much dealt with non-work stuff at work in between meetings... car dealer... mortgage lender... still lookin' for a December build M3 since my last dealer gave me the shaft... i think i have a lead on one... he's going to give me a call tomorrow...

went to the gym tonight... i was so close to skipping it since i skipped yesterday... plus i didn't get a good night's sleep due to the root canal... however it's much better today... thank the gods for vicodin... i think i'm becoming addicted... *pops one*... good thing i didn't sell these on the street...

got a call from my best friend last night... it was pleasant... i hardly get calls from her these days... talked a little bit of shop... she had a rough day at work and needed to vent... i'm just happy to be there for her...

i played this new video game with a few friends tonight... it's kinda like rainbow six... you go around and like kill people and stuff... very uplifting isn't it? just as i'm typing this, my housemate is telling me that one of my friends is arguing with one of his friends over it... oh boy... i say they play South Park ro-sham-po...

props goes out to my blog buddy for introducing me to this... peep her blog over here... line up boys... she's both attractive and single...

my buddy's gunna hook me up with a new cell phone... not sure which one to get... i use crapular networks so i am kinda limited in that regard... plus switched to a new plan around five months ago so i have another seven before i'm month-to-month again... i'll be going to Hong Kong and the Philippines this December/January so i might just go with a tri-band... any suggestions?

damn... i should head to bed... i hate 9 am meetings...

maybe next entry i'll use real names... would that be a blog faux pas?

2001-11-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

what a messed-up week so far...

it started off with my BMW dealer screwing me over by getting fired and somehow my allocation for my M3 was lost in the shuffle...WTF? teaches me to deal with east coast dealers...if the bastards over here weren't asking 10-20K over MSRP i wouldn't have to look out of state...

then i had a root canal done this morning...can you say pain? can you say whimpering like a lil' b*tch? i had one done last month and it was nothing... this time homie had to give me six frickin' shots of painkiller... which equates to me raising my hand in agony six frickin' times... the first shot was hell too... and homeboy grabs my upper lip and starts shaking it while he's plunging the needle deeper... is that necessary? damn... just rape me while you're at it...

one good thing this week... i'm finally used to putting my contacts on... it used to take me 20 minutes just to put in my left one... either my left contact is huge or my left eye is just friggin' small... just call me popeye... but i went to the eye doctor and he said things were cool... it takes me about 5 minutes to put both on now... so yay... and stuff...

damn... my tooth's motherfriggin' sore after the root canal... at least i have vicodin... but it doesn't seem to do jack shiznit except make me sleepy... i've got 11 pills left... maybe i should head up to the city and sell em on the corner for 20 bux a pop... i'm damn hungry too... i guess it's soup night for me... damn... i think i'll have to skip the gym tonight... i hate that... i just don't want to get my heart rate up since it feels like it'll pop my tooth out in a gush of blood if i do... maybe i can catch up on my anime dvds that i've always been meaning to watch...

well i posted a bunch of photos from this past weekend in LA... peem em if you're bored... don't bother looking for any other pages since i haven't done anything to that site... it still has the default Apache startup page heh...

2001-11-13T01:18:00.000-08:00

ok so this blogger application is pretty f'in cool...

hmm where to start on my first real post...

i guess i won't use any names until i feel like it's no longer a privacy issue or i get lazy... whichever comes first...

so this weekend was one of the best i've had in a long-*ss time... drove down to LA with my best friend (who happens to be my ex)... it's amazing how much we just click... i'm talkin' about effortless fun... knowumsayin'? i burned a bunch of CDs for the trip... let's see... two freestyle mixes... one euro-trance-freestyle-sounding mix... a collection of 80's new wave (at least most of it was!)... a collection of 80's rock... a bunch of modern freestyle (gigi, pinay, etc.)... and Cowboy Bebop Original Soundtrack #1 (thanks to my housemate!)... it's a good thing nobody else was in the car with us because we sang a good portion of the time... well, sang is too nice of a word at least for me... i'm a little frog compared to my songbird companion...

so we got to LA... had dinner with tita... then they took me to the downtown Hyatt on Hope St... the people who i was going to hook up with weren't at the hotel yet (it was 12:30 AM) so I decided to walk around downtown and snap a few (which turned out to be many) photos with my housemate's digicam... they were filming some sort of movie in front of the hotel so I snapped a couple shots of the scene then hastily proceeded down the street in case the cops were thinking of confiscating the camera... for 12:30 AM, I must say that this place is pretty frickin' dead... i mean... this is supposed to be downtown LA? the buildings look cool and all but nobody was about... no bars were open... zip, nada, nothing... so i ended up walking around and chatting with random security guards and bums... even though it was cold (i had a sleeveless shirt and jeans) and i was all alone, i couldn't help but realize that i was having tons of fun...

i got back to the hotel around 2 am... just in time because my buddies have just checked in... i also ran into a buddy from Santa Cruz... i keep running into that guy in the most random places i bet he thinks i'm stalking him or something... our hotel room was straight-up asian nation... aside from my Santa Cruz buddy, I knew only one other person who also happened to go Santa Cruz as well... my thanks goes out to her for inviting me on this outing... i wasn't going to go until she called me up Thursday...

