Ahhh, The Good Old Days of College Hockey

This guy sounds almost comical. Stuff like this reminds me of when we threw fish at Hahvahd every time they would show up and how their coach would bitch. Or how Cornell fans routinely outnumber Crimson fans at their own arena. I also remember how almost the entire scrum of men on the ice got penalties for fighting, including the goalies. Better yet, I won my class ring during the Stone Travel Hockey Shoot-Out.

Ahhh, memories.....

A Load of (Mechanical) Bull

Rules for Riding a Mechanical Bull:

1. Go on an off night, so you will not make a total ass of yourself in front of 20,000 tourists and drunk i-bankers.
2. Bring photo ID, and make sure your friends do too, or you will be the only idiot allowed to ride the bull.
3. Have a drink. No, have a few drinks. Without speaking from experience, I'm almost 100% certain the experience of being flung around for all to laugh and point is more enjoyable when not sober.
4. Don't slouch. The pictures (and video!) will have you looking like The Hunchback of Midtown.
5. Urinate before entering the bullring.
6. You're supposed to only hold on with one hand, but if not that many people are around, you can get away with two. However, you may hold on so tight that you pull a muscle in your armpit.
7. If you can, climb off the bull yourself. People may boo, but it beats being flung off ungracefully.

Here's hoping Massa's amateur video of me does not end up on Youtube!

Happy 2008!

J and I spent New Years Eve at Joe's Shanghai in Flushing and then feasted on desserts at our friends' house. Al and I prepared three scrumptious treats for everyone:

Nutella Pots de Creme
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Bailey's and Chocolate Truffle Marshmellow Ice Cream

Our friend paused the cable so we missed the live ball drop. Thank goodness for rewind.

Needless to say, I am not eating dessert or xiao long bao for a while. Instead of focusing on weightloss, my goal is to eat healthier and exercise more and let the weight go where it must. In addition, I'd like to have more me-time and explore creative impulses. Perhaps I'll try to keep up with blogging bettter...

HAPPY 2008!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Blogger in all their wisdom wiped out my old template without warning. So now I have a new one. Still trying to catch up and add postings to this...

Feliz Cumpleanos a Mi

Jess' bachelorette party is in Miami this weekend, but she was happy to celebrate my birthday on Friday as well. The guys were here last weekend, but I think we have dropped more in one day than they did all weekend. That's not difficult since 18% gratuity is automatically included on everything. Regardless, yeay for poolside booze, bikinis, and Cuban food!

We have visited Mangos twice. Not much has changed since last February. The service is indifferent at best, but the view is nice. I still don't really get the sheer leopard-print catsuit with moon boots, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

It is monsooning now; I hope I don't get delayed.

America Runs on Dunkin' ... in Aruba

I really need a vacation, especially after someone from work called me while I was in the cab on the way to our hotel.

Aruba is a perfect balance of relaxing and convenience. We are within walking distance of a lot of great non-chain restaurants, but it's not too crowded. A family friend gave us some recommendations ahead of time, and so far they've been great. The hotel's restaurants are all right and a little overpriced, but luckily all the hotels are connected, one of them with a beachside Dunkin' Donuts!!!!

One thing to note, it is impossible to read the NYTimes on the beach because the tradewinds are too strong. Bring cheesy mass-market paperbacks instead. Also, avoid DePalma Island, unless you enjoy water parks and shallow-water snorkelling with fish that don't respect personal space.

In Vino Felicitas

J's frosh-year floormate got married on the left coast last night, so we all flew out to SFO to celebrate with her. They liked Mike and Lisa's wedding at Raphael so much, that they had theirs at a winery as well. We definitely did not complain!!! Flying home today is going to be rough. I really wanted to take the day and take J on a special wine tasting and picnic, but we couldn't risk taking a red-eye and arriving late.

Mental note: do not allow Mike to plan a wine tour again unless tolerance is at a peak.

Bring on the Hog

Yeay for barbecue! J and I went to the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. It was friggin crowded, but the lines we waited on is worth it. We had Big Bob Gibson's pulled pork sandwich, sausage and brisket from Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, Texas, and beef ribs from the soon-to-be-opening Hill Country BBQ in New York. Hooray for more fab joints coming to town!

Thank God J doesn't keep kosher :)

Alleluia The Strife Is O'er

J took his test today. They shut the AC off in the Armory halfway through. I'm thrilled it's over! To celebrate I made all the things he liked, although he would have preferred some hours of shuteye.

