May 31, 2007
[selamat pagi] Good morning from Ubud, Bali! It's Thursday morning here and I have slept 18 hours in the past two nights. Yay me :-)
We are ensconced in our little hideaway called the Four Seasons Sayan in Villa #14. Well, not quite so little. Our villa measures 2,152 sq ft in size! It is *huge*. You enter the villa from its rooftop which has a pavilion in the middle surrounded by a lotus pond. It's super zen. The stairs that take you down surrounds a water feature; the water theme is paramount to this villa and the resort in general. You enter the villa through double doors and the first thing you see is an enormous patio with an ourdoor living room and dining room area. Wrapping around the villa is a sundeck with two chaise lounges facing your very own private plunge pool which overlooks the sacred Ayung River down below. I cannot even begin to describe the jaw-dropping view and the tranquil sounds of the gently cascading river waters that lull you to bed and wake you up every morning.
The view from our bedroom
Sublime.
Anyho, back to the villa. The vegetation surrounding the river and the villa is lush in a way that only God himself could conjure. Oh, there is an indoor AND an outdoor shower with pebble and teak floors! There is teak everywhere - flooring, screens, doors, etc. The bathroom is the size of a Manhattan apartment, but with far better views. The impossibly large walk-in closet leads to the double-vanity area (with black granite countertops like our kitchen), which flows to the deep-soaking tub that has the same view as the private plunge pool. The glass-enclosed shower and the toilet is off to one side. The bed is Four Seasons comfortable i.e. if you've never been to FS, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about. Floor-to-ceiling sliding teak-encased glass doors separate the bedroom from the sundeck, which flows to the pool and the river beyond. The setting is jaw-dropping and magnificent, to put it mildly.
Our villa at the Four Seasons Sayan
As amazing as this villa is (and we keep getting told that villa #14 is one of the best on the resort), this is not our first "villa with a private pool" experience. We stayed at one about 18 months ago at the Sila Evason Hideaway resort in Koh Samui (pictures). Comparisons are, therefore, inevitable. First of all, the setting of our villa in Samui was far more dramatic - perched on the cliff suspended over the clear blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Not to mention the outdoor sala with ocean and pool views on all sides which beats the pants out of the outdoor terrace here in Sayan. Also, the private pool here is "only" 129 sq ft in size. It's very cool to have your very own pool but I was just a tad bit disappointed that the pool is smaller than the one we had at the Evason Samui. I guess the first time is always the best, huh? :-)
This is also not our first Four Seasons resort experience. Our very first time in Chiang Mai more than 3 years ago was so good it made me want to experience another FS resort again. And the FS Sayan is quite bloody amazing in all respects. I guess I'm just jaded. The service here has not been as good, though not shabby by any shades of the imagination. The river view is great and all, but the horseshoe shape of the resort in Chiang Mai overlooking the paddy fields and the mountains in the distance is unforgettable. The spa sessions here have been incredible but the setting of the spa in CM was far superior. Also, we had a 6hrs/pp spa package in CM and we've only had 1 here :-( And finally, Thai food is better than Balinese food!
I'm not knocking the FS Sayan (and I better not be, at $900/nt!) but I guess I'm just a jaded ol' Asian queen :-D
Anyho, we are off to breakfast and then whitewater rafting today. Stop laughing. Yes, it's manual labor and yes, my hair is gonna get wet so STFU :-p
And tomorrow, our very first Aman resort experience begins on the foothills of the Menoreh Hills in Yogayakarta (on the island of Java, Indonesia) overlooking the largest Buddhist sanctuary in the world - Borobudur. Yay! @ 07:53 Bali
May 29, 2007
[party pix] The party pix are here! Click on the picture below to view 'em.
Life begins at 30...
Enjoy!
It took us less than 15 minutes in jam-free Singapore to get to Changi Airport this morning. We are now comfortably seated in the Raffles/Business section of the Silver Kris Lounge in Changi, waiting for our flight to Bali which departs in about 45 minutes. I have no idea why they charge for wi-fi access in here but thank God for iPass. We probably won't have internet access while in Bali. We had to leave one of our bags - the one filled with presents for friends and family - in the left luggage facility here coz we don't need it in Bali, but more importantly, we have two other large bags with us, not to mention our individual carry-ons. Travelling light is not my motto :-D
We just had a substantial breakfast of nasi lemak (coconut rice with condiments and curry), otak-otak and friend noodles, yum! We will be fed breakfast again onboard.
Let the gluttony begin! @ 08:52 Singapore
[jet lag] As expected, I barely slept overnight here in Singapore *groan*. Jet lag's a bitch! Maybe I need some Viagra, LOL!
Anyho, we arrived early into Singapore last night but it didn't matter. There was a crush of passengers unloading from two big United jets (us, from Tokyo, and the other from Hong Kong) and there were long lines at immigration. I know, shocking. And then, baggage took forever - very unusual for Changi - and the taxi lines were crazy long as well. Very unbecoming of Changi, I must say. It took us about an hour from touchdown till check-in at the hotel, which is unusually long from past experiences though amazingly fast if compared to any US airport experience.
I tossed and turned pretty much all night. My body clock was telling me that it's afternoon even though it was 2am here. Ugh. Not fetch. Our room here at the New Majestic is super fetch though. I'll include pictures later if I have time.
Anyho, we are headed back to the airport in a few to catch our flight to Bali. We are in Singapore Airlines Raffles/Business Class so we get to partake in the yummy buffet breakfast in the Silver Kris Lounge, yay! Can't wait. I'm hungry... as usual! @ 07:05 Singapore
May 28, 2007
[pff] Apparently I did a "pussy play ping pong" skit in my kimono for my grand entrance during my birthday extravaganza, which confused some of the non-Americans in the crowd (or just ones who haven't been that heavily exposed to filthy American culture *grin*).
L'David, bless his heart, tried his best to explain the whole "One Night in Bangkok" connotation to some fine (and refined) ladies from Spain, when he finally just gave up and said to them:
"Coño juega al Ping Pong!"
In case you're wondering, that's "pussy play ping pong" in Spanish.
A chorus of "Si!" was followed by laughter.
Aww, I knew I could always count on him. He and I are PFF - Pussy Friends Forever.
Even if he uses yoga as his mating call i.e. when he assumes down dog, you know you'll be getting doggie later :-D @ 22:19 Singapore
[ten years] Yup, Tony and I hit a milestone three weeks ago. TEN years we've been together. Shocking, huh? Frankly, I didn't think the day would come.
The past two years have been quite a roller-coaster for us. The months leading up to our 10th anniversary were filled with angst and anxiety. I was a little (OK, a lot) annoyed at turning 30, my job was causing some stress, Tony had lost his job and our love life had come to a screeching halt. Tony and I were distant and there was very little to smile about. I never thought May 8th would come... ... ...
I had a slightly difficult childhood in the sense that love was always hard to come by, what with growing up gay and all in conservative Malaysia. Back then, I promised myself that if I found someone who loved me, I would stay with that person forever. What? I was a teenager and teenagers are all crazy and idealistic like that :-p I realize now how naive I was back then.
Well, long story short, that person did come along. I was not even 20. I was still a virgin when Tony and I met in London ten years ago. I fell madly in love with him, for he promised not only to give me everything that I ever wanted, but most importantly he promised to love me forever.
He has never broken that promise. But I have.
Looking back, I was so foolish to believe that I could just be eternally happy by being loved. I have never been so wrong. I needed to love him back. It would never work otherwise.
I did love him back (and still do). That hasn't changed. Through the years, we've gone through so many amazing and unbelievably joyous times, but also some of the most difficult, heart-wrenching and crushing moments in my life. And during those difficult moments, he disappointed me. Many, many times. But it wasn't his fault. It was because my expectations were so high. It was because I longed for perfection. How could I not? If I was gonna stick with one person, that person better be everything that I ever wanted and then some. PLUS he had to love me unconditionally.
Hah. Fairytale huh? Yup. I spent so much time looking for qualities in him that I wanted - and that he lacked - that I overlooked all the other qualities that made him special, loveable and, above all, the right person for me.
Ten years ago, I was so inexperienced which made it that much harder. I had never been with anyone else! People say that experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. But I don't want experience. I want this.
