bring on the Post-Its

so the Bobsey twins were apparently bitching about how the George Foreman grill in the kitchen was greasy and gross and lo and behold, there was a post-it taped to it today w/a note in essence saying if Wifey/i use it then we have to clean it b/c it's gross. of course, this was actually directed at me since i'm the only 1 aside from them who used it. however, let me be clear that the only thing i used the grill for on the 3 occassions i used it was to toast bread and grill some garlic, neither of which are greasy foods. so hmm, i wonder who are the people making the grill all gross and grody? yep, the Bobsey twins themselves, particularly Tweedledum. however, Tweedledee must feel awkward telling her to do it so instead they bitch about how i used it those 3 times and how Wifey and i don't take care of the place.

Wifey was pretty pissed about this considering she cleans the kitchen the most and she's requested they not wear shoes in the kitchen and they refuse to abide. sigh. when i saw the Post-it i started to get flashbacks about my 1st apartment in hoboken and how that crazy roommate was so offended when i left her a note.

aside from this recent development it's just exams and more exams for me. i found this on-line and find it surprisingly accurate:

Is your birthday day 17 of the month?

Your Life: You neither want to be interfered nor have the desire to mess with others' life. But you are friendly and occasionally a party animal. You are always in a circle of friends. You often do things in your own way that occasionally go beyond the acceptable limit. People may find you childish and not very attractive in that sense.

Your Love: Your fun-loving character attracts opposite sex. Many of those are great.You often find yourself trapped among a few great guys while you have to choose only one.

want to know what you are? Click here.

or how about this one?

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and haste but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling. Friendly and solves people's problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivate oneself and the others. Sickness usually of the head and chest.

what about you? Click here.

ok, back to work. i've wasted enough time.

ghetto hotpot & friggin inari sushi

so cross #2 off my christmas list! yea!!

yesterday went to the Apple store to check out ipods and Sephora to check out make-up for christmas presents w/Bubs (yes i know it's early but sometimes you just gotta so that you can make informed decisions). afterwards we went to Chinatown so i could purchase ingredients for a ghetto hotpot since i don't actually have the pot yet (hint hint christmas present mom and dad) and was just gonna make the soup and throw in some udon and all the other fun ingredients. luckily i had Bubs w/me or else i'd never have been able to carry all that stuff home. we got lots of pork, shrimp and fish balls (i kept embarassing Bubs by screaming "BALLS BALLS" in Kam Man), sliced beef and beef belly, baby corn, straw mushrooms, white cabbage, udon, red snapper, and of course sha-cha. for some reason that's called chinese barbecue sauce even though we never use it for barbecue. weird.

the hardest part was getting inari sushi ingredients for Gohm. finding that aburage (fried tofu) took trekking all over Mott and Mulberry St. poor Bubs, she was starving by that point. finally got it and we headed back to Brookyln and made dinner. the most fun was making the sushi and Bubs was pretty good at stuffing that tofu to the brim w/rice (which is a must b/c we got the canned version and it was sweet so the rice was good balancing it out). i'd wanted to make it for Gohm since he'd requested it and said that his mom would make it for him. i won't go into what happened when he arrived b/c that's just too sad and he would be mad. regardless it was fun and hearty meal (soup was delish w/chopped garlic, sha-cha and chopped scallions for flavor) to make w/o being too unhealthy.

x'mas list

1. large bag/purse: i need something that i can use as an overnight bag that's not a duffel bag/backpack and can hold a textbook/two but not look like a hamani (grandma)

2. digital camera

3. long hooded black wool jacket

4. puffy vest

5. black fleece jacket

6. sweaters for the winter

7. fun stuff from sephora

8. hot pot (yes, like the chinese hot pot, i want to start making my own)

9. memory board to put pics and momentos up

10. pea coat

11. benetint blush (it's so cool!)

12. long-sleeved sweater shrug

the pics are for reference only (plus blog entries always seem boring w/o them)and anything in bold is still unpurchased to date. and i'm sure i'll think of something else to add. can't wait to go shopping for everybody else this year (even tho i'm super broke) b/c i've already got some good ideas. and let the shopping begin!!

procrastinating

ack, i don't want to write about whether customer lists constitute trade secrets in California! so, i'm taking a little break from my legal memo. so i haven't seen that many movies lately, but the last 1 i did see was The Prestige, i know, i know, that was like a month ago! bite me. i'm slow w/the updates. anyways, to see it i finally went to the UA theater near me, and while the theater we sat in was small, it didn't detract from the movie at all. i really really liked it. it's 1 of those i-have-to-go-back-and-watch-it-again movies because the ending is such a twist. when i finished watching it i couldn't stop talking about it (always a sign of a good movie, unless you can't stop talking about it b/c it was so bad of course). it's a little slow in the beginning but the ending makes it worth it.

went out to more yakitori on st. marks on friday w/friends. ran into Snoopy which was really weird. we were trying to figure out the wait for Yakitori Taisho (insane on friday nights, 40 minutes!) when all of a sudden i heard someone saying "cousin! cousin!" (my nickname from their loveboat days. let me be clear, i didn't go on loveboat, but they did). i turned around and there was Snoopy. i'd heard that he'd recently broken up w/his gf of 3 years or something, but he must not be too sad b/c he was there w/some girl. anyway, the meeting was pretty random. i'm always surprised when i randomly run into ppl on the street in NYC. ultimately we all decided to go to Kenka b/c the wait was only 20 mins. had a feast and then headed to out for drinks at Nightingale (loungey place w/a pool table, nothing special but they did have a photohunt which Debs and Wifey were in love w/being photohunt virgins).

making up for lost time; Gotham party; Yakitori Taisho

who knew school could be so encompassing? in order to try and make up for lost time, i'm gonna do something old and something new in this entry. i've got time, my civ pro professor is recapping monday's lecture.


a while back i got to go to Angelo and Maxie's Steakhouse w/Egg through Debs who had been invited to Gotham Magazine's celebration of their 100 Hottest Bachelors in NYC. so we got dolled up and headed over. i love events like these b/c everything's free and it's just fun to go to (although Debs would beg to differ since she has to do it for work). Egg and i chased the hors d'oeurves around (yummy mushroom stuffed w/crabmeat, filet mignon, steak tartar and teeny tiny lambchops) and drank 1 of every drink (wine, Parrot Bay rum cocktails and Stella Artois). i had a great time w/Egg pretending to be other people and concocting hilarious stories about Asian businessmen.

now some current events. went to Yakitori Taisho on monday w/Kiks, who i haven't seen in prob a month (wow does time fly). got to catch up on all the gossip and current events which is great. but you know what was really great? the food. omg, i really really loved it. the place is cramped, swelteringly hot and you'll inevitably smell like the smokey grill. so worth it.


so, obviously, this place is known for its yakitori. we got a good assortment (set A-includes chicken meatballs, chicken skin, chicken gizzard, pork and chicken chunks. everything was good, but i wasn't that much in the mood. and you definitely have to eat the chicken skin asap and that thing is all grease). we got some octopus balls (octopus in the shape of balls you pervert). however the 2 things we got which i want to eat again and again is the grilled salmon rice ball and the mentai potato. OMG. the potato is steak fries served w/spicy cod roe mayo and the rice ball is grilled and crunchy on the outside w/salmon in the center.
one of the best and cheapest dinners i've had.

celebratory dinners

in order to celebrate Gohm's new job, i took him to Jovia for dinner last night.

the restaurant was very nice, great setting for couples dinner. the food was great and i felt really healthy after eating it (after i woke up from the food coma anyways). we got this great seared scallops which was served w/pumpkin/squash. that was great but the most amazing part of the meal was a seared mushroom rissotto w/braised short ribs. OMG Gohm and i both were so impressed w/it. we got pretty typical entrees (chicken and hanger steak) but both were done really well and Gohm literally cleaned his plate (giving all his potato gnocchi to me of course). for dessert we got a pumpkin torta di formaggio. so sweet but so good. and it came w/gingersnaps cookies on the side w/something akin to caramel in the center.

the dinner was overall a great meal by itself but i think part of the reason i really loved it was b/c i got to have it w/Gohm and, on those rare occassions, take care of him and take him out. ......so cheesy...i know....

let's talk about rape

so before i get my ass kicked for the title, let me just say that i know rape is a very serious topic and very serious crime and being a woman it is a serious concern. but this is a legal discussion about the crime, not a social discussion.

