(爺)^2寫的利是

12-25-08

敬文孫:

當你接受我的五千元的時候你一定要遵守你對自己的諾言繼續學業. 力求上進. 完成你的父母對你培養的心汗. 改過吧.

爺爺

心有事

好耐好耐冇喺呢度寫個blog. 唔知點解近排無心機做嘢... 雖然我無咩胃口食嘢我覺得又肥左好多. 我以前差唔多每日去出邊跑步, 運動, 果d咁嘅嘢. 而家乜都唔想做. 依家我身體都幾差 - 全身成日痕得好緊要同埋有好多rashes. 哎... 唔知我自己搞咩.

最近我諗住我有好多心事. 大部份係關於佢.

探親

巖巖發現我好耐喺呢度冇寫過blog. 唔知點解... 可能係因為呢排無咩特別野happening to me. 日日pretty much係same thing - 好好悶其實. 星期四同細老妹妹去左苗人密碼跳舞. 都幾好玩! 係果處同呀鈣, 呀平同埋呀Fahm meet up左添. 我哋stay到最後一分鐘先走. 之後我哋去獅子餐廳食d野. 傾偈傾到四點甘上下... 唉真係太late for me. 翻到屋企就即刻瞓覺...

Friday朝頭早我媽咪入嚟我房叫我同佢, 妹妹同婆婆去食早餐... 不過我就起唔到身. 叫佢哋食完早餐之後先至揾我.本來我哋諗住去玫瑰花市shopping不過媽咪話太遠. 甘我哋淨係去左REI同埋Whole Foods. 翻嚟之後我決定take a nap因為唔夠瞓. 起左身之後唔知想做乜. 終於decide左去出邊跑步因為天時果陣唔係好好熱. 跑步果時有d好random野happen to me. 我喺公園行緊果陣無啦啦far away見到一個好似熟嘅人. 係唔係...? 係!!! 係佢 -Irvis!!! 哈哈...好搞笑. 同佢傾少少跟住我話要翻屋企. 翻到嚟check左個電話睇到佢send俾我個text話: "Omg. You looked so hot right now... Lol". 哎呀. 果晚媽咪爹d同佢哋d朋友出去甸那甘我自己一個人喺企食左壽司 =) 食左飯之後ended up去呀鈣同呀平嘅house. 佢哋想去bowling但係我話我肚餓. 甘我哋個個去左杯杯食野...最尾無去過bowling哈哈哈

呢個post係叫做"探親"因為對我嚟講係最重要嘅活動. 今日同成家人出左埠. 我, 爺爺, 爸爸, 媽咪, 妹妹同埋呀信10:45離開2埠去屋崙見呀姑婆. 到左果時就上去佢柏文唞下先至去唐人街飲茶. 唞完之後就開車去Chinatown. 好似平時甘樣我哋喺富興中心泊左車跟住去左牡丹閣飲茶. 然後我同爺爺去拿破崙買包. 又去富興中心對面果個超級市場同呀姑婆買餸. 翻去姑婆果度同佢擺d餸喺雪櫃度. 好歡喜今日有機會見到佢因為姑婆一見到我哋果陣就開開心心. 甘孤伶伶自己住... 好採今日個個有得見到佢...同佢飲茶. 而家我真係睇得出點解對中國人嚟講 - family is so important.

Aimless

I am really enjoying these Furlough Fridays. Weekends don't seem as rushed and I am able to spend more time with family and friends. It sounds idealistic in a way but it's true. I've always complained about how there is not enough time in the day to do the things I want/need to get done. Now there is. This weekend, for example, has been enjoyable in every sense of the word.

Thursday night Koy had asked me to go out to Badlands with her. Ehhh. I was already running off of 4 hours of sleep from the night before and I had planned to hit up SF on Friday. "I had a bad day at work yesterday and I just want to unwind and have someone to talk to." Fine... I gave in. Andy, Koy, Ben and Chris picked me late that night and we made our way to Badlands. What a dud. There was no one there and there were ugly go-go dancers on the platforms. The highlight was that they were selling $3 Long Islands. Nothing special but I didn't pay for them so I can't complain. Thanks Ben and Andy. Danced a little. Went outside in the terrace and chatted. There were more people outside than inside. How sad. Someone from our group decided to go across the street to Faces so I reluctantly followed. Not much better and there was a cover. Blahhh. The night was almost over anyways so Koy and I just talked by the pool. Before we knew it, the security peoples were giving us the boot. Fine then... We hit up Lyon's afterwards for a late night meal. Food wasn't the best but it's what I expected. Thank you Andy for treating us - again!

Friday morning woke up around 10 and made my final decision to drive down to the Bay. Dicked around for a bit and swapped cars with my sister. Finally left Sac around a little after 11:30. Stopped off at Wells Fargo in Davis to get cash and dropped by the Asian store in Pacific East Mall to get more G =) This time I got the pink per Nikki's recommendation! Excitement. Picked up Chris at his house around 1 something and headed straight to Eric's. By this time I was famished. I was saving my stomach but I didn't realize it would take this long before I'd get foodage. Eric suggested this place in Richmond but wasn't too sure of the name. Hot in the Pot? Yes... sounded like a place I'd enjoy! We walked in and the Fong Lik San look alike greeted us like every other Chinese waiter/ress, "幾多位?" No carts here. Just a piece of paper and a pencil to submit your order. For the shit of it I feel like listing out everything that we had... if I can remember of course. Daan taat, ma lai gou, ha cheung, yu pin cheung, chin chang gou, sin juk guen, paai gwat faan, fu pei guen, lau lin sou, xo jeung jin loh baak gou, loh baak gou, pou taat, wu gok, loh maai gai and gaau choi gwo!!! Waahhh so much food wor~ We challenged ourselves to eat everything but we ultimately failed. I was satisfied though.

