Happy New Year from "KrooPa"

VEGAS!!! =)

Have a great time in Vegas everyone!! =) Have a few drinks for me ;).

thinking about the spa in vegas... =)

spa services at the platinum hotel...

spa prices at the platinum hotel...

there also seems to be a fitness center, indoor & outdoor pool and every suite looks to have a living room, bedroom and kitchen area - seems like it will certainly be different from our previous vegas trips! i guess the "downside" is that it doesn't lead us directly onto the strip...but i guess all that walking should benefit us won't it? =)

Lunch on Thursday 12/27?

hello!

since tara is only here until january 2nd and we'll be gone starting the 28th, maybe we could have a lunch get together thursday?

just a thought is all...reply if good or no good. =)

Photos =)

Here are finally the pictures from Kressler's birthday dinner and the 2 group photos from Christmas. Someone with a good knack for photo fixing can work on taking out the tv ;).



http://picasaweb.google.com/lmouri/KressSBDayDinner121607
http://picasaweb.google.com/lmouri/Christmas2007/photo#5146979093091415746

Original You Tube Plans Foiled!

So, I was hoping I could upload that infamous Vegas video from '06 (hump the wall, hump the wall!), but I cannot find it on my computer. I'm hoping its on a cd-rom somewhere in my Boston apartment. But in my search, I did find the following gem on my computer:

REMINDER: Secret Santa Par-tay! =)

MOKROOPAL CHRISTMAS PARTY & GIFT EXCHANGE:

• Location & Time: Lisa's apt on Friday 12/21 @ 6pm

• Gifts = $40 or less

• Dinner = Macaroni Grill [Lasagna, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Penne Rustica, garden salad) [If you haven't done so already, give $20 to Lisa for the food] **I'll be picking up food at 5:40, so if you're very late, the food will be very cold ;)
  

• Additional Items:
• Caesar salad (lisa)
• cheesecake (lisa)
• wine/pomegranate martinis (lisa)
  
• veggies & dip (kressler)
• chips & salsa/dip (kressler)

• Others might want to bring non-alcohol & alcoholic drinks, ice, etc. or other food you may want to eat. =)

• Activities = bring anything you think might liven up our party. wii is welcome; kressler may be napping throughout the night...apologies if that does happen.
  

• Clothing Attire = PAJAMAS! Opening presents in pajamas is so much more awesome than in regular clothes
  

See you all there tomorrow...relatively on time. =) Oh and kim, if you read this...i'll try to leave school early (meaning 3pm or before) - then going to the store and then home so we were thinking of leaving for lisa's around 4ish - let me know if you want to ride with us. rodel doesn't have work and i don't know if you do on saturday - talk to me tomorrow. =)

Can't Wait...

to be back in SoCal!

Ebay Goodness

I just put my action figure on ebay and it's already at $392. Oh man.... 9 days, 19 hours to go.....

Um... $586.69...

Ebay Page

Thank you!!

Thanks to everyone for celebrating my birthday with me tonight! The food & drinks were great but the friends were even better! =)

Webster's dictionary officially named "w00t" as 2007 word of the year & that is what comes to mind when i think of all of you. see you all friday, ready to party again...in pajamas. =)

Reservations @ 6pm - DON'T BE LATE!!

i called for reservations for 10 people (me, rodel, kim, lisa, matt, albert, patrick, martyn, craig, justin) for 6:00pm - we can't be late!! everyone in the party must be there & they have a 15 min. grace period so if you're not there then we lose our table. =( arrive by 5:45 to be safe!

the restaurant's cross streets are beach & warner - park behind the restaurant (by bally's) or in the parking structure. see you all then!

Gyu-Kaku
7862 Warner Ave., #109
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Birthday Dinner, Sunday 12/16 @ 6:00pm

hello hello!

having a birthday dinner at Gyu-kaku (japanese bbq) in hungtington beach at 6:00pm!! Here's a link to their menu.. =) i have to teach the next day (and the rest of that week) so no late night partying!

food that looks interesting to me is: kalbi soup, spicy tuna avocado salad, enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon, chilean sea bass, kobe trio, kalbi short rib, yakimochi ice cream, green tea azuki ice cream

could everyone please comment to let us know how many people will be there? i want to make reservations & everyone needs to be there on time before they will seat us...i will let you know our exact reservation time once i get the total # of people

oh, and could everyone have their money for secret santa dinner & for martyn/craig's gifts on that day too ($30)? this way the people paying can have their money ahead of time. uhm, patrick's in charge of martyn/craig gifts ($10)...lisa in charge of food for macaroni grill ($20). =)

i want this!! =)

it's a TURTLE backpack/gym bag!! =)

Platinum photos

if you haven't clicked on the room views and stuff i got the link right here for ya

Click here

during my downtimes, i found this video amusing

Being sick=No fun :(

Sucks to be sick *cough cough* :(

But I did get to watch Transformers HD for the 5th time. I don't know what it is about that movie, I just can't get bored of it.

Sucks +1 is that my 360 died too. Microsoft.... you SUCK!

Oh... this looks like fun... but it might just be me.

Sculptorades

Time and Post wait for no man....

First things First...

Happy Birthday Kim! WOoh! Yah! wOOt wOOT!

I really ought to keep track of the days better =) I'm usually a day or two off these days. Hopefully you were able to partake in some festivities, though I know you are head high in things to do. I will crack open a bottle of wine this weekend in your honor me thinks.

So onto some other things...

Time is passing by quickly and finals are fast approaching for me so I've been pretty busy as well. I hope all of your Christmas shopping is going well. So that brings me to this... whoever is my secret santa... I hope you read the blog... please get in touch with my friend David so as to minimize the risk of me getting the same gift twice. You can contact him at (you're going to have to figure this one out) ...

A total of eight characters...

The first four consists of the common nickname for people named David...

Followed by the two letter chemical symbol on the periodic table that denotes the element Gold... (hint: it doesn't start with a g)

Followed by this pair of numbers that when you multiply them you get 16... when you divide the first number by the second number you get 4....

So all those things, with no spaces, should go to a high temperature mail service which I happen to use myself.

I hope that's enough for you to figure it out, and please don't reveal your identity by asking for further clarification =)

I'll see you soon. I'll be back in town on the 16th. Just in time for another mokroopal birthday.

happy birthday kimmy!!

1/4 of a century...you're our favorite "quarter" so far! =)

random things to say

did you know that splash cafe now sells their famous clam chowder frozen...at costco?? i saw it at the cypress one although i don't know if they all have it.

and, i also saw the return of mochi ice cream to costco as well.

i miss the shu mai they sold...now it's only gyoza.

oh, and since martyn and craig are joining us this year for xmas, we decided that in addition to mac. grill food we'd order pizza to accomodate more stomachs to feed.

hope you're all doing well!! =)

p.s. kim-return to ca so you can eat boiling crab with me!! and maybe bo 7 mon...and korean bbq! =) i guess i'm feeling hungry tonight :P

Short Notice...

