day 1 - bangkok, thailand

got things started friday night with a nonstop flight to bangkok, where we arrived at 6:30am local time on sunday. surprisingly, the 17 hour and 10 minute flight wasn't too painful as i got to watch two subpar films ('whip it' and 'the invention of lying'), played a few long games of tetris, and grubbed on some pretty darn good food, courtesy of thai airways.

grabbed a taxi from the airport to our hotel (silom convent garden), which apparently is very difficult to find, as i had precise directions off the hotel site and our driver - along with another later today - got lost. it's a furnished apartment complex situated in the heart of bangkok, yet set back off a main street, so there's quiet to be had here.

too early to check in at 8am, we dropped our bags off and proceeded to the grand palace, the city's most famous landmark and former home of the king. but because chinese new year starts today, the grounds were closed until 1pm due to prayer service, so we went next door to visit wat po, bangkok's oldest and largest buddhist temple. it's dubbed the temple of the reclining buddha, as it houses the largest buddha in the country. and i'm not kidding when i say it's large.

wat po is also the birthplace of traditional thai massage, so yours truly indulged in a half-hour session to combat the fatigue of the long flight. thai massage is completely different from a swedish massage (which uses oils and is lighter in touch), in that they love to INFLICT PAIN.

the girl that had me basically uncovered all of my pressure points and i was fighting back the urge to yell at some of the compromising positions she had me in. at one point i looked back to see where she was, and her feet were OFF THE BED, i kid you not. good times.



we took a tuk tuk - the equivalent of a motorized rickshaw - to famed khao san road, a bustling street favored by many a backpacker for their dirt cheap housing and a gateway to many other tourist destinations. tuk tuks are wild and akin to hopping on super mario's kart. b/c of their size, they duck and dart thru traffic, and like korea, the painted lines are merely a suggestion on where to drive...

1pm brought us cooking classes at may kaidee's vegetarian restaurant, which were a whole lotta fun. may is a charming and charismatic chef, food personality and teacher, so our small group (which included a young australian couple) got a hands-on lesson on crafting, and eating, twelve dishes of thailand's specialities - including pad thai, tom kha soup (spicy & sour soup w/coconut milk), spicy green papaya salad and my fave, mango sticky rice. given the right ingredients and preparation, all of the dishes took no more than 5 minutes to complete, so i'm excited to try these out upon my return. also learned that one can do no wrong by being generous w/peanut sauce and/or coconut milk... :D



headed out for drinks at moon bar, which is located on the 61st floor and rooftop of the banyan park hotel. this was the only place where the prices were equivalent to hollywood (US $30+ total for a glass of wine and beer), but then again, the view is simply breathtaking, so one has to bite the bullet. the photos don't do it justice, but i'll try to anyways...



lastly, some shots of street food being prepared throughout the day:

holiday cards - why oh why

seeing as it's december 20 already, i thought, what can i do to make things ridiculously hard on myself before i head up north for the holidays? yup, that's right, why don't i try making my own holiday cards again?

for the uninitiated, i've made my own cards the last three years to varying degrees of success (some clunkers, some pretty darn good). basically it came down to me waiting in line to buy a box of cards 4 years ago - the line to purchase was unending, and the design wasn't even that great to begin with.

i thought, i could make a better card and save money (?!?), so i put the box down and walked out of the store. several days later and nearly three times the amount i would have spent on the stupid box of cards, i was done with mine.

back then they didn't come out exactly the way i had hoped, but creating something with a personal touch left an indelible impression that day, so here we are. armed with more paper, envelopes, stickers, stamps, ink pads, glue, scissors, etc. than i know what to do with, i'm thoroughly embarrassed. so you better like your card damn it... XD

nailed a front flip!

tonight was open gym session at the LA school of gymnastics, so PKcali took over the joint and set up all kinds of fun stuff. got to work on a lot of moves that i would ordinarily have some hesitation with in the real world, but here it's a bunch of padded obstacles and springy cushion!

decided to try a front flip into a cushioned landing area, but my first few times i landed on my back. it's definitely disorienting, as i didn't know where the heck i was while in mid-air (with backflips, at least you have a line of sight, but front flips are blind leaps of faith where you hope you land on your feet). the 4th time i landed on my feet but fell backwards and the same went for the 5th try. but lo and behold, on the 6th try i stuck the landing!

immediately after, i nailed it three more times to prove to myself i could do it (after all, anybody can get lucky once, so one of the tenets of parkour is you have to do it successfully three times in a row), so progress was made today...