so for my Criminal class today we had to discuss the crime of rape. due to the touchy subject i imagined a very heated discussion, and i guess my professor did too b/c before commencing the class she advised us that we should be mature about our discussion, relate it only to legal concepts, and refrain from calling anyone a "neanderthal" (she said previous classes had ended w/such).

so we discussed various cases, all in that gray area of rape, where there's no physical force/injury and very conflicting perspectives from the victim and the defendant, which obviously results in various discussions. and b/c it is a class the professor would often push us to try and create thresholds that we believed would legally constitute rape. of course, still being people w/in the range of 21-28 years of age, we would all giggle when someone discussed "genitalia" and "hooking up". someone even used the word "pump" (my eyes bugged out when the guy said that). when discussing sexual assault terms like "S&M" and "tying up" and "some ppl like rought sex". it seemed so out of place in the classroom.

there was one moment of serious levity tho. a very attractive boy in the class had come up w/a hard fast rule that an affirmative yes must be given in order for any act to not be rape (which is a little ridiculous in real-life scenarios). another boy in the class wanted to counter that argument. while he was doing that he mentioned, "for those of us not fortunate enough to be as goodlooking as Mr. _____, an affirmative yes may be difficult to obtain". i can't really remember the rest of his argument b/c the whole class, including the professor, erupted in laugther for a good minute.

one of the most interesting and funny classes for Criminal so far.

sometimes hard work pays off...

so the past week was a giant nightmare of work what w/my criminal midterm and first graded legal memo due. however, for the work wary, the small rewards are sometimes the best.
i took my midterm on thursday, 2 questions w/in an hour and 50 minutes, closed book. i breathed a sigh of relief when it was over and then went home to start my work for this week. what made it all worth it was my 4-month anniversary dinner w/Gohm at L'Impero, which, considerate bf he is, he picked b/c i always crave carb-y italian food. my night was already made when he greeted me by saying "you look nice". woo-hoo! that almost never happens. we headed towards the restaurant, which is hidden away on Tudor City Place, a suburb tucked away in midtown east. we did the prix-fixed menu, totally worth it for $64 (4 courses, choice of anything on the menu). best thing i got was the appetizer, fricaseed mushrooms w/creamy polenta. OMG, i would eat this everyday if i could. and this is where my night got better. i actually ordered the better app than Gohm, which also never happens. whenever we go places to eat, i am almost always secretly envying what he ordered b/c it tastes better than mine. shhh. interesting was also the vermont capretto i got as an entree. capretto is goat by the way, in case you didn't know (which we didn't). they braise it and it was so good, maybe a little salty but very tender. i got the rabbit ragu w/parpadelle (they make all their own pasta) but if given another chance, i would love to try their linguini w/pumpkin and oxtail. p.s., the setting at L'Impero is nice, very romantic but also a great place to have a fun and hearty dinner w/friends. only thing you might notice is that the crowd tends to middle-aged and above, so not very young and trendy. overall it was great dinner and a lovely date.

spent friday and saturday working on the legal memo but went out for Bubby's belated bday party at Naked Lunch on saturday night. Kiks tricked me into going (tho i would've gone anway) by telling me there was a cover only when i got off the subway. tricky tricky. don't think the place is really worth a $7 cover (no drink comps) but there was always a line and it was packed like sardines in there. got to meet Kiks' Maine squeeze (heehee play on words) but didn't get to meet Bubby's before i left. i guess i drank enough b/c the next morning i was told by Tina i reeked of alcohol. oops my bad.

my reward for working on my legal memo? i had a great sunDAY w/Gohm. we went to brunch w/Chow & Tina (amazing challah french toast, which yes, Gohm ordered, not me). poor Chow was salivating at the eggs benedict but was dissuaded from ordering it by Tina. turns out eggs benedict was listed Forbes' top 10 best worst foods for you. poor Chow just kept staring at the orders at other people's tables. after brunch Gohm and i went to get his glasses fixed (who knew indestructible glasses could break?) and then he accompanied me while i went cellphone shopping and then we popped into Barnes & Noble to buy some books after which we went home and took a nap. such a nice sunday.

my Guitar Hero

so i'm studying for my Criminal midterm (which is Thursday. nightmare) and take a break to watch Veronica Mars. and lo and behold, they make a reference to Guitar Hero, my new favorite PS2 video game.
this feels just like the time Sonders started using "ridonkulous" and we all picked it up only to have Seth from O.C. say it the next week. weird.

dry night at Camel

so for Gohm's real birthday we went to Camel in k-town (of course). 5 bottles flew pretty fast and i barely got a taste, but Gohm was pretty "happy" which is all that matters. have tons of pics but once again, no wire, so everyone has to wait.

Debs was there which was a good thing cause Gohm as host was nowhere to be found (there were door issues b/c the space was so small). this was prob one of the few asian events she'd gone to so she was hilarious (her eyes bugged out at the fruit plates they set out) and everyone kept reminding her of Dustin. at the end of the night everyone got ready to go to Gahmee Oak and everyone was standing outside, just in time to catch a fight (always w/o fail at a korean bar/club! love it...) and Debs' eyes got even wider. she, like me, just wanted to watch and find out what happened even tho it had nothing to do w/us. she was also pretty excited about getting food at k-town after drinking. it was a night of many firsts for her. so cute!

Gohm's friend Paul was visiting from Boston so we went out for lunner the next day at Wasabi Lobby (eh, ok japanese food. but i was on a feeding frenzy so i ate a lot last weekend). on sunday Chow, Tina, Gohm & i went to a concert at Roseland Ballroom. OMG, i haven't felt that old in a while.

the concert was for Hawthorne Heights (sort of headbang-y screamy music-not really my taste) although (and yes i'm such a teeny bopper) i liked Reliant K who played before them. i knew i was gonna feel old as soon as i walked in. there were lines of adults (moms & dads) waiting outside to take their kids home. i saw at least 2 underage girls overkilling on beer in plastic cups (i totally giggled when one of them was drunkenly dancing around w/her beer b/c i knew she was gonna fall and pour that beer all over herself. which she did). and tons of crowd surfing and condoms on the floor (there must've been some promoter giving them out cause they were all trojans).

after the concert we went back to Gohm's and celebrated w/cupcakes and candles from two little red hens (great bakery, little pricey): carrot cake (for the fobby asians), brooklyn blackout cake (Gohm claimed to be craving chocolate cupcakes), pumpkin for me and plain vanilla for Chow (if there'd been some korean type i would've gotten that for him instead).

A new port in Newport

Yea it's fall! right now it's getting to that time where it gets windy and chilly at night, but the daytime is still pretty pleasant, that perfect sunny day without being too hot/cold. just to show how commercial contemporary times have become, the biggest indication of fall for me has always been the appearance of the pumpkin spice latter at Starbucks. i always have to get one when i go in. i just noticed they now have a maple americano (hmm, intriguing).

i got a great look of fall when Gohm and i went to Newport, RI for his pre b-day weekend (i would upload pics but don't have the wires right now). Debs let me borrow her Prius which i love. that car rocks. we got to Newport and back and some small driving in between w/just 1 tank of gas. and the whole tank is something like 11 gallons! love it. and that's not even getting into the GPS system (which is a big lifesaver when you don't know the way).
i booked us a room in a beautiful bed & breakfast for the weekend. it was close to Thames Street (walkable distance) and included complimentary bottle of wine. i'm usually pretty scared about B&Bs b/c i get creeped out about staying in a room that looks like somebody's bedroom, but this place was nice.

