Monday, June 30

....awkward....

argh...it seems like getting to work always makes me grumpy. today for instance, i had to wait forever for the 4/5 train to arrive. then when i get off at my stop, i always, without fail, get stuck on the stairs behind someone who refuses to let me pass around them yet walks excruciatingly slow. that 1 always makes me the most irritated b/c it's like a torturous death. then i get in the elevator w/2 other ppl and press my button for the 9th floor. the elevator stops on the 4th floor. ok, i can handle that since the 2 other ppl get out and it's just me left in the elevator. except, no wait. those dicks pressed the buttons for 4, 6, and 8 as well! so i'm stuck making all those extra stops on the oldest and slowest elevator ever (ok that's not true but it felt like that at the time). sheesh.

as a more interesting diversion, it's Restaurant Week again! yea!! i know there are those pompous assholes who detest Restaurant Week- i distinctly remember someone specifically announcing "i never order from the Restaurant Week menu" but whatever, they're not as broke me and i'm not as spoiled as those ppl so suck it.

whoops, lost my temper there again. that's not what i meant to say. what i meant to say was that as i was googling restaurants and making reservations, i found out that Top Chef will be filming in Williamsburg this summer! ok, so it might just be a rumor but w/Real World and Top Chef coming to Brooklyn i've gotta admit i'm excited to be validated when i told my Manhattan/Jersey friends that Brooklyn is cool but i know i'm also gonna super-annoyed when the area becomes trendy central. blech.

so that's the rant portion of this entry. on to the main point.

prior to the end of school i attended Transitions Dinner which is an event for the student orgs and honors specific faculty, staff and students for their impressive work. since i'm never gonna win 1 of those awards in my lifetime, i was really just there for the free food and drinks. the dinner was "eh", the drinks were the typical fare and, based on the review of last year's BLS SBA performance (they're not the students' favorite it seems), a lot of the honoring going on was more just going through the motions vs. actual appreciation. however, there was 1 moment that was kind of hilarious.

DRC and i were sitting during the speeches and the newly-elected SBA president was saying a few words and then called up ChaseHoneycut to say a few words. while DRC and i were (of course) listening raptly to these speeches we also were goofing off and making jokes w/each other (as we always do...) and it just happened to coincide that during 1 of our fits of giggling was when ChaseHoneycut was walking up to the podium. it wouldn't have been that bad except the dinner hall had become completely dead silent. so it sounded as if DRC and i were laughing at ChaseHoneycut (which we weren't). it was 1 of the more awkward moments i've been in. it had the same feeling as when you trip and fall in front of a crowded room. everyone was looking at us for a good 5 secs and all we could do was look back at them awkwardly. and then everyone started laughing at us.

yea...super awkward...

Saturday, June 28

you're so cute!

who knew dates still exist, and even more so, that i could possibly go on one? i mean, who would be that bold to risk going on a date w/moi? everyone who knows me knows that 1-on-1 things aren't usually my forte. i think i'm pretty proficient at hanging out w/friends but as soon as it's labelled a "date", i'm much less able to function normally. i get all caught up on thoughts like "what are we gonna talk about", "how much am i gonna eat", "do i have food in my teeth", etc.

this one seemed to go better than usual, maybe b/c it came completely out of the blue. Chop and i have been hanging out on the weekends and on friday i called him to see what his plans were and he surprised me by asking if i wanted to go watch Get Smart w/him. the movie's pretty cute and funny; very family-fare stuff. after the movie we ended up catching dinner around St. Marks area at Village Yokocho. i'd never been there before that night but i've always heard really good things. however, it's a little pricier than my usual spots of Kenka and Yakitori Taisho but the menu's more extensive (it's on par w/the options at Kenka) particularly w/asian-style soups and rices. i think i'll give this place another shot in the winter-i'm sure i'll like it more than this time. it was kind of adorable to see Chop try to figure out the crazy asian menu but he was open-minded and not scared at all in trying new foods.

afterwards, we headed back to Brooklyn Heights and headed over to Brazen Head for drinks where Chop ended up getting very tipsy. i've never seen Chop drunk so this was a new sight and super endearing. Chop's usually very composed and shy but when he gets tipsy he's more open and affectionate. apparently, i am a very "awesome" girl (but this may only be when you've had a few drinks).
on saturday i attended a dinner for my aunt and uncle who just had an adorable baby girl, my new baby cousin. it's so weird to see them as parents b/c they're not that much older than me. this is the same uncle who taught me what "dookie" meant and practiced WWF wrestling moves on me. so weird that he's now a dad. the dinner was in Rego Park and the train ride took forever but seeing the new baby was worth it. there were a ton of little kids at the dinner (i guess that age group is really starting to pop them out) and it totally made me feel my maternal instinct kick in and want a baby. i can't wait to have 1 of my own (although i'm not looking forward to the birthing part).