You're welcome.

Dropped The Jim off at home but after deciding to go the park instead of downtown SF he came out (no pun intended) again to play. Play we did! After our hope to paddle boats in the murky water was crushed we decided to walk around instead. It was a nice ass walk... and plenty interesting as well. We saw turtles - lots of them too! hehee. We walked up a flight of steps and played some more. Log. Pee. Waterfall. Rocks. Chinese temple. I had fun. You?

TBC...

//edit

As promised I am finishing what I started. After our visit to GG Park we dropped Jim off and made our way to downtown SF. I fell asleep on the way so the ride over was pretty much a blur... but it was a NICE nap nevertheless! Chris decided to leave us and so Eric and I were left alone to explore. Our first stop was Westfield. Nothing much. I was tempted to buy an LV wallet but I figured I should save my money for something bigger and better. Besides, $225 for a card holder doesn't seem too reasonable =/ He suggested we check out A/X but I already knew what they had. We were in and out of there in less than 5 minutes. Disappointment up to this point. Then it was Macy's, H&M and then Urban... The only thing I got was a collared shirt from H&M - better than nothing, right?

Ride home was short. It took a little over an hour for me to make it back to Davis from SF. Met up with Lany, Hollis and Jarming at Bistro 33rd just before they closed at 12. Helped Jar drink some of her Long Island and the waiter picked out a glass of red for me. Within 3 gulps that shit was gone. Walked over to Sophia's and had more - mojito and Hoogarden. The creepy Mexican dude that owned B&B was there too - Felipe. *shudders* After Sophia's we made our way to Burgers & Brew where I ordered the pear cider and avocado turkey sandwich. Mhmm... Ughhhh ended up spending the night at Jarming's on her 'futon'. Oh man that shit was hella small. Woke up and decided to walk to Safeway to purchase toiletries for lack of anything else better to do. Woke Jar up around 12 and we left to Cafe Bernardo for Lany's b-day lunch. Lunch was good. Food was alright but the company was much appreciated. Black Forest cake from Ettore's. Yum. ^^

Went to New Station later on for Poh Poh, Gung Gung and Auntie Ginger's birthday. Gung Gung ordered woh choy and it was bomb! The lobster in particular was succulent and sweet!!! Aside from the damn flies that kept buggin', I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner with everyone.

More dim sum early Sunday afternoon with mommy, daddy and moi. I treated this time. How nice, huh?!!! Dinner with Jim, Toby and Andrews later last night. Thai food - yay! Done.

又係慘事

如果時光倒流...唉. 上個星期四晚黑無啦啦有D想飲酒嘅feeling. 好out of nowhere咁... 所以我text左妹妹睇佢有咩plans甘. 佢果日先至考完試, 甘夜晚有得玩. 到左果時我哋四個喺爹力個房傾偈. 傾左我favorite...叫做唔三唔四果d野哈哈 ^_^跟住落嚟我哋個個決定飲酒. 我叫呀魏生幫我囉我哋上次買左果d UV藍梅味伏特加. 開始飲一兩shot... 3個... 好快發現有d highhigh哋個feel. 好仲意甘個feel其實.

突然之間我notice魏生開始act好奇怪. 佢喺佢間房入便換衫跟住出嚟俾我哋睇. 哇...好耐好耐未見到佢著甘ghetto d衫! 嚇死我 =/ 唔知點講the rest不過魏生話我哋唔睬佢甘. 好似我哋4-5個唔理佢. 唔知係星期五定係星期六不過我發現左佢喺FB上defriend西我哋. 下?!!!

"佢遲早會發現佢錯左. 其實佢想全世界都去氹返佢. 又覺得唔應該因為佢甘大個人無理由仲唔識諗甘幼稚." 一個好叻又好靚嘅人講呢D野 =)

Oo tek!!!

For some reason Korean food and I don't see eye to eye. From Sarang Bang on Saturday to Cho Dang Sunday night, some similar ingredient(s) from both places gave me the freakin' runs. I woke up twice early Sunday morning to take care of my business and I hit the toilet as soon as I got home in the evening. Speaking of running... I really need to promise myself to set aside time for exercise. All of the indolence is really catching up to me and at this age, that isn't good.
Especially because the weather in Sacramento is supposed to be nice the entire week, I feel really compelled to take advantage of what mother nature has to offer. Care to join?

