People suck.

Today, my mom was robbed by a stranger. She had a flat tire near Sunset Blvd. and Allenford, and pulled over at a nearby street. Up walked a man who insisted on helping her change the car's wheel. He explained to her some b.s. about how he needed to find a brick in order to raise the jack up. Little did she know that as he left to find a brick, he took her purse along with him. My dad and I met up with my mom, who still had the flat. AAA came, as well as the police. They even had a police helicopter circle the neighborhood! But, it was too late and he was gone. All in all, thank God my mom is safe... All that is missing is money, credit cards, etc. But, she's alive and that's all that matters. I would have thought that with the whole terrorist incident earlier in the week, that people would be much kinder to each other - boy was I wrong Now we have to go obtain a new social security number (my ss card was also in her purse), wait for new credit cards, etc. So, this is just a fine conclusion to a horrific week. Remember to always be aware of your surroundings, and not to trust anyone you don't know. If he (or his friends) locate our house through her checkbook and decide to rob our house, I'll have a baseball bat with their names on it. I hope that fucker gets what's coming to him...

On a lighter note... This weekend has been fun. We finally moved into our new house on Friday, and the *gang* came up to hang out/visit up in L.A. that night. We ended up at the 3rd St. Promenade, and then the Santa Monica Pier to witness my friend's band play (you rocked, Miki!). =) We finished up the night at a local bar called Renee's.

Oh, and before I forget... The cashier(s) at IKEA dislike George. haha =P Time to finish unpacking...

[ posted by Mike N. on 12:14 AM | link ]

Happy birthday Pauline!

[ posted by Mike N. on 12:14 AM | link ]

Words cannot even describe the tragedy and devastation that has occured today. I am still in shock. My heartfelt prayers go out to all of the friends and family who lost a loved one in today's horrific events. For those of us not directly affected, we must do more than be mere spectators. I urge you all to donate blood and/or money to the Red Cross!

- Minutes apart, two jetliners slam into World Trade Center towers in New York City
- Third jetliner crashes into Pentagon
- World Trade Towers collapse shortly after crash with people inside
- NYC mayor: "Horrendous number of lives lost"
- Fourth plane crashes outside Pittsburgh, PA
- White House, federal buildings throughout US evacuated
- All domestic US flights halted
- Police departments around US on alert
- Mexico, Canada borders closed
- Bush: "We will hunt down and punish"
Sources: Reuters, AP, CNN, ABC News -

[ posted by Mike N. on 10:50 AM | link ]

I suck at pool.

But... Luckily... So do most of my friends. =) We (Teren, Vic, and I) went to DB Coopers lastnight to check out a blues band, to drink, and to play pool. After ordering a pitcher, our night of pool-playing began. Let's just say that nobody won a clean match... Everyone kept scratching the eightball. But, I didn't do too badly considering that I hadn't played in nearly 4 years. Time to get a pool table! ;-)

[ posted by Mike N. on 11:49 PM | link ]

Yesterday, I met up with Christina, Hernane, and Lydia for lunch in Whittier. But, I can't remember the name of the place now... hehe I'm getting old? I do remember that it was a quaint Italian place, and the food was pretty good! After eating and hanging out for a bit, I headed down to Irvine to meet up with everyone. Let me just say that Dolly is a very cranky person when she first wakes up from a nap. =P We end up eating dinner at Oscar's in Tustin. As usual, the guys talk about *dirty* stuff and the girls pretend that they don't know us. ;-) We head back over to Phil's place, since he's supposed to drink and all, but we just end up watching the VMAs (uh... 'NSuck won too many times!)... sober. =) Once the VMAs were over, we found a new show to watch - Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. Who knew that Cartoon Network could come out with something that outlandish? I was cracking up the whole time... And it's all adult-oriented humor. Imagine the cartoons you grew up with screaming, "I want sex!" hehe =P

Today, I just moved stuff to our new house, since we're supposed to move in on the 14th (next Friday). There's a whole 'lotta stuff we still have to move over. I get discouraged/become lazy just thinking about it. But, a new house that we actually own will be nice. Then I move out in 2 years... ;-)

[ posted by Mike N. on 8:35 PM | link ]

"Say hello to my 'lil friend..."