On our 100 day anniversary we ate some great seafood at Scales & Shells. their menu seems to change daily so it's written on a giant chalkboard when you walk in, no set menu to give you when you sit. i found out that Gohm doesn't eat oysters (total shocker b/c he's a purveyor of fine foods) but i had plenty over the weekend. we ate so much food that night and then set out for gelato which was unfortunately closed. instead we got dessert at the Red Parrot (this monster sized sundae w/pistachio, chocolate and strawberry ice cream and sliced bananas, strawberry sauce and oreo cookie crumble).

we spent time walking around Thames street and the wharf, shopping (really, me shopping and Gohm disapproving of things i like). we got gelato at Cold Fusion Cafe (Gohm got this amazing pear gelato, it actually had the texture of pears!) and had amazing breakfast at Ocean Breeze Cafe. Gohm (the eggs benedict lover) got the special of eggs benedict w/corn beef hash and i got a portugese omelette which was good (but i now wish i'd gotten the pumpkin pancakes special. i mean when are you gonna get another chance to have pumpkin pancakes?). however, the most amazing thing about this place was they made their own bread for toast and these things were huge and fluffly. i was so impressed. and they had this amazing banana hazelnut coffee. yum yum.

we went to Greenvale Vineyard for a tasting and sat outside the vineyard enjoying the weather. it was so nice, and my first time at a vineyard. for our last night there we had dinner at the famous Black Pearl (2 bowls of their new england clam chowder. so good)

Newport is definitely for couples tho. i would never go there w/just friends. but i'd definitely recommend it for a weekend getaway.

Goblin Market

so around the middle of September i got an invite from my old boss to check out his new restaurant, Goblin Market. never been asked to a restaurant opening so of course i said yes and asked Gohm to be my date (who else would i ask?)

my old boss has impeccable taste in wine (refer to previous entry regarding Divine Bar if you doubt me) and they had a pretty well-stocked bar. the space is small but nice, particularly when the weather was so fall and lovely plus the location is pretty key smack dab in Soho. i pretty much drank the night away but the few pieces of food i did try were all good. i have to remember to head there and have a proper dinner.

as all you Smithies know, Goblin Market is a Christina Rossetti poem, which is a poet i actually liked studying back in the day. anyways, i had a great time at the opening and prob had one of my better dates w/Gohm.

Family-style w/family (part 2)

Ok, i swear i'm going to finish up the previous post but i've just got to comment on this before i do...

it seems that one of the Bobsey twins (what i call the 2 white roommates i live w/ and no i'm not racist that just happens to be how my apartment split up: me and Wifey (the Asian contingency) and the Bobsey twins) got a call from her crush. based on the amount of shrieking and constant talking that's ensued you'd think she got asked out by the President or something (roll your eyes w/me. you know you want to). i'm not usually home on weekend nights but i was unfortunate enough to be here on thursday b/c i hadn't been feeling well and i realized that this is what the Bobsey twins are obsessed about: BOYS. that's it really. there's nothing else. i mean, sure they go to class but i've never heard them talk about anything else. and every weekend night is about getting dressed up in your NY best to have boys buy them drinks or to hook the 1 they happen to be crushing on for that day. jesus christ i'm in 6th grade again.

ok, rant's over so now i can talk about something pleasant.

i had the fortune of eating an amazing dinner w/what i've come to see as my little family away from family which consists of Gohm, Chow and Tina. i seem to always be spending my weekends w/them as a whole. we spent Sunday playing Cranium and then headed to dinner at Tony's. OMG i love this place. the portions are huge (always good) and i thought the service was great. the gist of the portions is obviously to be eaten family-style (but there's no shame if you finish a portion to yourself. i'd be impressed). there were 4 of us and we ordered a house salad, chicken scarpiello, rigatoni w/mushroom and vodka sauce and a nice bottle of red. all this was a lot of food and more than enough to feed us WITH leftovers. however, Gohm, lamenting his inability to drink (he was sick and on meds) was persistent in ordering dessert (which i have no problem w/). so i got coffee, Chow got McKellan's 12-year and we ordered a cheesecake and a sundae. the cheesecake was so perfect, not overkill cheesecake creamy but just perfect and the sundae was vanilla on top of crumbled chocolate oreo drizzled w/hot fudge. and they have the densest whip cream to go w/both. i have to say, that's prob 1 of the best dinners i've had in the last month.

Family-style with family (part 1)

oh god, i've eaten so much food this weekend...

went to Kenka on St. Marks for dinner w/Debs which was so so good. It was great to see Debs and have the chance to talk w/her about everything that's been going on w/her and w/me. turns out i've been missing a lot. Debs will be moving out of her Chelsea apartment in about 2 weeks and be (temporarily i hope) heading back to our hometown in Jersey until she finds an affordable and decent living arrangement. she had some promising callbacks that night so i'm crossing my fingers that she won't even have to make the temporary transition to Jersey. Anyways, the whole name of the restaurant is Taishu-Izakaya Kenka but that's a mouthful so i just refer to it as Kenka. I actually really really like this place. It's a little loud and rambunctious but that just made me more relaxed about the whole thing. Debs and i were starving so we ordered a sashimi appetizer, french fries (at Debs' request), fried garlic (also Debs' request, but it definitely hit the spot, and luckily we would not be kissing each other at the end of the night. i was informed by Debs that in Japan they always eat fried garlic in the fall/winter time to strengthen their immune system in light of the colder weather. smart ppl those Japanese) and agedoshi tofu (the tofu inside was so yum and still moist. one of the better versions i've tried). Debs got an oyako don entree while i went for the curry rice. we both enjoyed ours and were satiated at the end of the meal w/o being uncomfortable. and the whole bill, including my beer, was $42 w/tip. i love this place.

a couple of things to know before going: the chairs look ridiculously small, but don't worry, they'll hold you (unless you're ginormous. i wonder what they do then). also, the small containers w/pink crystals in them given at the end of the meal is for the cotton candy machine in the front of the restaurant. Debs and i did not know that, and while i did not particularly want it, Debs lamented the fact that we didn't get to make our own cotton candy. however, don't fret too badly for her b/c we got soft serve from the Automaton on St. Marks and while it wreaked havoc on Debs' lacto-intolerant tummy, i quite enjoyed it.

went again to Yura for brunch w/Gohm. i got a delish omelette w/havarti, tomatoes and mushrooms. YUM YUM. it came w/their delicious cornbread and mashed potatoes. Gohm unfortunately, did not heed my previous raves about the bread pudding french toast and instead went w/the banana french toast. he was very impressed by the banana inside the french toast but other than that the whole thing was a little sweet. also saw Little Miss Sunshine this weekend (thanks again Debs!). the movie was touching and inappropriately hilarious at the same time. if you like that combo then check it out. hung out at the Heartland Brewery after the movie where i munched out more than i should have. did i mention that Gohm and i had dinner at Jackson Hole? i think i ate a heart attack in that single meal, but (secretly) it was worth it. however, i could live w/o all the screaming kids running around the restaurant but i guess it's a small price to pay, particularly if you sit outside.

ok, i haven't even gotten to the piece de resistance of all this food talk but am exhausted and blogger's being a bitch by not letting me put up pics...another time.

Asianed out

so i was all Asianed out this weekend, which is a little unlike me, but i mean, since i am Asian, i guess that's acceptable.

on friday i went to AALSA's screening of the movie Red Doors, which i really liked. it's funny and quirky and there are some definitely relatable incidents if you come from a Chinese family. afterwards we got time to Q & A the director and the lead actor Ma Tzi, who is really funny. he mentioned that he was in NY also to film another indie film, called K-town Superdogs or something like that, which was interesting b/c when i went to Players on Saturday they were filming a movie there. hmm, i wonder if it's one and the same?

also went to Typhoon Lounge on St. Marks for japanese dinner at Chow's suggestion. i'd heard of this place before w/good reviews but in all honesty, i didn't really care for the food. i got the curry rice which was ok, a little spicier than usual japanese curries. their plum wine was really sweet but not in a pleasant way and Tina said her food was really salty. all in all, considering the options that are around i wouldn't recommend this place.

school's been popping lately. we just had elections for 1L representative for each 1L section. i guess we're a pretty active class b/c every section had about 5 people running (each section's about 40 students on average). out of the 5 that ran in my section i picked the one that seemed the least formulaic. i appreciate people who make an effort and all that but i hate it when it seems like it's all the same. or maybe it's just that i'm spiteful... eh, whatever. it's my vote so stop judging me.

we also had an organizations fair and a street fair at BLS to celebrate our first day of classes (some tradition thing). omg such a good street fair. i had been craving a hot dog since i'd heard about it. it was damn good. also had some brisket, cookies and cream dippin' dots, sushi, mozzarella sticks and zeppoles. so much yummy street food! of course, i had a serious stomach ache afterwards, but seriously worth it. Wifey and i went to the AABANY meeting at Bar 13 after the fair, excited to meet some new people and students from other law schools, but that didn't happen. we just ran into more BLSers. i guess we're the only school that actually goes out...

i also tried eggs benedict for the first time this weekend. went to a place on Smith Street called Bar Tabac w/Gohm for brunch. got eggs benedict but w/smoked salmon instead of ham. so so good. but since i'm a novice you don't have to take my word, but even Gohm, who i was informed ordered eggs benedict for breakfast all the time back in Cali so i guess you could call him an expert, thought they were really good.

my subway

i was on the 2 train yesterday and noticed that someone had carved the name "TINA" on the ledge above the seat. how coincidental that i was riding in that car at that very moment.

so school's been...interesting. my roommate is hilarious. Wifey and i went to an AALSA social meeting last week sponsored by Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP at Palmira's. The food was pretty good, particularly these breaded balls w/macaroni in them. so good. the event was fun, made some new friends, 1 of which is a fellow Smithie. there's something about going to Smith that creates this instant bond.

