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    Equal Opportunity Offender

    I’m one of those fortunate enough to have and hang out with diverse groups of friends, both in real life and out here in the blogosphere and twitterverse.  All of them different shapes and sizes in colors of the rainbow with even larger variety of interests and points of view.  All have great sense of humor and never take anything too seriously.

    But those we pull no punches on the most are Brandon’s circle of friends.  The boys have known each other since high school and once we’re welcomed to the family, you’re also fair game for endless teasing and good natured banters.

    For example, we were over at James and Aurora’s for pizza on Friday night.  Just so you know, James has always been the token Jew of the gang while I’m the token Asian.  Well, then again, you could be token anything in this group. A token redhead. A token happa.  A token Marine. A token Superman (Justin is a Marine veteran amputee AND an ER doctor in residency AND his wife is pregnant. So there, Superman!)  So that’s always fun.

    But anyways. On with the show.

    Bob was going over what was in the pizza order James placed that he had picked up.  One was mushrooms and olives and the other was pepperoni and sausage. Brandon pointed at the meat fest.

    Brandon: I voted for that one.

    Me: Hey, how come I didn’t get to vote?

    James: Because you’re a woman.

    Me: [Single finger salute]

    James: AND you’re a minority.

    So we grabbed our pizzas and settled down for dinner.  James had asked for some crushed red pepper flakes.  Aurora had set it on the table in front of me so while he was busy conversing, I started peeling the stubborn “freshness seal” off this new bottle.  The fucker just didn’t want to come off.  James, getting antsy for his turn at the pepper flakes, looked over.

    James:  Oakley, can I help you with that?

    Oakley: No!  I started this war and I’m going end it, goddamn it!

    James: Oh, but how many LIVES do you have to ruin to win this atrocious war!?

    Oakley: Just the Jews.

    Payback is pretty sweet. :)

    Scoped, Spotted, and Splattered

    So you’ve wondered where I”ve been?

    Around, actually. Quite a little bit.

    I suffered a bit of an eating injury on Sunday. Yes, you read that correctly. An. Eating. Injury.

    Tuesday, I spent the afternoon at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and had great bonding moments with my D40.

    Today, my little humble food blog, HmmFoodGood, got noticed by some OC folks and nominated for “You’ve Just Been Spotted” award for food/cooking blog at Just-Spotted.com. Hop on over to either place and vote for HmmFoodGood, won’t you?  We just don’t want to crawl in last, is all. ;-)

    And now, I’m checking my schedule for Drupal Camp LA in Irvine this weekend.  It looks like my friends Annette and Matt will join me for the geek fest.  Any zombies in the area, please come on down to UCI.  There’ll be plenty of Drupal Newbie’s brains splattered all over the engineering quad.

    My schedule looks like this on Saturday:

    9 a.m. – Get Drupal installed at InstallFest

    10 a.m. – Intro to Drupal

    11 a.m. – Functional Interaction Design

    12 p.m. – DrupalChix lunch

    1 p.m. – Keynote

    2 p.m – I’ll be sitting at the DrupalChix table.  I’m a complete and total newbie but they need someone to represent the women in the field, aspired geek like myself included.  So, I volunteered, naturally.

    3 p.m – DrupalChix panel on how to encourage more women to participate in Drupal.

    4 p.m. – Group photo

    4:30 p.m. – Theming with Zen

    5:30 p.m. – Must have module for your Drupal site.

    *KABOOOOOOM!!*

    I should have enough brain matter left for two more sessions on Sunday morning plus a couple more hours at the DrupalChix table.

    So, if I disappear again after this post, you know why.

    More than meet the eyes

    The conversation when I ordered the cake for Brandon’s birthday party on Saturday went a little bit like this.

    Me: Hi, I’d like to order a cake for 15 people, please.

    Great Dane Baking Company: That’ll be a nine-inch cake.  Now what would you like on it?

    Me: Transformers.

    GD: Which one?

    Me: Optimus Prime.

    GD: The red and blue one?

    Me: Yep.

    GD: Okay, what’s the name [to go on the cake]?

    Me: Brandon.

    GD: How old is he?

    Me: Thirty seven…

    GD: Did you say seven?

    Me: No. Thirty. Seven.

    GD: Oh. Hm. Well, I guess we won’t be piping that on the cake, huh? /laughs

    Me: Good idea.

    And here we are. Behold the geek glory of Brandon’s birthday cake creation.

    The awesomest cake. Ever.