Tofu Soup - Yum yum =)

無聊之至

尋晚好好夜先至瞓著左... 大概三點幾先瞓. 唉, 真係唔好啦. 不過... 多謝西你爹力!!! =) 今朝妹妹set左電話幫我起身. Fank Q 妹妹. 我今日翻工遲左少少不過唔緊要. 老闆娘同我買左個glazed donut又話佢既女同我揀...哈哈. 好random既. 今日除左Michele 俾我果d work之外, 我又係無野做. 12點去Kaiser同外科醫生講我乳房手術d options. 佢同我講所有做手術既風險. 講完之後我覺得好驚又好唔想再做. 媽咪爹d翻到嚟果陣要同佢哋考慮下. 睇完外科醫生之後就翻去辦公室. 翻嚟果時覺得好攰. 又無work做甘真係悶到死... 落辦之後即刻返屋企唞下. 唔知我會nap成三個鐘添!!! 醒左之後沖左涼跟住準備去食甸那. 同Hollis, Lany 同埋Lany既妹妹去左廚房制造. 我哋四個叫左: (1)廣海蝦醬唐生菜 (2)密椒牛仔骨 (3)鍋子辣酒浸大蜆 (4)魚香茄子鱈魚煲 (5)磅波士頓龍蝦伊面 同埋凍奶茶!!! 好好食今晚d餸. 嗱... 跟住落嚟有D相俾你哋睇. Enjoy啦!!!

Counting Down

Today was a normal day like any other. Work, for whatever reason, went by quicker than usual. Aside from the WSI staff update meeting, there were no other bullshit meetings than required my attendance. Talked to Shawn more about his recent breakup. As a result of my own experience, I now feel qualified to give advice and suggestions when it comes to relationships. The position he is in now really mirrored my own a while back, where I was jaded from constant disagreement and an unwillingness to see eye to eye. My inability to succumb to the harsh reality of "the end" left me hanging by a string. The same sense of despair that overcame me now seems to have crept its way upon Shawn. Even so, this hasn't stopped him from trying to pick up the broken pieces and ask for forgiveness. Is it too late?

Randomness happened to me when I was leaving to pick up dinner. I opened the front door and who did I see? None other than Sasha Abramsky, my UWP 101 professor, strolling past my house! His first question was, "Where do you live?" To which I responded with, "Here." Hahaa. More small talk was made and we said our parting words. I guess he doesn't live too far from me. Go figure. Seeing him inspired me to hit up the bookstore and buy his newest book "Breadline USA", which in essence is a portrait of the faces of American hunger. Give me a week and I promise I'll have it read from head to tail.

In other news, I have a consultation appointment scheduled with the plastic surgery center at Kaiser this Friday. If I feel comfortable going through with it and I have my parents approval, the fatty tissue stored inside my right boob shall be removed for good =)

你瞞我瞞

你做咩無啦啦同我講我同呀佔D野? 雖然我哋散左無幾耐...我覺得你冇權利講呢甘既野. 係你自己話唔想再同我一齊. 散左之後我寫埋個封信俾你睇... 記唔記得呀? 就係甘講:

親愛的寶貝,

雖然我們兩個之間有一些問題還沒解決, 我還想跟你一起. 無論是好或者壞, 我想還是值得一試的. 我覺得沒有你的時侯是心酸的, 是痛苦的. 已經7天了, 每天都在想你. 我知道自己真的放不下了. 我也知道每次跟你吵架讓你好累還有好生氣. 對不起寶貝... 我知道我們兩個在一起的時候應該是很快樂. 你還有教我怎麼樣珍惜眼前人. 有的時侯我是一個對愛情比較執著的人, 不過我和你的愛, 一直都沒有變過. 你要信我, 我真的好想繼續我和你的故事. 我想跟你一起走到人生最後一步. 所有人都想找一個最完美的情人, 其實最適合你可能已經在你身邊了. 老公... 1314520.

雷敬文上

讀完呢個之後... 你點喺度可以話我令到你好失望又好唔開心? 又話將來唔睬我... 唔想再見到我甘. 呢次我係咪真係做錯呀?!! 愛情好難過... =/

Furlough Fun

After having gone to sleep close to 4 am early Friday morning I woke up with a fat fat headache. I could barely keep my balance as I fumbled downstairs in search of my mom. Success. Did more sleeping in the living room and then in my room until Jim called to wake me up. I surprisingly had no problem getting up as I knew I had a tight schedule to upkeep. I ended up leaving my house at 8:45 en route to SF. The early morning drive wasn't as bad as I imagined it'd be. In fact, the Cantonese tunes on my iPod and the talkshows on Chinese radio made the 2-hour drive seemingly effortless. Luckily I had Chris' GPS to help me find my destination after arriving in The City. Got to Jim's house around 10:45. Late. 15 minutes to be exact. Sorry boo boo. Drove down Clement in search place to get our grub on. We passed up so many Chinese restaurants that seemed to be "right up my alley" (how fitting, huh) but none of them seemed to please my passenger. "It's too risky." Ended up at Q Restaurant. The first thought that came to my mind was quirky. Quirky it was. The only complaint I'd have would be the seasoned fries. Too... well... seasoned?

Went back towards Jim's house to pick up his two friends, Adrienne and Candice, and together we made our way to Gilroy. Upon entering the festival I already knew what to expect by virtue of the town of Gilroy itself. I was right. White people galore. Small ones, fat ones, ugly ones. But mostly fat ones. We walked around aimlessly for a good portion of our time there. Garlic was to be found everywhere. The food. The crafts. There was even a guy (who I mistook a woman from behind) who was dressed up as a clove of garlic. After the pistachio garlic ice cream and the two garlic ice cream cones I was ready to get the hell out of there and find some real food.
We drove in the direction of the Gilroy outlets because I had expressed a desire to shop earlier. My fobby eyes caught a glimpse of a sign for Tapioca Express. As luck would have it, Frank and Justin were already posted up there so our caravan followed the leaders. Weirdest TapEx ever. Almost as weird as the first time I walked into the Sac Quickly and all I saw were two White guys behind the counter. Since there was nothing special about the outlets in G Town we decided to hit up the Great Mall. Upon arrival the first thing I did was scope out the nearest food joint. I walked around sampling different kinds of chicken until I finally decided upon the unforeseen... Chinese cuisine. Surprise, huh? For lack of something better to do the group moseyed over to Dave & Buster's. I've only heard of the "adult arcade" in passing but I've never actually been to it. We decided to eat first and then those who wanted to play could do so. Beer. Food. More beer. I got more tired as the night progressed. Time to call it a night and head back home. Thanks for taking over the wheel love.

