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Archive for January, 2009

january 26, 2009

just about 5 months ago i discovered a special group of yelp reviewers called yelp elite (http://danielyslee.com/2008/08/18/b-star-bar-bars-in-the-mission-yelp-elite/).  i was determined to get accepted into this special group and today, i was nominated and accepted :)  

how did i do it?  i reviewed every place i went to eat, play, party, etc… took pictures, read other reviewers, complimented/commented, and made a bunch of yelp friends.  then i applied to be an elite member and asked a couple elites to nominate me.  voila! not so bad for a 5 month project huh?

as my friends know, i’m not much of an opinionated person.  if i have a strong preference i’ll let you know, but i’m usually open to most ideas.  in other words, unless i have to make a decision or am in a position where my decision is important (such as a leadership role), i’ll sit quitely and go with the flow.  yelping has given me an opportunity to be a bit more judgemental and picky in describing my experiences.  don’t get me wrong, i’ll still eat just about anything and like it too… but i think i’ve improved at sharing my experience with a bit more detail, instead of my usual yes, no, or maybe.  

now that i’m an elite, i can look forward to special yelp events… *eh hem*… only open to elite members and guests.  of course, these fun times will have to wait until after my cfp exam.

january 24, 2009

thanks to kaps, i scored some free tickets to the knua dance show today.  before the show i met up with a couple friends to eat some yum yum dinner at sozu noodle house in japantown center.  i’ve attempted to try this place once before, only to find it closed.  this time was a bit more successful as we got seated relatively quick seeing how there was a long line.  we each tried something different, but all our meals included ramen since that’s what they’re known for… not to mention some asahi and sake.

(curry)

(salmon don)

(the ramen that accompanied the don’s)

after the meal, we cabbed it over to the war memorial opera house at the civic center.  aaron used to live close to this place so i’m somewhat familiar with this area.  i remember being jealous of the people walking out after shows as i passed them walking home- except this time the happy and satisfied people included me me me me.   it was a packed house, and i don’t think i’ve seen so many koreans in sf.  the show was amazing as expected, and i wish i could’ve taken more pictures.

(inside the opera house)

(the opera house had awesome chandeliers and wall paintings)

after the show we headed over to 330 ritch in soma for a combined birthday party as well as a going away party.  the club was also surprisingly very full, evident by a long line at 10:15pm-ish.  

today was too much fun… back to study mode for me.

january 19, 2009

today… was a legendary day.  i not only had one of the best (probably the best, although i haven’t been to many steak houses) steak ever.  we decided to take full advantage of dine about town sf 2009, and booked a reservation at ruth’s chris steak house.   our excitement leading up to dinner is best described by the video below:

it also didn’t help that the restaurant was packed, and our already late dinner reservation (8:45PM) was pushed even further back, perhaps 9:30PM or so… but it was well worth the wait.  there was plenty of wine, food, and laughter as we enjoyed our 3 course meal as well as each other’s company.   

(the guys’ appetizer, haha)

(delicious delicious, that’s right, delicious x2 wine)

(course 1: salad)

(i couldn’t resist… ”빠다여 빠다!!! 빠다!”)

(course 2: droooool; now as you all know, i don’t like to chew.  but this steak required no chewing as it simply melted in my mouth)

(course 3: my key lime pie, i was already way too full by this point and couldn’t even finish this delicious pie)

(the other dessert choice; bread pudding)

(enjoying our food… like a lot)

(we made our server turn the lights back on for our photo, haha.  good times, looking forward to our next outing ^_____________^)

January 14, 2009

studying last week was a failure, but it hasn’t been so bad this week.  i finally received all my books from kaplan, and have been diving into the fundamentals book since monday after work.  finding a place to study has been a challenge since after work, dinner and running/club meetings, it’s usually almost 9pm and most (if not all) coffee shops seem to be closed by then.  not to mention, i’m not sure if i want to be drinking coffee at 9pm… 

i took my studies to jubili on monday as they don’t close till 11pm, and i can replace coffee with some delicious frozen yogurt.  i was initially skeptical at first because i expected a bit of a loud and annoying atmosphere, but it was actually pretty quiet and chill.  i also learned that they have free wireless, so i can take my laptop and listen to some music on pandora to block out any distractions.  the shop is also conveniently located right under my apt building, so i think i’ll come back to study here some more.  it’s not like i have a lot of choices to start out with…

on tuesday after the aaum meeting near work, i walked back to the office and studied at my desk.  although the work desk has all your studying needs (even free coffee and drinks!), there’s something about sitting there all day, and then again at night… knowing you’ll be there in a few hours.  

moving onto some more fun stuff… i went out with some friends last friday to ozone thai for dinner then watched a swedish vampire film called ‘let the right one in‘.  now, i’m all up for these artsy/creative films so i enjoyed it very much.  i don’t think it shows in too many theatres, but if you happen to find one in your area i’d recommend it… but again, only if you’re into the ‘sundance’ type movies.  