sadly, my night was cut short when i split my pants about 3/4 the way down. let's just say it got breezy downstairs in a hurry. i would have stayed regardless, but since there were a few girls in the house, i didn't want to make it seem like i was showing off. you know... XD

las vegas - day 2

saturday morning we swooped up our boys at THEhotel and headed downtown for brunch at aloha specialties at the california hotel. back in the day a lot of my NSU (nikkei student union) friends stayed at the cal for their annual basketball tournament, so the restaurant is heavily populated w/asians.

the marathoners were there for their carb overload, but i opted for the local plate consisting of teriyaki beef, BBQ chicken & spam musubi. but my favorite combo is the one jerico rolled the dice on here. i mean, who said korean chicken, mahi mahi and a hot dog don't go together, right?


we stayed a bit to gamble ($3 blackjack tables on a saturday!), but got spanked by the dragonslayer and trudged back to the car to return to mandalay bay. after putting down a bet for a parlay at the sports book, decided to take the plunge and play no limit texas hold em at a table for the first time in my life (i've played w/friends, but never in a casino). and what happens? hit quad jacks for a bonus payout (who knew?) on top of my winning hand, so my first experience was a smashing success. i would have raked in a higher payout, but a girl earlier that day hit a four of a kind as well. but i guess complaining about free money is akin to complaining that i'm always healthy, so i will stay mute on this one...

dinner was a carousel, as some people went to b&b (batali's restaurant at the venetian, which i've already been to and was disappointed in comparison w/osteria mozza in los angeles) and some went to alex at the wynn, which required a certain attire i wasn't equipped with. that resto is so gangsta ($125 per entree minimum) they actually give you a gift after your meal. since neither of us are taking evian showers, we drove around and hit up a hole in the wall sushi joint off the strip. i've had fresher fish in a filet-o-fish at the mickey d's, but the place was good for high comedy.

check out the roll between 'ichiban' and 'johnny roll' on the menu, which i'm guessing is sponsored by shaquille o'neal (kobe, how's my @$$ taste?)...

we ended up returning to the homestead, as jerico & keith had to wake up at 5am for the 6am marathon. one last look at an important piece of equipment for the race...

las vegas - rock & roll marathon

stole away to vegas this weekend, as a few of my UCLA brethren were in town to run the marathon (well i should say only keith, as the rest opted for the 1/2 marathon). was planning to drive out there early friday morning, but because my buddy jerico (frosh roommate!) forgot to bring the keys to his parents' condo, i opted to take off on thursday night, in order to grab the keys from his parents in west covina. after a shady transaction in a closed el pollo loco parking lot, i ventured out, keys in hand.

pulled up to the palms casino at 2:30am, where we proceeded to get spanked in pai gow for the next few hours. we left at 5:30am to head back to the condo, only to realize we didn't have a gate clicker to get in. of course, i could have easily cleared the height given my parkour background, but fortunately for them, somebody was returning home, so we snuck in behind them.


hit the hay at 6:30am, woke up at 10am and hit up this breakfast joint called the egg & i, which was surprisingly good. should anybody find themselves feenin for a banana nut muffin, their homemade ones are the bee's knees. and their sicilian skillet ain't half bad either...

we then headed to mandalay bay to pick up registration stuff for the race. i was able to nab a swag bag by posing as a runner, so now i have multiple samples of energy gels called gu than i know what to do with. the race expo was ginormous, and a reported 30,000 peeps would run either the half marathon or full marathon come sunday morning. i even ran into victor jih, 1/2 of the brother-sister duo that won 'the amazing race 15.'




charlie palmer's aureole restaurant is also located at mandalay bay, so i was able to sneak in some pics of their famed 4-story wine tower, which wine angel stewards ascend to retrieve your bottles. damn impressive if you ask me, but needless to say we didn't dine here...

instead, we went for a carb overload at capo's, an old-school, speakeasy italian restaurant. when you enter the front door, you descend upon a four-walled enclosed space, where they ask you to 'ring da bell.' then out of nowhere, the maitre d' slides open this small panel to instigate conversation.

we didn't have reservations, but got seated within 20 minutes, which was just enough time to appreciate the huge portrait of al capone hanging on the wall with 'goodfellas' playing in the background. ordered up the chicago style supreme pizza and some pesto pasta, both of which were the bomb shiz.

after dinner, we met up with some buddies who were staying at THEhotel at mandalay bay, which is a stunning boutique hotel right on the strip. everything from the registration desk to the hallway leading up to it was gorgeously appointed, as shown below. all i can say is, the next time i fall into some cash, i'm staying here next...




after a touch of gambling, we decided to head back to our condo for our own poker game. we ended up playing three tournaments - one of which i won - so it was a good night...

