Top 10 Reasons to have Archie as a Roommate

10. He picks up the mail.
9. Turns off Joy's flatiron when she forgets to.
8. Fan of Filipino TV Shows (and paid the subscription for one channel).
7. He vacuums.
6. Ping Pong Partner/Co-Inventor of Volley Pong
5. Though he's not Sports, he's always down to watch the Warriors game.
4. He makes hella good bacon-like Spam.
3. Can converse on subjects such as the future of mankind and the wonders of space.
2. ASQ Game 24/7.
1. Always down for meats (Jack, Carl's, Outback, etc).

Despite the softness rating I will receive for this...I'll miss you dude. You still have a key, so come by for any of the above reasons whenever you want!

Pinoy Twilight

No I have not read the Twilight books nor have I seen the movie (yet). But maybe I'll watch the Filipino TV Series Version.

Some thoughts:
-Will Edward eat dinuguan?
-Can Filipinos really be vampires when they love garlic so much?
-With Rayver's awesome dance skills, will they do an Edward vs James Dance off?

Pac Man

Congrats to the toughest boxer with the not-so-tough hair. In your honor, we celebrated.


Some Pac Man Wannabees


Nette playing Wii-Wii

Nieces

Laila is probably the funniest of my nieces/nephews. She's already a fan of the retardeds...




People don't know this, but Emmalie's musical talent comes from me. Excuse the side-ways video.

B's Bday

Suite-status for Brian's Bday...Warriors vs Grizzlies.


Post-game celebration for the Warrior loss.


After-party at Roy's for a Dance Clinic.

Peace out 20s...

Hello 30s.

Birthday Party. Dinner at Pampa's, then drinks (too many drinks) at B412. I don't really remember much, so just look at the pictures. What I do remember; #1 fan of BKA Lery, took a lot of pictures with Floyd (coworker's friend), a man in diapers and wasting the all-you-can-eat meats.


Also, check out the balloon bouquet my mom and dad got me. Definitely a first for me...very sweet though!


Thanks to everyone who watched me act a fool, took me out to eat, got me a gift, etc. And of course, thanks to the wifey for organizing the party and dealing with the suka!

Tickets

Part 1


Part 2

Weekend Update

Friday
Came out of retirement and played poker with the boys...and lost. Twice. I might have to re-retire again. We also stayed up until 4 am determining the top 5 hottest girls from the Logan graduating classes of '96 and '99. Email me if you'd like the Winners List...haha.

Saturday
Oli's 30th Birthday. Met up with the Ross' for dinner at Juban in Japantown - a do-it-yourself Japanese BBQ Grilling. Eating freshly grilled meat is a hella good idea. After dinner, we ended up at Circa in the Marina and had some drinks. Happy Bday old man.



Sunday
Attempted to go to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, but traffic was a mess. So instead, we went to the city to do whatevers. Came across the Capsule Event - local designers selling clothes, etc. I would have supported the local artists, but they charge too much...haha. Then we failed at going to the Academy of Science (sold out), so went to the de Young Museum instead. The current exhibits were ok...I'd recommend the view from the observatory tower though (and its free!)



Afterwards, Joy wanted to go to her "Chinese Desserts" place - Kowloon. Around the corner, we saw a bunch of people in line for Burma Superstar so we decided to eat there for dinner. What a name! Good food...gotta go back and try some other dishes! At Kowloon, Joy got her favorite - toast with peanut butter and condensed milk (which she can just make herself at home, but whatever). I got Hong Kong style waffles with icecream - not sure why they're HK-style, but they're hella tasty.

Earthquake Drill

Today is the anniversary of the Loma Preita Earthquake and so we had an Earthquake Drill at work. It was hella funny to see grown adults getting under their desks to duck and cover.

Or is it more funny that I'm on the Safety Committee and have to wear this vest?

Vacation Update

Took way too many pictures. View them when you have like 5 hours to kill.