Friday was spent at the "happiest place on earth," Disneyland. There were ~17 of us, and I was undoubtedly surprised that we all managed to stay together in one collective whole. It was the first time I had been back to Disneyland in almost eight years. However, the only thing that really looked different was Tomorrow Land (and even though it was reconstructed, it still vaguely looks the same). I also got hit on by some girl who worked at a food place we stopped at. hehe She asked me if I went to UCI, etc. Aww yeah!.. I've still got it. haha =P Although it was quite fun, I don't think I'd be ready to go back to Disneyland again unless I have kids... It's just too boring for me now. ;-)

Juan and I left around 7:30pm, and that's when I began another adventure - Las Vegas. The whole time spent there (Friday - Sunday) is now a blur... All I know is that LV part III was a lot of fun, and I hardly lost any money (woohoo!). So, here are the highlights;

• Shared one room/bathroom with eight people (Asuka, Dave, Dolly, Kat, Mark, Noel, and Ora)...
  
• Slept no earlier than 6am.
  
• Mmm... Mandalay Bay buffet...
  
• Mark fell asleep at church.
  
• Got kicked out of a casino because *some people* in our group were underage/didn't have IDs with them.
  
• Sat at a cafe in Paris while we discussed relationships at 4am.
  
• We gambled half asleep.
  
• Noel kicked ass at roulette, and Ora wrecked shop at slots.
  
• Oh my God... There's boba in Barstow! Panda Express, to be exact...

Pictures will be up soon... =)

[ posted by Mike N. on 5:25 PM | link ]

Familiar Faces

After an arduous day at work, I decided to meet up with Noel and attend Hernane's orientation cabaret at UCLA. If you don't know by now, Hernane has been an orientation counselor for incoming students at UCLA this summer.

After we entered the Cooperage, someone caught my eye. No, not in that way. She looked exactly like someone I knew... someone I went to high school with... someone I hadn't seen in several years... Good thing she didn't quite notice that I was staring at her all night, wondering if that was really her. Towards the end of a skit, I heard someone yell out her name. Yes, that was indeed her. I went up to her, and said "hello." I was a bit uneasy, as I wasn't completely sure that she remembered me. Hopefully, by now, she does. ;-) It was great seeing an old friend... Especially since I don't keep in touch with one single person from that high school! It turns out that she's on orientation staff. I also found out that she is engaged to be wed (congrats!), and will be at UCLA come fall. What a small world?.. =) So, after the free sodas and bumping into Ileana, it turned out to be a productive night! And I know Noel got his share of "eye candy" lastnight... ;-)

Well, it's time to sleep once again... I just hope I remember to set my alarm tonight. Doh!

[ posted by Mike N. on 10:35 PM | link ]

A "happy birthday" goes out to Gail! She is now corrupting the minds of youths... Corrupting? Did I say that? I meant... um... Invigorating with the splendor of knowledge? She is now a full-fledge teacher with her very own classroom... You go girl! =P

On a more disheartening note... I'm sure you've all heard the sad news that Aaliyah passed away in a plane crash. All I can say is that I was saddened by the news. She was a very talented and (from what I've heard) kind individual. I actually heard the news before many, due to the fact that my cousin's friend's sister (whew, that's a doozy...) was one of Aaliyah's back-up dancers... At first I was skeptical, but the grim reality of it all set in as the news reported on the incident. My prayers go out to all of the friends and families who lost loved ones on that plane. I will take it one step further, to offer a prayer to *everyone* who is missing a loved one, best friend, etc. Aaliyah wasn't the only one to die that day, and we shouldn't forget that. Remember to cherish life, for it truly is a short journey. May they all rest in peace...

