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Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Rich Girls Poor Girls- Everybody Else

Shouldn’t be surprised that there is more of life’s happenings when you are running harder and faster. Recently had a chance to take a hands-on-your-hips breather with some friends and look back at the distance covered.

“How have you been?” between casual friends means “How work and your love life.?” Amongst real friends it means “Hey you getting laid and paid?” Real friends keep it real. Reflections of recent events out loud (often for the first time) and friends’ telling and retelling of stories about me that have been purposely forgotten help me find my bearings as well as focus my sights on the next milestone.

After the night of roasting each other I thought of how much I was trying to not to repeat, backtrack. Maybe I have just taken some scenic back roads and detours but still am running towards the same destination. Besides stories about getting A to B directly are boring.

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Seat Yourself-Roots Manuva

happy birthday my brother from another mother

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Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Everyone-The B&W Years

I ain’t big on the turkey so roasted up cornish hens with cinnamon, cumin, and quince. Quince is a fragrant and super tart apple-pear like fruit that is shaped like a tennis ball. Roasted it gives off umeboshi like flavoring. My first time using the fruit and found that it paired well with the spices and just needed a little sugar for balance. Wok cooked up a cream of sweet yam soup that had a good cinnamon kick to add the extra warmth needed for dining al fresco on a brisk fall night. It tasted even better the next day. Friends brought the wonderful carbs and greens which included potato balls (Khanh), candied yams with strawberries(Nina), seafood linguine(Ernie), chinese chick salad (Stee & Kim), waldorf salad(Jordan), turkey and cran stuffing(David), mash tators(Stee and Julie), and veggie apps (G and Minh). The booze of the night was Beaujolais noveau from Dupond and Duboeuf–both light and tasty to quaff as you gorge.

I am glad that I have times like these to combat the Grinch in me. Consumerism during the holidays it takes on a whole new nadir and has been straight bumming me out lately. The downside of economic knowledge and maybe knowledge of institutions in general, is the more you learn the more you see that the world is a machine trying to exploit you—damn all that Yunnus and NPR killing all the Xmas magic. So this holiday season do what Reverend Billy says, “Buy less, and give more.”

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Terrapin(Mr.Scruff Remix)-Bonobo

I drove away knowing things will be alright. Home is where the heart it is and there is alot of heart under those roofs.

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Cho Em Mot Ngay-Thanh Lam

No better way to kick off the summer than with a backyard BB-Q birthday party. Surprisingly everyone showed up on time instead of Asian time which made food menu execution little difficult. I have never been a big fan of those egomaniacal chef shows (respect and admire the chefs themselves just not the shows) but I can see why they throw tantrums when things don’t go exactly to plan, or more precisely to vision. Well, I didn’t lose my cool and start berating people and their moms and instead quaffed my wine and took the queue of 40 people at my grill as a compliment. In the end I knew the party was a success when the birthday boy is piss drunk and running laps up and down my street. Cheers!

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Believe Me Pretty Mama – Nick Drake

Went to a friend’s wedding last weekend at Lake Tahoe. The wedding was nice. “Nice” in an old grandma, not moved to tears, faint semi-fuzzy warm feelings kinda way. I think people come away from weddings not just happy for the couple but also happier because of their happiness. That’s nice.

It was the first time I have been to Lake Tahoe. The regulars seemed to be of older blue haired, one-arm bandit loving variety. Few cougars prowling the bars and casino floor. All in all an older folks’ destination.

3 Reasons to go back 1) morning hikes and trail running, 2) sitting on a beach and watching the sun go down behind snow capped mountains, and 3) Le Bistro’s French food and BMW Side Cars.

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Girl from Ipanema – Astrud Gilberto

All relationships take work. But what do you do when the work you are putting in isn’t yielding the desired results? You work harder at it because either you haven’t been or think you can make up for the other person’s lack of work. Sometimes, you work smarter by reflecting, soliciting advice from friends, Dr. Phil, and a C. Tennis article or two, and then mix well and apply: clarifying roles and expectations, honest communication, dialogue, and all that other stuff you can put in 10-step program. If that all that don’t work you do what I think alot of people do, lower your expectations (I’ve been told I have higher ones than most folks which I find very disheartening but that topic is for another day/ungodly hour of the morning). But when is it OK to just throw in the towel and call it quits? When you have lowered your expectations to the point you have to remind, no, convince yourself why you are in the relationship at all and it just hurts to try anymore? I’ve been through it, seen people go through it, see people going through it now, so I know there isn’t a simple answer. But I know one thing for sure. My heart gets heavier and heavier when I feel that people are quiting on themselves. Giving up what they know are the non-negotiables to them, the sine qua non in a relationship that will bring them happiness. And for what? Cynical Jeff says, “so the other person can get what they want while you starve yourself?”

Damn I hope I don’t have an ulcer. Gonna go poo now. Smooches.

Some pics from last week*

Friends

Food

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: More than Us – Travis

*The photo-gallery is under construction.

S: Spider-MAN Day. Movie was entertaining but can’t say it was good as 1 or 2. Everyone seemed to look chubbier in IMAX.
M: JiRaffe. On the taster menu was mini keishes (tasted like cha trung without the nuoc mam), calamari salad on french bread (good but totally doable at home), pork ossco bucco with apple cider reduction and butternut mash (too rich, and unbalanced), and for dessert pb&j cake (novel, but not impressed). Off night for the chef? Everyone made fun of me for eating exactly half of each dish. Didn’t do it on purpose just felt like I had enough, taste and amount-wise. JiRaffee wasn’t all bad; ambiance was nice, bartender makes a good grayhound, and oh, the tall skirts at the next table weren’t too hard on the eyes.
T: Sarah Barielles & Aqualung. Night started well with me scoring a sweet meter spot right next to the Fonda *breath on and buff nails on my moobs* Sarah had a mature, jazzy sound with pop. I liked. Aqualung was surprisingly louder than I expected, still I kinda got sleepy before the end of his set. I’m getting old or it was tiring to the ears? Maybe both.

W:”Comfort” dinner at home with friends. Been told that cooking “takes the edge off me” since I can be an “intense” person, especially after a tough day at work. Well, feeding the faces of people I love always did brings me solace.
R: Run Jeff Run. Well shucks, I think I’m starting to like this running thing. Doesn’t hurt when this juicy caboosey gets called “perky”.

F: My pharmer boys graduate! About time to cash on this investment…free drugs and fancy drug rep dinners!!!!

S: “Mommy Day” brunch for my ladies. Made fritatta, roasted baby taters, blueberry melon salad, and D made waffles. Day of grub and love for the moms in our lil but growing familia

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Gravity – Sara Bareilles

You hold me without touch
You keep me without chains.
I never wanted anything so much
than to drown in your love and not feel your rain.

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Listen – Bic Runga (and the chirping of my new roommate, Jepeto the closet cricket)