So here we are. Today and now. Ten years hence. I don't know if we'll have ten more years. I hope so, but you never know. The human heart is such an impossible thing to predict, to control and to keep.
"Eternal", "Forever", "Never"... I now know that those words are meaningless.
From September's "Cry For You":
Forever and ever, life is now or never
Forever never comes around
People love and let go
Forever and ever, life is now or never
Forever's gonna slow you down
There's no such thing as forever. Make life and make love while it's now.
I love Tony for what he has been to me and what he is to me now. He's not everything that I had hoped for, but he tries to make me happy and he tries harder every single day. I can't promise him forever or even ten more years for that matter, but I already know with almost 100% certainty that "we" will be together based on what he will be to me in the future.
The last 1/3rd of my life have been immensely memorable and happy. Let's make it half my life. Forever? Well, that never comes around. And I stopped believing in it a long time ago, thank God.
I love you, Tony, and I know you love me back. Here and now. That's the most important thing.
And here we are, going on our 10th anniversary "honeymoon" together in Bali, living it up at the Four Seasons in Sayan (Ubud) before heading to our first ever Aman resort - the Amanjiwo across from Borobudur just outside of Yogyakarta in Java. And then we're gonna spend our 121st monthniversary in Kuala Lumpur!
I can't wait. @ 22:08 Singapore
[almost there] We are somewhere over the South China Sea between Hong Kong and Manila, cruising at 38,000ft with about 2 1/2 hours left to go before we arrive in Singapore for an overnight layover. Almost there!
"To the left, to the left..." ... The cabin is dark and most people onboard are fast asleep. Tony and I are furiously typing into our laptops and listening to music through earphones. I'm kinda awake anyway and I was able to finish putting together the pictures from the birthday bash last weekend (see? not so tardy this time!). Hopefully, I will be able to get them posted when I get to Singapore.
"You must not know 'bout me..." ... The crew on thiS Singapore-bound flight is spectacular, as always. The service is incredible and dinner was delish. I had some teriyaki fish thingie with sticky rice. Yum. My only complaint is that the Tokyo-Singapore flights on United are 777 instead of my beloved 747. The upper deck is just so much nicer, like a private little cabin above it all.
"Replacing you is so easy-yay..." ... We are in the last row of the Business Class cabin, as far away as possible from the galley and the restrooms. I watched a chick flick with dinner (with the yummy Jude Law in it) and went to sleep some, but I'm gonna save my shut eye for when I get to Singapore at around midnight. Hopefully that will restore some normalcy to my body clock.
"Don't you ever for a second get to thinking... You're irreplaceable"... I love Beyonce :-) @ 21:22 Singapore
[fast forward] We're back in Asia! It's been almost 5 long months since Beijing. Oh how I've missed thee.
It's so weird flying westbound across the International Date Line coz you pretty much just lose a day. We finally left LA at 2pm on Sunday (90 minutes late!), and although the flight time was only 10 1/2 hours, we landed in Tokyo about 30 minutes ago at 3:30pm on Monday.
The trans-Pacific flight today was uneventful. I did notice it was very short; well, shorter than usual. As expected, the first two hours was spent eating the Obento meal (bland) with sake, and watching a (God awful) movie. After that, I zonked out for the remainder of the flight, waking up just as we were landing. Yup, I missed the mid-flight instant noodle meal AND the light lunch prior to landing. Perhaps that was done on purpose coz I just devoured a TDF to-go box of maki and nigiri sushi from the fantastic sushi stand between Gates 32 and 34. Delish!
But yea, it definitely felt much shorter than usual. At least 2 hours shorter than the ex-Chicago flight.
We are back again in the Red Carpet Club at Tokyo's Narita International Airport. This place has been a zoo the past few times we've been here but the monstrous club is eerily quiet today i.e. the free wi-fi is super fast! It's a beautiful sunshiny late spring/early summer day in Tokyo today. The flight into Narita from the Pacific had a great view over the contentious but pristine Japanese countryside surrounding Narita. I love Japan :-)
Anyho, our late arrival means that we are boarding in less than 10 minutes' time. Another short layover which is fine by me. I got my sushi :-D, though it would be nice if we had time to hike down to the ANA club for some soba and/or udon. OH well, I shall not be greedy. I don't want to look like a bloated whale before my vacation has begun!
Our next flight is a 7 hour (yes, this coming after a 5- and an 11-hour flight) "hop" from North Asia to South Asia over the South China Sea. We are due in Singapore at midnight tonight. Our overnight layover in Singapore is about 9 1/2 hours long before our flight tomorrow morning to Bali. We'll be staying in a hotel downtown, of course. I ain't slummin' it in an airport hotel, yuck. Still, I am only anticipating 5 or 6 hours of sleep tonight in Singapore, if that! My body clock is all screwed up.
Not sure what I'm gonna do on my next flight... most likely eat some more :-D. Not sure about sleep since it's the afternoon/evening hours here in Asia even if my body clock is still set at 4am EDT. I might write some more, or try to get the 30th b'day pictures finished and put up.
I think we're boarding now. Two down, two to go! 17:15 Tokyo
May 27, 2007
[mindless] Our flight has been delayed by 30 (most likely more) minutes. Ugh. Hungry. Sleepy.
Gotta take my mind off of hunger. And sleepiness. What better way than a mindless online quiz? :-D
What type of gay guy are You?
You enjoy life. You know what fun is and people admire you for your natural flare. People either love you or hate you but you know what you want, and you couldn't care less. You're the Carefree Hip Styled type of Gay Guy.
Take this quiz!
Kinda accurate, innit? *giggle* @ 12:47 LAX
[short layover] We're in the (somewhat) new Red Carpet Club in LAX. Our layover here is pretty short; we arrived about 20 minutes ago and we are due to board in about 20 minutes. Mercifully short, I must say, considering that I'm hungry and I wanted food an hour ago!
Flying in was quite a disappointment - LA is shrouded in smog today. Even though we flew right past downtown, we couldn't see any of the skyscrapers. And we definitely didn't see the Hollywood sign. Oh well. I did get *great* pictures of the Grand Canyon though. Will include later.
So much to write about, but didn't get to write much on the previous flight. Probably won't get to do so either on the next one since I'm hungry, sleepy and I just want to sleep my way across the Pacific.
One down, three to go. Next stop, Asia! @ 11:24 LAX
[flying across america] We just flew past the Grand Canyon on the right! What an awesome treat. I love transcons to LA :-)
We are cruising at 38,000 feet above where Nevada, Arizona and California meet - somewhere near Vegas. Everything looks so small from up here. Even the Grand Canyon.
About 45 minutes to go before we land at the first stop of our multiple leg trip - Los Angeles. We have a 90-minute layover in LA before our flight to Tokyo. It feels like we've been in the air for a looooong time already, but I know we are only at the beginning of our four leg journey.
Make it a saga.
It's been a long time since we decided to fly to Asia via the West Coast. It actually doesn't take that much longer via the West Coast; 2 + 13 hours to Tokyo via Chicago vs. 5 + 11 hours via SF/LA. But somehow, the initial 5-hour flight to the West Coast just feels SO much longer compared to a 2-hour hop to Chicago. Add to that the thought of boarding a 11-hour flight after the 5-hour transcon is just killer. Not to mention the 7-hour flight to Singapore after we land in Tokyo! Ugh. I much prefer the Chicago route. It's all psychological :-)
Actually, we were originally booked on the Dulles-Narita non-stop on United which would've been perfect! One big 14-hour jump across the Pacific and voila, Tokyo. But I, of course, had to change my mind about our departure date at the last minute which put us on this less-than-ideal itinerary (did you think I would voluntarily choose to leave out of Dulles at 8:30am??) at a far greater cost. Oh well, that's the price you pay for procrastinating (or being just plain wishy-washy).
It's been a little less than three months since our last flight anywhere (I know, shocking!). You'd think I'd be excited about boarding this flight, especially since we're in Business Class. Well, the moment I got onboard, I was like "meh". I'm so blase about flying, though I'm quite excited about the upper deck on our 747 to Narita. I *heart* the upper deck.
I've watched two movies already on this flight and both were pretty good actually - some Terabithia movie thingie and Painted Veil with Edward Norton and Naomi Watts (yes, of King Kong fame). They were both kinda heartwarming, with tragic but not despair-inducing story lines. I'm officially movied out. I'm sure I'll watch one more on the LA-Tokyo leg if only to kill the time during lunch.
