Nothing Exciting

Nothing exciting happening recently. I’m still alive. Ate dim sum last Sunday to celebrate a friend’s birthday, although, it was supposed to be the previous Sunday, but S*t was confused by the calendar. It turned out well for me because I had to babysit that day anyways. :D

Work tomorrow.

Ernest & Jenny’s Wedding

After over a decade of being together, my high school friend finally married his girlfriend this past weekend. It was quite a huge affair and I was told there were 300 people invited.

The wedding ceremony took place at a church in Palos Verdes overlooking the ocean. It was almost like a high school reunion. Mike was there. We were all like whoa. He lost weight and the glasses so he looked different from our memories. Franklin had to tell me it was Mike, and I had to tell Laura it was Mike. Franklin was the usher. Jotaro took a quick break from work to attend. Lisa and Takuju brought their baby with them, so Ume-chan got to play with someone close to her age (play being just staring at each other until they lost interest).

The reception was held at the Lincoln Plaza Hotel right smack in the middle of Monterey Park. I got to eat a traditional 8 course meal. I probably had my last serving of shark fin soup in California, too. There was also a cheesy photo booth.

Overall, it was a fun day.

Baby-Sitting and Obon

This weekend was Gardena Buddhist Church obon festival. I forgot about it until my sister told me that there’s an obon festival in Gardena. I was slightly confused when she told me that, because I thought to myself, ‘Is that Gardena Buddhist Church’s obon? Isn’t it supposed to be in August?” … Then I realized that it already is August.

After Laura took off, leaving Ume behind to be baby-sat, I looked online to see what time the obon started. I think we were talking about doing something the entire day, but going to the obon won out. Gotta be cultural.

We took off at around 4:30, but I was interested in watching the bon odori at 6 PM than anything else, so it worked out for me. I wish I could participate in the dancing, but I don’t know the moves. Maybe the internet will tell me how to dance so I could be ready for next year. Maybe Ume can learn the moves and teach me.

My mom, Ume, and I watched the dancing for about 40 minutes and then we went home.

Comic-Con 2011

This year I got to go to Comic-Con for more than 1 day. This year, I got to go for 2 days! Of course, most of it was spent shopping. I bought items from my favorite stores, Mysterious Galaxy bookstore and Holbein. I’ve sorta made it my tradition to buy something from those two vendors. I also bought a Mameshiba plushie and talking keychain from Toynami, an orchestral soundtrack from Square-Enix, and R2-D2 ice cube tray and towel from Kotobukiya.

I also ended up spending most of Saturday babysitting with Adam. My sister was sick, so she asked me to take Ume to Comic-Con. Everyone thought she was cute. Rora even made a costume for her, but unfortunately, she was getting pretty fussy towards the end of the day so I didn’t get to walk around with her in the costume.

Dinner on Saturday night was at Joe’s Crab Shack with Adam, Steve and Pearl. There were supposed to be more people, but they were no-shows.

I also realized that sleeping with a baby in the room means I don’t get much sleep. Got woken up at around 5:30 in the morning to a crying baby. Too cheap to get another hotel.

Sunday was more of the same, except without the baby sitting.

Crunchy

I don’t know why I’m awake this late, but I am. The team started crunching last weekend. Fun.

For dinner the “healthy” option has been salads. Sometimes, the salad comes with lots and lots of delicious cheese. Tonight’s normal dinner option was Koo Koo Roo Chicken (I think). I swiped a chicken wing. The salad I chose was an ahi tuna salad. I’m not sure where it came from.

The gym opened earlier this month, so I’ve been going to the gym every lunch unless I play board games or go out for Friday lunch with the team.

Yamaha FZ6R

So when I started on my motorcycle adventure, I originally was thinking of something cheap and fuel economical. A bike one of my friends recommended to me was a used Kawasaki Ninja 250.

Little did I know that bike is in hot demand.

In the first 10 minutes since I stepped foot into the store, the two Ninjas (one used, one new) were sold. My remaining choices were a cruiser and the Yamaha. I was not going to ride around in a cruiser. Totally not cute.

After a lot of thinking, going back and forth, I decided to get the 2011 Yamaha FZ6R. I really didn’t want to leave the store without a bike, and I didn’t think I would have any luck at the other motorcycle shops in the area (I checked their inventories online). Managed to haggle it down a little, too, but I’m also pretty sure I could have haggled it down a lot more if I only pushed.

So now I have a bike in my garage and it’s awesome. Since I started crunching recently, I only have the weekends to ride. I also realized that leather is really, really hot in the summer, so I only practiced twice on it. This weekend is a wash because of Comic-Con, so hopefully next weekend I’ll get to practice on it.

M1!

I finally got my M1 license after a week and a half since the motorcycle safety course. Even though I had an appointment at the DMV next Monday, I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to go get it done, and I didn’t want to constantly have to refresh my brain for the written tests in fear that I might forget something.

Turns out the test was easy. I only missed 2.

So now I’m license to ride a motorcycle. Next, I need a bike. My friends have been recommending the Kawasaki Ninja 250. It looks cool, and I really don’t know anything about motorcycles, so I’m going to go with that. Shopping weekend.

Motorcycle Class

This weekend I took a motorcycle safety class. It was a two day course with classroom session in the morning and a range session in the afternoon.

So why? Several people asked me, mid-life crisis? I dunno. Maybe. But I’ve been accused of that then I decided to go bungee jumping. I just felt like I was in a pattern and needed something to break that pattern. I wanted to learn something new. Since I’ve been wanting to learn how to go putt-putt on a scooter for a while (maybe 2-1/2 years?), and more recently, have been interested in the workings of a motorcycle, I decided to do it one day while driving home. Like the Nike commercial: Just Do It.

Of course, after signing up, and talking with a few people, I thought, oh, no! What am I getting myself into?! But I plowed ahead. That and I paid money.

The classroom session was nothing. I passed the written test there with only 1 mistake. Go me!

The range session was a bit different. It was scary at first, but you know what? The instructors did a good job of preparing us on getting to know our bikes. I felt like they were giving us baby steps, and it was good. By the end, I was comfortable shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear, and coming to a complete stop with both hand and foot brakes.

I rode a Yamaha duel bike. I’m not sure exactly what kind though.

The only real hitch I had was at the very end of the first day. When we were finished, we were told to park our bikes at the end of the parking lot. I had a dehydration headache, was mentally and physically fatigued, and just wanted to go home, so I forgot to put the kickstand down when I got off the bike. I realized my mistake as soon as the bike started tipping over onto me. I went down and knocked my head on the concrete. Fortunately, I had a helmet on, so no concussion for me. Knocked my left hand knuckles into the ground pretty hard, too, but it was okay since I borrowed sturdy riding gloves from a coworker.

Near the end of the second day was the riding test. If I failed, I could take the class again as standby for free. I passed the course, so I’ll be getting a certificate in the mail I can take to the DMV. I have to pass the written test there, but I don’t have to do the riding portion to get my M1 class added to my license. Nice!