[ posted by Mike N. on 12:57 AM | link ]

Timing

Tonight, I want to discuss one of the most important factors in finding a new relationship with someone. That so happens to be "timing." Timing is so crucial to everything in life. It can determine if you get a particular job, if you'll get that winning lottery ticket, and it even affects your health. For example, walking one second faster could put you in the path of an on-coming car. "Timing," in essence, can be exchanged with "luck." It is something that cannot be precisely determined - especially in terms of relationships.

In my lifetime, I have dealt with good timing as well as bad timing. In terms of relationships, however, I'd have to say that I've experienced the latter far more often. One of my more common occurrences seems to be meeting a girl that I totally get along with, have fun with, and in various instances flirt with... Only to find out (after the fact), that they are already seeing someone else. Now, normally I wouldn't be so upset by this and just move on, but this has happened about 4 times in a row. Disheartening to say the least.

So why is this happening to me? My conclusion is that I'm a "magnet" for girls already in relationships. But that wouldn't be accurate... It's just the easiest solution that I can come up with. Friends will say that I'm just going for the wrong girls, but let me say this; No girl is exactly the same, and it's not that I'm actively searching for those who are taken. The only (valid?) reason I can come up with, is "timing." Really, really, really bad timing...

I suppose I never realized how important timing really was in the determination of two people meeting/mating. It is all trial and error... People keep telling me, "if it's meant to happen, it will" and to "keep trying." Although, I find myself more and more discouraged each time something like this occurs. I'm just afraid that one day the woman of my dreams will be interested in me, but I'll be too discouraged to try.

In conclusion, I have given up on the whole "actively looking for a girlfriend" idea. There's just too much drama that goes along with it. I have more important things in life to think about. This time, I will leave it up to fate... I figure that it'll know when the timing is right. =)

I'll leave you with a quote...

"Bad timing is what keeps normal people single."

[ posted by Mike N. on 11:29 PM | link ]

First off, a happy birthday goes out to Michelle. It was actually her birthday yesterday, but I was out lastnight... heh =P

So lastnight, I met up with Dave and we headed off to Cowboy Sushi in Westwood for some all-you-can-eat sushi action. Not bad... All you can eat, for $18.95. =) After being stuffed (to the point of pain), we picked up two of Dave's German friends from UCLA and headed to Miki's place to celebrate this girl Yuko's birthday. After hanging out over there (and *admiring* Miki's "HBD" cake), and waiting for some more friends to show up, we all decided to hit up Renee's (a bar on Wilshire Blvd.). The drive there was pretty interesting, because the three girls I rode with spoke Japanese the whole time. =P I could pick out bits of the conversation (err... English words), which seemed to center around "guy trouble." ;-) We arrived at the bar around 11pm. It was pretty crowded, but totally chill. Eri, Mizuki, Yuko, and I found a table near the back and sat down/talked. It was funny seeing them get hit-on by all of these random drunk guys. haha They just pretended not to speak English, and would turn away. Renee's closed around 2am, and we did our usual "stand in the alley and talk some more" thing. ;-)

Today, I went to my sister's (Stefanie) wedding. It was held at Bucca Di Beppo in Encino. There was a small reception in the atrium(?) followed by lots-n-lots of grub Italian food. I don't know about that blue cheese pizza, though. It tasted like I was eating a dirty sock! Oh well... The rest of the food was good. =P It was nice to meet Dale's family, and just have family bonding time. ;-) I want to send a big congratulations to Dale and Stef!

Time for a breather... =)

[ posted by Mike N. on 8:45 PM | link ]

Happy birthday Mark!