Wifey got so drunk. the event had free food and wine and beer so we were all drinking chardonnay. Wifey doesn't have a high tolerance anyways so by the time we left, she was rocked. we walked home w/some fellow BLSers and when we got to Joralemon Street, we turned around and Wifey had disappeared. we walked backwards and found her cautiously crossing the street. the man next to her kindly advised us that she had just fallen! Wifey was hilarious. she kept thanking us for coming back for her. it turns out that she had slowly been walking towards the right until she fell and then had to hold onto a parking meter for dear life. we each flanked a side of her to keep her upright and got her back to the apartment in 1 piece where she promptly passed out.

blubbering

i'd been doing some serious blubbering earlier this week so my good friend Bubs and Kiks decided to go out w/me to forget my woes. i love them...

since i now reside in Brooklyn, Bubs & i met up at Ini Ani. ok, so this isn't the most hopping place on the lower east side. i'm sure that Schiller's Liquor Bar or Verlaine would definitely be a more "it" place to be, but i really liked this place. it was quiet, which was perfect for Bubs & i to chat. they do a nice happy hour deal of 20% off any bottle of wine from 5-8 pm and $15 caraffes of sangria. Bubs and i opted for a nice bottle of pinot noir and happily chatted away while we waited for Kiks. eventually we got food and it was really good. perfect finger food for wine. there was a delish smoked salmon platter and some yummy prosciutto bruschetta (i was craving the salmon & Bubs had been on a prosciutto drive).

eventually Kiks met up w/us and we skidaddled to the next spot. it was getting later and it was tuesday so instead we went scavenging for a dessert place which is surprisingly hard to find on the Delancey/Essex/Rivington area of LES. ultimately we stopped outside teany. perhaps like me, the only thing you knew about this place aside that it sold tea, was that it was opened by moby. i always thought it was pronounced "tea-NY" (saying the letters N and Y) but turns out i was wrong cause they have a drink called teanychino (SO SO good) that is pronounced like "teenychino". all their desserts are vegan which made us all curl our lips up in a "could this actually be good?" which i think is a very valid reaction. the culmination of dessert is butter, cream and eggs. when they don't have it it just seems pointless. however, teany proved me wrong. we got a chocolate peanut butter mousse cake, a coconut chocolate cake and a strawberry shortcake. the chocolate peanut butter was more peanut buttery and than chocolatey. the coconut cake was good and the strawberry shortcake had a taste that to me was like splenda-y goodness (although sugar fits in the vegan diet, but hey, that's what it tasted like).

Hiro is not my Hero

Hiro Lounge officially kicked my ass on Saturday night. apparently, it also kicked a few other peoples' asses too.

it's been a bevy of going out since Gohm's friend Phil arrived from Cali. on Thursday we went to Third Floor and Maru in k-town. of course the boys all ordered bottle service. luckily for me, Pal had come to visit me at BLS and see my new apartment. we went to dinner at Heights Cafe on Montague Street and had some wine so i was in no mood to full out drink on that night. since it was a thursday we all went home around 2 am. Phil ended up going to some bars on Amsterdam Ave and stumbling into Gohm's apartment at around 4 am. it was pretty funny. he kicked open Gohm's bedroom door and is huffing and puffing. the only phrase he utters is "fucking stairs!" and then he grabs his stuff and sleeps on the futon in the living room. i went to the bathroom around 5 am and found Phil laying on the floor w/all the remaining take-out from dinner on the table.
friday night we ended up at 230 Fifth. such a random night. a lot of Gohm's BU friends and Cali friends showed up. out of the blue i ran into Debs which was a nice surprise. she actually spotted Gohm first and ran up to him saying "is tina here?". i love her for that. it was pretty ironic considering i had called her twice that night to see if she wanted to meet up but she had left her phone at home.

saturday Gohm came to brooklyn and we went out for dinner at Queen Italian Restaurant. the food was pretty good, but not great though their minestrone soup was delish. either way i don't think their food agreed w/me.

later we went to Hiro Lounge. once again we got bottle service but i liked the booth we got and felt very VIP. here's where the night gets funny. all i drank was cranberry vodkas and 1 shot of SoCo and lime (their shots are huge btw). nothing too extravagant. the guys mostly drank McKellan's. it turns out Gohm and his sis both barfed that night and Chow and i barfed the next morning. none of us really drank that much, just enough for a buzz, if that. i swear, something must be up at Hiro...

i spent all of sunday either in the bathroom or in bed until 7 pm. blech.

Brooklyn Law School

so i am officially a law school student now (sort of).

i moved into my new place in Feil Hall yesterday. the moving in part wasn't that bad b/c the school had arranged for helpers to carry all your stuff in w/these giant carts. much appreciated. however, they couldn't help me unpack, and that was a nightmare.

as could be expected, i have the smallest bedroom in my 4-bedroom apartment (of course). can't complain though. it's still bigger than my previous hoboken apartment. i'm still not fully unpacked but it's just the little things that are left.

my sister cried when i moved out. it was so cute and sad. on one hand, it breaks my heart to see her cry like that. on the other hand, it makes me feel all warm inside to know she loves me that much. conundrum.

met all the roommates but haven't really bonded. doesn't help that i skipped out on dinner and drinks last night to go and see Gohm, who just arrived back from Cali yesterday. but that had to be done. after all, priorities priorities. besides, i'm sure there'll be tons of time for bonding later.

went and picked up my books today. it was a whopping $540 (and that included purchasing as many used books as possible). those bastards. this better be worth it in the end cause i'm looking at a lot of debt.

bunch of stuff has happened in the meantime which i'll write about in retrospect on a more boring day. for now i've got reading and more unpacking to do and i must focus.

i hate packing

things are going real fast now. there's so much stuff to get done and it all seems to have piled into this week.

my last day of work was on 8/4. this gave me a week to get ready before moving into my new place in brooklyn on 8/15 and have the school year start on 8/20. i spent some time w/Gohm before he left for cali on wednesday and have now been spending my time trying to pack up my room.

i used to think my room was small but i've definitely managed to clutter it up. i'm moving on saturday morning and i feel like that's coming too close. it's not the actual act of packing that's difficult. it's just that whenever i look at all the stuff i have, i just wonder how i accumulated all this stuff!

hopefully i'll get a good chunk done w/in the next hour and be more productive tomorrow. going out w/Pal & Douglife tomorrow for one last hurrah in Hoboken while i still reside here and can walk home from the bars.

Aburiya Kinnosuke

went to Aburiya Kinnosuke last night for dinner. the restaurant is an izakaya so they have an extensive sake and shochu menu and serve Japanese tapas/small plates instead of full-on entrees. the restaurant specializes in authentic food, so there's no beef teriyaka or soba (from which stemmed a hilarious incident. Gohm had wanted to eat soba but we weren't sure if they served it there so he asked the waitress-who is 100% Japanese, fobby accent and all-and then proceeded to describe what soba was as if she didn't know).

i got there first so i ordered a Grapefruit Sour which is shochu w/seltzer/club soda and then you get a fresh half grapefruit on the side that you squeeze yourself then pour into the drink. it was, as the waitress had said, truly refreshing.