Speaking of lunch, I'm starving! We ate, like, more than 4 hours ago. Hungry. Breakfast was pretty good - Florentine quiche (spinach, yuck) with sausage, ham and some hash browns thingie (potatoes, yuck... I want noodles).
I'm also quite sleepy, which is good since I will be crashing on the 11-hour flight to Tokyo after my yummy Japanese lunch.
70 miles left to LAX. The view outside the window is all desert right now. Mojave, I think. Palm Springs is just to our left. Amazing how there's just nothing for miles and miles and miles... and then, boom, LA and its sprawling neighborhoods hemmed in by the mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Anyho, 15 more minutes. Time to power down. I love flying across America! @ 13:32 EDT or 10:32 PDT IAD-LAX
[bali bound] Here we are, at Dulles Airwort again. We are on the 8:35am flight to LA today; the beginning of our FOUR leg journey to Bali *groan*... for our 10th anniversary "honeymoon" ;-)
Why four legs? Well, we were originally supposed to leave this coming Friday. But then I got to thinking, "I could just take three more days off and have one more whole week of vacation."
So I did :-)
Finding an upgradeable flight on Memorial Day weekend, however, was another story altogether. Finally, with a lot of luck and patience and an itinerary that will make you want to slit your throat, we got a flight - Business Class all the way - to Denpasar, Bali... via LA, Tokyo and Singapore! 5 1/2 hours to LA, 11 1/2 hours to Tokyo, 7 hours to Singapore and THEN 2 1/2 hours to Bali. 26 1/2 hours of flying time in total. We leave Sunday morning in DC and don't arrive in Bali till Tuesday afternoon. Ugh.
When I first went to Bali last year for Su Ann's bachelorette party, I flew for free and took Singapore Airlines (*drip*) from Newark to Singapore then Bali. *That* was WAY more civilized than the flight we're about to take today.
Rick drove us to Dulles this morning - yup, can you believe we both woke up at 6 this morning?? The last time this happened, we had a face full of chilli fries at The Diner after Madonnarama. Good times. Hot. Our payment to him for driving us here (and saving us $65 in cab fare) is he gets to use the house and borrow the car (not *cars*) for the entire 16 days that we're gone.
We checked in, cleared security, jumped on the moonbuggy and arrived at our gate in fifteen minutes flat. I love it when the start of my vacation goes smoothly, especially since I'm sleepy, grumpy and hungry! I know, what's new right?
Anyho, we are in the Red Carpet Club now and our flight started boarding 10 minutes ago, though there is Premium Boarding now at Dulles so we can pretty much board at anytime. I'll write more from the plane. Lates!
And no, Rick... I'm not gonna turn this into an "Adventures of Kiat in Asia Part MCCXXIII" :-p @ 08:07 IAD
May 25, 2007
[the one and only] I love Pride... marching in it and going to the festival and all the parties surrounding it. The past few years have been getting better and more fun; for me, at least.
So it's no surprise, then, that I am bummed about missing Pride and Cherry (the same weekend!) this year (June 8-10). No thanks to my bestie Ann who is getting married on Pride weekend... in Malaysia! Grrr.
Sean tried to console me...
"Pride won't be the same without you.....some other gaysian is going to try to take your throne but I won't let it happen!"
LOL! I love that all my friends know that I'm their one and only gaysian.
Yay, me ;-)
P/S: Happy Memorial Day weekend! We'll be here... we leave Sunday morning for Bali. @ 10:59
May 23, 2007
[m.i.a.] As drunk as I was, I did take note of those who said they were gonna show up but didn't, and those who just didn't show up at all. Important people in my life, of course. I mean, why would I bother with the random JR's ho, right? *evil grin*
Whatever it is, I know you have a good reason and I hope things are going well.
I was definitely elated to receive tons of text messages from out-of-state and international friends and family. Not to mention the stacks of cards. And the crazy presents ranging from alcohol to tiaras to double-headed dildos :-o (don't ask).
I love each and every one of you! @ 17:33
[party all the time] Parties are exhausting, especially if you're throwing it. I thought by removing the elements in hosting a party that would cause stress - food, drinks, etc. - I would be able to relax a little (and save Tony some of my stress-induced bitchiness)... but nope. I was so anxious about the whole thing I drank myself to oblivion by 9pm, LOL!
But in the end, the caterers came, the boys showed up (100+ strong), and the biggest thing I was worried about - the weather - was absolutely perfect. As expected, the party started out at 70° and dropped to 60° by the end of the party at 3am. And not a drop of rain. It could not have been better.
The party itself was great actually. Tony had done an amazing job prepping the house for the party, so much so that by Saturday morning, we had nothing to do but either go watch a movie or go to yoga (we chose the latter). That and wait for the devliery guys to show up with glassware, tables, decor, etc. and the caterers to unload the food and to wait for the bartenders/waiters to arrive.
And arrive they did. The first guy that walked in through the door, some Russian bartender guy named Georgiy, was H-O-T. So hot that my guests wanted me to lock him in the basement so that he couldn't leave when the party ended *giggle*. The rest of the crew arrived, and we ended up with another Eastern European bartender (Valdo from Estonia) and a rainbow of waiters and chef. Besides the bartenders, the rest of the help staff were forgettable.
The party kicked into high gear at about a quarter till 9 or so and wound down slowly after 1am. In between, I was incoherently drunk (as you will see in the pictures to follow) and unaware of my surroundings. So yea, my apologies to everyone that I (a) poured drinks on, (b) did not get a chance to talk to, or (c) stabbed you with the chopsticks in my hairpiece :-D
But it seemed like I wasn't the only one totally shit-faced. Everyone else got blitzed at some point or another (some earlier than others, like my alcohol-intolerant boss, LOL!). The theme drink of the evening was Caipiroshka i.e. a Mojito but instead of rum, you add vodka and instead of mint, you add limes. If you haven't had it, you should try it. It's really quite good. Everyone loved it. To the point where six GALLONS of vodka were consumed by the end of the night.
The overflowing alcohol would not have been so lethal had there been enough food! OMB, I was starving! So hungry that Tony had to make me food when all the guests had left. The supposedly yummy food - passed around by waiters - never made it past the hungry bitches hovering near the kitchen and deck. I did try some of everything (except for the pork which I heard was stank) and thought the duck, fish tacos, chicken and shrimp were exceptional. So were the brownies. The beef rolls were disappointing. Not sure if I got my money's worth, but everyone was well fed, I think.
We definitely did not run out of alcohol, that's fer sure.
The house never got super crowded, thanks to the front (dining room) and back (deck) bars managing the crowds and spreading them out evenly. We also had the front deck addition this year which held 20+ ppl. And most ppl stood outside since the weather was great. The front deck peeps didn't even have to come into the house to get drinks; they just reached through the open windows and got a drink. There was also a crowd huddled in front of the photo montage (of 1100+ pics! which is basically my life since 2001) on the giant plasma screen in the living room. FYI, if you weren't in the photo montage, well, don't be so shy when this picture-taking gaysian wants to take pictures in the middle of the bar! It was a struggle to get everyone into the main living/dining room area for the champagne toast at midnight (which was the start of my birthday) but we managed.
I won't even tell you the grand entrance I made just before the toast. Apparently (and I was told, since I don't remember!), I was glittered out - so much so I found glitter in my ass the next day - and had changed into my pink kimono with a purple boa draped around my neck with matching pink mascara and lip gloss. If you can't picture it, don't worry... I have pictorial evidence! And then I refused to greet the crowd of screaming drunk queens downstairs until they sang. They started off by singing Don't Cry For Me Argentina... in Spanish!... before finally breaking out into a Birthday song so loud you could hear it from Virginia. I apparently gave a short speech - which I don't remember - and said some really nice things about Tony during the Anniversary cake-cutting which prompted Tony to say that I'm only sweet to him when I'm wasted, LOL. Silly man.
There were some shockers (it wouldn't be a Kiat/Tony party if there weren't). First of all, there was the reflective weighing scale on the bathroom counter... in OUR bathroom (our bedroom/bathroom was off limits!)... with white powder all over it :-o
And what was that about the circle jerk in the bathroom upstairs?