To celebrate Mark's birthday, we went to a recently found Korean BBQ place in Irvine. It was just by chance that we found it the other night when Cindy, Juan, Mark, Marta, and I went to eat at Sushi Riki. The food was pretty good (except for the fact that you couldn't cook it yourself... doh!) and plentiful, albeit a little pricey. Next time we'll have to share dishes. =) After dinner, we stalled Mark for a bit. Err... I needed money from the ATM. We all met back at their apartment and surprised him with a cake and his present (an aquarium). We just chilled, ate cake, and watched some television. Of course, karaoke had to come up... It's a tradition for Mark's birthday. ;-) I went back to karaoke for my first time in months... Ah... I missed that place. =P

Well, it's back to work in the morning... Returning to boredom. =)

[ posted by Mike N. on 1:08 AM | link ]

Another crazy weekend...

It started out calmly, with me travelling down to Irvine on Friday. The *gang* ended up eating at George's Thai Bistro for dinner where almost everyone complained that their food was "too spicy." Wusses. ;-) After milling around in the parking lot, we spontaneously decided to go clubbing afterwards. The plan was to go to the Shark Club. It was pretty fun, although I'm finding that I can't go to clubs where it's primarily Asian. I need more variety in my life. =P We left the club around 1:30am, and headed back to Phil's apartment. One of his (drunken) female neighbors and her roommates wanted to see us fight in the parking lot. So, we entertained them for a bit, and had them return the favor. We heard a loud slapping noise followed by a female voice saying, "Ouch! That hurt!" It was good for a few chuckles. =) There was a last minute idea to have a sleep-over, and that's what we did. We all ended up watching Snatch until ~4am and called it a night.

Our big plan for Saturday was to have a beach day at Corona Del Mar. Joyce, Juan, and I headed off to the beach before everyone else to claim a spot. But, seeing as it was a hot Saturday afternoon, the beach was packed. We couldn't even find a parking space... So, what were we to do? Find a parking space in a lot near PCH and eat the Pizza Hut we had previously bought in the car... Of course! =P Our plan shifted to swimming/hanging out at John/Juan/Mark/Rex's apartment. After our day winded down Christina, Lydia, Juan, Noel, and I headed to Fatburger for dinner. Juan went back to his apartment while the rest of us were puzzled at what to do next. In doubt, go to a mall. Or something like that. ;-) We went to the Irvine Spectrum and perused. The highlight was a tram that takes you from a far parking space and drops you off near the mall. I got to play the Universal Studios "tour guide." =P Noel and I were busy yelling things out of the tram, while Christina and Lydia pretended that they didn't know us. =P Thanks to Lydia, we ended up riding the tram twice on the way back to the car. Doh! ;-) I dropped everyone off and headed back up to L.A. for my friend Melanie's party in Westwood. The party was chill, and I met a lot of cool people. Of course, the cops came and broke up the party...

That's when my night got real *interesting.* I drove Teren, his brother Skylar, and a few of his friends home because they had gotten in a car accident earlier in the night and their car was un-driveable. Supposedly, it was the other person's fault because she just pulled out right in front of them without looking. But, they left the car there because the driver of the car was "under the influence" at the time of the accident. However, before heading to their house, the owner of the car wanted to check it out/move it. Well, it wasn't as bad as they thought, and decided to drive it home with me following behind them. We made it a couple blocks down, when we saw a couple cops walking on the street with food. The cops ran to their car, and we knew what was going on... They were obviously going to follow us and pulls us over. We quickly pulled into a nearby 76 gas station and the cops flew past us. However, I knew that the cops would come back to look for us... And they did. All of a sudden, 2 cop cars pull into the gas station. When all was said and done, 2 more cars came in. They arrested the driver of the car and detained another guy. I could hear the cops asking them why their car was all messed up, and if they hit anyone. Luckily Teren, his brother, and another friend went in my car. The officer told me, "You didn't do anything wrong, so you're free to go..." I'm sure if I was in Irvine, we'd all have been thrown in a cell. ;-) After the passenger was let go we ended up heading to the police station at UCLA to wait for the driver. We waited there for almost 2 hours... The officers were of no help, and they hardly took the time to tell us what was going on. So, of course, *some* of the (intoxicated) guys ended up destroying the waiting area. Pens were broken, things thrown around, etc. I, for once, didn't take part in the destruction. Why not? Well, it's a police station! They probably had cameras around, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind imposing fines for destruction of property. I may be daring at times, but I'm not stupid... =) I finally drove a few of them back to their house around 4am and headed home. So, I don't know if the guy was let go, what he was arrested for, etc.