If any of you happen to read this... Would you care to hang out later tonight? This will be the last day I'm in town since I'll be heading out tomorrow morning.

Justin's List

Lisa, you're not the last one... and I'm sorry to who has to shop for me. I've been quite busy as of late. This is what I've been doing for the past few months.

Samus Action Figure

But now that its done, I can relax a bit (a day) until I start my next figure.

... not sure what I want. But here a small list to start off.

Wii Stuff:
Wii Points Cards

XBox 360 Stuff:
XBox Live Marketplace Points

Stores:
Gamestop/EBGames
ToysRUs
Fry's
Target

Oh... who is:
The Taco?
Soybean?
the awesome?

Lisa's List =)

I know, I know...I'm the last lame-o who hasn't posted her Christmas wish list yet. I'm sure whichever one of you goobers has me is patiently waiting the arrival of the list...haha =)...well...

...here it is =)

* Grey's Anatomy Season 3
* Anne of Green Gables on DVD or any not on this list
* cool travel books =)
* cool California hiking books (preferably in So. Cal)
* queen size bed sheets
* Scrabble, Jenga, Pictionary
* Favorite stores/food: Target, Starbucks, REI, H&M, Old Navy, New York & Co, Victoria's Secret, Borders, Trader Joe's, Albertsons, Panera, Corner Bakery, Del Taco
* Favorite drinks: Lindeman's Framboise, Riesling (or any light bodied fruity/sweet wine), green tea, water =)

Kressler's Birthday Plans =)

Hello!!

I've decided to have my birthday dinner Sunday night 12/16 @ 6:00pm (cuz i think rodel works saturday night & kim comes in late saturday night as well).

The restaurant is Gyu-Kaku - a new place to try (in huntington beach)! only rodel has been there before but he says it's yummy! =)

Kim's Wishlist 2007 updated 11-23-2007

Ok, off the cuff:

Books:
Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas by Chuck Klosterman
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2008 Deluxe Lab-coat Pocket Edition: Deluxe Lab-coat Pocket Edition (Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia) (Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia) by Tarascon Pub.

Grill Pan

Scene It: Deluxe Friends Edition DVD

DVDs (widescreen pref.):
Hairspray
Reign Over Me
Buffy Season 2
Lost Season 3
Lois and Clark Season 4
In Her Shoes

Wii Games:
Trauma Center (New Blood or Second Opinion)
Cooking Mama
Wario Ware Smooth Moves

Size: Xs-S
Favorite Color: Pink

Stores I Like:
Target
Express
H & M
Macy's
Nordstrom
Urban Outfitters
Antrhopologie
Borders
Barnes & Nobles
Sephora
C O Bigelow
Starbucks
Best Buy

Lish Wist!

Music
-Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Self-titled CD.
-Ratatat: Classics & Remixes 1 & 2. Thanks Sis! Only two left! Seriously, Classics is good.
- Daft Punk - Discovery

Technology
-Smart Surge Protector
-Microsoft Ergonomic 4000 Keyboard Now my computer matches. Thanks David =)

Food & Cooking
-Corelle Dinnerware
Specifically: 2 Dessert Bowls, 1 Soup/Cereal Bowl, 2 Bread and Butter Plates, and 1 Salad Plate

Kyocera Kitchenware
-Black Adjustable Mandolin Slicer
-Ceramic Peeler (Adjustable preferred, although standard is fine too)

-Kom Kom Miracle Zig-Zag, Multi Purpose Kitchen Utensil

-Matching Salt Shaker and Pepper Grinder

Nintendo Stuff
-Contra 4 (DS) Thanks again Dave. Unbelievably awesome game.
-Flash Focus (DS) Good times.
-Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii) Thanks Justin!

Gift Cards
-Trader Joe's

Over Budget!
-Unlocked Motorola W175/180 (850/1900 GSM) Phone
-Gigabyte 7600GS 256mb AGP Video Card/Fanless I'm my own Santa!
-Fisheye 2 It wasn't on this year's list but I'm glad I received one anyway =)


Shirt Size - Small to Medium
Favorite Color - Green

Craig & Marty

They will both be in town during this time.. so maybe we can all pitch in a tiny bit to get them something as well?

Tara's Wish List updated 11/21/2007

DVDs
Animaniacs - Vol. 1, 2, or 3
Batman - The Animated Series - Vol. 1, 2, 3, or 4
Hot Fuzz
300
Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie collection (Widescreen Edition)
Pan's Labyrinth
Paheli
Alien Quadrilogy
2046 (A Wong Kar Wai film)
The House on Haunted Hill(1959) with Vincent Price and commentary by Michael J. Nelson

Books
The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson

Kitchen
OXO Good Grips 4" Pizza Wheel
OXO Good Grips Ice Cream Scoop
OXO Good Grips Melon Baller
OXO Good Grips Peeler
Grapefruit spoons

Clothing
Trogdor Polo (ladies medium)

Little Knick Knacks
Buttons from Prickie (www.prickie.com)
DS Lite Compact Pouch (Light Blue)
Snooz sleep mask
Stacks and Stacks Short Jewelry case
Hello Kitty Soft Contact Lens Case
Pankunchi bread plushie

Gift certificates
iTunes
Victoria's Secret
Sur la table
Half Price Books
REI
Cost Plus World Market
Trader Joe's

Over-budget
Badtz-Maru Bass Guitar

the KRESSLER birthday/xmas wishlist - updated 12.01.07

this birthday/xmas list shall evolve over time...

the favorite MUSIC/DVD's

• John Mayer - Continuum (Special Edition - just released 11/19 with live tracks)
• The Hives - Black & White Album
• Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
• Jude - Redemption
• The Section Quartet - Fuzzbox, No Electricity Required or any of the string quartet tributes to John Mayer, Maroon5, Coldplay, The Beatles, Incubus, U2, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Snow Patrol

• The Office (US version - all seasons) SEASON 3!
  
• Seinfeld (Seasons 8&9)
• Scrubs (Seasons 2, 3, 5 & 6)
• ER (Seasons 1-6)
• The Cosby Show (seasons 3-6)
• Lost (season 3)
• My So-Called Life (complete series - just re-released)
• CNN: Planet in Peril
• Waitress
• Ocean's 13
• The Bourne Ultimatum
• Beverly Hills 90210 (season 3)
  

the favorite PLACES:

• Target
• H & M
• Victoria's Secret
• NY & Co
• Borders
• Barnes & Noble
• Amazon.com
• the Movies (AMC or Krikorian)
• the Spa (SpaFinder, Pacific Waters or The Spa & Fitness Club)
• Membership to Aquarium of the Pacific (i love marine life!)
• Seaworld tickets =)
• Restaurants (Chili's, Macaroni Grill, BJ's, TGI Friday's)
  

the favorite STUFF:

• Wildlife Adoption (save sea turtles, penguins, polar bears, pandas, beluga whales, etc. - if you donate money, you'll get a cute plush!)
• Black picture frames (singles or collage in 4x6)
• Dr. Bunsen Honeydew Plush (already have beaker - must have bunsen!)
• Little Thinkers - Darwin or Buddha
  