Gohm & i sat in a private booth which was fun. we could overhear other diners' conversations and the whole place was full of Japanese people. the place is actually pretty cute. very tranquil and they play mellow remakes of American songs which was pretty funny. when you enter they greet you w/an irrashaimase but not in a "let's-scare-the-crap-out-of-you" (which is what i hear happens at EN Japanese Brasseries) but in a calm and cute way. even our waitress was adorable.

we ordered a bunch of really good food. Gohm, being the sashimi lover he is, ordered Toro which was good. i've recently read somewhere that toro is best in the winter b/c the water gets colder so the fish develop more fat to stay warm. i will admit that Aburiya Kinnosuke has the most interesting but delicious side sauces and dips for the food. the toro came w/wasabi and another version of it that Gohm made the mistake of eating a large bite of.

since the food is small plates we ordered a bunch of stuff. we had chicken wings (it always feels stupid ordering this at a Japanese restaurant), fried fish cakes (they were SO yummy), chicken meatballs, grilled salmon (that you grill yourself. they bring a small grill to the table), seafood salad, octupus tempura, amazingly tender berkshire pork and a robata grilled pepper pork (both porks were delicious). we also had lots and lots of sake to go w/all the food.

i would definitely recommend this place but only for people w/adventurous palates. the food here is definitely not mainstream but nonetheless is good. plus the service is adorable. Gohm loved our waitress so much he wanted to adopt her.

damn, wish i was your lover

made plans w/ Bubs and Kiks to have dinner last night since Kiks will be going to Cali today for a wedding w/the family she works for.

Bubs & i met up early and had to kill a few hours before Kiks would arrive from Rye so we went to Macy's. i picked up some shorts from Rampage (i finally gave in to the trend. i'm actually wearing them today) and we just roamed the department store. we stopped by the Lancome counter so that we could buy some Juicy tubes and spend enough to get the free gift they're doing right now. the gift's pretty good (it includes a 4-color eyeshadow set in cool/warm, a lipstick, 3 make-up brushes, some anti-wrinkle stuff and 2 makeup bags) and you only have to spend $28.50.

afterwards we cruised the perfume area and sprayed and smelled perfumes until our noses broke and we were incapable of smelling anything. i saw they had Gohm's cologne, and since i missed him, i sprayed it on myself. they also had Chow's cologne, Armani Code, which reminded me a little of the curry from Saigon Grill, which is what he orders all the time.

we headed towards Dae Dong and then met w/Kiks. i actually really like this korean restaurant. the tables are surrounded by booths, which make it really comfortable. the only negative was that their A/C wasn't up to form and it wasn't that much cooler in the restaurant than it was outside. however, the food was good (we ordered Bulgogi and DaehJi Bulgogi for BBQ and Neng Myun, which was really good i thought) and the people were nice.

bling bling

ok i've been boring lately so i haven't had much to say. instead, i'll discuss how one of my attorneys treated me to a night of awesome wine drinking at Divine Bar East.

some time last week, i was getting ready to meet Gohm for some dinner after work. i suggested we go to Divine Bar East since i wasn't that hungry but was plenty thirsty (as i always am). one the attorneys i work for is a wine afficianado so i printed out the list and asked him to make some suggestions that were in my budget. after perusing the menu he outlined a strategy for drinking but suggested i go for a Jonathon Phelps Insignia Cabernet.

the bottle was from the reserve list. the bottle was pricey. the bottle was $145.

i completely balked saying there was no way i was going to buy a bottle of wine for $145. so he kindly offered to buy it for me saying that the price of the wine was too good a deal to pass up.

it was a very good bottle of red.

perpetual +1

i mean to write this the day after but i've been extremely tired since.

so on tuesday i got to be Debs' +1 for the first time. it was to a Wall Street Journal weekend edition event that she usually goes to for work. the weather was nice so they had it on the rooftop of Thompson Hotel at A60. it was pretty fun b/c Debs didn't have to actually socialize or mingle for work so she and I just chatted and caught up on all the stuff we've missed since her bday party at Prey. plus, while small, A60 is pretty nice and considering its a members only rooftop lounge, that makes it even better. i got to go somewhere no one else gets to go (unless they stay at the hotel). we spent the time drinking peach mojitos (very yummy) and eating the thai food they had catered. the veggie pad thai and beef salad were "eh" but the tuna tartar and grilled sea bass were delish. and all in a convenient "pop-it-in-your-mouth" size.

afterwards i rushed to the upper east side to meet Erma for dinner at Cafe Mingala. it's a burmese restaurant which i'd never been to. i admit i'm not a foodie of any kind, and if this offends, my bad, but it seemed to me that burmese bascially meant "mix of thai and chinese". either way, it's not like i minded. since i'd eaten so much at the party i didn't really order much except for the Mango Chicken but that was very yummy. Erma's Man ordered Mango Beef and she got some Phet-Hotke (they look like dumplings and come in a ceramic pot/bowl). overall a good choice and very affordable ($10 average per entree) and the ppl were nice.

massacre

i think that Gohm & i have made the relative rounds for each other's friends at this point.

on friday Nells & i met for dinner at Tropica in the lobby of the Metlife building. we ate from the Restaurant Week menu and overall i've got to say the food was pretty good. my shrimp ravioli was better than her lobster spring roll but her skirt steak entree was more memorable than mine (b/c i can't even remember it now but it's different from what they have posted on their website). the desserts were "eh" but their mango mojito was yummy.

afterwards we went to Proof w/Gohm & Chow for one of their friend's parties. i can't say much for the place since the party we went to was located downstairs, which is kind of narrow and dingy. they also charge cover which always annoys the shit out of me, particularly when the place isn't a club. friday night is ladies night before 12 am and it's $5 cover for 5 free drinks of white wine, hypnotiq or champagne and the bartenders are very liberal w/whether they punch your drink card or not. i couldn't really drink too much b/c of the giant dinner Nells & i had so it wasn't a particularly crazy night. however Nells did get into an altercation w/ a completely obnoxious guy. he spilled a girl's drink on Nells (and not just a little, but her whole drink). he didn't say anything until Nells approached the girl who then promptly blamed it on the guy. he (barely) apologized and tried to laugh it off. any classy guy who does that will offer to buy the girl a drink. when Nells implied this, he became more of an asshole. he claimed he would buy her a new shirt, but not a drink (which is such an empty offer considering when was she ever gonna see him again?). then he had the nerve to ask where she was from (implying she's a B&T girl and thus is only after getting free drinks from guys). i swear, at the end of this conversation i was ready to kick him in the nuts.

we spend saturday playing Scene-It (in which i massacred Chow) and that night i went out w/Gohm & his boys for drinking at Players followed by more drinking & food at Gahm Mi Oak. Chow & Gohm get housed by the 2 bottles of Johnnie Walker they and their boys get followed by lots of Baek Saeju and Soju mixed together.

sunday is basically spent w/Gohm and Chow dying.

Tribeca Grill

my mom's been complaining about how fat i'm getting again.

and fair dues b/c i've definitely been eating a lot more lately. went home to west caldwell on friday to take the grandparents to JFK airport for their flight back to taipei, as every filial granddaughter should do in an Asian family. was once again dutiful on Saturday by going to the driving range w/the dads in the morning and then taking moms to the her first mani & pedi in the afternoon. my mom getting a pedi was hilarious. she was so squirmish at having someone else touch her feet.

Saturday night was Debs' bday party at Prey. the place is as i remember it. nothing special but a fun place to hang out w/friends which Debs had in abundance. Spoon & i got there first, even before Debs. we huddled up in the corner and watched the guests stream in. i ended up seeing a lot of ppl that i hadn't seen in a long time. all of Debs' cousins showed up, which was great b/c i hadn't seen them all together in a while, prob not since i was pre-pubescent. Bear showed up and we got to catch up (briefly), along w/his best friend Aaron who i haven't seen since sophomore year of college. Then there was the Boston contingent which consisted of Debs' roommates and friends from Tufts. overall it was a good time and i had fun chatting w/all the old friends.