Yeah, so, that's my crazy weekend. ;-)

[ posted by Mike N. on 5:01 PM | link ]

Happy 22nd birthday Joyce! That's probably the 3rd-4th time I've said that, so you owe me bigtime... ;-)

[ posted by Mike N. on 11:32 PM | link ]

The *gang* went to Hooters (yes, that fun family-oriented restaurant!) yesterday for some chicken wings and to celebrate Joyce's 22nd birthday. Hmm... Girls in short-shorts and revealing tops. What's not to like? But, George had to ruin it by getting pink lemonade. How manly is a giant cup with pink stuff in it?! =P The wings were all right... Nothing worth raving about. The highlight of the night, I'd have to say, was when the girls of Hooters made Joyce stand on a stool and dance with a (raw?) hot dog in her mouth. I know someone has to have a picture of that, so I'll post a picture once I find one. ;-)

Work has been boring/tedious, except for the fact that I've been training a new receptionist (who is mighty fine, I might add)... So, everyday, I look forward to 3pm. I'm such a guy... hehe =P

[ posted by Mike N. on 10:57 PM | link ]

The Heist



*names have been changed to protect those involved*

target : local grocery store.

bounty : a) 6' long rubber replica of a subway sandwich. b) 2' tall chicken chef pedestal. c) $20 bottle of champagne.

runners : D-man & V-diggity

doorman : T-bone

get away driver : M-dawg

get away car : Obscure Honda sedan with "cardboard fish" for license plates.

summary of events :
21:45:00 - After intense discussion, the plan is all go. Details such as driving route, disguises, abort procedures, and role assignments are made. Maps are drawn and approved.
22:15:00 - It is time to leave. Everyone in the group knows their roles, and must be able to fulfill their duties. Team work is a must! T-bone is picked up shortly after.
22:20:00 - Parked in a parking lot across from the target. "Cardboard fish" are put into place. Adrenalin starts pumping. What if they're caught? What if someone is stopped? What if there are cops when leaving? All of these thoughts run through their minds. But, it is still not too late to call it quits.
22:30:00 - Pull into the parking lot of the grocery store. The get away driver goes around the parking lot, until he/she finds a suitable location. It is now time...
22:35:00 - D-man, V-diggity, and T-bone head in to stake out the joint. M-dawg stays vigilent in the get away car, ready to step on the gas as soon as he sees his partners come out.
??:??:?? - In all of the commotion, this activity's time is lost. 3 people come running out of the grocery store with bounty in hand. M-dawg steps on the brakes, shifts into "D," and they're off.
22:45:00 - The driving route from the target is deviated from. After pulling into a local strip mall, the license plate covers are removed. The four drive calmly back to their residence. Once at home, the crew sighs in relief and an estimate of the bounty is taken. The champagne is used for celebration, and they call it a night.

[ posted by Mike N. on 12:24 AM | link ]

The rest of my weekend shaped up real nice...

Saturday had me milling around the house for most of the day. In the evening, I headed over to Lydia's house to meet up with everyone else. Instead of going out, we had a relaxing evening just staying in and hanging out. No complaints from me... Except that Lydia almost killed us on the way back from the pizza place. ;-) We ended up watching the movie Saving Silverman. One of those teen flicks... It was all right... Nothing too fancy. There were quite a few funny parts, though. =) After everyone left, I stayed and chatted with Lydia for a while... About 1.5 hours to be exact. We talked about life, how we're getting old, marriage, etc. You know, the really depressing stuff. ;-) But, it was really nice knowing that I'm not going through all of these things alone... And that I have less pressure in the marriage aspect since I'm a guy. =P Seeing that it was 2am, I decided to head back home and sleep...

