• Cold War Kids benefit concert at the Echoplex — it’s always cool to listen to a band live plus it was for a good cause…had dinner at Masa…theirdeep dish Chicago pizza looked really good but since it was made toorder would have taken an hour so I ended up with the crepes instead.
• took a friend out to a belated birthday dinner at Sushi Nozawain Studio City…called the sushi nazi since the chef can be veryparticular about certain things supposedly.  He didn’t seem especiallyfriendly but didn’t seem as rude as some of the reviews would lead youto believe.  We had the omakase which included baby tuna sashimi,yellowtail, albacore, blue crab handroll, toro handroll, oysters,sardines (surprisingly not as fishy as I thought it would be), uni(really good), and scallops.  Sasabune is supposed to be his apprenticebut I think I actually like Sasabune better
• watched Ocean’s Thirteen…I thought this one was as good as the first movie…pretty funny and entertaining
• Early 90s rave party at Detroit Barin Costa Mesa…big raver pants, pacifiers, glowsticks, candybracelets…it was so much fun!  Afterwards we chilled at the Compoundbefore heading home at around 5am.  I’m not sharing my drunk pics and the ones with all the boobie grabbing

• went to a swanky cocktail party with appetizers, wine and martinis.  Thanks Merlin for the invite.  Check out his music blog and download his latest and greatest dj set…its really good   Thanks also for introducing me to an awesome website Hype Machine where you can listen to cool music recommended by other people. 
• checked out the Pasadena Chalk Festival…there was a lot of amazing artwork…so much talent.

• saw the wierdest movie ever (Holy Mountain) at the Hollywood Cemetary.  The director is Alexandro Jodorowsky who was probably tripping on LSD when he made it.  It’s cool though be cause its an outdoor movie where you can picnic and drink wine.  Might go check out another movie there.

Alma Paradiso - La Salinas Beach, Mexico

Poor rubber duckie was severely violated…but I think it secretly liked it Camping out on the beach for the weekend with music going all night long…lobster in Puerto Nuevo…meeting new friendly faces…good times, good times.

Wil’s 30th birthday at Bliss in Ktown…afterwards went clubbing at Sunset Beach on the Sunset strip…it was cool running into a random xangan…Sasha at Vanguard…All you can eat pavilion at Dodger’s game (thanks Sandy for the tics!)…steak bbq (thanks Chan for cooking!)…kaiten sushi at Kado in the Grove…watched Knocked Up (really funny movie)…half price sushi happy hour at Wasabi in Long Beach

Thinking about getting a new car.  I want something sporty and luxurious…not too big…around $35K or under…any suggestions?

This was me lead climbing in Canon Tajo in Mexico.  Great area to climb…lots of sport and trad routes.  It’s a bit isolated and not many people know about it so we had the whole place to ourselves.  For more pics click here.
Oh and if you have some time, please do me a favor and go check out this site Wannago.org.  I designed the site myself and its a cool website where you can organize and sign up for outdoor events.  It’s still in beta testing right now but please sign up (its free) and poke around the site and give me your honest feedback.  It has a lot of functionality of myspace…you can add people as friends, comment on profiles, chat, private message, upload pics, etc. but its specially geared towards outdoors people.  I posted a few events on there too so if you’re interested in any of them sign up for them.

So much else has happened since I last updated so I’ll try and see if I still remember everything.

• climbing at Alabama Hills
• last snowboarding trip to Mammoth…still pretty decent conditions considering how late in the season it was
• lunch at Tender Greens in Culver City…cute salad place…I’m trying hard to eat healthier
• breakfast at The Griddle Cafe…their eggs and french toast are so good…portions are huge too!
• went scuba diving at Deer Cove just north of Malibu…I know I swore never to do a beach dive again but it actually wasn’t too bad…only 1-2 feet of waves…exit and entry weren’t too horrible but still very tiring.  Visibility wasn’t too great but did see some fish and a lot of nudibranch (they shimmer when you shine a light on them)
• hung out with friends at Bodega Wine Bar in Pasadena
• happy hour at Tangiers in Los Feliz…bartender kept giving us free drinks so I was pretty buzzed
• I love the Nintendo Wii…it is so much fun!  I don’t want to pay more than retail price though so if someone knows where I can get one…let me know!
  