Vivre dans l'instant

Yes. Live for the moment. Seize the day. Carpe diem. 抓住今日. Regardless of how you say it, it is truly the ideal way in which we should live our lives. Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Recently it feels as if I have been blessed with an abundance of goodness in my life. Yes. My job as an analyst is boring but it's a job nonetheless. My family is healthy both physically and mentally. Even though this year has been the toughest in terms of the restaurant's 20 year history, my parents have been able to offset the loss of income at the business with catering and property ownership. Friends have always been at my beck and call (just kidding hahaa). I have a roof over my head and food on the table. And of course... I have you <3.

This comfortable living situation at home won't always be there for my enjoyment. I need to appreciate the fact that my parents are willing to let me live at home while paying only a minimal amount each month for what they deem as "rent money". In fact, I know that this is just another way to help me save my money. It works too. Out of sight out of mind, right? If I don't physically have the money to spend then I end up forgetting I ever had it in the first place. A little redundant but true. In addition to letting me live at home, my parents rarely question where I go if and when I do go out. They never expect me home by a certain time either... "As long as I stay safe," they say. I'm a grown boy after all =)

Change

...is truly inevitable. I've come to this conclusion as I've experienced firsthand how to recognize change as a daily (and often times) unwanted occurrence in our daily lives. This is the first step in becoming more comfortable with the concept of change management, which I have found to be more and more prevalent in my work currently. Being able to deal with change is another story. I've done so out of pure necessity in the past (albeit not to the best of my ability) and I am still striving to do better. I'll be the first to admit that I don't like change. Overlooking the present hardship or struggle the change itself may present and seeing the bigger picture is even harder. The popular idea of living every day as if it was your last really goes against the other common notion of "...imagining what the future holds". How then is it possible to live in conjunction with change? Aiiee...

With this being said, things already seem different and you've only been gone less than a day. I know you have your life to live and your own agenda to adhere to. What's next? Where do we go from now? Similar thoughts have been running through my head sporadically throughout the day. This is the kind of change that I would deem as unwanted, but it has to happen. Obstacles have now been put into play but if we're strong enough we would be able to overcome these, right? I miss you dearly =/

慘事

親愛的妹妹,

首先我想喺度同你講聲對唔住. 我從來都唔知呢D甘嘅嘢會喺我街坊發生. 我以為嶺栢不嬲係一個好安安靜靜嘅地方住...而家唔係甘覺得. 唉...我都想怪我自己因為我叫你同細佬兩個入嚟屋企唞吓先翻去Davis. 如果你哋冇入咗嚟嘅話, 呢D嘢唔會發生. 我真係為咗你好傷心又好嬲. 邊個知道會搞成噉㗎?!! 哎呀妹妹又想同你講唆哩啦. 其實我都話應該自責. 依家我認承會幫你搞掂呢一個情況. 記住啦我同你老公永遠企你身邊...唔會離開你. 我真係好feel bad for you妹妹. 不過你要記得好似我頭先講過 "Sooner or later, 乜都會好翻晒". 我知冇可能唔會苦刁刁但係你要相信我everything會ok嘅啦. 最緊要係你聽住我同細佬講D話. 我知好難接受呢嘢發左生不過一定要向前望呀妹妹. 如果有咩事可以嚟揾我啦, 好唔好?!! =)

哥哥上

Eat, drink and be happy

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling... well... sore hahaa. I haven't had to sleep on a twin sized bed since living in the dorms during freshman year. It's okay. The conversation and the company are ultimately what count in the end, right? Felt a bit rushed while getting ready to take on the day but I knew we had a schedule to follow. Finally got to use the Peet's coupon I received from my coworker. I was somewhat apprehensive to use it but by golly it sure did work! The guy ended up charging me for the lesser of the two drinks, which he did in error. I'm not compaining though muahahaa =) Then off to Pluto's we went. Barf. That's literally what my salad tasted like. Oh well, I needed sustenance in my stomach to get me through what I knew would be a long day. After the unsatisfying meal we went back home to prepare for the... road trip!!!!

Driving to Napa was a piece of cake. Played games to pass the time. Granted my mind drifted elsewhere at one point and I almost ran into the car in front me. Aiyahh... good thing my reflexes were quick enough that I was able to swerve and avoid the collision. Phew. An apology to the both of you for putting your lives in danger =/ We headed first to the Mondavi winery. Sampled wine and took pics. Even ended up buying a bottle for my parents to try. I figured if they didn't like it then I'd always be more than willing to drink it all teehee.

Beaulieu was next. Beautiful place? Not so much. I'd say Mondavi had a much nicer feel than this snobby place but we didn't stay too long so I wasn't complaining. More pics outside the winery. And then off to Downtown Napa to find food. In reality, Downtown Napa wasn't really much of a downtown at all. Food was scarce and so were people. Aside from the crowd gathered around the waterfront there really wasn't much going on. Almost as if we were in a ghosttown. We ended up eating Chinese food. One of my top choices and I'd say a good one at that. The food was better than I expected except for the salt drenched mallard. Eww.