I woke up on Sunday and had to repair a ruptured hose that connects to the nipple (hehe I said "nipple") of the bypass valve. I took the opportunity to remove the foglights, and I now have blockage-free intercoolers! Whee... =P In the process of my repairs, my neighbor's 7 year-old son came over to watch. I explained some *automotive-related* things to him, as well as talked about other things (school, toys, etc.). Ah... I wish I was 7 again!

In the late afternoon, I drove to the City of Industry (Frisco's Car Hop to be exact) for Melissa's surprise birthday party. They even had party favors! But, the wrong kind to give to anyone in the age range of 7-30 years of age. The ones most used were a) mini-water gun. b) Mr. Bubbles. Needless to say, we wrecked shop with them. ;-) It was all in good fun, though. We even played "bingo" and "pin the tail on the donkey!" I haven't done anything like that since my childhood. =) Oh, and the waitresses there were supa-fly! Alpha-Noel knows what I mean... Isn't that right, "hun?" haha =) But I guess I shouldn't talk, since most of the water/Mr. Bubbles that got on me were from a certain girl... =P

After the birthday party, we caravaned to Joyce's friend's house party while the rest went off to roller skate. The party was *unique.* That's all I can say about that... Not that I minded, however. A free beer is a free beer... and a girl almost took off her top! ;-)

Now it's Monday, and I have begun another dreadful week at work... However, I don't think it'll be quite as bad as before. Why not, you ask? Because we hired a new receptionist who's a pretty dope Chinese/Filipina female... ;-)

[ posted by Mike N. on 6:58 PM | link ]

We (you should all know who I'm talking about by now... haha) saw the movie Rush Hour 2 lastnight, after dinner and a few drinks at the Yard House. The movie was very funny. The action was decent, but I didn't find that it was up to par with some of his films like Who Am I?. But can I say, in Joyce's term, how *yummy* Zhang Ziyi is? Maybe it's just me, but I'd give up a kidney (or another vital organ that I have two of... well... except for you know what!) to be with that girl... ;-) I just need to brush up on my Mandarin. =P

[ posted by Mike N. on 2:05 PM | link ]

Woohoo! Day off from work... =) Well, considering I was only supposed to be part-time, this is a big thrill for me... One day within the past 3 or so weeks that I haven't woken up before/around 9am. Yeah... I woke up at 10am. Doh! For those of you that know me, I usually sleep in until ~11:30am-12pm when I have nothing to wake up for. Augh... I think I'm growing up. ;-)

[ posted by Mike N. on 10:46 AM | link ]

The Fast & The Dangerous

I woke up at 6am this morning to attend the West L.A. Sports Car Club Meet III. Imagine 200+ cars of various makes/models crammed into a parking lot. It was like a free car show. ;-)

I met up with the guys from Audiworld first, at a local Ralphs market. One of our friends even convinced a guy who was out for a morning drive in his Porsche 996 Turbo to join us! =) We all caravaned over to the meeting location for the drive. We arrived early enough to find a good parking spot and were mostly situated amongst each other... Including Pete's Porsche, since it is (extended) family and all... ;-)

There were a lot of cars filling up the parking lot and the street. The one think I noticed about this event, was that the cars and people were all diverse. American, European, Japanese... They were all there. It definitely wasn't like an Import Showoff (although I haven't been to one in a long time). Young, old, and in between... They were all there. I was even surprised to find my neighbor, Sam, in the parking lot. He owns a Corvette Z06, and came to the drive with a Corvette club. There, people milled around and chatted for quite a bit. I ran into people I hadn't seen in a long time (mostly from the Bimmer days)... It was nice seeing how everyone was doing, and what they were up to now. There wasn't a strong police presence, although a couple squad cars cruised through the lot to make sure everything remained orderly. The highlight of the event had to be the 5 or so Nissan Skylines that were there. R32s and R33s... No R34s, though. Oh well... =P

