GF Adventures

Wednesday
Went to Menlo Park to pick up a free 10 gallon aquarium from Craigslist, so I decided to head over to San Mateo afterward and grab dinner with Courtney after she got off work. Went to Joy Sushi and with all of the Yelp hype (700+ reviews and 4 stars), I was thoroughly unimpressed. The rolls are just drenched in their "Joy Special Sauce" which was almost like a sweat and sour sauce and was extremely overwhelming. It overpowered everything else in the roll. Afterward, we went to BJ's and got a Red Velvet Pizookie. Then we kind of drove around aimlessly trying to look for nice views in Hillsborough until Courtney had to go home.

Saturday
Courtney came to San Jose and we grabbed lunch at Mr. Pickle's in Los Gatos and enjoyed our sandwiches at Vasona Park. Then we decided to go paddle boating and it turned out to be a lot more strenuous than it looks. After, we grabbed some tacos at Dia de Pesca. Best fish taco I've had in San Jose, so far. And then we headed to Target Masters in Milpitas for Courtney's first time at a shooting range. It was a little more expensive (~$45 for 2 shooters, 1 pistol, 50 9mm rounds, 2 targets, ear and eye protection for 2) than the place I went to in SD, but still another really good experience. Then we rented No Strings Attached, made some pizza and chocolate fondue and just took it easy. The movie was surprisingly better than I thought it would be.

Weekend of Courtney

Thursday
I went out to San Mateo again to spend the day with Courtney. We headed into the city and went to the MOMA. It was kind of boring so we only spent about an hour there. The only exhibit that really caught my eye was a collection of photographs from Hurricane Katrina. The photographs were of graffiti and writing that people had written on houses, cars, etc immediately after the disaster. Some of it was pretty funny and some were really moving. Afterward we just walked around the Yerba Buena Gardens for awhile.

Afterward we grabbed sandwiches from the famous Ike's Place in the Castro district and had another picnic at Dolores Park a few blocks away. The sandwich was smaller and more expensive (~$10) than Little Lucca's, and the wait was kind of ridiculous. The Dutch Crunch also wasn't as good, but the sandwich was still really good regardless (especially the secret dirty sauce). Dolores Park has a beautiful view of the city and was a perfect place to picnic. It reminded me a lot of Kate Sessions Park in Pacific Beach.

Before we left the city we made a stop at Twin Peaks. It is an AMAZING view of the entire city and a must see if you are ever visiting San Francisco.

Then we grabbed some Jamba Juice and killed time at Barnes and Noble until we met up with Courtney's friend, Geoff, and his friend, Tori, for dinner at Ristorante Capellini in downtown San Mateo. It was a ritzier place than I was used to, but the food was alright.

And then we waited in line 2 hours to catch the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Midnight showing. It was well worth it. The movie was amazing and a great way to end the series.

Friday
Just went to the gym, ran some errands, and rode James's bike around until Courtney got off work and came to San Jose. We met up with Stephen and Ben at Elephant Bar for a late night Happy Hour. Then we stopped by VIP to wish Christian happy birthday at midnight.

Saturday
Went to Bill's Cafe in Willow Glen for brunch. The portions were really big and the food is good. Their Mimosas are also huge and served in a big goblet with an orange slice and strawberries.

Then we went to the Mountain View Obon festival with Stephen. It was a lot better than the downtown San Jose Obon. It wasn't as crowded and the overall festival just seemed a lot better organized and funded. The food was overpriced, as expected, and didn't seem that appetizing. The games section was pretty legit though. I won a goldfish by throwing a ping pong ball into a small fish bowl! So then we went to Petco to buy some goldfish food and water conditioner, and I set up my goldfish in a big glass bowl for the time being.

Then Courtney and I met up with my sister and cousin at Cooking Papa in Santa Clara for dinner. They probably have some of the best Taiwanese food in town. Its usually pretty packed though.

Then we met up with everyone at Andrew's house and pregamed before we all headed out to Studio 8 in downtown San Jose for Christian's birthday. We lagged as usually so we didn't make it in time for guestlist and had to pay the $20 cover. Which was really the only downside to the whole night. Hella people came out and everyone was at a really good level the whole night. I'd have to say the funnest time I've had clubbing in San Jose.