It’s been such a long time since I’ve written in here.  So much has happened and I’m sure I won’t remember everything, but here’s some of the things I’ve done since I last updated:

• work dinner/dance at the Wilshire Grand
• wine tasting along Central coast in Paso Robles, hiking and mountain biking at Montana d’Oro State Park
• climbing at Red Rocks
• dim sum at Golden Dragon in Chinatown
• sushi at Oomasa in Little Tokyo
• hiked up Mt. Lukens
• tried Pinkberry for the first time…it really is as good as the hype and I don’t even like yogurt that much

This weekend planning on going to Canon Tajo in Mexico to go climbing.  Even though I don’t update as much, I still try to read all my subscriptions.  Sorry I haven’t commented much…I miss everyone! 

 

Camped at Texas Springs campground in Death Valley.  We ended up doing three canyons.  The first day we did Darwin Falls.  It was a bit colder than I thought rappeling down a waterfall in a bikini   We also did Coffin Canyon which was pretty challenging with one long 190ft rappel.  The last day we ended up just hiking through Mosaic Canyon.  

Other things I’ve been up to:

• happy hour until 8pm at Bigfoot Lodge…their girl scout cookie martini was delicious…afterwards had dinner at a cafe in little tokyo
• saw Wicked at the Pantages theatre…highly recommend seeing it. We got front row (literally) orchestra seats for only $25 in the lottery.  we were so close we could see up the girls skirts when they were dancing  thanks babe for getting the tickets!
• party at Social in Hollywood
• 2 mammoth trips…pretty decent coverage finally…it’s been a late season

I hope everyone had a happy Valentine’s Day yesterday. My boyfriend is so sweet   He bought me pink roses, chocolate, and a huge stuffed animal.  He also took me out to lunch and then for dinner we went to Twist at the Renaissance Hotel.  I enjoyed my salmon with a glass of pinot grigio.  Afterwards we got dessert at Sweet Lady Jane.  The best gift of all was just spending time with someone that I care about.  I’m really lucky to be with him.

I forgot to blog about last weekend.  On Friday we went to Joseph’s Café to celebrate a friend’s birthday.  I got really buzzed from a redbull/vodka, an apple martini, a mudslide, a kamakazi shot, double shot of patron, and a seven & seven.  To sober up, we had a huge pizza at Greco’s Pizza Parlour.  The next day we went on a hike at Griffith Park with dragonflies1004.  Then yummy Korean food in Ktown…I really liked the ginseng wine.  Went to celebrate another friend’s birthday at the Velvet Margarita.  We continued the party with drinks at L’Scorpion.  On Sunday, we went for a bike ride around Runyan Canyon before meeting up for a Chinese NewYear dinner at NBC Seafood.  Later we went to the traditional dessert place where we had mango and coconut with sago. 

This week, we went for some drinks at Big Wang’s.  The drinks are cheap and they wear shirts that say “size matters” on the back.  It’s a cool laid back sports bar.  Then it was happy hour at the Cat & Fiddle.  They have some free appetizers and beer/wine/well drinks are $3.50 until 7pm. Also watched Pan’s Labyrinth…a really sad story.  Tried a hot dog at Skooby’s…pretty good but not as yummy as the bacon wrapped ones you get outside the clubs.  I liked their dipping sauce for the fries though.

This weekend we’re thinking of taking a canyoneering trip in Death Valley. 