• Giant Microbes (red blood cell, white blood cell, brain cell, fat cell, T4 bacteriophage, chickenpox, herpes, staph, chlamydia, MRSA)
• Sleep mask like this one or this one (stealing from Tara's list - something made of nice material but lightweight)
• Sony Cybershot DSCW80 (in black or silver)
• Down comforter - full or queen size in the lavender color range [i want to fully immerse myself in a blanket even though i still sleep in a twin bed...hehe]
  
• This Diesel watch
• This Casio watch
• These Fossil Watches: one, two, three
  
• Portable Auto GPS (although not very high on my wishlist, it would probably ease my mind when traveling)
• My Sims for Wii (not a top priority...just one of things i want to play on a rainy day)
  

the favorite ATTIRE:
Size = L/XL (size M for regular t-shirts)
Favorite colors = lavender, turquoise

• Threadless shirts (girly XL): one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
  
• Noisebot.com sweatshirts or totebags: one, two, three
• This t-shirt from ThinkGeek
• Pajamas (non-flannel please!)
• Soft sweaters (v-neck, cowlneck or button/wrap)
• Scarves

the real "WISH" list:

• a trip to hawaii or new york (hehe)
• a cruise to alaska
• my prius being paid off
• THE winning lottery ticket
• front row john mayer concert tickets [for the rest of my life] =)
  

i have announcements!!

1) Happy 10 year anniversary to my hunny...love you, love you! a decade of love?? i'm as happy now with you as when you first held my hand. =)

2) For the rest of you who don't want to read any more lovey dovey sentiments, i just sent out the secret santa assignments. please let me know if you didn't get one or if you got yourself (which hopefully didn't happen - since this is the point of doing secret santa online). for anyone who didn't get their assignment, just send me a message and i will re-send the email. i've already checked my email & got the assignment twice.

3) Get your wishlist up! gold stars awarded to rodel & patrick...the rest of us need to get with the program. =)


*hope you all had a lovely weekend...rodel & i had a great one. the best part was 500 count sheets in a king size bed - they were so soft & heavenly! oh, and spending time with the boyfriend - that was good too. =)

Wish list

Here's my wishlist for the exchange :)

Socks (black / white)
Heroes Season 1

Stores:
iTunes
Target
Food places

Thats... it :)

Rodel's Chistmas Wishlist, I'm first

Wishlist
Clock Radio that wakes me up
Any Board Game on this website except Taboo, Mad Gab,Dirty Minds, Battle of the Sexes, & Cranium
Any Chappelle Show, Season or Best Of...DVD
Any "Who's Line Is it Anyway" Season DVD
Funny T-shirts if you type "funny t-shirts" in google. Size Medium
Any Married with Children Seasons
Pirates of the Caribbean 3
Anything on my own blog =p

I want this LENS BAD..
Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S DX Lens


Stores
H & M
American Eagle
Best Buy
Newegg.com
Calumetphoto.com
Bhphotovideo.com
bn.com - Barnes and Noble

Secret Santa Gift Exchange - UPDATE!!

hello everyone!! i have been very tired and busy as of late, BUT i just sent out the secret gift exchange emails. please check your emails to see that you did receive it - register for the site. Once everyone's name is in, i will have the site generate the secret santa assignments & send you the name of the person you need to buy the gift for in an email.

Rather than have people make lists on the that website, post your lists to the blog!! Everyone should be able to post on it now (justin will as soon as he signs up for it). POST YOUR WISHLIST BY THANKSGIVING!! Why so early? Holiday shopping officially starts the day after, "Black Friday." Just trying to give everyone a chance to get a good deal! =) BTW - big lists are better than tiny ones...so we have lots of gift possibilities =)

MOKROOPAL CHRISTMAS PARTY & GIFT EXCHANGE:

• Location & Time: Lisa's apt on Friday 12/21 @ 6pm

• Gifts = $40 or less

• Dinner = Macaroni Grill [Lasagna & Pasta Milano!! Give $20 to Lisa (assuming she picks up the food)]; bring any other food/drink you'd like to have [pre-dinner snacks, vegetable sides & post-dinner goodies might be a good idea]...kressler might drink this time! maybe.

• Activities = bring anything you think might liven up our party. wii is welcome.

• Clothing Attire = i know we didn't really discuss this but i'll probably be feelin' lazy that night so i say PAJAMAS! plus, for some reason opening presents in pajamas seems more "christmas-ee" than in regular clothes. =)

**start making those lists everyone!! ooh, FYI - kressler's birthday shall be celebrated on Saturday 12/15...location TBA. i'll try to post my own birthday/xmas list as soon as i think of stuff that i actually want.

Dogs!

Just wanted to post this fun video up.

Retirement

Since I'm here I will contribute.

I am going through a very new experience... I'm happy and nostalgic at the same time. My recent purchase of a white Nintendo DS Lite has made me a satisfied consumer. Brighter screen levels, thicker stylus, smooth sleek casing - what more could I want? But, in with the new also means out with the old.

The box for my original DS sat in my drawer for several years now. After I removed the Donkey Kong Country 2 cartridge from the Game Boy Advance slot all that was left was to compile all the remaining accessories and pack it all up. Extra battery, connection cable, car charger, game ring, head phones...these all came with the accessory pack I purchased from Costco. None of these things will work with my new DS Lite so I suppose it only makes sense to pack them up with the original DS. Ah, there's also the extra stylus and Metroid Prime Hunters Demo. Those things came with the original DS, of course. Funny how I've been able to hold onto those things after all this time.

I remember when I first purchased the original DS. I was at the Universal City Walk during the week of its first release. From what I heard, the product was flying off the shelves and supply failed to meet demand. On a whim, I walked into the GameStop and asked if they had one. I think I was lucky that night because the store had only one or two in stock left. When I delicately removed the original from the box, it was love at first sight. I delighted when it asked me my favorite color and my birthday.

The original DS was also present during the Mokroopal trip to San Francisco. Kim spent a good chunk of time playing the Hammer Throw game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_throw). Pat purchased one for himself and Pictochatted with mine. Those were some good times.

As I slid the DS into the plastic bag and into the box, I made sure the serial number showed through properly. I don't know what the future holds for it, but I hope it will bring happiness for someone else just as it did for me.

Clicky on the photos to view Halloween Pics from Patrick's

Halloween Party @ Pat's

LOL

who is soybean?

be safe patrick!

the house is evacuating because of the "irvine" fire by the 241 off of portola. we all hope you are safe patrick & everyone in the house too!

albert...

does tara want to be in the secret santa pool? so far i have the regular six + justin. please let me know...and if yes, i need her email please!

MSN Money's Post on Tipping

Click here

interesting article...

Late night fligt.. is that alright?

So Tara's flight is actually arriving on the 21st at 10:35PM at John Wayne. By the time I pick her up and get back, it would probably be about 11. So yes, she can make it.

The next time I'll be back is Thanksgiving weekend so we should definitely make plans to hang out at least once.