(ozone thai)

the weather this week has been absolutely beautiful!! it put me in a good mood sunday on my way to church and i took some spontaneous pictures.

(the new fountain, which i must say looks pretty nice)

(the lobby area… what i like to call the alien landing site for the ridiculous lights)

(waiting for the bus, north fillmore)

(south fillmore)

(fillmore bus stop)

(hah! how clever! the ‘PLEASE MOVE BACK’ sign on the bus was cleverly manipulated to say this message)

(eva’s hawaiian cafe, thursday dinner with bearfruit)

(good frickin chicken, sunday dinner after church)

january 4th-january 5th, 2009

after the oyster party last night… i left again for aaron’s place.  we thought about going out again, but i think it was a general consensus that everybody was fracking tired from the long long weekend.  aaron and i just chilled, walked around downtown for a bit, picked up some late night munchies and watched a movie- kind of like a man date now that i think about it….

sunday was a bit of a blur, as the last day always seems to be.  your mind is never rested because you’re constantly worried whether you’ve packed all your stuff (i definitely forgot my favorite belt and sweater!!) and if you’ll be on time to the airport.  but as the entire trip seems to have been summarized with food, i shall summarize the last day with food.

(in the morning/afternoon, aaron cooked me some delicious jjambong ramyun with egg)

(then we walked over to a 빵집 nearby and aaron bought me some… well, 빵 and chocolate milk.  i got a sausage donut pastry which was delicious :) )

(aaron got the 팟빵, filled with overflowing red beans)

(when i got home, my mom suggested i eat some 떡국, the meal of new year’s day in korea.  i love 떡국, and it was delicious as expected with some kimchi on the side.  as you can imagine, my mom was very happy that i had the spoon to the left and chopsticks to the right :) )

soon after finishing this meal, i was off to the airport and before you know it, back in SF.  phew~ 

after sleeping at 5-6am every night… i couldn’t fall asleep till 3am or so last night and work was very tiring as you can imagine.  i was hoping i’d fall asleep earlier tonight, but i guess it’s already too late for that.  

i’m also officially registered for the march 20-21 CFP exam.  it looks like there is no going back now, considering i just spent over $2,000 on the Kaplan prep materials and exam registration fee’s.  let’s hope i pass it the first time…. for the sake of my sanity and my very empty wallet.  i am officially on lock down… limiting myself to a lot of studying and not much else.  i’ve gotten going out and partying out of my system last week… ok, that’s not true because that’s impossible, haha.  i was supposed to start studying today, but i knew if i didn’t update this blog i would eternally forget all the memories! 

on a random note… initially i didn’t like this song, but now i can’t stop listening to it.  it’s boa’s new american song called ‘i’ll eat you up’.  the lyrics are kinda cheesy, but you’ll get used to them… besides, it has a catchy tune!  my favorite line?  it’s by far, ‘so yum yum’, hahaha.

same song below, but a live performace a couple weeks ago.  very talented.

january 3, 2009

after dinner last night, i went out again to aaron’s for some more partying action in hollywood at opera and crimson.  i heard good things about it on yelp, and indeed it was good times.  it was such fun times, that we actually didn’t go to sleep till maybe 6am when the sun started coming up… after we woke up, we went searching for some 해장 food to cure our hang over and stumbled into 감자골, a 감자탕  place (potato soup… although according to kenny 감자 actually stands for the meat part and not potato). the food was delicious. 

(mmmmm~ although, my mom would flip if she saw this.  i can hear her now, “SPOONS GO ON THE LEFT SIDE OF CHOPSTICKS!”  tip: maybe the #1 way to get on the bad side of your in-laws is not knowing where to put the spoon and chopsticks)

(now THIS is what i call 해장 food.  spicy, hot… mmmmm)

after the meal, aaron and i headed back to his place for a much needed bonus rest.  the only reason i woke up was to go back to my parent’s house for a oyster party there were having with their friends.  when i got home, the party had already started.  now, i would tell you it was awkward walking in after partying all night… but they’ve seen me come in more hung over before.  my parent’s friends are actually really funny… if they see me home on a weekend night, they ask why i’m not out partying and suggest places i could go to meet girls, haha.  they’ve seen me go out late at night many times, and always tell me to drink and come home tomorrow (inferring, don’t drive home drunk).  i like them.  they also keep my parents off my back, haha.

(anyway… i told you my family knew how to eat)

(my plate, hehe)

(the bossam was also delicious)

january 2, 2009

the remaing days in LA weren’t wasted.  in the morning, our family had a tradition korean 세배, which is a practice where the children peform a new year’s bow to the elderly.  in return, the elders give the 세배-ers money.  it’s a bit of a big deal in korea, especially if you have a lot of family.  my family then went shopping in ktown, mostly for my sister since she was leaving on saturday.  but first, we had to eat lunch at myung dong kyoja for some knife noodles (칼국수, ㅎㅎㅎ).  this is a very famous place in korea, and used to be my favorite place to eat as a youngster growing up in korea.  when i visit korea, i still often find myself out to this special restaurant!