Random thoughts about each place we visited:

Barcelona - if you're ever at the cafe in Park Guell, don't order the burger.
Malta - hella beige. It's like they don't like paint.
Naples - no traffic rules. Think twice about renting a car.
Pompeii - the Romans carved hidden penis shapes into the ground so they knew where to find the whore houses. Genius.
Sorrento - Limoncello (lemon liquor) sounds good, but it's gross.
Rome - if you're wife wants to shop, take a taxi to the Spanish Steps or else you will be walking for days finding the stores.
Florence - see the Africans if you want cheap Gucci.
Pisa - forget the tower. Take a picture of all the people doing dumb poses.
Nice - is nice.
Lourdes - bring a jacket. A thick one.
Bilbao - Richard Serra's exhibit at the Guggenheim is tight.
San Sebastian - Eat the sardines tapas. Hella good.
Burgos - Check out the Fly Catcher inside the Cathedral at the top of each hour.
Madrid - Flamenco show? Pass.
Spain overall - they talk with a lisp (Gracias = Grathias)...hella funny. Filipinos is the name of a popular cookie. San Miguel Beer is huge.
Norwegian Cruise - casual beauty contestants walking around is never a bad thing. Bring zip lock bags to pack a lunch during your excursions. If you're lucky, they'll hook you up with a 6-course Filipino Dinner on your last night!

Welcome Back

After 2 weeks of vacation, I came back to work to this...






Not really my style, but I might keep the lava lamp and the string lights. The best thing about it is that now I have an excuse to not work for like an hour, converting back my cube...

Reading is FUNdamental

The season's starting up again, which means - time for Reading Events! We always seem to get Captain Jack as our Special Guest Reader...I guess it's all those Community Service Hours he needs to fulfill!

Picture #12 baby!

Maybe we can get Monta to do the next event. It ain't like he'll be busy at practice with that injury...

Weekend Update

Friday
Chicago Cousins in the house. Diana was in town for a Baptism and Eric & Lisa came to visit Melissa. After they all ate L&L, visited the Jelly Belly Factory, tasted Napa Wines and ate pie at Nation's, I met my cousins up at Gerry's Grill - eat fest. The wait was an hour and a half, but, we got a tower of beer so who cares.


After dinner, we all went to Blue Chalk in PA. Apparently it was Standford Grad Student Night so it was packed with "Intellectuals" (nerds) like the Asian dude who kept raising his hand like he was in class, trying to order a manly Midori Sour. And of course there was Davin, the Finishpino (Finland/Philippines combo) who's opening line to me was "What's your background?". Thinking he wanted to talk business, I replied "Marketing", but it turned out he wanted to know my ethnicity. Ooof.

Eric wussed out and almost yacked from a a girly Kamikaze shot. He claims he was buzzed off of all the beer that seeped into his body after a some dude spilled all over his back. He later manned up and had some Carl's.












Saturday
SF Sight seeing. Itinerary included Fisherman's Wharf (for some Clam Chowder in a bread bowl), Pier 39 to see the sea lions, the Huf Store, the Crookedest Street (hella risky uphill drive), Japantown (for a quick pee), Golden Gate Park's Japanese Tea Gardens (but it was closed) and the standard Golden Gate Bridge.


Afterwards, we had dinner at Lisa's (former Club Caspar, RIP) and kicked it for a bit at Yoswirl.




Sunday
Alexander Raiden's Birthday. Oakland Zoo, Rides Area. Thanks Undoy Alex for hooking the kids up with unlimited rides! Their roller coaster, although small, was pretty good dude! The train ride around the zoo however...weak. It went around (not in) the zoo, the view was hills of dirt and other than the fake plastic animals around the tracks, all I saw was a wild squirrel.

Cool place to have a birthday party though! Happy Birthday mini me.

Weekend Update

The OC
I had to visit some stores on Friday and Joy has a conference Monday-Tuesday. Since work was paying for our flights, we made a weekend out of it! Highlights...