Gosh I’ve really been neglecting this blog.  I wish I could say its because I’ve been keeping so busy that I don’t have time to update but really it’s because I don’t have anything interesting to write about.  This weekend I finally decided to go out.  Went to happy hour with a friend at Nirvana…the place was dead but the food and martinis were pretty good.  You can eat on the beds and they’re pretty comfortable to lie down in.  Also went to Dragonfly…on Friday nights it’s a fetish club.  You can watch people getting tied up and spanked.  They also had a contest for the hottest ass   Saturday, we went bike riding from Santa Monica beach down to Venice and back again.  Ate some chicken wings and drank a beer at the Whaler while watching the sunset.  Dinner was at the Corner Place Restaurant in Ktown.  Sunday, we went to dimsum at Golden Dragon in Chinatown.  Finally went to watch Curse of the Golden Flower at the Arclight.  Overall a very fun weekend. 

Went to Mammoth a few weeks ago, and I love my new boots and bindings.  My riding has improved a lot.  Pray for more snow.

stolen from sungscow:

There are 239 movies on this list. Apparently, if you’ve seen more than 85 of them, you have no life.

Copy and paste this as an entry on your Xanga. Then mark [X] the movies you’ve seen, adding them up along the way.


O Rocky Horror Picture Show
X Grease
X Pirates of the Caribbean
X Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
X Boondock Saints
X Fight Club
X Starsky and Hutch
X Neverending Story
O Blazing Saddles
O Airplane

Total so far: 7

X The Princess Bride
X AnchorMan
X Napoleon Dynamite
O Labyrinth
X Saw
X Saw II
O White Noise
O White Oleander
O Anger Management
X 50 First Dates
X The Princess Diaries
O The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total so far: 14

X Scream
X Scream 2
X Scream 3
O Scary Movie
X Scary Movie 2
O Scary Movie 3
O Scary Movie 4
X American Pie
X American Pie 2
X American Wedding
O American Pie Band Camp

Total so far: 21

X Harry Potter 1
X Harry Potter 2
X Harry Potter 3
X Harry Potter 4
X Resident Evil 1
O Resident Evil 2
X The Wedding Singer
O Little Black Book
X The Village
O Lilo & Stitch

Total so far: 28

X Finding Nemo
O Finding Neverland
X Signs
O The Grinch
O Texas Chainsaw Massacre
O Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
X White Chicks
X Butterfly Effect
O 13 Going on 30
X I, Robot
O Robots

Total so far: 33

X Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
O Universal Soldier
X Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
O Along Came Polly
O Deep Impact
O KingPin
X Never Been Kissed
X Meet The Parents
X Meet the Fockers
O Eight Crazy Nights
O Joe Dirt
X KING KONG

Total so far: 39

X A Cinderella Story
X The Terminal
O The Lizzie McGuire Movie
O Passport to Paris
X Dumb & Dumber
X Dumber & Dumberer
X Final Destination
X Final Destination 2
O Final Destination 3
O Halloween
X The Ring
X The Ring 2
O Surviving X-MAS
O Flubber

Total so far: 47

X Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
O Practical Magic
O Chicago
O Ghost Ship
O From Hell
X Hellboy
O Secret Window
O I Am Sam
X The Whole Nine Yards
O The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 50

X The Day After Tomorrow
O Child’s Play
O Seed of Chucky
O Bride of Chucky
O Ten Things I Hate About You
O Just Married
O Gothika
X Nightmare on Elm Street
X Sixteen Candles
O Remember the Titans
X Coach Carter
X The Grudge
X The Grudge 2
X The Mask
O Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 57

X Bad Boys
X Bad Boys 2
O Joy Ride
O Lucky Number Seven
X Ocean’s Eleven
X Ocean’s Twelve
X Bourne Identity
X Bourne Supremecy
O Lone Star
X Bedazzled
X Predator I
O Predator II
O The Fog
O Ice Age
O Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
O Curious George

Total so far: 65

X Independence Day
O Cujo
O A Bronx Tale
O Darkness Falls
O Christine
X ET
O Children of the Corn
O My Bosses Daughter
O Maid in Manhattan
O War of the Worlds
X Rush Hour
X Rush Hour 2

Total so far: 69

O Best Bet
O How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
O She’s All That
O Calendar Girls
X Sideways
O Mars Attacks
O Event Horizon
X Ever After
X Wizard of Oz
X Forrest Gump
X Big Trouble in Little China
X The Terminator
X The Terminator 2
X The Terminator 3

