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.