Prius rental car - Hate to admit it, but I had to open up the manual to figure out how to start the damn thing. After I figure that out, I became a fan. Might have to get one of these when the Eclipse stops fixing itself.


Yard House - with Joy's cousins Eric and Ryan. Hella beers to try! They used to sell their beer in a yard long glass, but now it's down to only a 1/2 yard glass. Probably because fools be getting drunk off of all that beer and end up breaking the glasses...weak.


Laguna Beach - interesting combination of hella cheer leaders (casual on-beach photo shoot I guess), hella seaweed (piles and piles of stinky seaweed) and hella shells (it was like we were at the aquarium!).


Penguin Store - at Fashion Island in Newport. I'm a fan, so I had to buy something at their actual store! Damn they got cool stuff, but it's so pricey. That's why I usually just find their stuff at Ross for 20-70% less...holla!







Balboa Island - not really much to do. There's a short strip of stores and restaurants, but that's about it. There were two competing places claiming to sell the Original Frozen Banana, so we tried one covered with pieces of Heath Bars...hella good.

Weekend Update

Friday
Grace and Dave's Wedding

The ceremony was in Shakespeare's Garden in Golden Gate Park and the Reception was at the Presido. Everything turned out pretty nice...plus it was open bar all night. Always the best part of a wedding. Congrats, Shivak's!

Saturday
Wen and Jong's Wedding

Back to Back Weddings...and we had one last Sunday. 3 Weddings in 7 days? Nuts. Wen and Jong's church was nice - I'm a fan of old looking churches. Reception was in downtown Oakland at the Marriott, which included a 2 hour open bar. So of course, you had consume as much alcohol as possible in 120 minutes. Good times. Congrats, Romero's!


Sunday
Dad's 65th Birthday Party

Mom and Dad were in town for Grace and Dave's Wedding, so we decided to throw my Dad a 65th Birthday Party with their CA Friends. People obviously know my Dad is a major fan of Johnnie Walker because that's pretty much all he got as gifts. I swear all my uncles must have finished like 5 bottles. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Shittiquette

Working in an office setting, I've experienced many different bathroom scenarios. I thought it would be a benefit to you all if I shared my experiences, in case you ever find yourself in one of these predicaments.

Someone has beaten you to the bathroom
Courtesy folks. Let them poop in peace. Nobody wants a neighbor. But don't just turn around and leave. Pee, wash your hands or fake it. If you leave without doing something, your coworker will take pride in knowing they turned you away and you will have FAILed.

If, however, it is an absolute emergency - then proceed, but ONLY if you can poop with an empty stall in between you and your coworker. This buffer zone will prevent them from analyzing your shoes or catching a glimpse of your ID Badge, thus allowing you to poop anonymously.

I do not recommend going poop if you will be right next to your coworker. But we all know diarrhea waits for no man. If this is the case, remember to place a layer of toilet paper on top of the water. This will act as a sort of catcher, making the drop quieter and preventing the dreaded splash up. And take a courtesy flush to air our your stall - your coworker will appreciate it.


Someone walks in right behind you
Very tricky situation. No matter what you do, they will see it. Your next step depends on how well you know this other person.

Contractor/Stranger. Go right ahead and poop. No fear. Sure they saw your face, but who cares. They'll be gone in like 2 weeks, so bombs away.

Work Friend. Proceed with caution. Maybe if you guys are really tight, then it's okay to go. It could be a good laugh shared between the two of you over lunch at Chevy's. But unless it's an emergency, I would wait.

Your Boss and up. Hold it.

Other helpful tips
Get to know your custodian. Make small talk and become their friend. Next time you're walking to the bathroom and s/he is about to post that "Cleaning in Progress" sign, they will let you go real quick. If they don't like you, have fun walking to the next closest bathroom.

Someone left the Sports Section. Hell yeah...who doesn't like reading while pooping? But use caution as the previous reader read this paper with their pants down, creating contact with the bottom of the paper with their goods.