Sunday
Woke up hella late and just hung around the house being lazy and eating leftovers. Then we went to Petco so I could buy a 10 gallon tank for my new goldfish. Then we went to Pizza My Heart in Los Gatos and then Petsmart to buy another goldfish! Spent the rest of the day setting up my aquarium and acclimating the fish.

Recap of the Last Month of My Life

A lot has happened in the last month.

I graduated from UCSD. The entire family came down to SD and spent the weekend there, it was nice. Took them to Lolitta's, toured campus, Emerald, the cliffs, The Fish Market. Graduation itself was really fun. Saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in awhile, sat with some of my best friends, a bunch of beach balls went off, took a lot of pictures. Nice way to end things.

Then I spent about 3 weeks in SD finishing up my internship, moving out slowly, and just enjoying the last month of my life in SD before my lease expired.

Went to Vegas my last weekend in SoCal for EDC. Different than any Vegas trip because the only "Vegas" thing I did was get shitfaced at the TI pool on Friday. Went to EDC Sat and Sun. Kinda wish I had only went one day, but it was a lot of fun regardless. Amazing music and good company. Plus the venue was a lot bigger and better than the coliseum.

Then I moved back to Campbell. Since I've been back in the Bay I've went to Yard House twice, went to TempleSF, BBQ'd at the Vu's, went swimming, and worked out a shitload at Gold's.

Now I suppose its time to start looking for a job...

Two Years Later...

... and it's time to blog again.

Went to Hillsborough yesterday for the first time to visit Courtney.

We headed to the city and went to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park ($25 for student admission). Hands down the funnest thing I've ever done in the city. If you're ever there be sure to check out:
- the planetarium
- the living rain forest
- the penguin feeding
- the aquarium
- the albino alligator

There's a bunch of other shows, animals and exhibits to check out too. BTW, try to pack your own lunch. They don't check your bags on entry, and the Academy Cafe they have there is extremely overpriced (ex: $9 for 2 spring rolls, $6.50 for a hot dog).

Then we grabbed sandwiches from Little Lucca's in Burlingame (~$7 for a HUGE sandwich, we split one and could barely finish) and had a picnic at Central Park in San Mateo. Pending my visit to Ike's, this was the best sandwich I've ever had.

Then we got some Taiyaki from Sweet Breams in San Mateo ($5.50 for a dozen, each is about 1 bite) and watched Horrible Bosses. Sweet Breams was alright, worth checking out at least once just to say you've been. And Horrible Bosses was GREAT, one of the funniest movies I've seen in awhile. The entire theatre was cracking up the whole time. Go watch it.

Then I drove back to San Jose and met up with Stephen and Andy at Jay's house. Chilled on some beers and played some NBA 2k11.

All in all, the best day of summer by far. But plenty more of that to come!

Pictures coming soon.

Yelpbeast

Note to self: hit up these spots over the summer (no specific order)

* I'll cross shit out as I go along

- 99 Chicken (the biggest fried chicken I've ever had)
- House of Genji
- Iguana's Burritozilla (La Vics is better, O Sauce here sucks)
- Hukilau (L&L's is better, cheaper and closer)
- Pepper Lunch (good and cheap, but too far to frequent regularly)
- TGI Sushi
- Yuki Sushi
- Bill's Cafe
- Crawdaddy
- The Boiling Crab (better than Crab Hut, but pricey)
- Amato's Cheesesteaks
- Wingstop
- Kawa Sushi (if this place wasn't all the way in Santa Cruz then this would be my new sushi spot, love the rolls with macadamia nuts)
- A Slice of New York (quite possibly the best pizza ever)

oh yea btw i'm 20 now. shit.

i'll do an actual update later. PEACE

Say Hello to Spring

So I've decided I'm just going to update this shit randomly because its too hard trying to keep up with the happenings of my (boring) life. I always end up wanting to write everything down and that just takes up too much time and energy. Plus nobody reads this shit. But anyways, I've recently been realizing that there are many things I want in life right now (what coincidental timing)

heres a short list:

1) SUNGLASSES
So as the weather has gotten hotter, I've come to realize that walking around campus sunglasses-less is not going to work. The damn sun finds joy in blinding me everyday. Around the same time last year, I came to this very same decision. But for some reason I never ended up getting around to buying a pair and was somehow able to last through all of Spring and Summer. Anyways, the same pair of sunglasses is floating around in my head. Yes, generic ass Ray Ban Wayfarer 2132s. Yes the same pair that every hypebeast has turned into prescription glasses. Yes the same pair that every vendor has turned into a doodoo $10 knockoff.Also I wouldn't mind a pair of Oakley Frogskins. These are a little less hype, but basically look the same (maybe even cleaner, if anything). They are somewhat limited though so finding a pair would probably be harder.The next best thing would be Oakley Jupiters. A more complex and intricate looking version of this style. But it might be a little too Oakley Bro-ish for me. I have yet to try on either pair of Oakley's so we'll see. If anything I'll probably just bitch out again this year and go sunglass-less for the rest of my life.


2) WATCH
I've always wanted a watch but I've always been too selfconscience of bringing attention to my akwardly small wrists and hands (hey, fuck you). Oh well, time to get over that and get a pimpin watch. Can anyone say white Casio G-Shock G-lide? Yes another hipster accessory to add to this damn list. Oh well, I'm a hypebeast at heart.
3) GPS
Since I'm finally getting a new car soon. I've decided that I need a GPS. And since 2002 WRXs don't come with built in GPS, I'll just get an aftermarket one. The Garmin Nuvi 260 seems to be the cheapest one with all of the features I want (mainly Text-to-Speech aka actually says street names).Ok well hopefully I didn't sound like some materialistic douchebag throughout this blog, and hopefully I didn't come off as implying that people should buy me this shit for my birthday. Because you shouldn't, you should just give me money and I'll buy this shit myself. KIDDDINGGG. iono think whatever of this list, I just felt like making it. Enjoy

818's and Heartbreaks

This post should be epic...

in length.

So I'm sitting here on my last night of Spring Break contemplating the ridiculousness that has ensued in the last 10 days. It has basically been a downhill ride the whole time. Lets recap.

The Good

I watched Domino on the plane to San Jose. Its a pretty obscure movie based on the true story of Domino Harvey, introverted Hollywood heiress turned bounty hunter, and her exploits in the LA crime world. Keira Nightly plays Domino, Micky Rourke plays her boss Ed Moseby and Lucy Lui plays FBI agent Taryn Mills. The movie progresses through flashback sequences and interviews between Domino and Taryn. It could use a little more action, but the story is told well and it ceased to surprise me. This is a movie that you could watch a bunch of times and figure out new things each time. Definitly check it out if you get a chance.
Kelly stayed with me the first weekend back. So that basically meant excessive amounts of eating out, exploring and lounging around: my favorite things in life :) And of course, here are some pictures entailing my food escapades.

Kahoo Ramen in San Jose was our first stop. It wasn't as good as I expected. The spot was tiny and the ramen was spicier than I had liked, but it was good nonetheless. I still prefer Tajima's in Kearny Mesa.Tartini in Cupertino has decent froyo, but the crepes are amazing.

Sushi o Sushi in Santa Clara is our standard sushi spot. Expensive but fuckin baller.

The Red Crane in Cupertino was probably the most expensive meal I've ever paid for, but also one of the best. Asian fusion at its finest.
We also got a chance to check out He's Just Not That Into You. After all the hype about this movie, it didn't impress me TOO much. Don't get me wrong, its still a good movie and its definitly not the typical chick flick. It centers around real life dating situations between different characters who are all connected in one way or another. Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson and Ben Affleck star as a few of the intertwined characters. The ideas that the movie tries to parlay are definitly realistic and different from typical "happy ending" date movies, but it was just too long for my liking (2 hr 9 min). I'd say rent it if you and the ladyfriend are trying to stay in for the night.
Ok and then after Kelly left, I spent the majority of the next few days working on my resume and attempting, to no avail, to find a summer internship in the Silicon Valley. So if anyones got the hookup then HOLLA ACTHA BOYYYY