Sorry, I didn't reply sooner, I've just been busy with school and work lately. I'm guessing it's the same way with the rest of you?

Kressler- Hows school going? Is the decathlon training going well? Still enjoying your new car?

Pat - Haven't heard from you in a while... I'll probably give you a call sometime soon and see how you're doing. Hopefully everything is going well at the house and your work isn't giving you much of a headache.

Rodel - How are classes going? How is work? Tennis? Take any interesting pictures lately?

Kim - How are things in Bostonia? I hope it's not too cold up there. How are studies going? Learn anything new and mind boggling? Hows Phil?

Lisa - How are the kids this year? Hopefully you're not staying up too late grading. Hows matt? Listen to any good music lately?

christmas before halloween??

ok, so i know halloween is in about two weeks and i'm already talking about christmas! just deal with it. =)

Here's the basics:

Mokroopal Secret Santa @ Lisa's Apt.
Friday, December 21st @ 6:00pm
Gift Limit: $40.00

Food: Macaroni Grill!! We are going to order a tray of lasagna & pasta milano - each person chips in $20.00 (no cooking this year!)
** if you want to bring additional food such as munchies before dinner or desserts for after, then we'll start a list later on...

Secret Santa: i think i found a pretty good website that will draw names for us & will send out questions about what you want. Then when you reply back, the website sends it to your secret santa - this means reply back promptly to give your secret santa enough time to shop!!

we've asked justin to come to xmas & he said he wanted to be in the secret santa. albert, please ask tara if she would like to be in it and if matt is here for the party, then lisa please ask him as well =)

we'll post more as we approach november & december... =)

Mokroopal Christmas Secret Santa

December 21.

oh the irony...

so i was reading old blogs tonight and look what i found in patrick's...

Thursday, July 14, 2005

I quit!

Yes, I did it. I quit wow. No more of that game! 10 epics, /played = 58.. yeah, if you know what I mean. Good riddance.


we miss ya patrick. =)

albert read your email...reply.

Cherry's Birthday

Pablo Francisco at the Irvine Improv

Oh my god, lets go. Friday, November 2.


Pablo Francisco

sighs

i wish i was still on vacation!

I Deliver...

The pictures can be found here at:

My Vacation Photos

You can click on slideshow mode if you wish.


My next post will be about all the nifty things I learned while on the trip. =)

Mini Vacation!

So starting on Sep. 1st, Tara and I went on a mini-vacation to different places in Northern California. I'm just going to post what we did for now and I'll put up a link to some pictures later =)

Sep. 1st - Day one - Went hiking in Big Basin, just 45 minutes north of Santa Cruz. We decided to take the trail to Buzzard's Roost. It's a gain of 1,100 feet in elevation over a 2.5 mile distance (so 5 miles total which took about 3.5 hours). Learned quite a bit from the first hike =)

Day Two - Hiking at Henry Cowell State park just north of UCSC, maybe 20 minutes away from my apartment? The park provides a lot of diversity over a short distance. A river, redwoods, streams, bridges, viewpoints, and even a sandy trail (the summit was a beach probably millions of years ago). It was only an 800 foot elevation change to reach the top. 4-5 miles and roughly 3 hours later we were back and right as the sun was setting ^_^

Day 3 - Labor Day - Spent the day lounging around in Santa Cruz, watched the sun set at the beach. Packed and Prepared for our next day's trip to Big Sur!

Day 4 - Big Sur, probably one of the most beautiful places in the world is 1.5 hours away from me. So the first stop was Andrew Molera state park in Big Sur. A 9 mile hike (1,100 ft. elev. change, I know, I'm a sucker for pain) that starts off along the beach and has you traveling along bluffs and hills and gives you a full panoramic view of the ocean for a good chunk of the trip. Retired to our lodge after a tiring day.

Day 5 - Another day in Big Sur, we went to Pfieffer State Park and hiked the Pfieffer Falls trail and Valley View trail. It was pretty short, maybe an hour? Afterwards we headed to Pfieffer beach around noon, quite a relaxing and interesting place. After resting up a bit we did probably the toughest but most rewarding hike of the week, Ewoldsen Trail at the Julia Pfieffer Burns state park. Roughly 5 miles and a rise of 1600 feet with a path that could be both tricky and intimidating. It was worth it though, probably my favorite trail at Big Sur thus far. Afterwards, we took the McWay Falls trail (not even a mile long) which leads to the ocean and is a hallmark of Big Sur. That same day we drove to Carmel and did 17-mile drive which is where Pebble beach is located and ate at perhaps the best italian restaurant I've ever been to. After stopping in Santa Cruz briefly, we headed to Berkeley. Totally insane.

Day 6 - We went to Sonoma for wine tasting. The three wineries were Sebastiani, Ravenswood, and Gloria Ferrer. I ended up getting a bottle of Russian River Valley unoaked chardonnay from sebastiani, 3 bottles of muscato as well as a bottle of Gewurztraminer from ravenswood. Sadly, for some reason I couldn't find a red that I liked and I started to have trouble distinguishing one red from another. They certainly don't hold back when it comes to tasting at Ravenswood. Gloria Ferrer specializes in sparkling wines, although I can't say I was too fond of it but I don't think I was able to fully appreciate it at that point in time.

Day 7 - We went to THE ROCK! (Alcatraz) Afterwards we headed to the Presidio and the Exploratorium. Kressler (and the rest of you too), next time you're in the bay area, you must absolutely go to the Exploratorium. It's the a wonderful marriage of fun and science. I wish I had more time there. After that we headed back to Santa Cruz that night.

Day 8 - Got certified for First-Aid and CPR by the Red Cross. Woot! (Yes, definitely a part of the vacation, in fact, it's one of the highlights) =P

That pretty much sums up what took place. I'll use another post to elaborate on some nifty things I learned on the vacation and hopefully post up the pictures.

San Diego Wild Animal Park 8.23.07

ninja restaurant, nyc

http://www.ninjanewyork.com/index.html

if we ever go to ny, here's the ninja restaurant i think patrick was referring to...unless there's a different one! =)

LIsa's Hawaii photos =)

Ok...I rearranged some photos, took some out, added the rest of the trip, so now there are two albums for Hawaii on my web album. If you're interested, they're linked here =) Warning: there are a lot, so only puruse them if you're uber bored =).

Hawaii - Days 1-6...Oahu, Hilo, Maui, Kona
Hawaii - Days 7-12...Kauai, Oahu

118 vermin violations at angel stadium!!

before you eat that hot dog or drink that beer at the game, read this article!!

Rats a problem at Angel Stadium

some fall concerts....