Total so far: 77

X X-Men
X X2
X X-3
X Spider-Man
X Spider-Man 2
O Sky High
O Jeepers Creepers
O Jeepers Creepers 2
X Catch Me If You Can
X The Little Mermaid
X Freaky Friday
O Reign of Fire
X The Skulls
X Cruel Intentions
X Cruel Intentions 2
O The Hot Chick
X Shrek
X Shrek 2

Total so far: 90

O Swimfan
O Miracle on 34th street
X Old School
X The Notebook
O K-Pax
O Krippendorf’s Tribe
O A Walk to Remember
O Ice Castles
O Boogeyman
X The 40-year-old-virgin

Total so far: 93

X Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
X Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
X Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
X Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
X Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
X Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total so far: 99

O Baseketball
O Hostel
O Waiting for Guffman
O House of 1000 Corpses
O Devils Rejects
X Elf
X Highlander
O Mothman Prophecies
O American History X
O Three

Total so Far: 101

O The Jacket
X Kung Fu Hustle
X Shaolin Soccer
O Night Watch
X Monsters Inc.
X Titanic
X Monty Python and the Holy Grail
X Shaun Of the Dead
O Willard

Total so far: 107

O High Tension
O Club Dread
X Hulk
X Dawn Of the Dead
X Hook
X Chronicle Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
O 28 days later
O Orgazmo
O Phantasm 
O Waterworld

Total so far: 111

X Kill Bill vol 1
X Kill Bill vol 2
X Mortal Kombat
O Wolf Creek
X Kingdom of Heaven
O Hills Have Eyes
O I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
O The Last House on the Left
O Re-Animator
X Army of Darkness

Total so far: 116

X Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
X Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
X Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
X Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
X Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
X Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
O Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
O Ewoks The Battle For Endor

Total so far: 122

X The Matrix
X The Matrix Reloaded
X The Matrix Revolutions
X Animatrix
O Evil Dead
O Evil Dead 2
X Team America: World Police
X Red Dragon
X Silence of the Lambs
X Hannibal

Total: 130

 

So I spent 9 out of 10 days snowboarding up in Mammoth (took a day off when there was the storm because it was so windy and one of the days I only did a few runs cuz I was sick).  I’m pretty sore because that is the most number of consecutive days of riding for me.  Some highlights of the trip:

• turkey dinner for Christmas…it was like being home with family including the fights…lolz
• happy hour at Whiskey Creek…gotta love half priced steaks
• windblown powder over newly groomed runs…i’ve got a need for speed
• our own cozy tent cabin complete with icicles hanging from the roof
• scenic drive around June Lake
• I had raclette for the first time for New Years…you take potatoes and various items (like brocolli, pickles, prosciutto, etc.) and then mash it all together then pour melted stinky cheese over it…very yummy
• celebrating the countdown for every time zone in the US with a champagne toast

2006 in review:

Jan–new year’s in Brazil, bachelorette party in Vegas, caving in Anza Borrego, Mammoth
Feb–Mammoth, spa getaway in Palm Springs, winetasting in Temecula, broke up with the ex
Mar–Big Bear, Mammoth, rock climbing at Malibu Creek, WMC in Miami
Apr–Mammoth, grunion run, Coachella, camping in Santa Barbera
May–cactus to clouds hike, STOMP at the Pantages, Relay for Life walk, surfing, whitewater rafting in   Yosemite
Jun–Mammoth, opera, pole dancing class, mountain biking, Magic Castle, wakeboarding/waterskiing on the Colorado River, got scuba certified
Jul–backpacked in the Sierras, Armand Hammer museum, Food & Wine tasting event, Giant party, Shakespeare in the Park, rock climbing at Big Bear
Aug–climbed Mt. Shasta, scuba dived at Anacapa Island, tried bikram yoga, biking & climbing in San Diego, pageant of the masters, motorcycle classes
Sep–cave diving and windsurfing in Cancun, Curtains at the Ahmanson, whitewater kayaking at the Kern river, salsa dancing, birthday dinner at Tokyo Delves, Getty Villa, new bf
Oct–canyoneering in Zion, climbing at Clark’s Canyon and mountain biking at Rock Creek, climbing at Joshua Tree
Nov–climbing at Red Rocks, riding camels and shopping at souks in Morocco, climbing at Taquitz, hiked San Jacinto
Dec–Griffith Observatory, christmas party at Queen Mary, Mammoth

