putting the knit in shizknitz

It seems like just yesterday that Mike told me the story about Allison’s proposal, and how he thought he was on a Chinese hidden camera show. He then told me the wedding would be in 2004. “2004?!” I said, “that’s not like for, forever.” Well forever came and hit my impatient head yesterday in a fabulous evening of romance, friends and sports (this is Mike, afterall). For the first time ever, I knew everyone at my table - including the couple I “didn’t know”. She was a friend of Mike’s from high school who now lives up north, and was setup with her current boyfriend by Joey and Diane who turned out to be an old coworker of mine from when we were students 4 years ago! I tell you, it amazes me what a small world we all live in. The food was fantastic (ooooh, appetizers) and open bar. I could tell that my alcohol tolerance wasn’t as great as it used to be when I was done by my second cosmo (or was it an apple martini?). Anyhow, it was the best wedding I’ve been to in a long time.

The wedding and reception were at the Turnip Rose, Grand Newport Plaza. The ceremony was short and sweet, officiated by Carlos, who can now start his own business as a wedding officiant and had a crowd of over 200 friends, family and coworkers. As you can tell, my non-stop weekend came to an abrupt halt as my alarm went off at 6:30 this morning. But we will always have the memories!

He was waiting for me quietly when I returned home from work today. He has a smile that makes your heart melt, and has sex appeal that just won’t quit. Oh, and his face is always close to my chest.

Saturday night, it was him and I, my boyfriend and 17,000 other fans at the Hollywood Bowl. He came out on stage wearing all black - the top was unbutton halfway, running his hand through his thick masse of dark curls, and his voice - deep and seductive with a southern accent. I felt like a school girl who just saw the high school water polo team run by - in their speedos. I was screaming like I was at a football game, the Super Bowl. There was nowhere better to be at that night. It was a fantastic show - lots of big band jazz, trios, piano solos, singing and dancing along with much of his up-front humor. I just never wanted it to end.

So what was I saying again about losing good people? Diane is the 4th and hopefully last person close to me at work who is leaving. I’ve known her for-ever it seems, back when I was working in the computer labs in college. She is the inner child incarnate that we all suppress at one point in our lives - everything about her is pure raw emotion - her laughter, her excitement, her hugs, and her tears. Its so nice to see that people still feel this way, but perhaps I’ve become a tad jaded in my old age. Anyhow, a few days ago she picked Mike and I up in her cool electric vehicle to go to lunch!

We met up with Jin, who was the first person to leave - it was so good to see him. We commented on the “new work” haircut, clothes, gadgets (now he looks like a real nerd) and cologne. So last night, was the real last hurrah for Diane. Imagine this recipe - asians, pool table, lots of drinks, a doll and lesbian tendencies (okay, so this is now going to generate lots of random hits to my page by strange Google searches).

There was also a barfight (I didn’t get those pics) and lots of tears from Diane. Okay so the sentimental stuff - I am so proud of her for making the tough decision to leave all those that she loves for the possibility of something greater in SF (not to mention hella more pay). Also her boyfriend Joey (who is a Tienshiao incarnate) to stand beside her so patiently and so lovingly that he is moving his entire life up north to be with her. I’m going to miss her dearly!!!!!!!

Who wakes up in the middle of the night with thoughts of a cmd replacement in Windows? Now, had it been a dream about some good tacos……

It seems to be a trend lately, all of the good people around me at work seem to be fading away slowly. Gracie (who was in a previous post that got wiped out) will be moving to New York. She is absolutely incredible - patient, creative, innovative and a work ethic unmatched by anybody I know. She’s given me a new (expensive) hobby that has brought me such joy in my life, and I am going to miss her immensely. She is so courageous for what she is about to embark upon - not only a switch to NY life from LA, but to actually pursue her dreams, the one that many have - to be with the one you love, to do what you love and to be your own boss. Maybe one day I’ll be inspired to do the same.

I have no idea how it started, but this place got the nickname “Monkey” a few years ago. Personally, I don’t care what its called, as long as the food continues to taste as good as it does. The drive is long (30 min - 1 hr depending on traffic) located in San Gabriel. They have vietnamese food that is fan-tastic. My favorite? Pho (pronounced like fu, in fu*k) with rare beef and beefballs, a side order of egg rolls. Their vietnamese french dip sandwiches are heaven as well (even for lunch the next day!). The lines can be long, parking sucks but the food is good and hella cheap. There’s also something very special about their broth - I’ve had Pho in many different places, but the broth here is a little richer (not necessarily saltier), and just plain damn good. Oh, and they don’t skimp on the vegetables for your pho either like some of the places on the westside.

Last night was my first time….. going to the Hollywood Bowl, that is! I was so excited - we packed food, fruit and wine, tickets ahead of time, knew what shuttle we were going to ride….