Sunday went to dinner w/Gohm at this really good Mexican place called Cilantro. neither of us had been there before and had actually intended on going to Saigon Grill, but it was closed. i had a really good grilled swordfish w/cilantro (of course) rice. Gohm got a glass of sangria which they serve in 16 oz. glasses. at the end of the meal Gohm claimed he was pretty buzzed from the one glass.

last night i went to Tribeca Grill for Restaurant Week (see previous entry) w/Bubs & Kiks. so so so good. they have a really good menu for Restaurant Week and b/c Aaron is a waiter there (which was a coincidence i found out on Saturday night) he gave us a little hook-up. we all ordered different apps and they were all really good. however, if given another chance i would probably order Kiks' heirloom tomato salad (it's so much yummier than it sounds) or Bubs' duck leg confit (it was a ginormous piece of leg. so much yummy fatty dark meat!). we all ordered the same entree of wild sea bass which was ok. both Kiks & i got this chocolate hazelnut peanut butter cake dessert thing. so damn good. Bubs decided to be adventurous w/coconut flan but it tasted a little weird. not bad, but not like flan either.

it's been a little bit of a food fest lately and it won't be stopping either. supposed to be going to EN Japanese Brasserie tonight w/Pal (although she potentially has mono & considering that EN is a family-style type of restaurant this could pose a problem).

Symbiosis

i thought i would have something exciting to write about since yesterday was Debs' Wall Street party, but due to the crazy torrential downpour that occured yesterday around 5 pm, both Debs and i decided to bail on going. instead i went back to Gohm's and we had dinner at KO Sushi w/Chow & Tina.

i learned that Gohm is no-holds-barred when it comes to sushi. he and i each ordered an appetizer (he liked my Usuzukuri better and who can blame him?) and then he ordered the Sushi & Sashimi for two. that entree was ginormous. i never knew it but it turns out you can hit a sushi wall, which he and i promptly hit. we'd even passed a few pieces off to Tina and were still struggling. my stomach's never ached from eating Japanese but i was definitely hurting by the end of this meal. of course it looked much worse when Chow & Tina ordered the Spicy Maki Combo (3 maki rolls) and a Beef Negimaki bento box to share. it was even more worse when, after eating their Spicy Maki Combo they claimed they were full.

to make it up to me for not going to the party, Debs & i had lunch to New York Luncheonette in midtown today. she has drama going on w/her long-term boy (space) friend. we had a good dish about what's been going on and discussed her bday party this Saturday. my favorite part tho, was when we started to pick the fries off each other's plates. i like that this has never changed. ever since we were little we've had the exact opposite tastes in fries. she likes the mushy ones whereas i like the crunchy ones. we make the perfect team for finishing off a plate of fries. Mutual symbiosis.

sick as a dog

Starting Sunday i've been sick as a dog. My throat's been all swollen and i had a serious on-going fever for 2 days. totally sucked and it was all Gohm's fault.

i should've known i was getting sick. i kept waking up in the mornings w/a really sore neck and shoulders. i kept attributing it to sleeping at Gohm's place all the time w/his new bed and all. my throat was a little sore but i figured it was b/c i was smoking more b/c of Gohm & his friends (who are like chimneys. must make a concerted effort to refrain when w/them).

friday night i went to Divine Bar East w/Kiks (one of my favorite wine bars). We ordered a bottle of white and some mussels and artichoke & parmesan dip to munch on. the food was really good and the portions were huge considering they were supposed to be tapas. i should've known i wasn't feeling up to par though b/c i barely drank the wine. and when we met up w/Gohm afterwards at Maz Mezcal i opted for a beer as opposed to the sangria (which i heard is very yummy). when Gohm & i went home i promptly passed out although it was only about 11:30 or 12 at the time.

on sunday was when the illness really struck. i got ready to watch the World Cup championship game at Gohm's and felt myself get all flush w/fever. after that it was all downhill. tried desperately to stay awake through the entire game but missed the best part when Zidane got red carded and then Italy won through penalty kicks. still excited though cause i knew they were gonna win.

called into work on Monday cause i was still fevering it but got better in time to go eat Smith & Wollensky w/Bubs & Kiks at 8 pm. there's always something about steak and rich desserts that can make me feel better. while the service was a little "eh" and the steak was good but not great, the dessert was definitely the best part.

Abandoned for a Boy

Isn't that always the case? It's been a bumpy ride since the last time i wrote, and i'll freely admit, most of the neglect is b/c i've been spending my time w/Gohm (and it's been a long wkd so i haven't been sitting at work procrastinating, as i am now).

it's pretty much been a whirlwind since friday. i met up w/Gohm at Cabana and met 2 of his friends from his BU days. i've decided to adopt V as my girl b/c she completely cracks me up. Cabana was actually really nice although we didn't spend much time there. we chilled out on the rooftop and enjoyed the amazing weather that we've been having in NYC (until today of course). afterwards we headed over to Hiro which is right next door to Cabana (both of which are part of the Maritime Hotel). Hiro's VERY cool w/a Kill Bill-esque vibe. At one point during the night 2 women climbed up on these ribbons hanging from the ceiling and began a very Cirque du Soilel performance. while i thought it was very impressive, this one woman had really long legs and i kept imagining getting kicked in the head.

Saturday was Em's bday and V threw her a party at Ava which is a lounge located in the penthouse level of Dream Hotel. the place is really chill, and i found out from V that if you reserve the terrace for a party they automatically give you a table and table service although it's not required to order a bottle. nice change from all the other places that require bottle service in order to get a table. i met a lot of Gohm's BU friends that night along w/Chow, his hilarious roommate.

otherwise spent a pretty relaxed long wkd. went home to west caldwell and caught up w/Nells and Henry. ironically went to breakfast w/Nells at Montville Diner (which is usually where Henry and i would go back when he lived on the east coast). couldn't be bothered w/sitting in the mugginess to watch the fireworks so instead met up w/Gohm and his friends at Banc Cafe, and while i didn't order any food, i have to admit theirs looked pretty good. at the end i did order a double chocolate irish whiskey cake. yea, it was as yummy and chocolatey as it sounds.

Consumption

this week has been about a lot of consumption. whether it be food or alcohol i've definitely overindulged this week.

aside from the wine overload on monday night, i went to Dave & Buster's on Wednesday. hadn't ever been before but had heard many things, after all, it's pretty rare to have an arcade hall in New York. had to fight through the crowd at Times Square which is never fun but eventually got there and made a direct bee-line for drinks. it was at that point that i introduced Gohm to my liquid dinner diet.

for some reason, whenever i meet up for afer-work activities, i'm rarely ever hungry. instead i fill my stomach w/booze & more booze and then go home, never having eaten. the next day, to counteract the uncomfortableness i have i consume a large lunch meal and lots of water and then the cycle starts again. so when Gohm asked if i was hungry i honestly wasn't. even so, he ordered Fondue Fries which is a totally ingenius way of eating cheese fries b/c they put the cheese over a little candle so it is always hot and melted. so smart.

actually had a lot of fun at the arcade. haven't been to one in years mainly b/c most of my friends hate looking foolish. at one point i made Gohm do the dance machine w/me and we got completely schooled by an 8yr old girl. so embarassing.

by thursday my body was basically hating me. i spent all day at work wishing i was at home sleeping. had already made plans for dinner though so i toughed it out and went to Bar Americain. place is very nice and since we went to early dinner, not packed at all. the service is impeccable, and even though it took forever for us to decide what to eat, the waiter never rushed us. we got crabcake and tuna tartar as apps. the tartar was real yummy and it was served w/crostini. since i wasn't that hungry i ordered mussels in green chile broth. when it came out it was a GINORMOUS pot of just mussels. what was really interesting was the wild salmon entree. the flavor was unbelievable. it's hard to describe but it was wild (salmon, haha). as Gohm said, "it's a party in my mouth". the next time we go, i want to order from their raw bar. holy bejesus, the tables that ordered it had 3 tiers of giant plates of just shellfish galore. even though i wasn't that hungry i still couldn't help staring at their food.

afterwards we headed out for more drinks but by that time my body just gave up so i got home early and went straight to sleep. when i woke up this morning i was so happy and relieved that i'd finally gotten some rest.

2 bottles deep

ugh i feel exhausted today.

had a very melodramatic day yesterday that i would sooner like to forget so i'm not going to discuss it. however i will say that i had dinner at Village appropriately named such b/c it's located there. when i walked into the restaurant (late) i saw Gohm hunched over the bar, very dejected looking, drinking a bottle of white wine and i knew the night was going to be intense.

and so it was.

b/c i'd like to keep this blog drama-free i'm not going to rehash any details. all i'll say is that we were 2 bottles deep before we'd even ordered dinner. so that's a lot of talking. and a lot of drinking. i woke up this morning for work & instantly wished i'd died.

i heart Restaurant Week

heehee. i got the title for this post from Bubby and it perfectly expresses how i feel about Restaurant Week. July 10-14th & July 17th-21st is Restaurant Week in Manhattan. Participating restaurants will host prix-fixed menus for lunch & dinner. lunch will cost $24.07 (respresenting the 24-7ness of NY) and dinner will cost $35.00. i love these things b/c it's probably the only time i'll get to eat at Nobu or Tribeca Grill while not having to mortgage my house (if i had one).

speaking of eating deliciously, i got the chance to go to Morimoto's recently. yum yum yum.

