Friday night out with the girls in Downtown LA. Holy shit did we have a great time! Takami was fantastic and Elevate was hoppin’ once the DJ arrived. We met some cool new people after trying in vain to get rid of some assholes. So much fun!

Saturday, B and I ran some errands which I ended with a bottle of Limoncello in one hand and tawny port in the other. And then I fell in love with a condo 2 doors down from us. They had an open house and these two cats totally indulge our curiosity.

Guys, I have found my perfect place to live. This 3-bedroom condo has everything I want. And by that I mean a granite counter top kitchen with an island. 2 car garage with extra space for a workshop. The price is right. The location is obviously perfect.

The only problem? We have nothing to down the house with. I guess after all these times of raising money for charity, perhaps I should raise some for my down payment, huh? 🙂

So I was floating on the imaginary bliss of buying and owning a perfect home for the rest of the afternoon. And then the Trojans damn near made me suicidal.

Holy fuck, boys! That was way too close for comfort at 27-24. And we got REALLY fuckin’ lucky. But then again, we weren’t too bad for having our 3rd strings running amok.

Erik showed up with some steaks so we grilled that. As the game wrapped up, the posse grew bigger with the addition of K9 Steve and we headed out for the late night show of 3:10 to Yuma.

Oh. My. God. You have to see 3:10! Drama through and through. Acting, obviously, is fantastic. I mean, Russel Crowe makes look so easy, like he was just being himself through the whole thing. Christian Bale gets a wee bit too intense sometimes, but that’s Christian for you and what makes him so much fun to watch. (And I wanted to steal Charlie Prince’s double breasted white jacket the whole time.) I have never really seen a Western, so I can’t tell you. But the boys said this is as traditional as it gets and therefore was very refreshing to see. I’ll take their word for it.

Today had been whirlwind too. I went with my aunty and cousins to a Cerritos park to give alms to the monks or “Taak Batr”. Traditionally, monks would walk around the neighborhood with this metal bowl–“Binntabatr”–and people would give them food as a way of making merits/good karma. Being in the U.S., that tradition has to adapt a bit. So, the temple sent the monks over to the park, people show up to give alms and pray a little bit. I haven’t done this in a while so I went and it was a very pleasant.  At first I thought it might be painfully long or complicated, but it wasn’t. So, I’ve signed up with Aunty Tim to join the crew monthly.

I’m not horribly religious, but that was just enough for me. Good for my tired little soul. 🙂

We went to brunch after the morning ordeal at Sam Woo. After I stuffed myself silly, I found out that Brandon’s dad and sister and her entourage were heading out to have lunch. Well, I got to watch the family stuffed their faces. Well, in case of Claire, it was with handfuls of ketchup and the onion part of onion rings. We then took the gang to see the dream condo, and then off to the beach. Claire is a handful sometimes but she’s so cute you almost can’t help forgiving her for the tantrum she threw 5 minutes ago.

Steph and the crew left after the beach. Dad was heading back to his hotel too but I persuaded him to stay for dinner. Hey, if the man only comes out this way once a year, even if it’s for his work, I’d capitalize on family time.  It’s good for everyone in the family.

At one point, the boys got into the Men v.s. Women conversation about being pack rats and creators of clutters. Dad complained about mom’s ability to fill empty spaces all through the house but won’t let him put his peanut butter and syrup in a kitchen cabinet.

“I mean, she took up the whole god damn house and I can’t even have a corner in HER kitchen for a jar and a bottle. I really don’t get it!”

“What else is in that cabinet?” I chimed in. “I mean, even *I *have a system for this kitchen. See, this cabinet is all vinegar and sauces, and that one has spices.”

“What’s your point?”

“I mean, I totally understand why mom would be pissed off. I wouldn’t want to see peanut butter and syrup here with my balsamic vinegar and chicken marinade.”

Dad stared blankly at me.

Then Brandon saved the day. “You see, dad. It’s like you put a Philips head screwdriver in with the pliers…”

“Ah. I see.”

Men. Women. Mars. Venus. No kidding.

But anyway, our suggestion was for dad to put his two breakfast items (yes, his breakfast is indeed toasts with peanut butter and syrup) where mom keeps cereal and bread. That ought to stop her freaking out. That totally makes sense to me so it should for her as well.

And here I am. Wrapping up this rest-less weekend. But it was worth it though.