The organizer(s) of the event handed out the driving directions to everyone. At first, we were going to ditch that idea. I mean, who really wants to be with 200+ testosterone-charged guys all trying to show off? Our idea was to do a nice run through Malibu and call it a day. However, plans changed, and we followed everyone to Angeles Crest (mountainous region off of the 210). But, being the level-headed guys that we are (hehe), we decided to wait a bit. I just stood there, on the sidewalk with some other friends, waiting to see people crashing into each other as they all left the parking lot. I don't believe anyone did, however. We took off shortly after it cleared. Some of our group decided not to go, and I couldn't blame them. I would have been pretty pissed off/disappointed if I got pulled over for parading/exhibition of speed/etc. But hey, I'm young and stupid... Sometimes. ;-)

We finally arrived at Angeles Crest after a slight detour, and met up at a 7-11 on the back-side of the mountain. As we started to caravan up, we noticed a few of the BMW guys flashing at us. We got to a point where we had to turn around, because there were police on top ticketing for "no front license plates." A yellow Porsche 996 got a ticket... Doh. I knew we should have just gone to Malibu in the first place! =P

After coralling a lot of the Audi, BMW, and Mazda people, we headed off to Malibu... Topanga Canyon Rd. off of the 101 freeway to be exact. In our transit, somehow the BMW and Mazda people got lost and we never saw them again. So, it was just a group of about 10 cars now. We went through Old Topanga Canyon Rd., Mulholland Dr., and through some of the smaller roads. The drive ended at PCH, and we cruised to Camarillo for lunch.

All in all, it was a fun (but really tiring) day. You get a good workout steering a car. =P We must have travelled over 150+ miles... There was one incident reported of a crash (not in our group). A new Ford Cobra R with an inexperienced driver came into a corner too hot, and understeered into the guardrail... A Subaru Impreza, who was following too closely, ran into him. Atleast that's what I heard. =) I believe that they are both okay, but I can't say the same for their cars. I just don't think I ever want to go on a drive this large again... I'd just go home and sleep after seeing the cars. ;-)

For pictures from the day, click here.

[ posted by Mike N. on 10:58 PM | link ]

San Diego bound...

I have only been to San Diego a few times in my life. Friday allowed me to add another notch to that belt... I drove down to Irvine from L.A. around 10am. I met up with the *gang,* and we headed down south for a reception honoring Joyce's parent's 25th anniversary (congratulations!). Our destination proved to be a conference center in a place called Marina Village. The building we were situated in, sat along the marina overlooking the boats/water. We arrived a tad bit late, due to excessive traffic on the 5 freeway. Words will not due the reception justice, so I will have to wait to obtain (or reference) some pictures from Phil/Noel. I can say, however, that it was a lot of fun. =) Here are some highlights;

• Seeing friends and meeting Joyce's family.
• Mmm... Free beer... Mmm... Free champagne... Repeat ~6 times.
• Being seated at a table that was not only in the sun, but called on last for the buffet line. ;-)
• Partaking in the smorgasbord of food items.
• Mark spilling drinks on people.
• Juan being a drunken maniac... Catching a garter belt... Dancing like a chicken... And being everything but sober.
• Joyce had something in common with Juan... She was pretty tipsy as well. =P
• Phil getting some very candid photos.
• George falling asleep... Everywhere.
• Getting our groove on.
• And finally, 2 liter soda bottles as party favors!

After the reception, we chilled at Joyce's place for a bit and then headed off to a bar/club in S.D. for more dancing (and just a tiny bit more drinking... hehe). We finally got back to Irvine around 1:30am (after getting side-tracked... not lost... for a bit).

