03.29.06
Favorite Songs of the Moment:

Angels and Airwaves - The Adventure
Fort Minor - Where'd You Go
Maritime - Tearing Up the Oxygen
Rock Kills Kid - Hide Away

03.28.06
Happy Birthday to me! Thanks everyone for all the phone calls and email messages. Heehee, I felt so special. bg was sweet enough to play hooky with me so we had a relaxing day away from work. First was brunch at Judy's and weekday mornings are one of the best times to go to this popular place in the Marina. Yummy blueberry muffins.

Judy's
2268 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA
415-922-4588

We rented Capote and I can't decide if I like the movie or not. Dinner was at Les Amis and we almost missed our reservations. Heehee, oops. Les Amis is in a converted firehouse and relatively new in the restaurant scene. I like the huge red doors in the front. We shared the seared day boat scallops and cream brulee. I ordered some sort of fish and bg had the filet mignon. Everything was really delish and service was great overall.

Les Amis
568 Sacramento St
San Francisco, CA
415-291-9145

03.27.06
The Subways at Slim's.

03.24.06
We watched some more college basketball at Raleigh's. It was kinda bizarre because there was a rope masquerading as a jungle vine near the door. They had some weird tropical/jungle theme going on. Mmm, I had a grilled bbq chicken sandwich. Yay for bbq sauce, very delish sandwich. =d Anyway, we wanted to watch Thank You For Smoking but missed the show that we wanted. And who knew finding free parking on a rainy Friday night in Berkeley would be so difficult. Bleh, I thought all the students went away for Spring Break? Instead, we rented a dark comedy with Nicholas Cage, the Weather Man.

03.22.06
These chocolate eggs are from Victoria Pastry Company in San Francisco and look way to pretty to eat.

03.21.06
Happy Birthday bg! We both know you exhibit such wisdom and maturity with that extra one year and one week you have on me . . . ahahaha. ; Þ

03.20.06
Favorite Songs of the Moment:

Bloc Party - Two More Years
Editors - Munich
Hard-Fi - Cash Machine
The Subways - Rock and Roll Queen

03.19.06
March Madness is upon us. So Henry's has a lot of tv screens but all the sound is off and soft jazz music isn't gonna cut it. Raleigh's looked pretty empty. I didn't want to even consider Kip's. So Bear's Lair it was and according to Sports Illustrated, it's one of the best sports bars in the nation. Mmm, and I got to try White Castles for the first time, quite tasty when still warm. I guess once Berkeley was out of the running, all the Berkeley sports fans lost enthusiasm because Bear's Lair was pretty empty for the majority of the afternoon. Meanwhile, being stuck on the bridge is not fun, booo to weekend traffic.

03.18.06
I watched Hulu I Ka Wekiu at Zellerbach and I suppose only in the Bay Area will you get to see fusion hula. There was a hip hop-ish hula, a campy version of the hula, a firemen's hula, and a Hare Krishna hula. =p Anyway, the host Patrick Makuakane was quite entertaining.

03.17.06
Irish Car Bombs = evil. 'nuff said. I am a quiet puker.

03.15.06
I had dinner with Heidi at Mount Everest; they serve Nepalese and Indian cuisine. It turns out she works and lives only a few blocks away but I haven't seen in two years. She'll be in the Berkeley area until September of this year. Haha, it was awesome catching up with her; I've known her since third grade and she used to live half a block away from me back in the day. Anyway, I've been meaning to try Mount Everest for awhile and they have yummy dishes and great mango lassi. Kent and Bosun really like this place, too. We ordered Bhutanese Chili Chicken, Sag Paneer, Aaloo Naan, and Mount Everest Biryani.

Mount Everest
2011 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley
510-665-6035

03.12.06
Lunch with Jeff at Chow. Jeff likes to talk. =) I'm not sure if I was very impressed with my pork chops; they were on the dry side. There is a sister restaurant called Park Chow.