And the reason why our bedroom was closed off is coz I needed to change at some point and when I'm drunk I just change in front of you so sooooome people saw *every*thing... *buries head in the ground* No, a stripshow was not part of the evening's agenda.
Kwazy. At least I didn't get a text message asking for condoms and lube this year *sneers at Jason*.
Anyho... All in all, I had fun. From what I can remember *giggle*. And as expected, there was a 3" layer of vodka on every surface in the entire house by night's end. Sprinkled with boa feathers. And glitter. Gross.
Thank you all for making my birthday exceedingly memorable and fun! And most of all, a big thank you to Tony for putting it all together (at my direction, of course). And paying for it, LOL!
Happy Birthday to ME :-) @ 17:26
May 22, 2007
[pics!] No, not from the party... Yet :-)
I have a whole month's worth of pics from my camera phone to put up so bear with me... Yea, yea, I know all of you are screaming bloody murder but, whatever, I've been busy.
[L] Me and Peter @ the Victory Fund Brunch... We were on Metro Weekly!
[R] Tyler, some chick and the Fetch Trinity @ JR's (der)... FOUR Fridays ago!
[L] I *heart* Abbey's boobs
[R] L'David trying on Abbey's fetch heels @ Jack's
[L] The Evil Sisters - L'David, me and Rick!
[R] Me and a drunk L'David... *giggle*
[L] Three Fridays ago @ JR's... Jason buying so many drinks he got a tray from the bartenders!
[R] Soggyback (hehe, *kisses* dah-ling), me, Jason's trick (der, LOL) and Guy @ JR's
[L] Cinco de Mayhem! Me doing tequila shots at Cobalt... Natch.
[R] "I've got all my bitches with me!"
[L] Look! I met a Hispanic on Cinco de Mayhem! Haha... *muah* to Pierce
[R] Chris, Patrick, me, Pierce and Jason @ Cobalt
[L] Adam caught this picture of me grabbing my flat (not fat :-p) ass
[R] Doing a girl doggie style, OMB! There's a first for everything...
[L] Me and Jason @ JR's THREE Sundays ago, good God...
[R] I found me another Hispanic the day after Cinco de Mayhem, LOL
[L] Tyler, me, Jason and Bill @ JR's
[R] Evan, Jason and me @ JR's
[L] Umm, err... I have no idea, LOL! Lordy, it's been too long ago. And no, it's not because I've been so drunk I can't remember! ;-)
[R] Jason, Michael and Tyler - The 10th Street Bitches *giggle*
[L] Eww. Yes, I was on the floor. Eww. At JR's. Eww! Sacrilege!!
[R] The face (well, the back) of post-traumatic stress disorder
[L] Greg, me, Jason and Andy outside of JR's
[R] Tony sent 10th anniversary flowers to my workplace. They are HUGE! Like, almost as tall as my 5'1" boss, LOL!
[L] My new BFF, Rachel! @ Rob/Mikko's party
[R] She's so fetch
[L] Eww. Tony has a *really* long tongue, btw... *giggle*
[R] The Hot Bitches - L'David, me and Rachel!
[L] Me and Spence! Just in case you're wondering... he's very warm and animated ;-)
[R] Eww! I'm kissing a girl, eww!
[L] Gratuitous crotch shot (really, I just needed a picture to even out this series of photo)
[R] Aww... 10 years later, can you believe that?
[L] 10 years later and he's still groping my ass *giggle*
[R] Dave, Todd and Tony!
[L] Aaron, Jason and Me @ JR's... watching Melinda get eliminated from AI6 and Blake is left standing. I was peein' mah pants!
[R] Firecrotch Aaron and Me
[L] Me and Jason! Sisters forever...
[R] Rick and Me @ Beacon for drunk brunch on my birthday... Sisters forever!
[L] Count the mimosa glasses... this was barely 10 hours after the big three-oh party!
[R] I can't believe I'm 30...
[L] Chris and Me - Sisters forever! And I *love* Jason for getting me that T-shirt for my birthday!
[R] Me and L'David @ Rob/Carlos' BBQ
[L] Desi and Me... with Chris/Craig and Andrew
[R] The bad girls @ Rob/Carlos' house
Phew! That was a shit ton of work.
OK, American Idol just ended. Blake's cute but Jordin's gonna win. Sigh.
She's awesome. @ 21:06
May 21, 2007
[return to sender] I was just on the phone with L'David... and his roomate, Erich, was in the background.
L'David:: Oh, I didn't know you were going to Indonesia this weekend...
Kiat:: Yup, we leave on Sunday
Erich:: Return To Sender
Even the friends of my friends are bitches to me *giggle* @ 18:20
[xxx] No, not porn (get your head out of the gutter). That's my age in Roman numerals :-p
More digs at my age...
We were at JR's on Friday night (der) for a brief moment...
Gary:: [to me] Why are you out? Isn't this like seeing the bride the day before her wedding?
Evan:: Don't you mean her funeral?We were at Rob/Carlos' for a BBQ last night...
Me:: Did you guys know I share the same birthdate as Cher? She's twice my age though...
Chris/Craig:: I didn't know she was 94
Bitches.
The Aging Asian Queen is back at work. I feel tired. Must be the age...
...or just the 3 days of non-stop drinking! @ 15:51
May 20, 2007
[i'm not dead!] If I open up one more card that says "With Our Sympathies"...
I hate you bitches :-D @ 12:03
[one-third] I'm officially a "thirty-something" *shrieks in horror*
I am no longer in my 20s! *faints in shock*
I definitely woke up this morning feeling older and not remembering last night's party. The two Advils are helping, though :-D
It's all downhill from here.
Don't cry for me.
Happy 30th Birthday to me!
My life is officially one-third over ;-) @ 09:51
May 19, 2007
[perfect] T minus 8 hours and counting before the big three-oh party. And I am blissfully not stressed out at all (much to Tony's relief I'm sure, LOL).
The weather is going to be PERFECT. Temps are gonna drop from 70°, when the party starts, to 60° by 3am with NO RAIN whatsoever. YAY!!!
The concrete front deck - which most of you have never seen - will be ready and primed for the party. There was a lot of stress and hesitation surrounding that part of the house because they had torn down the existing front landing to make way for the "floating" concrete slab. Well, there was talk about how the concrete might not cure in time for the party, etc. Well, no more worries now. It's ready. The front deck was a $14k effort that will hopefully pay off in the end. It looks beautiful, though, so you guys have to check it out later.
The caterers will be here in about 5 hours. They will be an army of seven - 1 chef, 1 captain, 3 waiters and 2 bartenders - feeding a hundred (that's the approximate final headcount, I think). Let's just say that at $55/head, they better be worth it! On the menu tonight is:
Scallop and Wild Mushroom Sandwiches
Saffron-seared Scallops split and sandwiched with a duxelle of Shiitake, Crimini, and Porcini Mushrooms. Served on toasted Brioche Croutons. Garnished with Tomato Confit and fresh Chervil.Mandarin Peking Duck
Roasted Duck marinated with fresh Ginger and Hot Peppers, shredded, and rolled in Mandarin Pancakes. Offered with Hoisin Sauce.Chicken Masala on Toast Points
Boneless breast of Chicken roasted and "deviled" with Chili Paste, Lemon, and Ginger. Served warm on small Toast Points.Tomato and Basil French Toasts
Bite-sized Brioches soaked with Fontina Custard and topped with Oven-dried Tomatoes and fresh Basil. Baked until golden and served warm.Fresh Baja Beach Tacos with Tequila-Lime Salsa
Sole fillets are grilled until they begin to flake and are served warm in grilled Flour Tortillas with Lettuce, Chiles, Tomato slices, Scallions and freshly made Tequila-Lime Salsa.Arepas with Pulled Pork and Pickled Onion
Marinated Pork is baked until tender then shredded and served atop freshly-made fried white Cornmeal Pancakes. Garnished with homemade pickled Onions.Grilled Beef Hand Roll
Freshly steamed Rice Wrappers filled with paper thin slices of Beef marinated with Lemon Grass and Palm Sugar, fresh Mint Leaves, and Thai Basil. Served chilled with a Sweet Chili and Peanut Dipping Sauce.Grilled Shrimp wrapped in Soppresetta with Mustard Aioli
Jumbo Shrimp wrapped with Spring Onion and paper thin slices of Soppresetta Salami, then grilled on the Skewer and served with a Mustard Aioli.