Onto Level 2...and two back-to-back weddings this month.

T Minus One Week!

J takes CFA Level 1 in less than a week - hooray!!!

Went to my friend's wedding stag. It was a lot of fun. When the Romanian pop/quasi-techno came on, everyone would grab hands and dance in a circle. Lots of aerobic activity!

CONGRATS ANDREEA AND JON!

There's No Place Like Home

Exhausted. Working late. At least there is good food here in Vancouver, especially Asian.

Can I go home yet?

Thank God for Small Miracles

After a hellacious day, before an 11pm flight to Vancouver, I managed to swing an invitation to the BA lounge. It's just lovely. Even though I didn't get upgraded to biz class, I have a seat open next to me.

[It's been a while. Will be retroactively updating the blog while away. My company does not allow me to post during work hours, nor am I supposed to talk about work. Not that I really have, but I may tweak old posts here and there...]

There's the Beef

Today is J's birthday. To celebrate, we and his family ate at Ben and Jack's. Why can't all steak taste this good?

Four weeks to go until the CFA (a/k/a that effing test)!!!

Took mom and auntie to Ouest for their birthday dinner. My hanger steak was scrumptious. However, the whole point was to have their Ouest Sour, which is no longer on the cocktail menu :(. They did give me the recipe:

gin
yuzu juice
simple syrup

Will have to try it, if I can find a good source of yuzu juice...

Can You Keep a Secret?

I loved wine touring in the Shenandoah Valley. It was so relaxed, and talking to the owners and vintners was really interesting. Plus they actually provide decent pours. Before we left Sacramento, we bought some gourmet goodies for a hillside picnic at Amador with a bottle of their Rosato. We had so much, by the time we hit Noceto, my palate was so burnt.

I hope the masses don't find these places. My fear is that they will become as snotty and overrun as Napa and Sonoma...

Time to go home. No upgrade :(

California Dreamin'

Headed out to Frisco for a conference, hope to catch up with some friends as well.

Mental note: If you have liquids and need to check your bag, arrive at least 45-50 minutes before your flight. I learned that the hard way, especially since Airtrain stopped and did not move for 10 minutes. Had to take the flight after it and miss a (mediocre) free dinner. ARGH!

I'm Against It

I'm still in the middle of reading Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon. SHould have listened to J when he wished me luck (he gave up after a few pages of Gravity's Rainbow)This tome is over 1000 pages long, and it could kill someone if I threw it at their head. It's a real pain in the neck to read while standing on the subway, not to mention the space it takes up in my attache.

Michiko Kakutani really hit the nail on the head with her review, that it "reads like the sort of imitation of a Thomas Pynchon novel that a dogged but ungainly fan of this author’s might have written on quaaludes. It is a humongous, bloated jigsaw puzzle of a story, pretentious without being provocative, elliptical without being illuminating, complicated without being rewardingly complex." However, it still puzzles me how this book made the Top 100 Notable Books of 2006.


As much as I hate putting down books in the middle, I'm very tempted. This book is too convoluted, has too many characters, and just seems too outrageous and fictional to be even remotely possible. Its historical-science fiction bent reminds me of Neal Stephenson, without the adherence to a central theme and the quality of writing that I'm used to with Stephenson.

Will I make it to the end???

The Fun Continues

Today my company closed on the deal to acquire Giuliani Capital Advisors. This is public knowledge so I'm allowed to post it. The next 60 days are going to be delightful, as that's how long we have to integrate them into our business.

I'm still full from Easter dinner at my cousin's house...

Nazdrovye!

For lunch I decided to treat myself to the Russian Tea Room. Having never been, I figured I should get there before it closes again. The chicken Kiev was very decadent, the foie gras in the center making it especially decadent. Service was impeccable. No snootiness, thank God. The only smudge on an otherwise pleasant treat was the French family with three small children who came in toward the tail end of my dessert and tea service. Would definitely go back, especially if someone else is paying :)

Pre-Seder Sighting

Saw Ed Koch chowing down at Tang Pavilion today. Guess he was getting the carbs in before the chometz has to go away for a week! Tonight we go to Jason's parents' house for dinner. I managed to find kosher prosecco from northern Italy.

Chag Sameach Pesach to all my Jewish friends.