    This is a 9-inch round, 3-layer high white cake with non-dairy strawberry cream and fresh strawberries, frosted with non-dairy whipped cream.  (Our friend Aurora is allergic to dairy so we went the non-dairy route.)

    Underneath all of this big, bold, manly man decoration is pink and white, somebody’s perfect wedding cake.

    More than meet the eyes, seriously.

    Oh, and Happy Birthday Husband!

    Phototastic Friday: Sideway

    Well, I still can’t get used to turning the video camera the right way.  My apology for your tilted head.

    But Dresden is just too frellin’ CUTE in this!!!

    Women Rule

    Why would women want to be like men?

    I mean, yes, we deserve to have the same pay for our skills and all of that. But there are some who try to prove that us women can be just like the men.

    But we are not.

    And why should we be like them?

    I believe that women shouldn’t try to be like men  because, well, crap, we are not them.  There’s not good reason why I would want to be a man.

    Well, outside of the ability to pee anywhere.  But I digress.

    We are built differently.  We have strengths they don’t.  And they have strengths we don’t.

    So what?

    We are more emotional in a way that men could never be.  We have a way to develop deep relationships.  We nurture.  As mothers, we can withstand a whole lot more…like drool and vomit and all the gross stuff that would send a grown man run screaming from the room. We can stand the discomfort of pregnancy and pain of childbirth. Not to mention the monthly pain and bleeding we have to go through for most of our lives.   Would men have the patience for that?

    (Okay, another thing some of us wish we didn’t have to go through.  But then again, this monthly discomfort builds our characters.)

    Hank said on King of the Hills, “I don’t trust anything that can bleed for 7 days and not die.”

    Because women *can* handle bleeding for seven days and not die.  Hank is right.  He and the menfolk should be very afraid of our abilities, the strengths the men didn’t think we have.

    Am I an anti-feminist? A sexist?  I don’t know what I am.  But I just believe that as women we should celebrate our given gifts and abilities.  We *can* have it all without becoming a man.

    Instead of trying to be like men, I think we should focus on our strengths and be really good at it.

    I really believe in the Jurassic Park logic.

    “God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs. …Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth.”

    Because we are not men.  We are better off that way and we should celebrate our womenhood in every way!

    Anyways.  While on this subject, I want to celebrate all of the phenomenal ladies I have come to know online and off.  But there are a few who have really inspired and awed me in recent days.

    Aurora continues to amaze me.  Since our cooking classes, she has been cooking a lot more than I do with her crock pot.  This is the girl who hasn’t cooked much before a couple of months ago.  I am soooo proud!  And all this motherhood stuff?  She’s got it down.

    My colleague Sonia ran her first Los Angeles Marathon in just under 7 hours.  Enough said right there.

    Annette lives in Lancaster with her teenage son, commutes to Burbank to work, AND comes down to Long Beach on certain weekends to hang with her little girl.  In the meantime, she works that interweb like it’s nobody’s business and continues to meet new people.  How she did it all is an inspiration and a half.

    Amy G. is whot anyone should want to grow up to be.  Strong. Smart.  Funny.  Moreover, if you throw this lady in a room full of strangers, she’ll walk out with a room full of new BFFs.  I mean, I have never met anyone like that.

    My sister-in-law Pim is a yoga practioner, who now has “students” all over the Big Mango.  You look at this gorgeous, tall skinny Thai girl and you wouldn’t think she’d be atheletic, but you’ll be sooo wrong.  Pim also runs and works out on top of her daily yoga routine.  She always encourages everyone she speaks to to discover the benefits of the yoga practice.  She believes in it and that makes us believe in it too.

    My Thai BFF Tong is planning to move to New Zealand to open a restaurant with her partner.  For an (over)protected only child, this is a hell of a breakaway.   The girl has always love food.  It’s about damn time she actually gets in the kitchen!

    The other BFF Joy just gave birth to her second son a couple of weeks ago, and she’s playing with Jett, the 2-year-old, one moment, feeding new born Jade the next.  In a few more months, she’ll be back running the show at her family business again.  AND she paints. I mean, seriously now.  There must be a Wonder Woman cape under her bed somewhere.

    And then there’s the final Thai BFF Lily who just came back from a solo trip to the French Open.  Lily has travelled more than any of our gang and she’s done a lot of it on her own.  This is a girl who we all knew as the one who didn’t like English back in K-12, then surprised all of us when she got into the English-language Economics program at Thammmasart University. THEN she came to spent her grad school in Texas and training in Miami.  And then you start getting postcards from her from all over the world as she trots the world.

    I salute you, ladies.  You’re my inspiration.