8/28 tuesday = jude @ largo

9/15 saturday = guster @ avalon

11/3 saturday = matt nathanson @ troubadour

11/8 thursday = maroon 5 (the hives & phantom planet) @ staples center---already have tickets! =)


is anyone else craving some good gavin/tolcher/howie music?

dinner before angels game!

to lisa & kim:

dinner at TGI Friday's at the block @ 5pm...that way we can just all take one car to the stadium.

fyi: tickets were $30...sorry so pricey but it was the best i could get on short notice =)

hanging out?

i know we're having spa day this sunday but rodel's going to blizz con. friday & saturday....so if anyone wants to hang out or do something, let me know!! otherwise, sunday spa it is...oh, and are we eating at the hotel before hand? if we do, i say we go early to make sure we digest before we spa... =)

here's the schedule:

For spa day: Sunday August 5th
Kim = sea lavender massage (50 min) + mediterranean fig body buff (50 min)
Lisa = sea lavender massage (50 min)
Kressler = vitamin c facial (50 min) + white algae body wrap (50 min)

Appointments all start at 1pm...don't know if we all want to drive together - i know lisa you have to get back to dogsitting & i think kim wants sunday brunch(?) plus our treatments will be another hour after yours...add your thoughts!


For angels game: Wednesday August 8th
Section V513, row G....see where we are sitting by clicking HERE
Game starts @ 7:05...not sure if mr. tozzie wants to eat before the game but it's definitely a possibility.

yogurtland

for those of us in north county:

Yogurtland
(714) 525-2912
501 N State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92831

hmmm... i'm not doing anything tonight... =)

Restaurants to Try (as of 7.27.07)

i realize now that food is one of the few relatively affordable luxuries i have in life...so i keep finding more places i want to try but i always forget about going to them...so my solution is to blog so i can actually remember to go to these places! add yours to the list too!! =)

Green means "go to these restaurants":

• The Melting Pot - i know it's quite expensive for just fondue, but a person at my school said it's really good and i am intrigued!

• The Stinking Rose - i want to see how garlic-y it gets & how much i can actually eat.

• Lawry's - kim said the prime rib is quite good & i want to taste!!

• Pink's - the best hot dogs around?
  

• Wingnuts - i heart chicken wings (especially BJ's...so far the best i've had) and this place has a lot more flavor than the boring bbq & buffalo sauces

• The Boiling Crab - kim blogged this...and it looks so yummy!! i heart crab & it might be the place to try some crawfish!

• Sevens Steakhouse - talking to a person who went to both ruth's chris & sevens, she said sevens wins hands down!! save your money cuz this steak is pricey!!

• The Cravery - a restaurant devoted entirely to pot pies?? well, they do have salads & baked sandwiches...BUT looking at the menu, the pot pies sound awfully good!!
  

• Cafe Hiro - on cerritos & valley view...fuses japanese & italian flavors, with a splash of french (so a food blog i read described it...who also raves that it is one of his absolute favorites)

• California Fish Grill - also on cerritos & valley view...whenever i pass by, i think it'll be super expensive like market broiler or king's fish house BUT it seems to be more in the vicinity of wahoo's or baja fresh.
  

• California Shabu Shabu - it feels like i'm the only one who has not been here...but one day that will not be the case!

• Elephant Bar - one of those places that i always say i'll try, but never go to...i will eat here!!
  

• Agora Churrascaria - another brazilian bbq place?? i know, it's cruel...but this place in irvine seems a bit different. downside = no ox tail or alligator meat here, fried bananas & cheesy bread at your table (not at the "all you can eat" salad bar), costs nearly $40 for dinner. possible upside = filet mignon, filet mignon wrapped in bacon, PORK tenderloin and eight other meats...meat coma is sure to happen so i am not 100% on going =)
  

Red means "stop! my stomach has been filled here":

• Amazon Brazilian BBQ (7.14.07) - yummy!! i like this place more than green fields in long beach...the decor is nice but not overwhelming, the food is soooo good and the fact that we didn't have to wait to be seated on a saturday night is a enough for me! gold stars for: ox tail, cheesy brazilian bread nuggets, fried bananas & cooked pineapple!! =)
  

odds and ends...

• thanks everyone for a great time tonight...the caspian has renewed my good graces for persian/middle eastern food. yogurtland was also yummy too...sort of funny how obsessed we are with having actual fruit topping when we could just go to the supermarket and buy fruit to eat. =)

• thanks to LISA for the great art from hawaii!! *big hug* you know i heart turtles! =)

• spa day is set for sunday 8.05.07...here's the link to pacific waters. if you let me know by early next week, i'll make the appointments for us in the afternoon. for me, i'm leaning towards the white algae body wrap + vitamin c facial (50 min) BUT i'm also intrigued by the raw earth ritual package (which includes mediterranean mud therapy + raw earth pedicure)...i cannot decide right now

• disneyland is set for 8.19 sunday...hope you guys can come!! disneyland is a lot more fun with people i actually hang out with...my annual passport gets us discounts on food too!! =) nothing like the prospect of saving a whopping 10% on a $10 cheeseburger there...hehe. and gosh darn it, i will ride finding nemo!!!

• later on i'm going to re-post my "restaurants to try" list...places i've never gone to (but maybe you have), that i still need to try...

• for jack & cynthia's engagement party in the park...it says to bring water balloons - but if none of us actually throw water balloons then maybe we don't need to contribute that many. i will bring my camping chair, my picnic blanket...we can bring stuff for us to be occupied - much like the stuff we bought for the bonfire. can you play bocce ball in the park? lol...and i think it's best to come early and leave early, don't you? OR we can grab lunch, arrive fashionably late and then leave relatively early... =) we can go together if you want...i can drive to el dorado park, but i won't lie and say i know exactly where they are talking about nor will i say that there will be plenty of space to park on a saturday. =)

• it's nice to have everyone all together again...minus patrick who was too busy with two-dimensional worlds to hang out with the three dimensional people!! and to albert, have a safe trip driving up north...we always miss you when you're not around =)

Decisions Decisions

I've decided...

The Verdict is...

The Caspian!

Followed by...

Yogurtland!

If you wish, you can veto The Caspian and suggest something in the Newport, Costa Mesa, and Irvine vicinity, as Yogurtland cannot be vetoed. If this is alright with you then let me know by calling or text messaging me, and I'll make reservations for 7:00.

thursday!

i switched with a coworker and will now be getting off of work at 3. w00t!

tennis wednesday

rodel has to work on wed. night so he's missing his tennis class...don't know if you guys still want to play or not (?)

Albert, pick a place to eat for thursday, anywhere but sushi!
*gasp*

Mini Golf Scores (edited 7.22 to add kim's)

Shot Limit - 6 Shots Maximum.

First Round:

Kressler - 44
Albert - 47
Rodel - 50
Kim - 60

Second Round:

Rodel - 49
Albert - 56
Kressler - 58
Kim - 60

Totals for Both Rounds:

Rodel 99 - 4 Hole in Ones - 4 Shot Limits
Kressler 102 - 4 Hole in Ones - 2 Shot Limits
Albert 103 - 5 Hole in Ones - 1 Shot Limit
Kim 120 - 2 Hole in Ones - (Kim: what are shot limits??)

oc fair - guster plays 7/25

ok kim, so if you want to go to the fair this year and see guster...it's on 7/25 and the 88 & toad the wet sprocket are openers for them. the tickets look to be around 30-40 dollars - don't know if you want to spend that much.

let me know if you want to go...or if anyone else wants to go to the fair and/or concert =)

saturday night

if kim and albert are free saturday night, me and kress challenge in a game of minature golf.