And let's not forget the desserts!
Chocolate Glazed Brownie Points
Dark Chocolate Brownies cut in small triangles and dipped in Bittersweet Chocolate.Minature Black-Bottom Cupcakes
Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes Baked with a Creamy Cheesecake FillingPassion Fruit and Raspberry Tartlets
Miniature Chocolate Butter Cookie Tartlets filled with a Passion Fruit Curd and garnished with Fresh Raspberries.
And finally, we have two CakeLove cakes - a 12" New German Chocolate (of course) and a 12" Heavenly Hazy.
I *hope* I have enough food but more importantly, I *hope* I have enough liquor! Actually, I do have enough liquor - I have one huge handle of vodka for every 4 potential attendees. Me thinks that's WAY more than enough. Everyone will have to default to vodka at some point when everything has run out. But I am so not sure I have enough mixers, ugh. It's kinda hard to judge.
Regardless, I couldn't have asked for a better start to the last day of my 20s :-) And I have one person to thank for making the day perfect - Tony! He's my hero. @ 11:33
[shameful] Alberto Gonzales... What is there left to say of this despicable man?
Eugene Robinson of the WaPo in "Gonzeles's Signature Moment":
"It just gets worse and worse. We already knew that Alberto Gonzales -- who, unbelievably, remains our attorney general -- was willing to construe the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions however George W. Bush and Dick Cheney wanted. We knew he was willing to politicize the Justice Department, if that was what the White House wanted. Now we learn that Gonzales also was willing to accost a seriously ill man in his hospital room to get his signature on a dodgy justification for unprecedented domestic surveillance."
"The image I can't get out of my head is of Alberto Gonzales carrying a document for Ashcroft's signature into the man's hospital room, attempting a sneaky end-run around the deputy whom Ashcroft left in charge of the department, knowing full well that Ashcroft was seriously ill and almost certainly medicated. What did he intend to do, guide the man's hand?"
"This is the attorney general of the United States, ladies and gentlemen. Heaven help us."
A national disgrace, if there ever was one.
Scandal after scandal after scandal. We now know what the R in Republican stands for - Rotten. @ 08:56
May 18, 2007
[hey you] Madonna has a new song out! It's for July 7th's Live Earth concerts (for the environmental cause) and it's a power ballad called "Hey You". IMO, it sounds like Annie Lennox accompanied by a marching band *giggle*
But it's Madonna. So I must love her ;-) She will be performing the song during the show at London's Wembley Stadium. Other shows will take place in NYC, Tokyo, Shanghai, Jo'burg, Sydney, Rio, Hamburg and Istanbul (wow).
Anyho, Jason's take on it:
The song is not that bad...its very similar to Carrie Underwood's cover of "I'll Stand by You." When I listen to both songs, it makes me want to go and adopt black/african children.
ROTFLMAO!!! I love my irreverent ho's.
P/S: Yes, I'm working today... but I'm unpacking and enjoying my new view more :-D @ 11:03
[good eff-ing riddance] Awww, look who's resigning...
My work-roomie put it best and most succinctly:
"This could not have happened to a nicer person"
LOL! Yes, my ultra-liberal work-roomie and I get along famously. He had me at "Hello, are you a Democrat?" *giggle*
We are both wishing that Wolfowitz would die a thousand deaths. No, make that 3,400 deaths - one for every American soldier that has died in a senseless, needless and unjustifiable war of choice. A war that he concocted, architected and presided over.
Rot in hell, Mr. Wolfowitz. Or better yet, rot in a prison in The Hague. And stay there. There will be no redemption for an unspeakable evil like you.
Wow. I'm feeling feisty today! :-D @ 10:51
[pity party] Guess what? My roomie at work and I moved across the hall from a windowless office to a window office! Yay us :-)
Check out the view from our new office (looking west towards Rosslyn):
Natural light! So fetch.
The weather is kinda not, though, as you can see from the photo. Which is what I'm stressing out about right now. Of all the things for this party that were under our control, the one thing that was not is not looking so fetch at the moment. Ugh. All this planning and all this hardwork was dependent on one thing going right - the weather. And it's not. The forecast is for a slight drizzle throughout the night. Fuck.
I hope the weather forecasters don't get this one right either. They're notoriously wrong. I hope the one time that I hope they're wrong, they won't prove me otherwise. Please, please, please be wrong, LOL.
Well, we do have contingencies. I think we are going to try and cover more of the deck so it's about 70% usable. At least. I just hope it won't be too cold for people to want to stand outside coz, bitches, the house can't take 80+ people!
I just hate it when things don't go my way. Stupid weather. Why can't I ever get a break for my birthday parties?? :-(
I'm gonna end up throwing myself a pity party instead *giggle* @ 10:08
May 17, 2007
[bitch bitch bitch] Since I am such an uber bitch myself, I *love* reading the Bitch Session in the Washington Blade. It's so irreverent, honest, and gut-bustingly funny it's almost illegal. Love it. I just had to share this one that I read at my hairdresser's appointment last night (yes, I got highlights for the party and Bali):
Those bitches at Halo better not pour me another weak drink while giving my white friend a stronger drink because they think Asian men can't hold their alcohol.
ROTFL! Um, mayhaps you are so hideous that Halo is serving you weak drinks to get you to leave in disgust. Coz I never have that problem. Then again, I always make my white boys get my drinks at Halo *giggle*
Gaysians are the ultimate bitches, I tell ya ;-)
Oh, this one is priceless too.
You may be a cute BLOND, but boy you are one stupid queen.
I know *so* many people I can say that to, tee-hee. "Aww, thank God you're pretty." @ 20:00
[3...] ...days left till the end of my 20s, groan.
Aaron:: Um, those were not manties. More like floss...
Jason:: Asian an@l floss?
Aaron:: One Asian Small....Floss....
I'm *so* not happy about the weather forecast, btw. Of all the things that are out of my control... Even Tony can't make this one better, LOL! @ 15:04
[100mn strong] Census population estimates released today detailed a major milestone in minority numbers - 100.7 million of us strong, or about 33% of the total US population of 302mn. California alone has more than 20.7mn minorities (21%), followed by Texas with over 12.2mn (12%). By itself, the minority population in the US would be the world's 12th most populated country (after Mexico, ironically).
Nationwide highlights (2000-2006):
- White 66%, Hispanic 15%, Black 13%, Asian-PI 6%
- Total population gain = +6.4%
- NV +20%, AZ +15%, GA/UT +13%... ND -1%, LA -4%
- 2000-2006: White +1.6%, Black +6.9%, Asian +24.4%, Hispanic +25.5%
- 2005-2006: White +0.3%, Black +1.3%, Asian +3.2%, Hispanic +3.4%
- Whites declined in 16 states, Blacks declined in 3 states + DC
- Asian and Hispanic populations grew in all states + DC
- Largest White population: (numerical) CA, NY, TX | (%) ME/VT, WV
- Largest Hispanic population: (numerical) CA, TX, FL | (%) NM, CA, TX
- Largest Black population: (numerical) NY, FL, TX | (%) DC, MS, LA
- Largest Asian population: (numerical) CA, NY, TX | (%) HI, CA, NJ/WA
- USA median age = 36.4, Hispanic = 27.4, Black = 30.1, Asian = 33.5
- Oldest populations (65+): USA = 12%, FL = 17%, PA/WV = 15%
- Youngest populations (5<): USA=7%, UT = 10%, TX/AZ = 8%
- CA (57%), DC (68%), HI (75%), NM (57%) and TX (52%) are majority-minority
- USA to be majority-minority by 2040
Regional highlights (2000-2006):
- Population gain: DC +2%, MD +6%, VA +8%
- DC gentrification: White +14% (nation's highest), Black -6% (2nd highest)
- DC Blacks: 2000 = 60%, 2006 = 55%
- MD: Hispanic +48%, Asian +28%, Black +10%, White -1%
- VA: Hispanic +46%, Asian +36%, Black +8%, White +4%
I love numbers (der, I'm Asian) :-) @ 15:00
[blaker girl] I'm so excited I can hardly speak. Finally, at long last, the southern grip on the Idol crown has been broken! Jordin is from the Phoenix, AZ area and Blake is from the Seattle, WA area i.e. the winner this year will NOT be from the miserable and disgustingly red Southern states. Yay!