Sorry, I know my pic is quite similar to yours =)

At 8:28 I received a text from Auntie Linda asking me to pick her up from SMF. Sure. She always drops in unannounced but according to her it's for good reason. When asked by my grandma why she never lets us know when she's coming in my auntie responded with, "I don't want you to buy up the whole world just because you know I'm coming in for the weekend." Fair enough. We always enjoy when she comes into town though because she never comes empty handed. Last night her suitcase was stuffed with fobby polo shirts, Chinese dvds, Chinese mags and coffee and biscuits from France. Yay!

Who Moved My Cheese?

I just spent the last 30 minutes reading a book (from start to finish) titled "Who Moved My Cheese?". The title itself sounds silly but the information contained within its pages proved to be an invaluable resource for living life. "Cheese" was used throughout the book to serve as a metaphor for what is important in our lives - work, family, health, school, money, etc. The parable told in the book was easy to understand and the main character, Haw, outlined seven general rules fittingly deemed as "The Handwriting on the Wall". It was he who finally realized change was needed in order to move ahead in life.

That being said, change is inevitable all our lives, whether we like it or not. Put simply enough, people just need to learn how to act accordingly. For me, my new position in change management has introduced me to many new concepts, with one that particularly sticks out in my mind - enterprise wide thinking. Instead of focusing on the individual people of an organization, enterprise wide thinking forces us to consider the department in its entirety in order to effectively enact change and help the department move forward to achieve its envisioned goals. In essence, we must not let our fears hold us back from exploring, even though the road ahead may not always be as clear (or smooth for that matter) as we would like. As mentioned earlier, change is inevitable but we just have to learn how to willingly accept that fact, ultimately bringing us to bigger and better things =)

Hiatus

I know it's been a while since I've written in here but honestly there hasn't been too much going on in my life. I mentioned in a previous blog that I would not talk about work unless it was a pressing issue so I am keeping with that promise.

This past weekend was eventful to say the least. During the day Saturday Moi and I drove to visit ngeen ngeen and spend time with her. She still looks the same and her cheerful personality was still in tact. I don't say this enough but I really am grateful to have both sets of grandparents alive and healthy. The best part is that they all live in Sac so I can see them whenever I want =) Saturday night Andy had asked me to go out with him and his crew so I decided to accept his offer. Andy was my chauffeur for the night so he picked me up and we headed to Faces. It was a good crowd I guess but we didn't do too much dancing. We hit up The Merc that night too for cheap drinks and more talk. Somehow we ended up at Lyon's and Koy ordered me a club sandwich (which she shamelessly took a piece of) and graciously paid for. Thanks besty hahaa. Fun night? I think so.

I spent most of Sunday morning recovering from the night before. Jacob's wedding was in the afternoon. My sister and I went ourselves and walked the 5-6 blocks until we reached the venue. The wedding was short and sweet. A good blend of East and West (as so many would say) transpired while there. Jacob's wife Amy is Korean and Louie's Catering provided the Chinese food hehe. The food was good but the drink was even better. Friends are getting married sooner than I expected. When will it be my turn?

On a random note, my hair is not only growing at a snail's pace but it's also growing in the shape of a ball. Well... a flat ball is more like it. You know those balls you use when you played kickball or four square in fifth grade PE class? Yea, well if you've ever seen one of those flat for whatever reason and you stuck it on the top of my head that's what my hair looks like now. Eww. Oh and I found out today that my salary is actually supposed to be higher than what I originally started with because of my degree. I spoke with the personnel coordinator for CPD and she said she'd look into it for me. I really hope this is true because I feel I'd be more inclined to go to work everyday and do the job I was assigned to. I'll update soon when I hear back from her.

Aaahh feeling refreshed after having just showered and brushed my vicious cycle. I even swished with mouthwash today so my mouth is feeling extra clean. Good night world!!!

Sigh

Thursday was a random day. Work was normal... Michele let me off almost an hour early since she knew there was no work to be done. I didn't object. Came home and took a much deserved nap.

Decided to go out with the Chrises because I hadn't seen Wei in a long time. We ended up heading to Hmongcode for lack of a better place to go on a Thursday night. It was... interesting to say the least. Upon walking through the doors I saw none other than Andy and his group of friends paying their way in. I was pleasantly surprised b/c we haven't seen each other in such a long time. Andy and I talked for a bit until he went off to meet up with his crew. We drank... drank some more... and then decided to hit the floor. Pushed our way through the crowd and found Andy and company. Success! Random Hmong girls came up and started dancing with us. Great. It was time for me to act and pretend as if I was enjoying it. Small talk was made along the way. It was weird because they all knew each other and it seemed like they were just taking turns dancing with me - almost like musical chairs but I was the only chair. Before I knew it we ended up exchanging numbers. Stupid me. Right after the club we went to go eat at Perry's and they were texting me off the hook - I had no idea who was who.