after dinner i got back to Brooklyn and had every intention of just spending the night in, but then i got a call from Pal who was having a housewarming for their new apartment on St. Marks. i haven't seen Pal since her engagement about a year ago. however, i was still going to skip out on the party except she texted me that DougLife was also there. i haven't seen DougLife since i moved out of Hoboken in 2006. after i heard that, i had to go and see them.

i've never seen an apartment on St. Marks. her place is on my favorite block between 3rd and 2nd Ave. it's kind of small and it's definitely ironic that only after she's become engaged is when she and her fiance get a roommate to live w/. however, while she's definitely changed and grown since the last time i saw her, there are some things that never change. she made me the most delicious drink called Orange Crush (1/2 a fresh squeezed orange, triple sec and rum, but otherwise i'm not sure what else is in there) and got very wasted herself. that's more like the Pal i know. an interesting part of the night was when we were all on the rooftop. i was talking to DougLife when he proceeded to inform me that there was a man in the building next door who was walking around his apartment in speedo underwear. of course i immediately turned around to see. the guy was pretty physically fit but the black teeny-eeny-bikini underwear he had on, along w/his curly longish hair made him look like eurotrash gigolos. it also didn't help that he had a zebra-print rug on the floor of his apartment. since DougLife and i were so interested in the scene, soon the whole party had moved over to look into the guy's window. and the 1 of the very gay members of the party started to cat-call and soon we all were. o well, that's what you get for walking around you apartment in just your underwear and the window shades up.

once the party dwindled DougLife and i went to Bull McCabe's to have a few more drinks and do some more catching up. he's really moving forward in his life, but still the same old hilarious teddy bear he always was. seeing him and Pal really brought me back to those Pressler & Pressler and Hoboken days. we even called Bligh that night out of nostalgia.

sometimes, i really miss those days.

Tuesday, June 24

our own Hills cast

so at some point, on a night when DRC and i were recovering at Coleslaw's place, we stumbled upon the MTV Real World/Road Rules Award Show. totally hilarious. it was really all about showing the most memorable moments and then picking a favorite one. o, that and having all the old cast members get completely wasted. sigh, how i sometimes wish i had been able to be on Real World, although not any of the new casts b/c it's only about hooking up and getting wasted, but the old ones. they were the best. it wasn't like jerry-springer-reality-tv every episode. i think i'd wanna be on old Real World or else Inferno b/c that's the most exciting (someone always fights and gets kicked off & someone always goes to the hospital)-but let's be real, i wouldn't last 1 challenge on Inferno.

somehow in the midst of all this, we started talking about the Hills and we decided we could each be a character. writing this right now reminded me of when every woman and her clique of friends did the same thing w/Sex and the City. how times have changed. i can't remember who was who: i think i was Whitney or LC and Coleslaw was Lo but i remember DRC was not happy w/who we labeled her as. which probably means we said she was Audrina (for sticking w/a guy who's a total dick) or Heidi. i don't think it was Heidi (b/c she's my least favorite character) so let's go w/Audrina.

Thursday, June 12

if you love something, set it free...















my last duties as Co-Social Chair of APALSA was the Alumni Dinner. and luckily i didn't have to do much b/c the Alumni Chairs took care of most of it. the only thing i had to really plan or take care of was the after party at Floyd's. the set-up was long and tedious but once that was all taken care of and the dinner started i was completely free to do what i wanted and passed off all duties to the new e-board. so i proceeded to get rocked.

i was so excited to eat the food and hadn't really eaten anything that day so that i could eat all the food. i even got a mountainous plate. and then i got sidetracked somehow. don't ask me how, i can't remember. i don't know how time just flew by but it did and then i had to hurriedly go downstairs and change and head over to Floyd's to set-up the drink deal and tickets with the bartenders. and i ended up not eating any of my food. that just blows.
i remember the beginning of Floyd's. i remember saying "hi" to ppl and forgetting my wallet. yet somehow, i got more rocked as the night progressed. even tho i had no money. interesting. i'm sure there was a lot of generous drink-buying going on b/c i know i had a lot of jack and cokes. any pics taken at Floyd's on my camera are ones i have no memory of.

there was something that happened that night that i do remember tho. and good thing i did. ManEater was out at Floyd's and all the 2L APALSA guys were fawning over her and i noticed Crush hovering on the edges of that crowd of fawning boys. i happen to run into ManEater on the way to the bathroom and we have this convo where she reveals that she thinks Crush is really cute (naturally i agree) and i reveal i have a Crush on crush too. being younger than me ManEater immediately starts eating her words and backtracking but i assure her it's alright: after all, he's obviously like-able or else i wouldn't like him right? who wants a crush that when you tell ppl they give you that "blech" face? through some other weird twist of events i end up being at the bar standing next to Crush and we start chatting. i mention i noticed him noticing ManEater and (in a moment of complete selflessness) i reveal to him that ManEater's definitely interested and he should go over and talk to her. he's kinda shy and takes his time so i give him a few more pushes of encouragement and they're off! and they've been a couple since.
i guess the old adage is true: if you love something, set it free. if it comes back to you, it's yours. if it doesn't, then it never was. ok, so i do understand the logic behind the saying. but i'll admit this: whenever you do "set something free" you do so always hoping that they'll come back and it sucks when they don't.