Chow
215 Church St
San Francisco
415-552-2469

03.11.06
I have this top that has excerpts from a poem and was bored and decided to google the lines and see what poem it's from. Turns out it's a poem titled Venus Transiens by Amy Lowell. Here it is:

Venus Transiens

Tell me,
Was Venus more beautiful
Than you are,
When she topped
The crinkled waves,
Drifting shoreward
On her plaited shell?
Was Botticelli's vision
Fairer than mine;
And were the painted rosebuds
He tossed his lady,
Of better worth
Than the words I blow about you
To cover your too great loveliness
As with a gauze
Of misted silver?
For me,
You stand poised
In the blue and buoyant air,
cinctured by bright winds,
Treading the sunlight.
And the waves which precede you
Ripple and stir
The sands at my feet.

03.10.06
I was shopping earlier today and saw a new brand that I like: Jak & Rae. I love the vintage details, the embellishments, and the unique cuts. Unfortunately, they're quite pricey.

03.09.06
Ballet Argentino with Katie and Sandy.

Koryo Restaurant
2556 Telegraph Ave
Berkeley
510-548-2525

03.08.06
Does anyone have episodes from Project Runway? I don't have cable. Booo. Anyway, looks like there's a sewing craze again. Ironically, I'm still the youngest one in my class and majority of the students in my class are grandmas.

03.07.06

So I was stuck at the Narita airport for three hours last month and I really wanted to buy some more yummy green tea snacks. I ended up getting green tea chocolates, one called Hanahiyori which is made by Morinaga and Meltykiss which is by Meiji:

03.06.06
So I haven't had a chance to listen to NPR for awhile but Annie mentioned that she finds out a lot about indie bands from there. Reviewing the archives, here are some bands I like:

• Broken Social Scene
  Broken Social Scene is an interesting collaboration of artists from other bands such as Metric and Stars. The band is really large where there are anywhere from 11 to 15 musicians contributing, haha, lots of logistical issues in terms of recording and performances.
  
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
  This is a cool indie band that created and promoted their album on their own. Listen to how Internet buzz can help a small band into the spotlight.
  
• Imogen Heap
  She used to be part of a band called Frou Frou, great band if you like chill music. She is now doing a solo effort. I really like her songs because they're heavy on the piano work.
  
• Nada Surf
  Dramatic departure in style from their previous album.
  
• Stars
  Catchy melodies.

03.05.06
Here's a follow up article on the Plaza Apartments.

"Inside, there are such touches as recycled rubber flooring in the bathrooms. The structural steel has 25 percent recycled content. All the cabinetry consists of wheat board instead of plywood."

03.04.06
I had breakfast at Chez Maman in Potrero Hill and ordered a chicken panini and bg had a ham and gruyere crepe. The place is tiny and we matched to grab one of the two tables available. They have a few sister restaurants including Baraka, Chez Papa, and La Suite.

Chez Maman
1453 18th Street
San Francisco
415-824-7166

We went shopping at Union Square afterwards and found a cute shirt at Urban Outfitters. I did some urban hiking around Lincoln Park near the Legion of Honor. Even though it was a bit chilly, it was a pretty clear day and the Golden Gate Bridge was very visible.

Village Pizzeria
1243 Van Ness Ave
San Francisco
415-673-777

03.03.06
Cafe du Nord with Annie and Yusing to see the 88, Birdmonster, and Street to Nowhere.

2170 Market Street
San Francisco
415-861-5016

03.02.06
This is a great article that shows that housing developments are being more environmentally conscious:

"That means solar panels, recycled building materials, energy efficient appliances, bamboo floors, paneling made with recycled paper and wood products, more natural light and better insulation."

03.01.06
Looking at my room and closet, especially after my Japan/Taiwan trip, I know I have to stop shopping for clothing. So I'm going to see if I can be really good and not buy any clothing, accessories, and shoes until April 16. Little do people know, I'm an extremely picky shopper or perhaps I have weird tastes. Certain factors need to be in place for me to purchase something. I cannot be easily swayed. Woohoo, gonna win this bet.