This place is very trendy but definitely not not personable (hmm double negative but it's true). i'd heard things about the service and it's all true! they are literally at your beck & call. the person i was there w/dropped his napkin on the way to the bathroom & the waitstaff had a new one pressed & folded for him on the table before his return. i watched w/giddy awe.

we def ordered a lot of food but i didn't feel gross afterwards which is a good thing. we had yummy toro sashimi (mmm fatty tuna. they're so much yummier than the other tuna b/c they just lay around getting fat while the other tuna is all healthy w/exercise & muscle.blech.), lamb carpaccio w/basil sauce & spicy king crab (sauce was a little salty but the crab was delish). we also got rock shrimp tempura which is what everyone gets there.

for entrees he got the duck, duck, duck (that's the real name of the dish! i felt like saying "goose" right after he'd ordered but i restrained myself) and i got the blackened cod. his was much better than mine. o & we tried the honey-infused sake which was yum. we had 2 bottles of those.

i have no idea what the cost was but i'm pretty sure it was insanity. would i ever pay that much for food of any kind? probably not. would i let someone else pay for me to eat food of that kind? absolutely.

NYC blackout

friday was Ahjima's bday party. i was exhausted all day as well as very very broke but i was a trooper! i went home & took a giant nap after work & then headed over to Ahjima's before we all went to 230 Fifth together. of course, having gone home & napped instead of eating dinner made for a very interesting night out.

the best thing about 230 Fifth is its rooftop. honestly it's amazing to see the view surrounding you on all sides of the building. luckily friday night was beautiful weather, not too muggy but still very warm and nice. Debs got there before us and it was hilarity to try and find each other on that crowded rooftop. our text messages and phone calls kept saying "i'm by the bar.where are you?"; "I'M by the bar.WHERE are you?" etc.

after locating most of our party, Ahjima's oppa Gohm began to try and locate a table for all of us which was no easy task. he finally managed to secure one but had to purchase 2 bottles in order to get it. i heard later that the total bill for him came to about $800. i've gotta pitch in but $60 for a single vodka & cranberry? me & Gohm will have to negotiate.

i remember sitting w/Debs at the table & talking then sitting & talking w/Gohm for a bit. Debs got ready to leave & i walked w/her where she subsequently ran into some guys she had met prior to our arrival. she walked away w/him & i got left w/his awkward friend so i departed too. there was a whole bathroom debacle where i was messy enough that a very nice bodyguard was my private escort to the bathroom & then the rest of the night is a blank.

all i know is i woke up the next morning in my own apartment in my own pajamas w/no visible scars/trauma marks. interesting... i called Ahjima to see if she could fill in the blanks but she had no idea what happened to me & Debs had already left by then. it's a complete mystery. however, Ahjima did comment that she was very impressed that i made it all the way back to Hoboken in the state i was in. i think i'm impressed too.

i'm not gonna cry, i'm not gonna cry

omg my right foot is killing me right now. it was just trampled on by a giant Amazonian bitch. i was just on the 4 train from Union Square heading to GCT. the Amazon & i just barely made it onto the train before the doors closed. as soon as they did i (like most people who take the subway) leaned back against the door. this is a very practical way of steadying yourself while the train rocks to and fro. obviously Amazon did not know this. she proceeded to look around for a bar to secure herself on. the train jerked forward & she flew backwards. to steady herself she stuck her foot back. her spike-heeled foot. full force. onto my canvas Converse sneakered foot. yelp. she turned & shrugged & laughed & i had to fight everything in me to not start tearing from the pain. even now, 30 mins later my foot is still throbbing. i checked it out for serious damage but only see the start of a very ugly bruise exactly where the heel stabbed me.

yesterday was Ahjima's birthday so we went to Kitchen 22 for dinner. The place is small but nice. warning: this is the first place i've gone to that did not have Jack Daniels. i was so shocked. so instead the bartender recommended a Canadian Club w/coke instead. he did not lie. the drink was smoother than the usual Jack & coke. the thing about Kitchen 22 is that it's a restaurant that serves a prix-fixe 3 course meal w/a choice of 5 appetizers, 5 entrees & 1 dessert. you don't have to get the prix-fixe meal and can get the items individually but it's much more economical if you do plus the food is pretty good. we had 7 people in our party so everyone got a little something. i heard the tomato gazpacho appetizer was amazing & Stacey ate 2 desserts.

afterwards we went to Third Floor Cafe in k-town for drinks. the place was packed playing lots of old-school r&b & hip-hop. Third Floor Cafe is definitely a korean bar & everyone who works there is korean. the uniform for employees is a white top (of any kind) & jeans so beware when you go. the female staff is gorgeous (all about 5'5 and skinny) while the male staff doesn't live up to the standards set by the girls. however, the manager that night was pretty cute. he brought Stacey an apple martini in sheer appreciation of the fro she was sporting.

this is what i learned about korean bars/clubbing. inevitably there will be a bunch of korean guys who will fight. this happened at the end of the night when i went korean clubbing in cali & once again last night. it was awesome. Gohm (Ahjima's nicknamed him "Carebear" & he really is!) & i stepped out for a stoge & were heading towards the elevator when Gohm suddenly pulled me back, just in time to avoid being trampled by the bouncer ejecting some guy through the stairs. Gohm & i headed into the elevator & some more guys came in. right as the doors were closing the bouncer suddenly appeared and started yelling at the other guys. turns out they were being ejected too! i love being this close to the action.

so while Gohm & i were outside we heard little tidbits about the incident. this is all i managed to learn. someone's shirt got ripped, someone had a knife, it was "that guy's" fault, "wtf i didn't do anything" and "i'm gonna kill that guy". korean guys are such thugs. we stayed for about another hour where Gohm & Stacey kept threatening to bust out their one dance move (i'm still waiting) and then left. when we got outside those guys were still there! and they'd started another fight! i told Gohm that next time we go out to a korean bar i'm bringing a tub of popcorn & a 40 & just camping out on the sidewalk in front of the bar so i can catch all the action.

Tokyo Juliet

ai-ya i am so tired today. why? b/c i was up until 5:00 am watching this stupid taiwan drama series. ok, i take it back, it's not stupid. i'm just stupid for being so addicted that i couldn't stop watching it until i'd watched both episodes on youtube. the series is so cute tho. i love it when asian drama series don't drag out everything and just jump right into the "i-like-you-you-like-me" thing. so much better that way. and now that i'm addicted, i will evilly try to addict anyone who reads this. so here's the first 10 mins of episode 1:

My First Singles Mixer

so last night i hosted my first singles mixer. FDR & i concocted this idea when we met in Vegas. i was going to introduce him to my single girlfriends and in turn he would introduce me to some of his single guy friends (which according to ASW he doesn't have much of anyways-but i only learned this in the aftermath). anyways, i got home and started calling the few girl friends i have who are single and things started to get big. Pal was going to invite a bunch of her girlfriends, Nells, Ahjima, Spoon, Debs, Bubs & Kiks were all coming. things were slowly ballooning out. however, FDR wasn't really coming through w/the guy connection and things started to look a little girl heavy so Pal & i called in for reinforcements. Debs asked Ben to come & bring friends, Pal asked a bunch of work guys & i invited O & he would bring some of his work buddies.

things never turn out as planned.

yesterday ended up being a drizzly & yucky day which in turn made many of the girls i knew back out. this is one of my personal pet peeves. if you make commitment to something, stick w/ it. is it that hard people? unless a dire emergency comes up there's no reason to bail. so what ended up happening? the mixer became very guy heavy instead which is never a good thing. we all met up at Beer Bar on 45th & Vanderbilt and sat in the outdoor patio (luckily it has an awning). it was an interesting mix of ppl & i can't say for everyone else but i had a hilarious time.