After getting our grub on we stopped at the nearest gas station to get gas. Bad idea =/ While pumping gas some black lady comes up and asks us to take her back home. Huh? "Umm.. it's not my car. Lemme ask my friend." She sticks her head in the car and apparently Wei agrees to give Miss Hitchhiker a ride. In the car this lady (whose name we later find out is Tania Canada) is seriously talking our heads off while scarfing down our leftovers at the same time. Her Hmong nephew. Louisiana. "Right lane baby." Being a C.O. (correctional officer). "Coach" purse. Betty Boop - her alter ego. Keeping it real. Long story made short we ended up spending around 1.5-2 hours with this self-proclaimed alcoholic and pretty much knew her entire life story. Moreover, it was almost 5 in the morning before the degenerate let us drive back home. What a night.

Hump Day

Yepp the week is almost over for me. Technically Wednesday isn't the middle of the work week for me anymore... rather it's one day closer to the three-day weekend. I noticed that these past few blogs have just been talking about work. Even I'm fed up with what I have to say, sorry! For the most part work is work. Can't complain too much because I am employed and I'm not being worked to death - that's for sure. It's all gravy until I blog otherwise =]

So I've been talking about getting surgery on my right boobie for a while now. I looked up the health condition where one's breasts are abnormally enlarged in males and the correct term for it is gynecomastia. Apparently the breast(s) is supposed to shrink after a few years but I've noticed mine for quite some time now and it shows no sign of going away. I also have weird splotches of red on all over the top portion of my body. These are more of a recent occurence and also show no sign of disappearing. I plan to get both of these checked out soon. Since I have Kaiser through work now I am going to make the most of my benefits. Just need to set up a preliminary appt with them first and then see where that takes me. My next checklist item! Oo and TGIT (Thursday is the new Friday)!!! ahhaaha

Monotony

4th official day in CPD. Doing exactly the same thing as when I first started - nothing. I thought by now I'd have my own project to work on or at least be able to help out on an existing one, but that's not happening... at least not until Terri comes back. It sucks coming in to work on time every morning with nothing to look forward to. However, Michele and Josh are doing a good job of trying to get me acclimated to the system and how things operate in the unit. I've been attending meetings with them and have been introduced (albeit gradually) to the extended WSI team. I've even been lucky enough to have met high level execs from Bearing Point - the management and technology consulting firm that is helping us with the project. To this day though I still am having trouble following what goes on in the meetings because a great deal of the terminology used in discussion is all new, especially the acronyms they seem to be so fond of. Even so, I'm confident that through my due diligence I will learn the ropes and be able to capture data and report back in the meetings just like the others. Just give me time.

2-in-1

There's only so much one can do in Monterey. Aiiee so yesterday we left early yesterday morning and started the 112 mile trek to San Francisco. It was a short ride... partly because I slept most of the way but also because there were fewer cars on the freeway. We made our way into Chinatown around 10:30 and once we got there I let out a huge sigh of relief. Aaaah. The familiar sights, smells and most importantly, sounds, of well... China! Parked in Portsmouth Square and walked to Broadway where we yum cha'ed at Gold Mountain. It was good... especially since we hadn't eaten Chinese food the entire trip. The rest of the day (or the next few hours at least) would be dedicated to shopping. We split up into teams - my dad and I and my sister and my mom. I ended up buying an Energie zip up jacket (orig. $239 now $83) and a pair of A/X cargoes plus a dress shirt and tie for this Sunday's wedding. Yay. Another wedding =] Headed back for Sac a little after 4 and made it home around 5:20. We got lucky trafficwise (or lack thereof I should say). Ordered more Chinese food for dinner and "took it out" at home.

July 6, 2009 (Today)

Made it into work with 10 minutes to spare. Success. Received an e-mail from Terri around 8 saying she wouldn't be in until tomorrow, if everything goes as planned. Hopefully she is feeling 100% and is able to come to work. Her being there will give me more direction as to what I am supposed to be doing and will remind me why I took the job in the first place. Michele and I attended a risks/issues meeting at 2:00 in Building East. After it was over I proceeded to head back to the office when she told me she wouldn't be back at her desk until tomorrow morning and wished me a good night. Wait. What am I supposed to do for the last 2 hours? Her response? "Ummm... how about you Google 'change management' and read up on it?" Okay will do. How dry and seemingly unproductive. To my relief those last couple hours flew by fast though. I got off at 5 and made a quick Quickly run before I hit up Downtown. I thought about running tonight but of course those plans fell by the wayside. Seems like time is very much limited working a regular 8-5. At least we get those Fridays off. Ughh... same shit different day starting tomorrow morning. Let's see where it takes me.

Red, White and Blue

Fumbled out of bed at 8 this morning. Ughhh grogginess. The usual morning routine followed. We then went downstairs to eat the continental breakfast compliments of our hotel. Blah status. The two bites of the bran muffin I took tasted like cardboard. Everything else - okay. Oh well, it was something in my tummy.

Walked a few blocks from our hotel to watch the Fourth of July Parade. BORING. We left early because we just couldn't take it anymore. That was our dose of patriotism for the day. Headed back to the hotel, got our car and drove back down to Cannery Row. We decided to rent bikes and ride along the trail that would later lead to a scenic bike ride along the waterfront. We rode about four miles in and ended up in the small town of Pacific Grove. It was lunchtime already =] We found a small cafe called 17th Street Grille and decided to park ourselves there. I ordered a turkey burger with pesto and jack cheese, fries and a bowl of clam chowder. It was just enough to fuel me for the ride back.