Tuesday, June 10

hello jersey!

this NYT article caught my eye: it's all about rebutting the Asian-American concept of a Model Minority.

um, if only they'd read my seminar paper from undergrad. i wrote a whole paper on the topic! harumph, if only i'd submitted it to the NYTs. maybe i'd be published by now.

my favorite Oppa (ok, my only oppa-or at least the only guy i call oppa) just purchased his 1st apartment. congratulations! such an adult now; it's mind-boggling. b/c he's just so popular (and some inter-friends politics in additional the size of his apartment), he had to have multiple house-warming parties. i was invited to 1 of them and brought Coleslaw w/me to jersey city to see the new place. i have to give props to Coleslaw who was very gung-ho about going at 1st, then she found out it was in jersey. but like the classy person she is, she sucked it up and didn't back out (tho i wouldn't have blamed her).

we take the PATH train from WTC to the Exchange Place stop and head out. of course, i don't have directions to Oppa's place but i figure i'll just call him and he'll lead the way since he says it's not far from the station. however, why is it that boys always give directions by using terms like north, south, east, west? do i carry a compass on me? i don't think so. so then Oppa tries to tell me to go towards the water vs. away from the water etc. this is also no good. from now on, let's just use the name of the street and a well-known landmark like the Au Bon Pain or the diner/deli on the corner etc. please, for my benefit.

Oppa's place is pretty impressive. immediately i noticed the super high-tech elevator the building has. it announces the floor that you press and lets you know when you arrive. it also tells you it's leaving and what direction it's going in after you've exited it. thank you Ms. elevator. i like to keep up-to-date on these things. his apartment is set up super-bachelor-y which means ginormous flat screen TVs (1 in the living room and 1 in the bedroom). the view's pretty nice. it's got a washer and dryer in the apartment (which i am completely envious of-i would love to not have to lug around my giant laundry bag or make all those trips down to the basement or share and wait for machines). 1 of the best features of the building is the rooftop. they've got it done up snazzy (to the point that they're thinking of opening it up for commercial events): it's got a bar, a jacuzzi, outdoor showers; basically the works. Oppa is very correct that it is definitely a PD for guys: if you bring a girl up there her panties will most likely drop.

Coleslaw and i drank frequently and although there was no plans to stay over, that's what ended up happening. this probably wasn't the best idea b/c i had to wake up super early to meet my parents at 9 am in Chinatown. we only barely made it, and i still had to go home and shower and change. it was cute tho when we got off the PATH and my dad happened to call right at that moment. i told him we were in front of the WTC and he offered to pick us up and take us back to Feil.

i don't think any of my friends since college have really met my parents let alone had to be picked up by them in the car. it was very cute to see Coleslaw sitting in the back and i introduce her to my dad and she greets him w/a "nice to meet you Mr. Ma." i couldn't help but giggle.

Tuesday, June 3

beautiful days

it's the start of the summer weather, which (before this ginormous heatwave) was so pleasant and a welcomed change from the cold weather. in celebration of such, Egg and i went to the Brooklyn Bridge Park for a picnic w/some friends.

before i did that i had to stop and pick up my glasses from an apartment close to k-town (i'd left them there the previous weekend when me and the girls had gone over to hang out). i'd been suffering through the week because i couldn't see distances. while there, i stopped into Han Ah Reum, my favorite korean grocery store to pick up...the giantest combination of sashimi ever. it was so delicious. i didn't eat it until later that night for dinner.

Coleslaw and them had been at the park for at least 2 hrs before Egg and i got there but there was still plenty of hummus and crackers, cherries, pretzels and potato salad for us to snack on. Egg and i had stopped at the market in DUMBO and picked up a 6-pack of Kronenberg and some sliced pineapple (amongst my favorite fruits). the park was pretty crowded w/ppl playing frisbee and tossing the football but it was perfect weather and as always the view is beautiful.

afterwards we walked through DUMBO looking for a milkshake but Bubby's was closed and the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory had a line that was insanely long-and i mean insane. longer even than the lines i've seen for Pinkberry in the summer. we eventually sidled up to Montague Street and stopped into Haagen-Daz instead. i made the mistake of getting their soft-serve which was more the density of very frozen yogurt. not yummy.
it was a perfect comfortable summer lazy day that ended w/drinks at Brazen while DRC and Cubed watched the Pistons vs. Celtics game.