My money's on Blake since AZ is a red state. Well, that's just an excuse. My money will be on Blake anyway coz, well, he's just HOT *giggle*. Jordin's great too. Finally, I like both finalists!
Last year (Season V), I rooted for McPheever (look how that turned out) though smokin' Daughtry is doing well, yay. I tuned out Underbitch and Bo Lice (IV) the year before that, and pretty much that entire season. Fantasia and Diana (III) was a David and Goliath voice match and Goliath won (der), though JHud had the last laugh. Clay Gayken (II) should've won. I mean, like, wtf is Ruben? And Kelly Clarkson (I) will always be my gurl!
Staying in the AI theme, Steve/Naomi/Adia sent me the BEST birthday gift EVER which I received last night from San Jose. Check it out:
I'm a Blaker Girl! LOL!!
I, literally, sat on my couch after opening my present and giggled for like 30 minutes. I'm not so sure about the, um, manties... but the baby T? It actually fit! It was a size Small. In Ladies'!!! Shocking.
I have no idea where they found it or got them, but it was WAY too fucking funny.
I love them long time! @ 11:24
May 16, 2007
[two divas down...] ...one to go!
Go Blake! *giggle* @ 23:10
[cher] OMB, guess what Aaron just alerted me to? Cher and I have the same birthdate, LOL! If you had any doubt that I was gonna grow up gay...
Well, actually... She was born 31 years before I did. I know, right? :-o
All's I can say is I hope I look as good as her when I'm 61! @ 15:52
[roller coaster] My caterer - Natalie, who is full of fab ideas - just told me that it might rain on Saturday. I was like, "What?" and sure enough, weather.com says and I quote, "Slight chance of a thunderstorm". Mmm-hmm, yup just one thunderstorm.
I'm officially bummed. The weather forecast had been looking so good up until today. Damn you, Mother Nature! Stupid May weather in DC. I've always had shit for luck when it came to weather during my birthday parties. 3 years ago, it was hotter than the devil's crotch (90° and ridiculously humid). The year after that, it was colder than a witch's tit (50° and wet). There was no party last year (sad). But it has never actually rained during my birthday parties.
I hope this year won't be the first! The best that I can hope for is dry and low 70s (or even high 60s). Any hotter and the house is like a furnace (what with NINETY people!). Any colder and nobody would want to go outside i.e. the house is gonna be packed.
Well, if it rains, the house is gonna be mega-packed. We still have the gazebo which will hold about 20+ people outside but that still leaves the house pretty cramped. Well, I hope it doesn't rain.
Regardless, the party will go on. The caterers will come, the food will be served, and the drinks will be overflowing.
On a better note, my contracting company rep just dropped off some good news about my pay. We'll know more by mid-June when I get back from our 10th anniversary honeymoon in Bali, so stay tuned.
OMB, did you guys watch AI last night?? They were all fabulous. Jordin... sparks on stage. Blake... well, he's mah boah. One has to give him credit for creativity, even though he can't sing as well as the black chicks. I want him in the finals, though I'm sure he'll lose to a girl à la Justin-Kelly in Season 1. Melinda... wow, can she sing. She did good last night too. I want to see a Melinda-Blake or a Jordin-Blake final. But something tells me it's gonna be an all-black-chicks final.
The sad thing is... the prediction is Melinda's gonna win coz she's from the South (TN)! And every single American Idol winner has been from the South so far. Oh well, at least she's better than Hickville and Cunty Underbitch, that's fer shhhure.
Work's a lil' hectic today (it has been for the last... oh, forever). I have a hair appointment later, followed by dinner, followed by JR's to watch the AI elimination. And we have tons of shit to do to get the house ready for the party. I'm pooped just thinkin' about it.
Bummed, hopeful, excited, and exhausted. One might think that I'm schizo! @ 15:48
May 15, 2007
[41 cents] In the 10 years since I have been in the US, the price of stamps has gone up by more than a quarter (not 25 cents, 25%).
Back in June of 1997, it was 32 cents. Yesterday, it increased to 41 cents.
Imagine... the price of stamps was 3 cents post-WWII.
Um... WTF cares? Who uses stamps anymore, now that we have electronic bill-payment and e-mail? I don't even bother with sending occasion cards. Text messaging is far more efficient and it doesn't kill trees ;-)
Stamps are sooo 20th century. They should go the way of dinosaurs. @ 23:59
[ding dong] OMB, I never thought this day would come - Falwell dies at age 73.
I'm not smiling. I really am not. I'm not celebrating, I'm not jumping up and down in glee, I'm not popping the champagne corks, I'm not doing the happy jig.
Nope, not me. No, sirree.
I mean, why? Why on earth would I be happy if the man who blamed gays for the 9/11 attacks is now dead? Why would I celebrate the death of a man who said that "AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals"?
Nope, no reason at all.
Falwell, RIP... as in Rest in Purgatory. FOREVER.
... the witch is dead! :-D @ 13:58
May 14, 2007
[$3.10] For most Americans, $3.10/gallon of gas is not only a record high (topping the old record of $3.07/gallon set in 09/2005 after Hurricane Katrina), it is almost criminal.
To most Europeans, $3.10/gallon or $0.82/liter, is peanuts. Almost laughably low. The Brits pay $7.17/gallon, three-quarters of that are taxes. The Dutch? A shocking $7.77/gallon. Most Europeans pay more than twice what Americans pay. Even Mexicans pay more than we do.
For the record, this is the third year in a row that pump prices have climbed above the $3-a-gallon mark. The inflation-adjusted high of $3.22/gallon was set in March 1981.
If you want cheap gas, go live in Caracas ($0.12/gallon) - where gas costs less than bottled water - or Tehran ($0.33/gallon). Malaysians, on the other hand, shell out RM1.62/liter or $1.80/gallon. Cheap. And the lowest in South-East Asia after Brunei.
$4/gallon, here we come! I can't wait. @ 20:49
[reputation] "Your reputation precedes you" is so true... in my case, at least.
Setup: One of our managers at work was defending me and my boss for a certain project...
Me:: awwwww.. [said manager] is defending us
how sweet
i'll have to bake him a cookie
just oneMy Boss:: Don't poison him! You can't bake.
LOL! Hrmph.
And just yesterday, as Rick, Abbey, Tony and I were dining outside at Logan Tavern under the glorious Sunday sunshiny weather, Rick says to me that I am so high maintenance the air that I breathe is thinner.
Bitches. All of them :-D @ 17:44
[6...] So... I'm a lil' nervous about my birthday party this Saturday. This is good coz it will take my mind off of turning 30.
I mean, look... I will no longer be able to say I'm "twenty-something". Thirty is so ominous and awful right now it's giving me heartburn. AND, it doesn't help that from now on, I have to check the box that says "30-34" or "30-39" in all these surveys and shit. Waaa! I'm gonna start petitioning for "25-34". Age discrimination is so not fetch.
Hmm, back to nerves. I have no idea how we're gonna cram 80+ people into the house. Especially if it rains. Right now, the forecast looks good (60s and clear). But there is a storm coming from Wed-Fri and, you never know, it may linger and spill over into the weekend. Ugh.
Yes, I'm a worry wort.
And the logistics of 80 ppl! OMB. I didn't think everyone was gonna (a) say Yes, and (b) confirm that they are actually going to come! This is ridick. I already have to up the head count to the caterers, buy more booze, etc. What I can't up or buy more of is space at the house!
So listen up... if you're fetch and you read this: COME AT SEVEN. I'm thinking that staggering the arrival times will make it less of a manic crush at 8pm when the party is sposed to start. Of course, the food won't get served until 8pm but, let's face it, you bitches are all manorexic.
And if you're fetch, you'll stay till midnight coz that's when my birthday actually is (the 20th... mmm-hmm, the cusp of Taurus and Gemini which makes me a two-faced stubborn bitch :-D).
Unless you're my mother who insists on calling me on the evening of the 19th every year to wish me Happy Birthday coz, "it's already the 20th here in Malaysia and you were born here so I'm calling you now".
She'll be VERY surprised if she called me on the 19th this year, LOL! Coz I'm gonna be face down ass up on my deck. Drowning my birthday nerves.