New Year’s resolutions/goals:

1.  Volunteer more
2.  Be healthier–exercise more, eat better, lose weight, drink more water and less alcohol, go to bed earlier
3.  Stop being afraid of taking risks
4.  Catch up on reading
5.  Learn spanish
6.  Take a photography class
7.  Spend more time with family and friends

New boots and bindings that I bought:

Burton Women’s Emerald boots- Silver


Burton Women’s Escapade bindings - White

I was a little worried with the late season this year but I am so glad I went to Mammoth this last weekend.  It was snowing most of Saturday and there was a foot of fresh powder off the top of Cornice…one of the best conditions I’ve seen it ever…luckily we got there before it got alltracked up.  After 4 years of step-in bindings, I’ve finally decided to switch over to straps…I’ll get better control plus I end up always waiting for my friends to strap in anyways.  Not to mention I thrashed my current boots and bindings (a strap broke and one of the screws came off) so it’s a good excuse to get new gear.  It was also a cheap weekend ($40/person with 12 people in the condo).  After spending some much needed time in the Jacuzzi, we had a pasta dinner, drank numerous quantities of alcohol, and played taboo. 

It was the first time I drove up Saturday morning and surprisingly I wasn’t that tired.  I actually got more sleep than if I had driven up late Friday night and there was no traffic.  Bought these new chains for my car that work great…they have a diamond pattern so you get better traction plus it attaches at 2 points so you don’t have to move the car to take them off and on and they’re self-tightening.  I’m also planning on going back to Mammoth this Friday so I’ll be up there for 10 days from 12/22/06 to 1/1/07 so let me know if you’ll be up there during those times and maybe we can meet up.  I plan on bringing my snowshoes and doing some backcountry snowboarding too either to the Sherwins and/or White Mountain. I want to get more practice riding fakie.  Right now I can connect a few turns but I want to get a lot better.  Hopefully I’ll have some videos to post up next time of me doing some jumps.  By the end of this season, I want to be able to do 180s off the jumps.  Thank god I have the Mammoth MVP season pass.  For only $450 it is the best deal ever seeing as how the price for a day lift ticket rose to $78 this year.  For dinner we stopped at Amigo’s in Bishop for some good Mexican food.

I ended upbuying a 7mm wetsuit that was on sale for only $150 at Sports Chalet so I’m all set to go diving now.  Anyone up for going to Belize next year to get their advanced scuba certification?

Took the bf out for a belated birthday dinner at Sasabune in Brentwood.  We ordered the omakase (chef’s menu).  The sushi was so fresh!  They don’t open on the weekends because the fish markets are closed on the weekends and they only buy the freshest fish.  They also don’t serve california or spicy tuna rolls.  The rice is served warm (according to old Japanese custom) so it tends to fall apart more and the wasabi is creamier than normal because it is freshly grated.  The chef is also particular about telling you which sushi not to eat with soy sauce.  For 2 people the bill came out to only $140 including a bottle of sake and we were both full.  We had albacore sashimi, toro, tuna, blue crab handroll, yellowtail, mackarel, butterfish, salmon skin handroll, some other stuff I can’t remember, and mexican cactus sorbet.  This is definitely in my top 3 sushi places in LA.

Also had dinner with a friend at Bite in Venice.  I tried the robata-yaki with quail eggs wrapped in bacon which I liked but the aligator was a little too crispy for my taste.  Their Chilean wine was good too.  Afterwards in the parking lot by the beach we saw a shooting star.

*PP*