    Phototastic Friday: Irena & Danny

    Last weekend in Florida was amazing. The weather was just like Thailand which I totally adore.  A quick change from the dry California heat, I tell ya.

    We didn’t have a chance to adjust to the time change so we woke up too late each day to try to do anything.  It’s pretty much Coconut Grove and the wedding.  That was it.  No South Beach here.

    We ate at Green Street Cafe twice. And I would seriously eat there for every single meal. I mean, with a mojito like that? I would be dangerous to live close to that joint.

    Here are the wedding pics. It was wonderful, beautiful wedding.  So casual. I mean, the groom skipped down the aisle and both bride and groom cracked jokes with the officiant through the ceremony.

    Irena and Danny, here’s to your grand future together, kids!

    Oh Happy Day

    Today wasn’t a happy one for me personally.

    First up, I had to get a couple of separators back in my teeth as they came right off on the first day of having them. My teeth have been sore all week so at this point, whatever.

    Then off to get my vision field test. I didn’t remember the last time my eyes were dilated, so I told my boss I’d come in after that was done.

    Yeah right!

    I had to hold my phone at arms length to try to call my boss. It was that bad. I could kind of drive but at 11 a.m. it was really, REALLY bright out even with the paper glasses they gave me to wear. I barely made it home but I had been squinting so badly my head started to hurt.  I braved the computer screen, turned the brightness down low, but still couldn’t read anything to save my life.  So I resigned to the couch for most of the afternoon.

    Yeah, totally understand what a vampire must feel like.

    I wanted to take a picture of how HUGE my pupils were for you guys but even the bathroom lights were a little bit too bright. I kind of look like this.

    Eeeek!

    Eeeek!

    However, this frustrating day does have a few good perks.

    Our friend Matt called to let us know he and his wife are expecting their first baby.  Their little boy would probably share my birthday.  Exciting news!

    And of course, I had the chance to finish up packing and made final arrangements for our Miami trip tomorrow.  Irena and Danny are tying the knot, and it is an honor for us to be able to be there.  Another friend of ours and his fiance will be joining us too.

    Coconut Grove, here we come!  I will take a shot of rum for the pain in my teeth and brave at least ONE bite of real Cuban food.  But at least mofongo is soft enough.

    Hmm…mofongo…

    Back to packing.  I might not be blogging from there but will DEFINITELY be tweeting and sending pics.

    BTW – Anyone with any tips on how to get around the area without a car, please do share.  We were told that we wouldn’t need one so we didn’t plan on renting one.  Hope that’s not a mistake.

    Phototastic Friday: Monday Edition

    A lot has happened since last weekend. But most of them captured in photos.

    First, last Saturday we had the photography meet up in Lancaster with #Phototwop (@captures) for the Poppy Reserve hike and the Poppy festival.  Unfortunately, we were much too late for the poppies except for a few patches on the side of the road.  We still had a great picnic and a maniacal hike up a VERY windy hill.

    The next day, Brandon and I and his friends hit the Renaissance Faire as civilians.  Armed with our cameras, we got our Ren Faire photo bugs out of our system.  So when we returned this past Saturday all dressed up we didn’t have to fumble with the damn things.

    The Civilian visit, we went with 3 people.  The Dressed Up visit, it was a huge group with Aurora, Justin, Olaina, Wyatt & Eli (@phraktyl & @phraklet), Annette (@dananner) and her two kids and a friend, AND Amy & Pete and the twins.  We had lunch together before dispersing through the Faire at our own pace.  Olaina was kind enough to take our pictures for the day.  (I think Annette has some too.)

    And yes, after 4 years at the Faire, I finally figured out how to not get sick of dehydration the day after.  One mead, one water is the winning formula!  So yes, I consumed quite a bit of mead in the past week. :)

    And somewhere in the middle there, I went to my final cooking class (which I will add to the series soon), had dinner with a couple of newly engaged friends, and hung out with Justin & Olaina.

    The busy continues starting tonight with a drag show fundraiser for my friend Greg, office potluck tomorrow, one more cooking class (not part of the original series) on Wednesday, and then spacers being put in my teeth on Thursday followed by midnight show of Star Trek.

    Fun!

    Phototastic Friday: Winning Geek

    I have been submitting “Action Shots” to ThinkGeek.com for a while now.  C.H.I.M.P. Bunny here and Expendable there.

    So when the final purchase of my shirt-tastic shopping spree came in (I mean, Rock – Paper – Scissors – Lizard – Spock!? How could you NOT buy?), it took all of 5 minutes for us to set up this shot Brandon took, and for me to submit with suggested caption of “You Spocking to me?”

    you spocking to me?