And I have nothing to wear!!! WTF should I wear to my own glam 30th bash? Why on earth did I pull out of my ass this whole "glam" dresscode bullshit?? Aaron thinks I should wear J Lo's Versace @ 2000 Grammy's (yes, the green butterfly one that showed *every*thing), LOL!
I'm so stressed I'm gonna have a birthday cold sore, pimple and nosebleed all in one.
SIX more days. I can already see the light. @ 11:06
[desperate... lesbians?] Did you miss it?
Gaby:: "And just so you know, if I was a lesbian... I'd totally do you."
Susan:: "That's... good to know."
I 'bout peed mah pants. Classic DH! @ 10:43
[silly stuff] I had set aside a whole week for this complicated task at work... and, guess what? I finished it today *giggle*.
I rock.
So... time for mindless stuff then.
HOW SEXY IS YOUR NAME?
Add the letters in your first name using the numbers below
under 60 points= not too sexy
from 61-300 points= pretty sexxy
over 301-599 points= VERY sexxxxy!!!
beyond 600= beyond verry verry verry sexy!!!!A=100 B=14 C=9 D=28 E=145 F=12 G=3 H=10 I=200 J=100 K=114 L=100 M=25 N=450 O=80 P=2 Q=12 R=400 S=113 T=405 U=11 V=10 W=10 X=3 Y=210 Z=23
This is kinda not fair. If you have a short first name (like, oh, say *mine*), you're screwed in the sexy department. All you Anglos have crazy long first names :-p
Still, I came up with 819 points! I guess I'm "beyond verry verry verry sexy!!!!", LOL!
I love brain-dead things that make you feel good :-D @ 10:35
May 12, 2007
[ming ming] So... Hold on to an anchor or something tornado-proof... Ready?
Rick just walked in from running with Tony.
Yes. Rick. Running.
*giggle*
So I just told him about the "He has never seen an aging, asian queen up close" Evite respone.
Rick, in his medicated but still cunty self, deadpans:
"Tell him that we have one in captivity. His name is Ming Ming."
LOL!!! I love my Trinity ho's... skanks, bitches.
If I catch any of you calling me Ming Ming, so help me God I will cut you with my chopsticks. Only my parents are allowed to call me that :-p @ 11:40
[gaysian gone wild] I have been down with a cold all week, as most of you know (yes, JR's revenue sunk this week). Last night was my first night out since Sunday. I wasn't even planning on it. Chris had just come back from a hard but fun week in Chicago and I decided to join him on his roofdeck for some wine (like an hour after he arrived at National... yes, we are devoted drinkers! *giggle*). We commiserated (OK, bitched) like we haven't done in forever. Hot. I left there thinking that I was done for the night.
WRONG. I met up with Evan, Guy, Michelle, Jason, blah blah, oh and two friends from SF and dropped/moved/shook/spanked it like it was the closing party at Apex. My residual cough and cold be damned, the music was fierce! The video bar was *IN*-sanely packed. Yadda, yadda, yadda, we stumbled out of there at 3:30, LOL!
Aaaanyho... So Patrick, together with Adam, is missing my party. Pout. Off to the West Coast or some shit like that. I guess you can never give enough advance notice to bitches who drink so much they keep forgetting, LOL.
Anyways, text from Patrick before they left:
well we are sorry we are going to miss it as well.....but i am sure we can just rent the video.....gaysians gone wild
*giggle*
Um, no video cameras, please. Thank you. And no, I will not webcast the party just so that you losers who decide to leave town the weekend before Memorial Day (WTF?) or the rest of you out-of-town (BFF) skanks can watch it.
My response:
Don't you mean "gaysian" gone wild since I'll be the only Asian in attendance (or that matters) :-p
Damn right.
I work it like it's my birthday everyday anyway so when it's *really* my birthday, I will redefine "attention grabbing whore" in a way that would put Paris to shame. Just make sure I don't get thrown in jail :-D
Oh, speaking of Paris...
Gary sends me this delicious lil' e-mail the other day...
"So I was walking into the bathroom at Nordstrom (the Grove) on Saturday and who do I literally bump into but Ms. Paris Hilton in the flesh with trademark sunglasses and fabulous platform pumps, perhaps shopping for the one toothbrush she's allowed to take into the slammer with her. Anyway, I said excuse me and she continued into the bathroom. I, of course, waited for her to exit from the bathroom, starting the text message that you obviously did not receive. Upon her exit I followed behind her on the escalator while she was speaking on her mobile. I kid you not, these were her exact words, 'What about the race? Am I allowed to drive?' Poor thing."
This was the day after she was sentenced to 45 days in jail. I swear to God this shit can *not* be made up! I love my star-fuckers in LA :-D
OK, brunch starts in a little more than an hour. Gotta go powder. Lates. @ 11:27
May 11, 2007
[9...] ...more days and counting before I turn into a wrinkly ol' queen :-D
And just a week and a day left before the "Life begins at 30..." Party. Check out some of these Evite responses so far...
"I've already warned them about you"
"oh, totarry! I rove your parties! they are roverry!"
"...is flying in that day so I hope it is okay to bring him. He has never seen an aging, asian queen up close."
"...judging by the rings around your hole, you are well over 30!!!"
"Whatever anyone tells you about being 30 don't believe it... you will be old and it will suck."
"Like all Asian automobiles, this one will get better with age."
"Would never miss an opportunity to remind someone that they're older than me."
"i fished the evite out of my spam folder, i guess yahoo thinks all email from chinese people is spam!"
"Like I'm gonna miss any chance to remind you that you are OLD...O.L.D.....not old like, no longer young...but old as in only DIRT is older. The cows called...your pasture is ready."
"It's as big as the second coming . . . with rice of course."
*giggle*
My caterers are gonna have a cow. I told them 60 peeps. We are already well into the 80s :-o
P/S: I know most of you bitches don't eat on Saturdays anyway, but seriously, you still need to RSVP coz I need a headcount for the caterers. Pronto!
PP/S: The forecast (if you can even call it that 8 days before) calls for 75°/57° on the 19th i.e. perfect party weather! You skanks better come :-p @ 16:41
May 9, 2007
[SFO-SYD-AKL] OMB, thanks to a tip from Chris (who got it from FlyerTalk), we have just purchased our first ever FULL-fare Business Class tickets for personal travel. No, it's not a $400+ ticket from DC to NYC. These are Business Class tickets from San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand!!
The price of the ticket? $9,853. The price we paid? $1,466.
How did we end up paying only 1/8th of the price? Well, United screwed up when they were loading the fare information for a full-fare C (business) ticket into their system for SFO-AKL (via SYD). Some guy on FT found the error by random and posted it on the FT site. Chris saw it and e-mailed me about it. And we were gonna go to NZ anyway for Thanksgiving, so I jumped on it immediately and managed to grab the seats for November.
So fetch.
If I had thought about it (before United caught the error and pulled the plug), I would've purchased tickets for New Year's and Mardi Gras as well. I mean, an 85% discount on a full-fare Business Class ticket? That's like once in a lifetime!!
But I didn't, sigh. Oh well, can't be greedy. We still are in Business Class all the way! Yay!!
Oh and get this, the SYD-AKL legs are in Emirates for the outbound and Qantas on the inbound. So we get to try (paid) Business Class on all those airlines as well, not that they are anything to shout about. But it'll be fun!
Two weeks in NZ, here I come :-) @ 10:40
May 5, 2007
[bags] OMB, it's only 4pm and I'm tiiiiipsy, LOL. Lauriol Plaza was fun. Hooked up with Michelle + his 2 friends, Patrick + his sister... then Michael/Tyler/Jason... Yes, I had TWO rounds of brunch at Lauriol today (and enough frozen swirls to conquer Mexico). And that place was packed! Definitely Cinco de Mayhem. The weather is a bitch though, ugh. 53° in May?! WTF. And drizzling! My hair!!
Kiat:: (to Patrick) Love you like my luggage!
Patrick:: Love you like my fake Chinatown bag!
*giggle*
The weather sucks ass... but I love drinking holidays! @ 16:33
[that's hot] And this may not be big news...