Whew... What a day! =)

[ posted by Mike N. on 5:54 PM | link ]

Had a nice dinner (hmm... when they finally got there! hehe j/k) with Anne Marie, Cecy, Char, Cindy, and Kike lastnight at Universal City Walk. Can you believe that parking there is $7 a pop?! Good grief... Remind me never to drive alone there again. ;-) At dinner, Char got hit-on by one server after another! But, she was only interested in "Chris." I hear they're going to have babies soon... haha ;-) After dinner at Buca Di Peppo's, we walked around for a bit. We spent a lot of time at such places as the caricature booth and this place where you can turn your hand into a candle (with wax, dummy). I'm sure we all know what *gesture* I'd have made into a candle... =P

Today was another boring day at work... However, I did get a chance to install my new tortilla chip. In 2nd, it feels like full-throttle with the stock ECU when I've only depressed the gas pedal ~1/3 of the way in. Push it all the way and you get that mind-numbing, grin-inducing, pushed-to-the-seat feeling. It's scary fun... ;-)

[ posted by Mike N. on 8:44 PM | link ]

I also (since I failed to before) wanted to say "happy birthday" to Anne Marie and Cindy! =)

[ posted by Mike N. on 1:48 AM | link ]

The weekends really go by too fast...

Thursday -
My weekend started early this week, due to a joint birthday party for Anne Marie and Jei. It was held at the Rock Bottom Brewery in the Irvine Spectrum. I was way overdressed for that place, as I left straight from work. Doh! It was pretty fun, though. I got to hang out with friends and meet some cute new ladies. ;-) Was it worth the drive back-n-forth since I had work the next day? Sure... =P

Friday -
Headed back to Irvine once again (after work). This time, Anne Marie, Cecy, Char, Cindy, Dolly, Freida, George, James, Juan, Kike, Noel, Phil, and I had a bonfire at Corona Del Mar. Nothing like playing with lighter fluid, coathangers with hot dogs/marshmallows attached to them, and the smell of smoke stained onto your clothes!

After the bonfire, we went to the girl's apartment and gave Anne Marie and Cindy's cake/presents. Everyone was pooped by then and headed to their respective homes. However, Cindy and I headed over to Phil and Dolly's apartment where we watched the movies Love & Basketball and Jurassic Park 3. JP3 was okay... I mean, they were stupid enough to go back to the island for the third time! The ending was really iffy.

Saturday -
Woke up bright-n-early thanks to Char's incessant "It's time to wake up!" We ended up going to MainPlace mall to eat and watch the girl's shop. 3 hours later, we finally got to leave. There really wasn't anything too exciting in the mall. It's hard to be a jackass in the mall all by my lonesome. =P

In the afternoon, we chilled at the Villa Sienna crew's apartment. Got to check out their resort-esque club house and large swimming pool. We ordered in pizza for dinner, had a few brews, and watched The Wedding Planner. Err... Personally, I don't think J.Lo can act. So, I didn't think the movie was that great... =) A pause in the movie, and we found ourselves swimming around 9pm in the large pool. First time I had swam in almost a year... Plus, I needed the exercise. =P

Well, my weekend is officially over... Tomorrow will be spent relaxing and recouping. ;-)

[ posted by Mike N. on 1:46 AM | link ]

I read this horoscope today;

"You've got a big list of responsibilities right now, but that doesn't mean you can't have yourself some fun with your honey pie or the gang. Just don't forget about the things that pay the bills! Midweek sees you staring at the stars, trying to make some sense of it all. Leave the philosophizing to someone else Tuesday and Wednesday -- you're not going to come to any earth-shattering conclusions about what you're supposed to do with your life, and you'll probably get dizzy!

Coincidence or not? I'll let you be the judge. ;-)

[ posted by Mike N. on 12:10 AM | link ]