sights - tilden park botanic garden

after treating the parents to chez panisse, we stopped by the botanic gardens at tilden park, way up in the hills of berkeley. it's a beautiful and tranquil 10-acre garden which houses many of the state's endangered plants, trees, shrubs & flowers.



here's a look at some prickly pear along with a closeup of a strand of an oak plant:



and here's a neat look at two separate artists finding inspiration in the same spot (pay particular attention to the painting of the woman in the turquoise shirt):

eats - chez panisse

finally had the pleasure of dining at the birthplace of california cuisine - chez panisse in berkeley. the main restaurant opened its doors in 1971 by founder alice waters, and is distinctively known for their fixed menu of what is most seasonal and fresh that particular day. the more affordable upstairs café was born in 1980 and is a nice alternative to the set menu.

since it was my parents' wedding anniversary last week, what better way to celebrate than with a great meal? here's a neat look at the downstairs kitchen, which was busy prepping for dinner service this evening. lunch is located upstairs, distinguished by an open kitchen along one side of the room.

here's today's menu and a quick recap of all the dishes at our table, which of course, i tried:


six hog island sweetwater oysters w/mignionette - tasting right out of the sea, citrus & buttery goodness down the chute.

cannard farm rocket w/roasted sunchokes, chervil & bottarga di muggine - simply prepared, i only wish there were more sunchokes!

hand-stretched mozzarella w/grilled jimmy nardello peppers, rapini & iowa prosciutto - balanced quite nice w/the sweetness of the fresh cheese and the acidity of the peppers

BN ranch heritage turkey cooked two ways w/pancetta, polenta & brussels sprouts - both white and dark meat here, balanced texturally by crisp nettle, creamy polenta & firm brussels sprouts.

grilled local opah w/saffron, cauliflower, currants, pine nuts, marjoram & toasted bread crumbs - this savory dish was highlighted by the fish being cooked to precision

penne rigate pasta w/pasture raised veal ragu & parmesan - wholesome goodness, it went even better w/some crushed hot peppers

pizza w/tomato sauce, eggplant & mint - so delicious one forgot that there was a lack of meat on this bad boy...

tic tac to cat

captured from today's training session at UCLA...

eats - gjelina

treated my cousin for her birthday at gjelina on abbot kinney in venice, but midway thru the meal i felt as though i was the one being treated. the dinner was nothing short of amazing, and to think we barely touched meat! the room radiates a warm and casual vibe, as the stone wall carvings and the upscale alpine lodge feel bring a sophistication to the proceedings. chef and co-owner travis lett's food most resembles ATL supergroup outkast, since everything was so fresh and so clean...



a quick rundown of the dishes we inhaled i mean consumed:

grilled asparagus w/frisse, fried farm egg, parmesan & bacon vinaigrette - the first bite into the asparagus resembled breaking the casing on a perfectly cooked hot dog. snap! and so good. also, i don't eat fried egg, so you can only imagine how tasty it must have been...

wood roasted sunchokes w/salsa verde - kind of a cross between a potato and ginger root, these was earthy, seasoned spot on and we couldn't stop eating.

charred brussels sprouts w/dates, vinegar & bacon - brussels sprouts are another item i don't care for, yet these were delectable delights counterbalanced perfectly with the dates and disappeared within minutes.

pumpkin & mascarpone ravioli w/chanterelle, sage, brown butter & parmesan - perfect blend of sweet and sour, these flat rectangular ravioli were a pillowy treat. a nice rustic touch especially with halloween just behind us.

mushroom, goat cheese & truffle oil pizza - the crust is usually the deciding factor when it comes to pizza, and this did not disappoint. super thin, yet just strong enough to withstand eating each slice by hand.

butterscotch pot de crème w/salted caramel & crème fraiche - bar none, this was one of the best desserts i have EVER had. i can't speak for the budino at pizzeria mozza (i've never been), but something would have to be earth shattering to top this. silky smooth texture + salted caramel = heaven.

gjelina
1429 abbot kinney blvd.
venice, CA 90291

eats - jin patisserie 2.0

here's what i like to call a little slice(s) of heaven. had the fortunate chance to stop by the lovely jin patisserie on abbot kinney for some afternoon tea, and somehow found these delectable hand-crafted pastries forced upon me. the horror! XD

clockwise from the top:

* lavender gateaux - lavender butter cream layered with dark chocolate ganache on lavender sponge
* mysterious - passion fruit with hazelnut cream filled with spiced diced pineapple
* inspiration - soft caramel with bitter-sweet chocolate with a touch of sea salt (my personal fave)