the LA times:
friday
i flew into LAX on the fourth of july to two beaming faces- debbie and tien- who drove me to santa monica beach for a lunch picnic. they prepared sandwiches, salads, dip, fruit, dessert, and even wine. it was so much fun! also, growing up in a landlocked state, i'm ecstatic whenever i see the ocean. there were a lot of people there, but we managed to find a little spot for our towels. the sky was pretty overcast when we first arrived, but by the time we finished our meal, the clouds moved aside, allowing the sun to tan tien beautifully while burning me and debbie. for the record, i look like a craisin. the water, though very dirty, felt really good. i didn't go swimming in it, but i did let it splash my legs a few times before heading home. later, tien took me and deb to the fire station to meet some of the firemen whom she is friends with, and dropped off the dessert she had made for those poor guys who didn't get a day off on our nation's birthday.
later that evening, the three of us headed to the huntley for a champagne toast and watched from the hotel's penthouse lounge several fireworks shows going on simultaneously. it was a nice place, but a little too snazzy for us that early in the night. we left and found ourselves at the parlor, a bar close by. as awesome as the music was, there were too many "frat" guys playing beer pong, ruining the atmosphere, so we ended the night and stayed up chatting away until late.
saturday
after waking up at 730 every weekday morning for the past few months, it's difficult for me to sleep in anymore. that's unfortunate, considering how much i love to sleep. i think i make it up in naps though. anyway, we woke up on saturday around 10, went to the grocery store, and watched a couple episodes of boondocks. huey freeman is my new favorite cartoon character. he's so cute! and smart, and very gifted. love the afro too.
i called up stephen and asked if he wanted to hang out with me and my friends. we decided on cue's, this bar/pool hall that reminded me of thalassa in berkeley on shattuck. he brought along a friend, and the five of us ordered a couple rounds. i was pretty buzzed throughout the night, because tien, debbie, and i had poured ourselves some wine before heading out to meet the boys. good fun though. i was really happy to see stephen again. after the bar closed, we all squeezed into stephen's car and went for some late night pizza. mmm it was so yummy. the owner of the place actually has a pizzeria in nyc- joe's pizza. i'm going to check it out when i move there.
sunday
i went to church with the girls. the worship and overall atmosphere was all right, not so much to my liking, but the speaker (or at least his sermon that day) was really good. he talked about interpersonal relationships, the desire for trust and companionship, empathy and respect. i felt like he was touching on a lot of the aspects in psychology that i'm interested in, and if it weren't for the massive congregation crowding at every which corner after service, i would have liked to talk to him about the contents of his message. anyhoo, after church we picked up stephen and vince and drove to alhambra for some dim sum. then, it was time for a boba fix before shopping at ranch 99. i miss doing that! man, i kept thinking of quickly's and sweethearts on durant, the ranch 99 in richmond, and all the restaurants in that shopping center. tucson is so boring! i often wish to move back to berkeley, but the berkeley i know and long for is in the past. i still miss it though.
monday
i slept and watched boondocks all day until tien and deb came home from work.
tuesday
like the day before, i slept and watched boondocks all day until tien and deb came home from work, but this time after dinner, stephen picked me up and the two of us went to see wall e. it was adorable! pixar is so imaginative. i slept at stephen's place that night, because we had big plans the next morning.
wednesday
stephen and i went to magic mountain. i had so much fun! boy, am i beat though. my legs and feet are sore from all the walking, and my upper body is sore from all the rides. i went on the new rides, x2 and tatsu, which were insane and ridiculously awesome. the weather was hot, but it wasn't too sunny, which is good. i had put on a lot of sunblock anyway. we hit up at least 10 rides, a couple of them twice, and left the park satisfied. unfortunately, i left my camera at his apartment that morning, so i don't have any photos from today to post. on our way weaving through the park, we saw reggie bush and kim kardashian. they had a couple of security guards with them. haha i'm not a huge fan of either celebrity, but it was still my first celebrity sighting! the people around us noticed reggie bush, but i don't think anyone made any kind of deal about his girlfriend, who is just as beautiful in person as she is on tv, if not prettier.
the drive home was long, and like the good friend that i am, i slept through most of it, leaving stephen with no one to talk to but the radio. when we got back to his place, i FINALLY watched the office for the first time! i watched the first three episodes of season one, and yes, i do love it. yes, it is hilarious. yes, i know it gets better, and yes, i will rent it when i'm back home!