Are you kidding me? This is like the juiciest celebrity news. Ever. And it totally warms my heart too :-D
Just the thought of Paris eating prison (aka Hilton With Bars) food for forty-five days... If she wasn't before, she'll definitely be bulimic now!
I'm already looking forward to her comeback *giggle* @ 11:01
["w" is for worst] Happy Cinco de Mayhem! I love drinking holidays :-)
But allow me to digress... This whole Wolfowitz World Bank scandal thing is absolutely entertaining. Not the least because I work so close to their headquarters here, and the thought of him being shoved out of the World Bank makes me pee my pants in delirium. Entertaining because he refuses to resign and deflects accusations of unethical conduct by claiming ignorance of the ethics rules at the World Bank.
WTF? If he is really that ignorant (or stupid) about the ethicality of intervening to get his romantic companion a raise, me thinks that that in itself is proof positive that he is incapable of leading a respected (yes I said it!) organization such as the World Bank. It's just that simple.
The same can be said for Gonzales... and Rumsfeld... and Rove... and Cheney... and Tenet... and everyone that Bush seems to hire.
And do you know why Bush keeps hiring these people?? Because he has to surround himself with incompetent, ignorant and ineffectual people to make himself look good. The lowest common denominator is not where the executive branch of the richest and most powerful country of earth should be aspiring to, in my not-so-humble opinion.
Check out this little tidbit I found in the NYT this morning:
"Republicans like Mr. Wolfowitz do not run into trouble because they cannot handle bureaucratic infighting. They run into trouble because their certitude in their own self-importance makes it impossible for them to recognize improper or incompetent behavior in themselves."
"As a result, they have no way to answer the legitimate concerns about their stewardship without resorting to cries of being victims of baseless partisan sniping."
I think "incompetent" is too kind. It's almost an embarrassment at this point to have to justify to the world why Bush is our President. But saying that they're incompetent and feeling embarrassed is not gonna bring back the thousands of innocent Iraqi lives and American soldiers that would still be here today if not for Bush's crimes against humanity aka Iraq War.
And Wolfowitz was the architect of this absolutely heinous excuse for a war. So it gives me great pleasure to be able to dance on the ashes of his World Bank Presidency if and when it gets incinerated by the international mob.
"W" is for Worst!
And I hope history judges them harshly and reduces these past 8 nightmarish years to a tragic footnote in the history of the United States.
Wow, I'm feisty this morning! Must be the whole Mexican celebration thing.
The drinking starts at 1! *drips with anticipation* @ 10:51
May 3, 2007
[woman = problems] Normally, I wouldn't find this hillarious (OK, I would but I would never admit to it *GRIN*)...
BUT my big boss - who is South African married with three kids - sent this to me using his WORK e-mail and I absolutely just had to (a) fall off my chair laughing; and (b) put it on here for everyone's enjoyment (and disbelief at my fantastically casual workplace).
LOL!
I know, I know, only a mathematically-inclined geek (me) would find this funny. What? I'm Asian :-p @ 12:12
May 2, 2007
[fabulous] This is Aaron's attempt at cheering me up, LOL!
He's so sweet.
Off to American Idol at JR's! Two people get kicked off tonight :-o I voted for Blake so many times last night my phone died (no it didn't, but that would've been quite funny, wouldn't it?) @ 20:40
May 1, 2007
[mayday] Well, today is the start of the new fiscal year for the organization that I work for. A new year that is full of exciting challenges and rowdy fun. I've been here - in the capacity of a contractor - for almost 10 months now, and it has been quite an interesting ride indeed. A ride that will, sadly, end soon.
I love my job, I do. I look forward to it starting almost as much as I look forward to it ending every work day. My job is challenging, it is dynamic, but most importantly, it makes a difference (in my warped lil' mind). It doesn't hurt that I have a great diverse set of super fun co-workers (who are as drama-queen as I am), and my bosses are all fantastic. Every single one of them. I wouldn't trade any one of them for the world. And I meet fun new people every single day. AND my commute is an 8-block walk! It is as close to perfect as a job can be.
So it is crushingly disappointing to learn that the contracting company that I work for is unprincipled. And I had to find that out the hard way.
Back when I first interviewed for my current position, my contracting company asked me how much I wanted in compensation. I wasn't looking for a job back then (how naïve was I to think that I was content at Treasury, LOL!), so I just told them what I was making and said that anything more would be fine.
Big mistake. Entirely on my part, of course.
Of course, they offered me the position - I may not look it but when it comes to work, I walk on water ;-) And of course, they screwed me over by offering me the exact same amount that my then job was paying. No raise whatsoever. I thought I had secured a verbal guarantee that the terms of my compensation would be revisited at a later date.
"Verbal" guarantee? Big mistake #2.
I didn't get a 6-month evaluation. Of course not. Only companies that care for their employees would even bother to weed out the good workers from the bad ones by evaluating them 6 months after their join date (coz let's face it, hiring someone is always a gamble). And the new fiscal year? It brought on an automatic 3% increase.
That is the lowest raise (aside from the one I didn't get when I switched jobs) I have ever gotten in my entire life.
Notwithstanding the fact that I wasn't told about the automatic 3% pay increase and the fact that I think 3% is paltry, pathetic and absolutely demeaning, I would've been absolutely fine with it had I started off from a fair base salary.
But we already know how that story went.
I've given them multiple opportunities to rectify this issue that started off as an annoyance but is now so grating on my psyche at work that I almost don't want to be here anymore. I have applied no pressure on them whatsoever, while explaining the situation clearly and convincingly (in my mind) and giving them ample time to work things out on their end. Coz, let's face it... contracting companies make a shit ton of money from whoring out their contractors. Contracting companies are basically legal pimps. And they are damn good pimps at that - cutthroat and uncompromising. Hey, I understand their raison d'être, and I totally respect their need to make money off me. But seriously, when a situation like this happens, everyone takes a few steps back and re-evaluates and comes back to the table with a compromise.
Hah. You must think I'm the most naïve person on the planet. Contracting companies? Compromise? That word is not even in their vocabulary.
They, of course, came back with absolutely nothing to offer. Not even a suggestion, an alternate solution or a temporary one. Nothing I could even work off of. None.
I am completely demoralized today. The knowledge of working for a company that is unprincipled and doesn't care about its workers has sapped every ounce of motivation from me. Don't get me wrong, I will continue to do my job. But the vigor is gone. The feeling of being lied to, taken advantage of, and just the thought of working for an unprincipled company is sickening. For the lack of a better term, it sucks to work for a company that cares so little about you it doesn't even want to try.
But I shall soldier on. For now. As with all situations with unfortunate circumstances, the only way to fix it is to get out of it. Shame too, because I thought I could be happy here for awhile. And it's not even the fault of the organization I'm working for. They don't sign my paychecks; the contracting company does. I feel bad about dicking over the people I work for who are immensely nice to me, but my hands are tied at this point.
Monster.com is back to being my best friend *giggle*
How ironic that all this is happening on May Day - the day when almost the whole world celebrates workers' rights.
In my case, it's more like mayday.
So if you see me out and I am in no mood to party, just buy me a vodka-cran and let me wallow in my misery, drown my sorrows a little. I will emerge scathed, but unbending on my principles.
All's I can say is - Their loss! :-D @ 14:59
31 :: selamat pagi
29 :: party pix
29 :: jet lag
28 :: pff
28 :: ten years
28 :: almost there
28 :: fast forward
27 :: short layover
27 :: flying across america
27 :: bali bound
25 :: the one and only
23 :: m.i.a.
23 :: party all the time
22 :: pics!
21 :: return to sender
21 :: xxx
20 :: i'm not dead!
20 :: one-third
19 :: shameful
18 :: hey you
18 :: good eff-ing riddance
18 :: pity party
17 :: bitch, bitch, bitch
17 :: 3...
17 :: 100mn strong
17 :: blaker girl
16 :: two divas down...
16 :: cher
16 :: roller coaster
15 :: 41 cents
15 :: ding dong
14 :: $3.10
14 :: reputation
14 :: 6...
14 :: desperate... lesbians?
14 :: silly stuff
12 :: ming ming
12 :: gaysian gone wild
11 :: 9...
09 :: SFO-SYD-AKL
05 :: bags
05 :: that's hot
05 :: "w" is for worst
03 :: woman = problems
02 :: fabulous
01 :: mayday