so people popped in and out... even more Santa Cruz peeps arrived... chit chatted... small talk... gettin' tired... boy does the floor look comfortable right about now... then the room cleared out save its inhabitants for the night... this crew... little did i know how much fun i'd be having with this bunch of cool cats... little did i know that i'd get suckered into wearing one of the girls' pajama bottoms... little did i know that i'd almost get suckered into wearing one of the girls' entire pajama ensembles... little did i know that i'd get to sleep in the same bed with both girls that night... woohoo... well... one of them took up all the blanket... it wasn't her fault... i told her i didn't need it... but then i didn't know we'd sleep with all the windows open... so i tried, unsuccessfully, in using my pillow (which is about, oh, 1 foot by 1.5 feet in dimensions) as a blanket...

woke up quick... at about noon... just thought I had to be in Compton soon...

err...ok for reals...

woke up sat morning around 10-ish (we slept around 5)... i hear "alright, he's awake!" accompanied with the sight of an extended hand holding a shot of Remy... alcohol in the morning? on an empty stomach? f*ck it... took it down... boy did my tummy warm up... little did i know that this was the first of half-a-dozen or so shots interspersed throughout the day... thanks, Remy bros (the two other guys in the room with us), for startin' my day right...

a couple of hours and three shots later we finally get ready to head out... food was the number one priority... well at least for me because around that time i couldn't feel my lips... the sign of a pleasant buzz... so we headed out... hooked up with the Party of Two stayin' in the room across the way... piled into this boat of a car (lincoln town car i believe)... 7 deep... off to china town for some dim sum... snapped some pics of some turtles in this pond... grubbed on good dim sum... or at least what seemed to be good dim sum to my buzzed and tired self... i even tried chicken feet... i just had to try it... for some reason... anyways it tasted like salty skin... so yeah... i can understand how people like it but i don't think i'd be ordering it anytime soon... sorry Remy bros, but 1/4 (chinese) of me isn't enough to like that "delicacy"...

headed out to the grand opening of some mall on hollywood blvd... cool mall... although i think i prefer the shops on hollywood blvd... they're a little more... how should i say it... risque? mad flavor? HELLA dope? nah but the mall was cool too... had one of the best chocolate chip ice cream cones (he gave me two cones because he broke the first one)... hung out... took pics... fun stuff

headed back to hotel to get ready for the Asian Emmy Awards (Ammys)... slipped into my suit and tie... we were supposed to be there by 7pm but, like all asians, we lagged... got to the Ammy's around 7:30... was pleased to find out that the skill of procrastination permeated our entire ethnic group since they didn't get started until 7:45 or so... the attendees of note can be described in three words: fine asian ladies... it was nice to see everyone dressed up... made it feel like we were aristocracy... "people of good repute"... or something... but yeah the awards were cool... it was a pretty short program though... ended a little before 9 pm... highlights were: Ang Lee and Miss America (whom I failed to take a picture with)...

headed back to the hotel... chilled for a bit... tired as hell... took a few more shots... changed into something more comfortable... headed downstairs to grab an "apetizer dinner"... and had an apple martini... feelin' good now... headed out to the Ammy's after party at club Soho... not that crowded since it was reserved for Ammy attendees... again, those three words: fine asian ladies... bar was easily accessed... an AMF floated effortlessly into my hand... to be followed by another shot of Remy (hey didn't we already have several of those during the day?)... i'm feelin' good right about now given the amount of liquid courage in my system... headed to the dance floor and had a great time... too bad the party ended at 2 am...

headed out to another club but we didn't go in... it was around 3 by the time we got there... decided it wasn't worth it to go in for only an hour... headed back to the hotel... had more shots... this time it was absolut mandarin... hung out... told ghost stories... scared the bejeezus outta one of the guys who were visiting us at the time... he wouldn't even go back to his room without an escort... heh... other random inane acts... like jumping on the bed... tying cherry stems with your tongue... pure fun...

woke up to a partially painted set of finger nails... f*ck it... had the rest painted... almost noon... had to get ready because i was getting picked up by my best friend and tita... said bye to my new friends... met best friend and tita outside... we went to this english pub for brunch... one of the best brunches i've ever had... they had these perfect blueberry muffins for an apetizer... they were small and disc-shaped so there was more "baked surface"... cos you all know that muffin tops are the shiznit... and the chocolate souflet was to die for...

headed back up highway 5 around 3 pm... snapped a bunch of pics of scenery... sang to songs... laughed... smiled... jested... pure fun... and like all good things (whoever made up this f*cked up rule, huh??), it had to come to an end... or shall we say... a monday...

so here's a toast for the weekend... To the best "F" words ever: Friendship, Family, and Forgiveness...

(omfg what a long-*ss post)

2001-11-12T22:22:00.000-08:00

testing testing 1 2 3

alright... i don't know how this blog thing is going to turn out... i've only kept a few journals in my life but they've always been private... should i make up any rules for this thing? if i'm brutally honest i may have to limit viewing to a select few...er, couple...ok one...

i'm sure i've got tons of stuff to say... i just don't feel like saying it all now... uh, yeah... and these t.h.r.e.e. d.o.t.s. thing will probably drive you guys nuts... sorry but it's just my way to "inject pause"...

well i'm going to think of witty stuff to say and run it by some people whose humor i admire before posting more... laters!