happy birthday to my baby brother! he is 21 today :)
friday
i flew into LAX on the fourth of july to two beaming faces- debbie and tien- who drove me to santa monica beach for a lunch picnic. they prepared sandwiches, salads, dip, fruit, dessert, and even wine. it was so much fun! also, growing up in a landlocked state, i'm ecstatic whenever i see the ocean. there were a lot of people there, but we managed to find a little spot for our towels. the sky was pretty overcast when we first arrived, but by the time we finished our meal, the clouds moved aside, allowing the sun to tan tien beautifully while burning me and debbie. for the record, i look like a craisin. the water, though very dirty, felt really good. i didn't go swimming in it, but i did let it splash my legs a few times before heading home. later, tien took me and deb to the fire station to meet some of the firemen whom she is friends with, and dropped off the dessert she had made for those poor guys who didn't get a day off on our nation's birthday.
later that evening, the three of us headed to the huntley for a champagne toast and watched from the hotel's penthouse lounge several fireworks shows going on simultaneously. it was a nice place, but a little too snazzy for us that early in the night. we left and found ourselves at the parlor, a bar close by. as awesome as the music was, there were too many "frat" guys playing beer pong, ruining the atmosphere, so we ended the night and stayed up chatting away until late.
saturday
after waking up at 730 every weekday morning for the past few months, it's difficult for me to sleep in anymore. that's unfortunate, considering how much i love to sleep. i think i make it up in naps though. anyway, we woke up on saturday around 10, went to the grocery store, and watched a couple episodes of boondocks. huey freeman is my new favorite cartoon character. he's so cute! and smart, and very gifted. love the afro too.
i called up stephen and asked if he wanted to hang out with me and my friends. we decided on cue's, this bar/pool hall that reminded me of thalassa in berkeley on shattuck. he brought along a friend, and the five of us ordered a couple rounds. i was pretty buzzed throughout the night, because tien, debbie, and i had poured ourselves some wine before heading out to meet the boys. good fun though. i was really happy to see stephen again. after the bar closed, we all squeezed into stephen's car and went for some late night pizza. mmm it was so yummy. the owner of the place actually has a pizzeria in nyc- joe's pizza. i'm going to check it out when i move there.
sunday
i went to church with the girls. the worship and overall atmosphere was all right, not so much to my liking, but the speaker (or at least his sermon that day) was really good. he talked about interpersonal relationships, the desire for trust and companionship, empathy and respect. i felt like he was touching on a lot of the aspects in psychology that i'm interested in, and if it weren't for the massive congregation crowding at every which corner after service, i would have liked to talk to him about the contents of his message. anyhoo, after church we picked up stephen and vince and drove to alhambra for some dim sum. then, it was time for a boba fix before shopping at ranch 99. i miss doing that! man, i kept thinking of quickly's and sweethearts on durant, the ranch 99 in richmond, and all the restaurants in that shopping center. tucson is so boring! i often wish to move back to berkeley, but the berkeley i know and long for is in the past. i still miss it though.
monday
i slept and watched boondocks all day until tien and deb came home from work.
tuesday
like the day before, i slept and watched boondocks all day until tien and deb came home from work, but this time after dinner, stephen picked me up and the two of us went to see wall e. it was adorable! pixar is so imaginative. i slept at stephen's place that night, because we had big plans the next morning.
wednesday
stephen and i went to magic mountain. i had so much fun! boy, am i beat though. my legs and feet are sore from all the walking, and my upper body is sore from all the rides. i went on the new rides, x2 and tatsu, which were insane and ridiculously awesome. the weather was hot, but it wasn't too sunny, which is good. i had put on a lot of sunblock anyway. we hit up at least 10 rides, a couple of them twice, and left the park satisfied. unfortunately, i left my camera at his apartment that morning, so i don't have any photos from today to post. on our way weaving through the park, we saw reggie bush and kim kardashian. they had a couple of security guards with them. haha i'm not a huge fan of either celebrity, but it was still my first celebrity sighting! the people around us noticed reggie bush, but i don't think anyone made any kind of deal about his girlfriend, who is just as beautiful in person as she is on tv, if not prettier.
the drive home was long, and like the good friend that i am, i slept through most of it, leaving stephen with no one to talk to but the radio. when we got back to his place, i FINALLY watched the office for the first time! i watched the first three episodes of season one, and yes, i do love it. yes, it is hilarious. yes, i know it gets better, and yes, i will rent it when i'm back home!
happy birthday to my baby brother! he is 21 today :)
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