(the noodles…)

(with some 물만 두 …)

(can’t forget the kimchi’s!)

(droooool)

(kinda random… but who sells korean bacon like this?! hahaha, looks good though…)

for the last family dinner, despite korean bbq’s awesomeness, there was no way my sister and i were going to eat it again (we had it yesterday, again, with family friends).  my sister suggested sushi, and it was a great idea.  we went to one of our favorite spots, mitsuwa marketplace to pick up some fresh sushi, sashimi and rolls.  we couldn’t find everything we wanted, so we made a second stop at another japanese market called nijiya market.  very similar to mitsuwa, but smaller.  after picking up the food, we came back for some good old japanese food.

(if there is one thing my family does well, it’s eating!)

(blue fin tuna and yellow tail sashimi)

(probably one of my favorites…. the seaweed is kept so fresh, it’s amazingly delicious!)

(and of course, my family never skips alcohol)

december 31, 2008- january 1, 2009

it’s always a challenge planning for a new year’s party because you want it to be the best; it’s not so hard to find the people you want to spend it with- friends.  i always thought ringing in the new year was a family affair, until my parent’s asked just about 10 years ago, ‘don’t you have friends to hang out with on new years?’  

the first couple new year’s (2007, 2008) spent in the west coast was a little awkward knowing that the east coast was celebrating at 9pm.  the times square ball drop that’s become synonymous with every american new years celebration to the rest of the world renders little meaning in california.  however, this new year felt right, kind of like how calling california home has become natural for me.  

the party was finalized last minute, but everything worked out perfectly at the end and we partied away the last minutes of 2008 at the highlands hollywood.  the tickets were a bargain at $40, and i believe everybody had a really good time… well, at least i did.  

(hollywood)

(what else is new, traffic)

(kodak theatre)

(ticket)

(the highlands)

(some of the guys)

(this 10 minute show was the extent to the 70′s party theme)

(party! they had soap blowing around to mimic snow.  i ate a lot of soap this day)

(girls love us ^^)

(view from the top floor of the club)

(2009!)

(first meal of 2009, suicide dogs that you can find outside most LA clubs… so good, mmmmm)

(tae’s first at the chinese theatre!)

(michelle’s first at the theatre! i apparently ran out of poses)

the venue being located in kodak theatre was perfect for a little tour after the party since my sister and tae never got to walk around this touristy area.  we hailed a cab and took it back to aaron’s, and realized the fare should’ve only been $20.  we payed $30 for a korean cab there, although i must admit there was traffic to, but not back from the party.  all in all, it was a great new year’s night.  thanks everybody for making it fun.

december 30, 2008

one of the best qualities of LA is the abundant and affordable korean bbq restaurants.  my parents picked me up from the airport yesterday and took me straight to an all you can eat korean bbq near torrance.  i couldn’t be happier.  tonight we went out to ktown for some more of delicious all you can eat korean bbq.  we first met up at aaron’s place since it seems to be in the middle of everything, and strolled across the street to tahoe galbi.  it was a time of good food with good friends, with lots and lots of alcohol.  

(yum~)

(as aaron would say, ‘there’s a lot going on in this video’)

(contrary to aaron’s lies… i did not eat this 빠다, but people did think it was funny i called it that)

as is so costumary in LA, we headed over to 띵가띵가 nrb.  by the way, i tried looking for this place on yelp and it took me forever.  who spells 띵가띵가 ting ga ting ga?  seriously?!

(i’m so hot i’m so fine, i’m cool, i’m so so so hot hot~; not only do we sing like them, we look just like them)

december 24-28, 2008

although i didn’t get to spend time with the family this christmas weekend, i had a blast hanging out with my new friends in sf.

a few people came over my place on christmas eve and we had a small but nice dinner, complete with french onion soup, salad, bread/cheese, steak and pasta.  not to mention some really, really good wine; oh how awesome it must be to know how to cook well~  we then ate some dessert while watching ‘love actually’, possibly the best christmas movie in the last few years.  

i sluggishly got up on christmas day and started watching ‘lord of the rings’.  i was going through the story in my head, and i couldn’t remember how it ended.  then i realized that i’d never seen the last one, so of course i started watching all the entire trilogy and before i knew it, it was time to go to a friend’s place for a hot pot dinner and drinks (perhaps more drinks than hot pot).  the hot pot was delicious (again, how awesome it must be to know how to cook well), the alcohol kept on flowing, and of course the rock band was amazing as it always is.  

(saw this while shopping for hot pot ingredients, reminded me of no thai!)

(hot pot!)

(everybody loves rock band)

the day after christmas was nothing more than work and rest.

on saturday, i went to a house warming/holiday party for some more food and drinks.  i had a great time as i got to meet some new people and get to know some better.  on sunday, waking up still a bit (or a lot…) dizzy from the night before, somehow made it to lunch and the theatre to watch ‘the curious case of benjamin button’.  i then came home, and instead of going to church took a nap, did laundry, and packed for what would be an awesome trip to LA for a week!

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