Warning Signal. YES!, you're all alone in the bathroom doing your thing and in walks a second pooper. Simply roll out some toilet paper - that rolling sound is internationally recognized as the "someone's in here, I'm wrapping up, come back later" sound. Assuming this person has bathroom etiquette, they will leave, take a lap around the floor and come back later. If they're not versed in these rules of engagement, then you're screwed.

HAPPY POOPING.

Weekend Update

Saturday

Lilaville Fundraiser. Big Reunion coming up in 2010 and the group is starting to raise some funds for the party they will be hosting. $10 for a plate of BBQ...I'm in.




Derrick's House. Bachelor Pad Central (oh Club Caspar, why did it have to come to an end). Derrick's place is sick though...Arcade Games, e-JukeBox, Shocker Game, Foosball Table, Music Studio with Dancing Pole, 3 decks overlooking Oakland, a Golden Voice and one really drunk Kenny. Tight.










Sunday

Stephen & Cheryl's Wedding. Congrats to the Abrera's! Nice job with the dark grey barongs...and the Warriors intro was tight. No matter how gangsta Ro looks, he always seems to cry at weddings. Soft.






Monday

Labor Day. BBQ at the Mariano's followed up with dessert at YoSwirl. Mark this day as the birth of "Dooder's".

Weekend Update

Saturday

Old-limp-ics. AKA Archie's 31st Birthday. This 31st Oldlimpiad included Events such as the 4x4 Burger MEAT-lay, SHOTS Put, HAMMERED Throw and the HURLdles. In all, 9 Gold Medals were awarded. Congratulations to the Winners.


Sunday

Mason's Baptism. I've been to many Baptisms before, where they pour Holy Water on the Baby's head. But this time, the Priest actually dips the baby into a pool. It was like a Baptism/Swimming Class! Congrats, Mason!

Name FAIL

Indian woman, 55, has quadruplets in Italy

Thu Aug 21, 12:35 PM ET

ROME (AFP) - A 55-year-old Indian woman has given birth to quadruplets in the northern Italian city of Mantua, a local newspaper there reported Thursday.

The woman, who has lived in nearby Suzzara for 15 years, had gone home to India to be artificially inseminated after trying unsuccessfully in Italy, La Gazzetta di Mantova said.

"We have been waiting for this moment for 15 years," the babies' 38-year-old father Pabla Maghar Singh said. "We are really very happy."

The four boys, born a week ago, were named Manav, Manmeet, Roshan and Radveer.

They were born two months premature, weighing between 750 and 980 grammes (one pound, 10 ounces and two pounds, two ounces), and are in incubators at the hospital, but are doing well, the report said.

The mother works for a cleaning business, while the father is a metal worker.

Italy has the greyest population in the European Union, and a slight increase in birthrate from 1.19 child per woman in 1995 to 1.32 in 2005 is attributed mainly to births among immigrants.

Weekend Update

Friday

Lilaville Camping
Tents, sleeping bags and inflatable bed were all setup when we arrived (thanks to Joy's Dad!). For dinner we had Lemon Peppers from Wingstop, followed by some Champagne and Orange Juice...normal camping cuisine. The Uncles told us how they used to hunt whales and eat basically anything (snakes, monkeys, lizards) back in the day. Made some s'mores. And then we just gambled via some LCR. Not exactly roughing it, but that's how we do it.

Saturday
Mookie's Birthday
While the girls took her out, me, Archie and Ro setup the house for a Birthday surprise. This is what you get when you leave the decorating up to 3 dudes:

Balloon Drop and strobe lights as she walked into the house with "In Da Club" blasting. Then she walked through a Rainbow Curtain (Ro's soft idea) into the Family Room, which had some odd solo pics of her hanging on the walls. And on the dining table was her birthday cake with candles ready to be wished upon. We even practiced a couple run throughs.

It's okay though - we had Outback for dinner that night, so it cancels out the soft decorating session. Happy Birthday Jesusa.