Restaurants to Try!!

I'm going to start of list of restaurants to try...and our goal (if more than one of us wants to eat there) is to actually go & eat there! add on to the list of your places =)

• The Melting Pot - i know it's quite expensive for just fondue, but a person at my school said it's really good and i am intrigued!
• The Stinking Rose - i want to see how garlic-y it gets & how much i can actually eat.
• Lawry's - kim said the prime rib is quite good & i want to taste!!
• Amazon Brazilian BBQ - this place is on lemon st. in fullerton near us...they serve the alligator for dinner & have a weird meat called picana that i can't seem to find anywhere
• Pink's - the best hot dogs around?
  

happy birthday!!

happy birthday to my boo!! i heart you!! =)

More bonfire pics =)

Much to do.. Little time...

Let's try to figure out when and how we want to do the things we intend to do, hopefully, with as many of us as possible (myself included).

So this Wednesday, before you start your class Rodel, we're going to play tennis with you at Trabuco Hills high school. What time would be good? 6? Do you guys want to grab a bite around here before hand? After? Hopefully we'll be able to settle the score =)

2 other things on the agenda....

A trip to the Stinking Rose in L.A. and...

Dinner at Wasa (if delicious sushi is still a priority after sinking a battleship at Harima's) followed by some drinks... The nature of those drinks we have yet to determine.. Will we go to a nearby bar or have some wine tasting or will one those be a separate event?

So the dilemma is... Kim, you're busy on most weekdays till fairly late... Lisa, you're leaving on the 13th and we won't see you till the 23rd which means no weekend availability, Patrick is gone till the 16th, and I will be leaving the 27th....

So post what you think and any ideas you have and we'll try to hammer this all out.

Unedited Bonfire Photos

If you guys post comments, that would be much more fun with some captions on the bottom of the photos.

matt nathanson @ hotel cafe

so matt is playing hotel cafe...but it's on monday 7/16...lisa will be in hawaii & kim is working late. =( we'll have to wait for the official new album tour..

Pictures of L-Mo's Birthday =)

Lisa's 27

happy birthday lisa!!

happy 27th lisa!! =)

Let's Play Tennis!

Hey Everyone,

I'm heading home today! So I'll be looking forward to seeing all of you soon. Lucille's sounds good. Friday at 7 should be fine too.

Really though, let's play tennis! =D

Lucille's on Friday =)

Sorry it's taken so long to post about my birthday. I couldn't decide if I wanted Yardhouse or Lucille's. Since everyone has been talking about heading to Lucille's sometime anyway, I figured this would be a good opportunity =).

So...if you're free this Friday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. (let me know if another time works better), we can meet at Lucille's in Tustin (Jamboree and Barranca).
Hope to see you Friday!! =)

Thanks Kress! =)

A BIG BIG BIG thanks to Kressler and Andy!!!! =) Omg...they ran around in the hot hot sun today chasing soccer balls and rings during my school carnival. You're the greatest!! =) Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! =) It just goes to show how awesome it is to have the awesomest friends in the universe!! =)

auntie kressler!!

my nephew has arrived...w00t!! MIGHTY MAX was born today at 12:49am, 8lbs, 70z. & 21 inches...giant baby!! =) got this off of my brother in law's myspace...and by the way, reading the myspace pages of my brother, brother in law & sister was very awkward...it made me realize that i really don't know these people at all! =) but i still heart them...

Dinner on Friday, June 1

K guys...anyone interested in some yummy Japanese food and good company, dinner at Harima's on Friday, June 1 at 7:00. Matt and I will be coming from Costa Mesa...so if traffic is icky, we may be a smidge late. I'll try calling in for reservations that afternoon, so let me know!! =)

Hot in the Mojave

Chillin in State Line Before we leave, it's 97 degrees right now.

GG Ducks win game 1.

poor miss usa.

This weekend, I rolled up Will Smith's ride, Maybach, friday and saturday. He was real chill, but the first time he stiffed me, but the second time he threw a 20 spot. Too bad he left on Saturday Night. He was with his wife and another friend.

Maroon 5 on SNL

dinner...sometime this week, maybe even tonight persay...

...anjins...yum, korean bbq..yar...some sort of buffet...lets get together...

...call me...

Maroon 5 on American Idol - May 16th, 2007

Still Alive

Hey all,

I hope you're all doing well. I've just been keeping busy with school although I think I'm starting to lose motivation. It seems to be a result of the lovely weather, I rather just be sleeping during the warm afternoons or traipsing about. How's the weather down there? I'm sure it's nice and sunny (gotta get that vitamin D somehow).

Kress- Jeez, you got to meet Michael Chang too! Jealous.

So the new spa is pretty nice huh? I might to tell my mom about it. I bought her a spafinder gift certificate and I believe she hasn't used it yet. Although it looks like the gift certificates won't cover the whole thing. 275 for the most basic package? Ouchies.

I'm sorry to hear you weren't able to get the Maroon 5 tickets. I'd go too if I could, especially since they have the new album. "Makes me wonder" is quite the catchy tune.

And yes, Lucille's when I get back.

Kim - I'll be back late June, most likely before the 24th and I'll be sticking around for about a month before heading back up for summer class. I hope the weather is warming up over there. Hopefully school is going well. Are your finals coming up soon or are you already done? By the way, how was your cruise?

Rodel - How's the tennis league going Rodel? I also think my racket needs to be restrung if you'd be so kind as to help me with that =)

I'm sorry to hear your camera got stolen from your car. Theft is always a bummer. I don't know why people are so petty =( Well.. there is a Nikon D40+ out that's 10 megapixels =) Although knowing you, you probably want the D200 or something like that.

I haven't replied to the evite so I'll reply here. I'll be at your bonfire =)

Pat - How's it going? You're goin to New York? Hope you had/have a safe flight. Be sure to eat all the pizza and hot dogs you can (I wonder what all the hype is about). I'd ask about news at the house since there seems to always be plenty of it but I guess I'll wait till I get back.

Lisa - The Yosemite pictures muy bonita. Hehe, although Matt looks way too big for the rental car! Hope your kids aren't driving you up the wall and I'm sure you're looking forward to crossing more things off that to do list of yours.


So what's newsworthy with me....

Don't see 28 Weeks Later... It stinks. This movie is based on one bad assumption after another, plot hole after plot hole, and vacuous scenes that only serve to move the plot. It just can't be anything but bad. The first movie was so much better.

A movie you should see? HOT FUZZ! Go now. Go. Why are you still reading this? Go watch it! It has action, comedy, bits of suspense/horror, and ummm.... Bill Nighy! Really though, it's mainly an action comedy about police but very well done. If you liked Shaun of the Dead, you'll like this way more. Same people but not about zombies and much funnier.

Ravenswood 2004 Vintner's blend Zinfandel is pretty decent(sweet,smells nice). I have yet to try the wines you guys gave me but I'll let you know once I get around to it.