What a whirlwind. Turns out the Culver City bus left at 6:30 PM, not at 7 PM like it said on the flyer. We pull up at the specified location early, at 6:35 PM when we see the Culver City bus with designation “Hollywood Bowl” pulling out. I frantically park my car to ask the attendant “is there another bus coming?” he has no idea - but there were others there that had just arrived. I asked if they were going to the Bowl, and they nodded “yes”, as if I were crazy. Then we found the student working that shuttle stop and she let us know that we had just missed the bus, and had no idea where the closest next shuttle stop was. My watch said 6:45 PM and the last shuttle from the Federal Building in Westwood left at 7 PM (and remember, this is a Tuesday night, during peak traffic hours). With some miracle, we made the Westwood shuttle. We arrived 10 minutes after beginning time, and ran up to our seats (er, took the escalators), we got there right after they started. What a view!!! It was absolutely gorgeous - it almost seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains and the only indication of LA was the Hollywood sign visible over the peaks. After sunset, the stars came out, there was a breeze, great live music (Midsummer Night’s Dream) sushi and wine, and I fell asleep right after intermission. ZzzzzzZZZZzzzzzzz. Next concert on the schedule? Harry Connick Jr. Woo hoo! I definitely need to get some binoculars before this one!

Yesterday was Tienshiao’s brother’s birthday. Happy Birthday. I remember my 20th birthday vividly as it felt like an eternity before I turned 21 - now they come and go as frequently as the pigeons that eat my shiso plant, but that’s another story. I also remember 20 because that was the year I first left home to go to school in LA. I think back on the naive thoughts I used to have, and how my world seemed so much simpler at the time. In fact, this is when I really realize the expanse of experiences I’ve gone through since this time. I’m getting off topic, however.

Dinner was at Roy’s, a Hawaiian fusion cuisine and themed restaurant, of which Tienshiao’s mom had gone to the one in Maui, and I’ve had some friends that have gone to the one in San Diego. We visited the one in Newport Beach, specifically located in Fashion Island. We had an early reservation, but the joint was already hopping by the time we arrived. I was pleasantly surprised to find the atmosphere just as classy and elegant as it was hip and exciting. They had a huge number of wait staff that were extremely courteous (Hawaiian hospitality in LA), and although simple things took a little longer (i.e. refills on drinks), overall the service was very good. Even more impressive was the food. I wasn’t that taken by our appetizer, which was a sashimi platter - perhaps because it is something we seem to eat so often - sushi, sashimi in restaurants, or just out of the shelf from Mitsuwa. My main dish, the Hawaiian Seabass, was not only elegantly served, but had a healthy helping of the fish which was propped by a cheese, egg and scallion flavored element. The sauce, with flavors from the grilled tomato and asparagus worked very well with the Seabass, adding just enough of the cream and vegetables for the flavors to swirl in your mouth. Now, skip to dessert. A must here is the Chocolate Souffle, which must be ordered by the time dinner arrives. It is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and is a 2 inch cylinder of pure heaven. There is more dark chocolate aroma than regular, and once you cut into the middle, the melted chocolate inside flows like molten lava. Sigh. Heaven.

Now if that were not enough, Tienshiao’s mom got tickets to see the sold out Pageant of the Masters followed by a special backstage tour by one of the performers. This was a real treat, as we had tried to get tickets last year, and were never successful. This is an outside performance spanning 2 hours featuring famous and not-so-famous works of art using a blend of theatre and real live performers. Many knew to bring binoculars, and even though we had fantastic seats, it would have added a whole new dimension to have zoomed into the details. The first scene really captured what was to follow - they pushed out a scene of an art gallery, using color and texture for depth as they had two performers come out, take a step up on something invisible to the audience, and then they froze - as they magnificently became the painting. Many works were to follow, some paintings, some sculptures of stone and bronze. The real treat when we were taken backstage aftewards to see the costumes, the makeup rooms and the sets used in the performance. All of the performers are volunteers, coming from all walks of life. They have a counterpart of themselves, working daily every other week for 8 weeks. Since this is an annual summer event, it takes a lot of dedication to become involved. A lot of makeup can take minutes to hours, depending on the work you are in. Will I try out next year? Well, the commute would be long, and unless they do an Asian art theme, the only asians this year were in makeup or in the music pit.

Yes, it goes hand in hand.

I went home for the first time since Thanksgiving. I used to go more often, but these last few months have just seemed busier than usual. Here are a few random thoughts about my trip:

1. I now agree, the San Joaquin Valley *does* smell different, and I do think its because of the land/dirt.
2. At age 27, I feel just as guilty as I did at age 17 when leaving home to go out at night. My mom still stays up and keeps the porch lights on until I come home.
3. The only difference is that I was actually telling the truth to where I was headed and with whom.
4. When I’m at home, I’m in “home mode” where it feels like I never left. The second I come back to LA, it feels like I never really went.
5. Driving long distances on the freeway is a nice parallel to real life - sometimes you get 2 lanes, sometimes you get 4 (and those of you who drive the 99 & 5 know what I’m talking about) - sometimes you feel comfortable speeding at 100 mph, sometimes you want to follow someone else going that fast - there are those days it is crisp and clear, there are also days the fog is so thick you can’t see 3 feet in front of you - to pass people up you may have to take the slow lane, as sometimes the f*cking bastard in front of you in the fast lane doesn’t understand what tailgating is all about.

I also found out that Mia likes to swim, and run around in the mud. Notice how skinny her legs are when wet.

We were walking on the fields of CSUF where the famous sweet corn were growing beautifully. I grew up eating more corn than imaginable.