    Ladies and gentlemen, you are now looking at the winning portrait of  ThinkGeek.com’s Action Shot of April 2009.

    It didn’t take ThinkGeek team long to approve the shot.  James was surprised when he was browsing ThinkGeek and found my picture a couple of days later.

    “Am I hallucinating or is this you?” he emailed.

    I’m sooo certifiably geeky.  AND proud of it!

    My mom had always told me, according to all the fortune tellers, that I, like my dad, don’t have any “luck”.  As in, we won’t win the “enter to win” type stuff or the lottery.  Money won’t fall out of the sky or someone would give us anything out of the blue.  We have to earn our success, making our own luck.

    So far, I earned a couple of them this year.  First was the Port of Long Beach photo contest which I was one of three winners–one other being Annette (@dananner).

    POLB

    And now this.

    Mom and her army of fortune tellers was right. :)

    *

    P.S. For those of you oblivious to RPSLS, please edumacate yourselves.

    TGI-frakkin’-F!

    Oh yeah. Friday was a HELL of a day.

    It actually started Thursday night.

    Thursday night

    We had dinner and sampled ridiculous variety of beer with Paul and Lupe at Beachwood Barbecue. I finally had my Mac and Cheese, the BEST I’ve had and lord knows  how many sips of whats I had.  Nice and buzzed, I got home to a monstrous task of trying to watch most DVR’ed shows as I can before we get the box replaced on Friday.  And what a week to have the DVR taken away too!  Since I haven’t been home all week, Brandon practically didn’t even turn on the TV.  Everything we usually watched remain untouched all week.  I was up until 1 a.m. trying to catch up.  I got to watch the rest of House, Heroes, Lost and 2 sections of Castle before I crawled to bed.

    Frakkin’ Friday

    8:30 – Left the house for doctor’s office on Spring and Palo Verde in Long Beach.  Brandon was up starting to do some transfer of a week’s worth DVR’ed stuff before the cable guy gets in to replace the box.   He managed to grab NCIS, The Mentalist (Rigsby kissing the Red Head under hypnosis…AWESOME!!), and most of Top Gear Vietnam episode.

    8:45 – Poked and prodded and got 2 huge tubes of blood drawn.

    9:45 – Left doctor’s office. Stopped at Nick’s in Los Alamitos to pick up breakfast on the way home.

    10:15 – Ran out to optometrist appointment over by the traffic circle in Long Beach.

    10:30 – Air puffed into eyeballs and all that fun. Made appointment for eye dilation test and further investigation to see if I could be a candidate for laser eye surgery.

    11:45 – Arrived early to Underground Salon on Stearns and Bellflower.  Brandon decided on purchasing the Samsung Omni, so I’d meet up with him at the Verizon store at 1. Kicked myself for not having thought of this before CA sales tax went up.

    New hair cut

    New hair cut

    12:00 – It was decided. I was getting side-swept bang.  My stylist Shua is awesome and has fantastic sleeves.  It was kind of surreal when a blurry Elvis on her bicep was staring at me in the face.

    12:45 – Walked into the Verizon store on Bellflower and Spring with 4 inches less of hair and a side-swept bang.

    1:45 – Leaving Brandon alone at the Verizon store to wrap up the transfer to the Omni (with pink silicon case for me!)  to run to the dental appointment over on Paramount and Del Amo.

    2:00 – Getting minor cavities fixed.

    2:45 – Heading home to meet up with Brandon to go to the next appointment.

    3:45 – Arrived at the next appointment at Pine and Ocean.

    7:45 – Got back home.

    8:00 – Wiped out.  Heard poor Wyatt was the only one at the Long Beach Tweet Up.  And we had to flake out on the pub crawl because we were too damn tired.

    8:30 – Crawled into bed.

    Saturday morning

    …it continued.

    9:00 – AIDS Ride benefit breakfast for our friend Greg at Rick & Brian’s Cafe on Redondo with James, Aurora, Lee and Dresden.

    Behold, the cuteness.

    11:00 – Grocery shopping. FINALLY! After weeks of not having anything in the fridge.

    12:00 – Back at James & Aurora for Dresden’s delayed 1st birthday party.

    4:30 – Left the party. Took a nap. Worked on some stuff.

    7:30 – Left to Celeste’s birthday party.

    11:00 – Crawled into bed.

    Sunday

    …we just hid from the world, getting ready for Monday.  Can you blame us?