By the way, Costco is selling Coca Cola in bottles. Now why is this worth mentioning? Because it's made in Mexico and instead of using high fructose corn syrup they actually use cane sugar. I like the taste, and more importantly the texture much better. Goes down really smooth, so I recommend it if you can get your hands on it.

Oh yeah, and I finally have a DS Lite now, yay me. I'm enjoying Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow very much but I leave it at Tara's so that it's not a distraction.

Ok... I think that's it for now =)

music to our ears?

ok, so i haven't really said much about it....but i think all the singers we like have gone cuckoo.

Evidence #1: John Mayer & Jessica Simpson - set aside the fact that i adore this man...i cannot believe he is in a "serious" relationship with her. i mean, she's either thought-provoking or really good in the sack. whenever i see pictures of them together, it just doesn't look right. they're not all lovey or even cute...they are just there, looking semi-miserable.

Evidence #2: Adam Levine & Brad Pitt - so i'm listening to the radio today and in the entertainment news i hear that adam told advocate magazine that he'd like to have sex with brad pitt...adam who is uber man-whore i'd say. it's so weird...he also said that there's a part of every guy who'd like to be with brad...i think that's women adam!!

Evidence #3: Howie Day & Britney Spears - ok, so this one is a little bizarro. apparently they met in the rehab place "Promises." howie was in for a)locking a female fan in a bathroom and destroying her friend's cell phone after the girl turned down his sexual advances and b)for going on a verbal bashing of a flight crew while under alcohol and prescription meds. ok, so he's in rehab...probably a good thing. then comes britney...all messed up. they befriend each other, play tennis together...now they are going out to dinner and clubs and he's spending the night at her house. WHAT?!?


is the world coming to an end? i know there are more important things in life (global warming, world famine, genocide, war...) BUT things that should remain somewhat normal are really not normal. i'm just waiting for lindsay lohan to steal my boyfriend. =)

best buddies!

ok, so he doesn't even know my name...but what a thrill to meet michael chang & take a picture with him! he is just the nicest person...his whole family is so generous and nice. i heart tennis champions! =)

a new spa to try!!

hey everyone...

so today i treated my mom to a day at the spa...we got facials at a spa across the street from south coast that my sister likes. it's called The Spa and Fitness Club...it's a really nice place that is slightly less expensive (but still expensive) than pacific waters. thanks to lisa - i used the spa finder certificates to treat my mom today. not only do they have the same stuff as pacific waters, but they also have fitness equipment and a pool (although it is currently being repaired).

maybe one day we can try this one too...i still have to use rodel's pacific waters certificate, but i'm sure there will be more spa days in our future. =)

gah! maroon 5 you wound me

first there's the fanclub show which i willingly passed on because i didn't want to rejoin the fanclub. now the secret show in san diego! BOO!!

albert, when do you return? soon we shall be a happy little groupsome again =)

rodel, there are links on wootfornoreason.com that go nowhere. tease! i miss the little jabber chat thingy. i was going to post something nonsensical.

Bonfire

Sent you all bonfire emails. July 7th.

...sadly my dslr camera got jacked from my car...i am sad. I spent so much. Life is over...photography wasn't meant for me...

how are you all?

i am a dummy.

ok, so when i kept pestering people about buying maroon 5 tickets, turns out i forgot to do so myself. doh!

it really wasn't so much "forgetting" as dealing with an incident with my students that got me completely worked up yesterday and today. *sigh*

i guess i'll just have to wait until the next one...but it would have been awesome to see them at the troubadour! =)

Lisa's most recent excursion...=)

Hey hey Mokroopals!! =)
In case anyone is bored...I just took a trip to Yosemite =). A story in pictures can be found in my Picasa album =).

Hope everyone is finding time to enjoy the spirit of springtime and not keeping too busy!! =)

Chillin' with Karl and Michael Chang

I got to play a practice set with Michael, but I lost 1-6. It's okay "no Bagel" muahaha. I've been playing with my new coach and entered this afternoon League. Get to play a bunch of people at various levels and just have plenty of fun. It's every saturday at Trabuco Hills High School. If you want to watch there is still 3 more weeks of fun, 2 pm it starts.

Here you go Kress, but yea I don't think we're gonna go anywhere, at least anytime soon.

Hope you're all doing well, I'm terribly bored, someone give me something to do!

Pop Goes My Heart

hello everyone!

well, i'm on vacation this week...and no one else seems to be on vacation which is why i am bored as heck!
i started grading tests today and plan to do some planning by week's end - what a vacation! =)

lisa - hope you're having fun at camp..not that you can actually read this now because you're actually at camp.

kim - are you going to fly to texas in october?? i am really confused as to what to do...oh and, only a few more weeks til you're home - mooray!! =)

albert - hope we see you soon too...we are going to lucille's and devouring ribs!

patrick - i still haven't seen hottie's picture...so you're probably in one of the following three stages: 1)haven't been online to actually post, 2)too lazy to actually upload the picture to here or 3)are no longer seeing this girl

rodel - i see you all the time...yet not enough! disneyland - w00t!!


if anyone's around this weekend and would like to catch dinner together, say "yay" or "nay" so we can all get together

p.s. - yes, i did change the template. another consequence of my boredom.

PATRICK!

Since you only respond to the sight of your name... =)

where is the hottie's picture?? hope you have no hangover today!!

aqualung & sara bareilles

Hello everyone...

i bought tickets for kim and myself to see aqualung & sara at HOB Anaheim on 5/9 (wed). If you'd like to join us, you can buy your own ticket or let me know and i can buy them for you. =)

and as for you albert, i didn't know you'd be home so soon...if you want to hang out, just let me know when and i will be there. i can't say that there are any "free" days in my schedule, but if you let me know when then i can surely find the time to be there. =)

hope the rest of you are doing well...these past few weeks and this week are certainly busy for me...i've ended up taking naps on my desk at school and people walking in on me...how embarrassing. =) all the late nights at school are because of these lab reports i've been grading. they are so time consuming to grade...but would be less time consuming if the students actually followed the directions on the lab ws and the "how to write a lab report" guideline paper i gave them!! why doesn't anyone read directions anymore?!? so frustrating to write a ton of comments on every page...if they just did it right, it would save me some grading ink. =)

oh well, one can only dream can't they?

On Break

Hey guys,

Just letting you know I'm back in town. I'll be here until the 31st most likely. Let me know if you wish to make plans to do anything like hang out or play tennis =)

hello peeps

hammerandcoop.com, looks like my action name is Rusty Nails Vavroom.

concert update

so, i know i was the one to suggest sondre lerche at the el rey on wednesday BUT i just looked it up and he has two openers...and it says show starts for him at 9, which is utterly too late for me =( if it were a weekend, i'd suck it up and go but i barely function with the little sleep i get now.

lisa - go see sondre!! you're on vacation and just because i can't go doesn't mean you shouldn't see him. you'll have to tell me how amazing the new stuff sounds live. the new album is awesome...i'll just have to wait til the next time - which i hope is summer time or a weekend!

in other concert news, joshua radin is also playing the el rey saturday 4/21...the music is sort of sleepy for me but i know lisa really likes him. and aqualung is playing hob anaheim on wednesday 5/9...which i will go to because it's so close (if anyone wants to go to this one)!!