Found ourselves back at our hotel after our 3 hour biking adventure. I layed on the bed (clothes and all) and managed to take a nice nap. Three hours nice to be exact! Woke up feeling refresed with an hour to spare before dinner. Drove into Carmel where we ate at the Cantinetta Luca, a small, simplistic Italian restaurant located on Dolores between Ocean and 7th. Because businesses in Carmel are devoid of addresses, the only way to find places is going by their cross streets. Fun, eh? The dining experience at Cantinetta Luca was as expected. Small portions and pricey food options. Snobby waiter, snobby patrons. 18% gratuity automatically added to the bill. Maybe I just enjoy complaining but I wouldn't go back. Try it for yourself?

Happy 4th of July!!!

Monterey

Fuckin' hotel internet... deleted my entire blog =/

Waking up this morning was hard. Super hard. If only I had waken up earlier I would have received breakfast (teehee) and the drive to Santa Nella would have been much easier. For a good part of the drive I was asleep so I don't really know how long it took us to get to Monterey. All I know is that it was stop and go traffic for a while, delaying our arrival by an hour or so. We made it though... safe and sound!

Upon arrival we drove directly to the hotel in hopes of checking in and resting up before we headed out. We ended up going to Point Lobos State Park where we planned to hike the different trails marked by our guide map. The park itself was quite serene... not much to see but the weather was perfect and it was good to get the day's worth of much needed exercise. These baguettes need to go I'm telling ya! After we rushed home and got ready for dinner - our favorite pastime.

Whenever we go to Monterey we tend to patronize the same restaurants as well. Tonight we drove to Fishwife, a small restaurant located at Asimolar Beach that specializes in fresh fish and other seafood. I ordered the Hawaiian swordfish with tropical salsa and crab ravioli.
It was alright. To compensate for my dish's lack of flavor I also shared some of my sister's Portofino pasta and my mom's grilled fillet of sole =] Yum yum. Dessert didn't sound too appealing so I suggested we go somewhere else to satisfy our (or should I say my) sweet tooth.

Cannery Row it was. Having read John Steinbeck's novel for UWP 101 allowed me to appreciate it even more. The first thing I noticed when we reached the row was the number of motor bikes lined up along both sides of the street. Never have I seen Cannery Row that packed but I guess there is going to be a bike convention held this weekend. Even so, the eyesore took away from the quaint town Monterey is so often portrayed as. As options for dessert were limited, we found ourselves at Ghiradelli. Although it was ultimately my decision to grab dessert, I wasn't in the mood for an $8 sundae so I settled with a hot cocoa. I was satisfied with my choice.

I miss Monterey. It has always been a fav vacation spot for our family and coming back has filled that void. Everyone is asleep except for me. It's time to shower and hit the sack anyways. A bath sounds nice too =]

//edit

And lastly, I'll bet this place's food is superb!

Day Two

This morning my sister stood in my doorway and asked if I was going to work. It was 9:20. Fuck! Late for my second day at work. I ended up getting to the office a little before 10 only to notice both Michele and Josh were no where to be seen. Perfect I thought. This will at least give me the chance to stealthily make my way to my cubby before they come back. Around 10:30 Josh came back to the office and Michele followed not long after. "Alright, you're here! I have some work for you today Brandon!" I don't see how she remains so chipper working in such an environment. The task? Organizing invoices and coordination sheets into a binder for her. So this is the job of an analyst, eh?

The highlight of my day was having Paa and Merrie visit me. We just sat at my desk and talked like old times. I haven't even worked an entire week and I am already starting to have withdrawal. Not good. At least I can always walk across the street or through the tunnel to visit them if it gets to be too much. I ended up staying until 5:30 today to make up time from this morning's deferred arrival. Good enough =]

On another note the mystery stain on my carpet has still yet to be revealed. It smells too. Yuck.

New Year

July 1st. The beginning of the next fiscal year and a budget impasse is officially still in effect =/ What next? A three-day non self directed furlough (冇薪假期) - meaning every 1st, 2nd and 3rd Friday of the month our office will be closed until June 2010. I guess it will be nice getting 3-day weekends but I just feel sorry for those ppl whose state salary is their sole source of income. Aiieee. Arnold better watch his back x 200,000 ><

First official day of work as a staff services analyst (SSA) as well. I didn't expect much and I was right. Michelle had no work for me and neither did Josh. I kept refreshing sacbee.com in hopes of reading updated news regarding the governor's final decision. Alas, the agency's director sends us a letter with the details of the furlough decision that begins next Friday July 10. Some people are being forced into early retirement b/c of this and others feel the pressure to find a second job. Hard times. Very hard. Lucky for me it's just the beginning.

Evelyn retired today after 25 years of working for the state - all which were at DMV. Her party was real nice. Food came first, then the program. It was short and sweet just the way she wanted it. Tiramisu had a little too much alkie in it too... rawr! ahahaa

Mommy had plans with her friend for dinner so moi, dad and I ended up eating sushi earlier... yum yum. My tummy still isn't back to normal though. Is it really time to crack open that bottle of 正露丸?!! NoooOOoo =/

//editThank God for hats =]

Moving Up

Woke up at 6:58 and got ready for work. Pushed myself to get ready in the quickness because I planned to walk to work! Talk about spare the air, huh? Once I stepped outside and felt the freshness of the morning I knew my walk would be a breeze (no pun intended). Got to work 3 minutes late but I was still earlier than everyone else =]

Work went by fast... too fast. Went to Trail's Diner for Ginette's mommy's birthday. It was a nice surprise for Monique - she became teary eyed at first sight of everyone who was present to wish her a Happy Birthday. Cute cute! Food was eh. Got back to the office and finished up the last of my work while helping Andrea learn her assigned tasks. A friend of hers came over twice to visit. Gay. He came over just to comment on my hair. "I really like your hair. ::smile::" Ahh... no more about my rats nest. I'll have it back in no time. Around 4:15 when Janet was on her way out she came over and gave me a huge hug. "Brandon, you know I gon' miss you. You always got my back!" I love her. The sweetest lady. It's ok J, I'll come visit you on my off time! Tried my best to get my supplies, pictures and everything else packed away for easy transport come tomorrow. It's gonna be different. A lot different.