First shocker of the night came when O showed up w/his cousin Joy who i haven't seen in about a decade+. the last time i saw this girl she was probably just turning 10/11. so of course the first thing i blurt out to her is "are you old enough to be here?" god i'm such an old dork. turns out she's 22 now so yes, she is old enough to be there. she's definitely grown up but she is still a very pretty girl (she was so even when she was young) so O better watch out for her. even Rich said he wanted O to hook him up w/her & that just grossed me out (i understood it but it still grossed me out).

the night was hilarious. ppl kept straggling along and finally Ahjima got there @ 9 pm and we headed over to Still on 17th & 3rd. it was a mad dash for taxis and we were all trying to strategically get into the right ones. i wanted to be in O's cab; Ahjima & Nells wanted to be in mine; Mike & Johnny wanted to be in Nells and i don't think Pal & her Lehman buddies cared. of course since i am a master strategist i got the cab i wanted.

Still was good if only to eat mad amounts of apps (Debs, Nells & Judy were starving at that point). Ahjima & i got to try 2 new vodkas: Zygo & 44 North. i highly recommend both of these vodkas b/c they are delicious. now, i haven't been too kind on vodka & tequila shots these days since i had a horrific experience w/both of them so that whenever i do these shots i throw up w/o fail. however, Ahjima & i did the Zygo shot & it was heavenly and i had no regurgitation pyrotechnics accompanying it.

afterwards we went to Rich's place (which ironically i'd already been to w/Cha last summer. everyone found this highly amusing. it turns out the week that Cha stayed there he trashed Rich's place & ripped his sheets. everyone assumed Cha & i did this once they found out i'd stayed there but let me set the record straight by saying NOTHING happened w/Cha & i did NOT rip those sheets). we just hung out & watched some tv (Supercoasters anyone?) & finally Ahjima & i headed to her place on 86th & 2nd.

one more hilarious tidbit. i was getting ready to crash out on Ahjima's couch when i smelled something funky. i turned to her and said "Ahjima, something smells funny". she turned, looked me dead in the face and said "maybe it's you". i just about died. turns out it was the kimchee smell coming from her fridge b/c she'd just opened it to get some water. but still, the audacity.

the flood of 2006

insanity ensued on friday. the great flood of 2006 was in full effect by the time i left work. luckily i had purposely worn a dress & flip flops to work so i had no problems w/getting wet. and of course i had my trusty Totes umbrella (see previous post).

Ahjima was having a "goodie" party (wink wink) that night so i went home and took a nap in preparation. unfortunately, due to the weather, the girl coming w/the goodies was flooded out of new york (she was coming in from jersey). never one to let anything stop her from a party Ahjima still had us over. it took me an hour and a half to get from 33rd street & herald square to Ahjima's on 86th and 2nd.

i got to Ahjima's and was greeted w/a glass of wine and...Full House! haha once again it is confirmed how Oppa obsessed i am. i walked into her apartment and, w/o even looking at the tv, knew she was watching Full House b/c of the theme music. Ahjima was watching it w/her Chinese roommate Alice who needed Ahjima to translate. here's where it gets even funnier. i translated for Alice even though there were no subtitles & the series was in korean. how you ask? o i just remembered the lines from most of the scenes. ok, i wasn't so good that i could do it all verbatim, but i was close.

Alice & Winter both speak mandarin and Winter kept playing Jay Chou & Wang Leehom MVs for us off of youtube. i get so giddy when i meet people who share my love of the Asian music & the entertainment scene. anyways, eventually SJ showed up w/some other guys and we started to play drinking games.

somewhere in the mix everyone managed to finish off a bottle of tequila, SJ's friend Dan threw up in the bathroom and then climbed into Alice's bed to go to sleep (which really pissed her off), it came out that Winter's dating someone who already has a girlfriend and SJ tried to hook me up w/his friend George who's already seeing someone. finally got home around 4 am thanks to SJ who drove me home although he & George kept trying to get me to go to Pal Park instead to get some Sul Rung Tang (which i wish i had now, but not then. i was tired at the time).

i woke up the next day slightly hung over & didn't leave my apartment until about 4:30 pm. i went to Astoria to hang w/Bubs & Kiks but honestly the only reason i got up and showered at all was to go get Beard Papas at Cafe Zaiya.

can this really be happening?

So Darling and i went on a pseudo-date last night. i call it a pseudo-date b/c we met for drinks around 10 pm. there was no dinner and it's not like he shelled out a lot of cash so it doesn't count as an actual date. not that monetary wealth is a necessary identifying marker of a real date. however, if he had gotten access into the apartment that night he wuold've gotten all the benefit w/very little effort. hence, he did not.

originally Pal & i were supposed to go to see a preview screening of The Breakup. unfortunately that fell through so Pal decided to go to the Pearl Jam concert at Meadowlands Arena instead (she'd already had the tickets but was going to blow it off for the movie). Douglife had bought the tickets and had harassed me to buy the remaining extra ticket from him yesterday at a significantly reduced price but i just wasn't that interested. i listened to Pearl Jam in high school and still like them today but just don't love them. plus i'm still broke so i couldn't really afford it.

so none of my friends were in hoboken and it looked like it was going to be a quiet thursday when Darling called and offered to meet up. he picked me up and we went to Green Rock where we ran into Doogie (one of Pal's ex-fling things, given the name b/c he occassionally looks like Doogie Howser, M.D.) and then moved on to Mile Square (my favorite quiet local). overall the pseudo-date was fun.

the thing is, whenever Pal asks me to go somewhere w/her & i decline, i almost always regret it the next day. this time was no different. i called Pal this morning and i knew i (sort of) regretted not going to Pearl Jam. first off, Mang had met 2 guys the night before the concert who were also going that day. so Mang, being the ballsy girl that she is, emailed them the next day and asked if she & Pal could hitch a ride in their car so they wouldn't have to take the bus. and wouldn't you know it? they had just enough room in their car for 2 cute girls! of all the luck...

i guess i should've known then that this concert would be off the hook for Pal & Mang. turns out they showed up @ the concert and never even made it to their seats to meet Douglife & Jew. they got approached by some guys who had gotten their own private box and was asked to join them b/c they had too many "dudes" in their box. so Mang & Pal got to hang out in a private box and drink & eat for free. of course, Douglife & Jew ditched them at the concert so Pal & Mang had to take the bus back to the city but they had no cash to pay for the bus so they kept bugging guys to lend them money for the bus.

that's the story so far. Pal had to leave for a meeting @ 10 am so i haven't gotten the whole story yet but i'm sure i'll hear it later.

the "Itis"

i've got major "itis" from lunch today. it's not uncommon for me to get "itis" after eating, regardless of the food or the quantity i ingest. anyways, b/c i have "itis" right now, i'm extra cranky. as such, here's the things i've seen today so far that annoy me:

1. people wearing clothes that are WAY too tight for them. the stomach hangs over the pants, the arms look like sausages coming out of tank tops and they usually have at least 3 donuts circling their upper body.

2. people who have to be touching you on the subway (any type of contact) even though there's plenty of room in the rest of the subway car. why?! why?!

3. getting stuck behind someone who is walking so slowly on the stairs or sidewalk and you can't pass them. occassionally this happens to me when the person in front can't help themselves (like an old person or a little kid). that doesn't mean i still don't get annoyed-hey i'm being honest here, not politically correct. however, when it's an able-bodied individual (particularly when it happens on the stairs and the person started fast and then just slowed down cause they got tired from walking the 15 steps-those out of shape bastards) i get very irate.

4. people who take picture of the WTC 9/11 site.

now i'm sure that some of this is just the "itis" but i'm pretty sure there are some valid points in here.

Mama Zuma's Revenge

in case you're bored at work, pick up a bag of Mama Zuma's Revenge. They're habanero potato chips and while yes, they make my tongue tingle, they're more fun to trick your friends w/.

Debs & i went to Starwich at Citigroup Center to have lunch together. i saw a bag of these, and i do like spicy food, i bought some. btw, there is some definitely impressive food at Starwich and the portions are ginormous. however i would recommend ordering from their pre-made menu and not creating your own salad/sandwich. Debs made her own sandwich and they were skimpy on the ingredients. my citrus duck salad was ginormous.

anyways, Debs had one of these chips and started to tear up. i saved the rest for later and when i got back to the office started offering them to people. hilarity has since ensued w/mad dashes to the soda machine & water cooler. heehee.