On Wednesday Will came up from LA so we met up with a few of the Bay Area heads and showed Will around San Jose. Took him to Smoke Eaters (aka University of Chicken, aka Cluck You's) in Santa Clara. I felt hella bad because I told him to get Traditional Death Wings (3rd spiciest) and he was dying trying to finish all 15 of them ahhaha. After that we chilled at Valley Fair and got some Red Mango, which is officially my favorite froyo spot. Then we lived the true San Jose life and kicked it at Tapioca Express and later that night, at Starbucks. Next we went to Hot Pot City in Milpitas for some late night all you can eat hot pot. And as usual, we got too greedy and over-ate and all had MSG induced food comas and stomach aches. Will, Scott and Eric all ended up spending the night and the next day we went to Falafel's Drive In in Santa Clara for lunch (They were on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network). Its the best Middle Eastern food in town and they have a bombass banana shake. And finally, we went to the aforementioned Tartini to get the now famous crepe. After that I split from the guys as they went to stay at Scotts place in Oakley.

I noticed a lot of change in San Jose this most recent trip back home. Its subtle, but its definitly there. Everyone seems to have new crowds. Everyone seems to be utterly sick of being stuck in San Jose. Everyone seems to be quitting bad habits and picking up better ones. Everyone seems to be maturing. Its refreshing to not only see everyone again, but also to see everyone progressing and moving in a positive direction. I wish I had spent more of my Spring Break in San Jose.

The Bad

On Friday, I drove down to LA with Ku and Brian. Things were fine until we passed Pasadena around 3pm. We got stuck in the worst traffic of my life. We stayed on the 5 for an hour and barely moved anywhere so we decided to take local. We ended up driving through East LA, the most Mexican neighborhood I have ever seen (and I've been to Tijuana twice in my life). What should have been a 6 hour drive ended up turning into a 9 hour drive through cholo infested waters. We should have taken it as a sign of bad things to come.

*This part belongs in The Good but then it would ruin the chonological order of the blog, oh well.

We stopped off in West Covina to visit Joyce's new house/mansion and went to Stephanie's birthday dinner at Macaroni Grill in City of Industry.Then we went to Room 302 in Diamond Bar and had the best shaved ice I've ever had.

*Alright back to The Bad

So the main reason we all came down to SoCal early was to meet up with Mel and go to Paid Dues in San Bernadino. However, Friday night we all realized that due to bad planning and communication, none of us really wanted to go to the conert. We had all thought the others had wanted to go and nobody spoke up, so in the end we were stuck with 4 tickets that we didn't want. So I made a craigslist posting on friday night and by saturday at 8am our phones started going off. We were able to sell our first ticket at full price ($55) easily to some guy in Irvine. However, the rest of the day was spent haggling and negotiating with unreliable people all the way from Santa Clarita to San Marcos. We eventually had to settle with selling 2 tickets for $30 each to a girl in West Covina after we were flaked on, ignored and led on by everyone else. And in the end, after countless text messages, phone calls and miles driven around LA county, we were unable to sell our last ticket. We initially paid $220 for the 4 tickets and ended up earning only $115 in reselling, resulting in a $105 loss between the 4 of us. It was one of the most mentally straining days of my life, you just had to be there to really understand the ridiculousness that went on from 8am to 6pm.

We met up with Joyce after and she attempting to salvage our terrible day by taking us to 21 Choices in Clairemont and La Villa Kitchen in San Dimas.Afterwards she took us to a Color Guard competition that her old high school was participating in. I'm not guna lie, Color Guard was actually pretty fun to watch. Some of the shit they were doing was actually pretty amazing. Its just one of those things that you don't think is cool until you witness it in person.

We ended up driving back to SD that night and arriving around 3am

The Ugly

We got robbed.

Over Spring Break someone broke into our apartment somehow and stole hella shit. Luckily, we had locked the TV, PS3 and XBOX 360 in Scott's room. But they took all 4 of the PS3 controllers, an XBOX 360 controller, about 30 movies and like 10 games that were in the living room. Roughly estimating, we lost over $1000 worth of shit, most of which was Scott's (about 90%).

After Friday and Saturday, I wasn't ready to call this the worst weekend ever, but after coming home on Sunday to find out our shit had been stolen, I think I can safely say that this was the worst weekend of my life.

Lets try to brighten things up with the beautiful girlfriend....

pumping gas.