Big thanks to the staff in Cash Control, Paa and Merrie-Lee. You all were truly the ones who motivated me to wake up each day (albeit late sometimes) and come to work. I thoroughly enjoyed working and playing with you all and I will do my best to keep in touch! To sum it up - bittersweet <3.

//editThe Aftermath

驕傲遊行

First time going. Nothing special. Pee pees, boobies and the like. Funny smells. Port-a pottys. Plenty of cougars but to my dismay no lions =/ Rainbow everywhere. Next year... who knows???

Sigh

9:01 AM. Nikki calls me asking if I want to go to Napa with her, Julie and a bunch of other FOBs. Even though I think I said yes the night before, I politely declined because I just wanted my sleep. The weekend, as for many, is the only time to catch up on the zZZzzzZZ's. Jim leaves not too long afterwards to go back to SF, only to return minutes later with a bag in his hands. Of course, how could I forget? We both cheese, thank you <3.

Waited around aimlessly until Hollis woke up. Ate a combined breakfast and lunch at B&B in Davis and headed out to the Bay soon after. Upon arrival the first thing I did was look at the temperature gauge in Lany's car. 80 degrees. Phew, I will survive. Walked our way through the streets of Chinatown to meet up with Mui Mui and her sister. She wasted no time in expressing her desire for ice cream so we headed to Kowloon Tong for tong sui and the like (my fav btw =]). Similar to those in HK, this place serves small "teatime" snacks and a plethora of Chinese desserts. I wasn't feeling adventurous so I stuck to my usuals - pan fried noodles with XO sauce and steamed milk pudding. So predictable, I know.

Kevin and I then went to SF Centre to kill time until Hollis and Lany picked us up. The streets of Downtown were filled with family everywhere I looked. Even more were to be found inside the shopping plaza. This was the weekend though.

Lany recommended we go to Sotto Mare for dinner. It was a small Italian restaurant located on Green Street that is well known for their fresh seafood. The owner himself was there and he was very personable to say the least. He treated all of us to a glass of wine (albeit some declined because they were underage), giving us the impression that hospitability was his main priority. Food was good and what I expected. We ordered fresh oysters, clam chowder, mixed seafood cioppino and linguine with salmon. Everything except for the bread met my standards. Satisfaction.

Castro. Ehh..umm... nothing much to see. Oo a fight broke out amongst 5-6 guys as we were passing by. I stop out of pure boredom to see the show and right as the cops pin them down Lany yanks my arm - a signal it's time to go. Indecisiveness ensues. Stay or leave? ...leave =/

Made It

After logging in to my computer at work this morning, my first e-mail for Friday June 26, 2009 was from my Auntie Polly. She sends the family articles and updates every now and then but this one in particular resonated with me. In a nutshell, it gives the reader tips on how to maintain a positive outlook on life and ultimately, how to live happily.

Here it is for your viewing pleasure: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/four-life-strategies-to-make-you-happier?pa. Good looking out Auntie Polly!

Work was blah as usual. The only things I look forward to these days are the constant e-mails, trips to the 3rd floor restroom (lighting is better and I have a slimmer chance of running into people I work with) and of course, lunchtime! Things are changing around the workplace. Boss got promoted. Co-worker leaving. New student. Furlough days increased to 3. And of course... I'm leaving =/ It's better for me though - fresh start, added experience and better pay. Can't argue with that, huh?

I got my retirement package in the mail today. Man do I feel old.

Have Head, No Tail - 有頭冇尾

This blog, being the first one and all, is probably not all that I'd want it to be. It's just something to get my feet wet if you will. I normally don't write whatever comes to mind. That's what this blog is for. A chance for me to express my feelings, share my thoughts and reflect on the day's events. Here goes nothing.

Today went by fast I must say. In between the trip to the post office with Merrie, lunch with Jim and the popsicle break with Paa, I managed to complete most of the work that had piled up from previous days. Working in accounting is getting more and more monotonous. It's possible my anticipation for my actual SSA job to start next Wednesday has slowly crept its way upon me. I have senoiritis (work edition) if you will. The first of the month will be here before you know it though. I will manage until then =]

My cousin and wife returned from Italy today only to find their South Land Park home "trashed". This caused disruption in the otherwise normal family life here at home but hopefully it shall all come to rest soon. It's a long story and not worth telling so I'll leave it at that. Sorry Nick and Marisa for the pain and heartache we caused you, esp after having come back from your trip. A learning experience at its best.

On another note, an old friend and I have rekindled our past friendship and set aside our differences. We promised each other never to let anything like this happen again. Let's hope so. *fingers crossed*

Almost 1. Bed time. 5 hours and 45 minutes. That's enough to carry me throughout the day tomorrow... just gotta take it easy. 早唞各位.