Honk for Teacher of the Year!!

Thanks guys! =)

Thanks for dinner and framboise Kress and Rodel!!! =) You guys rock!! =) And thanks everyone for the kind words...hehe...I'll post a picture of my parking spot once it gets changed ;).

Hope things are going well for everyone =). So jealous yet so happy for Kim and her amazing cruise...can't wait to hear all about it! =). Albert...don't study too hard...make time to party ;).

I begin my fantastic vacation next week...countdown...4 days of teaching! ;). So if anyone has some fun ideas for the next 3 weeks pass some my way =).

*big hugs* =)

Congrats!

Congratulations Lisa! Teacher of the Year! You truly deserve it. Have fun celebrating today.

Hope you enjoyed or are enjoying your cruise Kim. Hopefully you got through virology too.

Not too much shakin up here. The weather is warmer now thank goodness. Our Men's Tennis team won the national indoor championship. I also went ice skating for the first time. Finals are next week. Oh, and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

I've also started getting back into SSBM.

Anyway hope you're all doing well. I got some film developed so here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Congratulations Lisa!!

Hooray for Lisa who has FINALLY been recognized by her school as TEACHER OF THE YEAR!!


It is much deserved and long overdue for one of the hardest working teachers out there.. =) We celebrate Sunday...woo!

in response to albert:

my spring break is next week. i'm going on a cruise to the bahamas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but first, i have to get through virology...

Like a boomerang...

Hmmm... Looks like I didn't win the lotto... Did any of you? =)

Thanks for the gifts you guys! I'm looking forward to trying out the wine you gave me. Maybe I'll have a new favorite amongst them? I guess one of the perils of having a wine rack is that you have the urge to fill it up yet you have the urge to deplete it as well. It can get costly to maintain a steady state equilibrium!

I'm glad I got to see most of you and it's always nice to see Justin. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to visit you Pat! Fortunately I'll be back on the 23rd or 24th of March for spring break and I'll be staying until roughly the 30th of March or the 1st of April. So yeah, I'll be sure to see 4/5 of you guys! As for that last 1/5, when is your spring break Kim?

Yeah, until then, I'll most likely be very busy with school. Jeez, I never thought I'd actually have to put such a constant effort into academia. It's crampin my style! Anyway, I'll try to be online a bit more often, whenever I can find the downtime.

Mega Millions Numbers

If you dind't get them on TV, here they are

1
9
26
46
51
11

From http://www.calottery.com/games/megamillions/

rain + broken wiper blade = SCARY!

hi everyone,

so it was nice hanging out together at lisa's...we haven't done that in a while, but the drive home for me (& rodel) was a bit scary. We stayed pretty late and it was raining when we left. we just got onto the 55 when my wiperblade broke!! we got off at the first stop & parked in the gas station. it seemed like a piece was missing or the blade came loose, but the metal part came unhooked. try as we might to put it together (and we did) after about 10 wipes it would break again...it was so late and they didn't sell wiper blades nor did they know how to fix ours.

fortunately for us, the rain let up and we decided to drive home while it was clear...hoping that no more rain would pour down. we were lucky because our entire fwy trip was rain free....but i drove extra careful anyway. we exit at beach (still clear) and i said to rodel, "it looks like we made it ok." of course that turned into a curse because as soon as we turned onto beach, a medium rain hit...seeing was obviously difficult but i made it home without having to use the blades (although a few emergency swipes could have been done).

i have placed the wiper blade on my kitchen table with a note that reads, "my wiper blade broke while driving home - please get me a new one!!" my dad should read it and fix it for me...but honestly, he just changed the wiper blades a couple of months ago because they were old & were not wiping well.

i'm sort of glad it happened when rodel was there cuz i am the type of person who, if having car trouble, would freak out because i can't fix cars. if i had been driving home late from school or halfway to school in the morning, that would be a worse situation i guess. i seriously considered going back to lisa's to stay there..but it's supposed to rain all of monday, so that wouldn't do that much good i suppose. although scary at the moment, we are home safe & sound - so ends this tale of driving home late. =)

Happy New Year!

Let me know when you guys want to hang out or if you can hang out today.

Man, coming home is great. The first meal I had was a giant bowl of homemade pho ga (chicken pho).

I'd definitely like to see all of you, and I can hardly think of a better way to spend Chinese New Year than with my family and with my friends. =)

Is Albert back in town?

So I guess tomorrow is the day we should try to get together. So Albert...guest of honor...where would you like to go? dinner? lunch? what is everyone free for???? =)

Happy belated birthday albert!

sorry i am a bad friend for not wishing you well wishes earlier. good luck on you exams! i hope you can find some time to celebrate in between =)

Hola Muchachos y Muchachas!

I hope you're all doing well. I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. I guess I've been a bad pal =(

Thanks for all the happy birthday wishes! I've actually been very very very busy with school. I'm pretty much there from morning til night. Biochemistry and Physical Chemistry midterm this Thursday and I've been buried in homework to top it off.

So onto some nice news. I'm coming home this upcoming weekend from the 16th till the 19th! Let's plan something because I'd definitely like to see all of you.

Anyway, I hope you're having a merry February.

Awww, I'm late...

Happy Belated Birthday ALbert!!!! =)
Hope you had a fantastic time doing whatever it was you did to celebrate! =)

feliz cumpleanos alberto!!

Happy Birthday Albert, hope you have a good one.

speaking of concerts...

i was just looking at the listings for one of the music venues out here, and joey degraw had a show on the 20th! thought that was pretty cool. which also reminds me, i miss gavin...

pete yorn & aqualung

aqualung is opening for pete yorn in february in california...

Friday 2.16 - the Wiltern
Saturday 2.17 - HOB Anaheim

haven't been to a concert in ages...maybe a good one to see? or maybe once i go i'll remember why i stopped going to concerts.. =)

anyways, just an idea for you other music loving people.

donotcall.gov

grr, silly spam phone calls.

Sudoku Cube Defeated!

Woot!

Hope you're all well and having fun! =)

email

i should probably let you guys know that i hardly ever check my aol email anymore. the one i check on a daily basis is pinkcow@gmail.com

grassass

Vegas Collection pics

Here are all the links to the vegas pictures

Rodel - www.wootfornoreason.com
Lisa - Click here
Peter - Click here
Pauline - Click here
Barbra - Click here
Cynthia - click here

more vegas pics =)

Ok...I loaded my pictures onto Kodak gallery. I sent you the email...

Kim, could you pass them on to Kayla and Rodel well...you may pass or not pass, it is up to you =). Thanks for forwarding the links =)

I think this is the link in case you didn't get an email =)
Lisa's Vegas pictures

Dinner Tonight?

Tonight is my last night before I head out tomorrow so if you're interested, let me know.

Vegas Pictures

New Photos are up on www.wootfornoreason.com