the WU reborn

huff - puff

well, i finally rejoined a gym.  tyan got me in at bally's where she's a member.  they had a family discount special, so i joined.  the first day there was rough.  i'm still sore two days later from lifting.  we'll see how that goes.

i'll be out of town for the next week or so.  cory has free hotel at new york new york as he's in vegas for work.  i couldn't pass that up.  so i leave tomorrow, and get home friday the 3.  saturday the 4, a bunch of us leave for minnesota for canterbury park for the weekend.  the guys wanna play cahs games there, and there's a 400+40 on sunday that a few of us might get into if we're doing well.

well, i'm off.  tonite is gilly's final showdown championship at his home poker league and i'm middle chip stack after winning twice.  before that a bunch of us are meeting for fish fry around 630 at serb hall.  call if you wanna join!

Snowboarding in La Crosse

New photos in February and Vancouver albums!

Quick update: Oneida Casino was a complete 180 degree turn from how it was last time.  The poker room was not smoky at all, and the action was great.  NIck and I both destroyed our table, and we'll be heading back soon.  Let me know if you want to join us.

On to snowboarding...

AP came get me, then we went to get Moo.  The Friday drive to La Crosse was uneventful; our only stop was for some gas and grub at Hardees in Madison.  We arrived at Moo's folks' (Connie and George) house which is literally 3 minutes from Mount La Crosse.  After some TV, we all headed to sleep.

Saturday after a great breakfast, the three of us headed to the hill for boarding.  The conditions were perfect: not too cold, not too crowded, not too icy, not windy, not snowing.  After a few hours, we went back for lunch.  AP and I returned later for an evening session during which we pushed ourselves pretty much to muscle failure.  It was a great time.  Connie and Moo had made an amazing spread for dinner, so we all slept well that night.

Sunday we hit the hill again after a great George breakfast (can you sense a theme here)?  Actually, we suggested that they open a bed and breakfast since they seem to like to cook and are right by a ski hill!  We boarded for maybe two hours before we were all just done.  Muscle soreness from the previous day's efforts had gotten the best of us.

The drive home was surprisingly smooth considering all the snow the state was getting.  Props to AP for putting the pedal to the metal in the sweet Maxima.  Thanks again to Connie and George for having us!

In unrelated news, I got my car back last night from the shop.  I guess the cam shaft sensor was blown to the tune of 500 bucks.  I sold all my Magic cards to Damian to pay for the car.  Now all I have left are online cards, and one casual deck.

sigh

the last eve in vancouver was spent with all the cousins (ollie, gerald, loong) and loong's gal elizabeth.  we met up at shabusen for all you can eat korean bbq and sushi.  amazing.

after goodbyes, i headed home to pack.  the next day, i ollie dropped me at the airport after lunch, and the flight went fine.  however, those donkeys at united managed to lose my luggage, which will supposedly be delivered today. 

so, i have no camera or phone charger.  so no pictures for you.  *shrug* call you united and bitch.

speaking of united, one of the flight attendants asked me about my "i'm blogging this" t-shirt that karl gave me.  so, she might end up starting a blog about travelling asia.  some people have all the luck!

well, i'm off to oneida for some no-limit hold 'em with nick.  if i can make a grand or two in the next week, i might join cory in vegas since he has free hotel there.

tomorrow la crosse with AP and moo for snowboarding.   

Chinese New Year in Vancouver

Photos coming in a few days...

Gong Xi Fa Choi!  Happy New Year!

Vancouver has been a blast, as it always is.  Essentially, the trip has comprised of amazing food, hanging out with relatives, checking out Mom and Dad’s new condo, and poker. 

The city has a ton of great restaurants, many of them Asian.  I haven’t had a bad meal since I’ve arrived, so it’s a good thing I’ve been walking around town a bit.

I’ve been staying with Uncle John and Aunt Jeannette, as did my parents until they closed on their condo and set up camp there on the Murphy bed.  I imagine it’s exciting to buy a new home; I take that back, I know it is. 

Their place is quite palatial, with marble floors, two jet tubs, a shower with 5 heads, and a sauna!  It’s a penthouse suite, with two floors.  There is another penthouse next door, but we haven’t seen the people yet.

They managed to find a designer to decorate the place for free!  Upon wandering into a high-end furnishings shop, they stumbled upon a guy who needs project work for his portfolio.  Bonus! 

Poker has been mostly played at the Holiday Inn Great Canadian Casino on Broadway in Vancouver.  There are a ton of Chinese who play, and they along with the non-Chinese play to gamble!  The only game available at that poker room is a 10-20 limit game, and it reminds me a lot of the 2-4 games back home.  That is to say, people are loose as hell and aggressive.  I have just been playing super tight, and doing pretty well. 

Gerald also arranged for a poker night with his pals.  Nice guys, and I did pretty well there too.  The basketball team that he coaches has been doing great; they are 8-0 now, breaking the previous school record.

I went to see Hide and Seek and House of Flying Daggers with Oliver.  I thought the former was ok, and the latter was great.  We’ve also been playing a good bit of pool.

Tonight Oliver brought his kids Devan and Serena over for dinner.  They’ve grown a lot since I last saw them.  We all soaked in the hot tub and then barbecued lamb chops, pork ribs, and English bangers. 

Wei-Loong and I went for dinner and then cocktails last night.  He’s doing well at his job and is looking forward to warmer weather. 

I am here until Wednesday.  Nothing earth shattering planned, but I’m sure it will be a great time.

Miss you all, and see you soon!

wk

Last Weekend

new photos in the january 2005 album!

saturday night, johnny, lisa, AP, sanjay and i headed to thai palace for some dinner.  i haven't been there since the taft adminstration, but it hasn't changed much.  the duck curry is still a savage beating, and they've added a few technological perks: laptops for the staff and their kids, and a plasma screen tv for well...whomever.

afterwards, i dropped the construction-weary (read this as shovelling plaster all day) AP at his car and met the others at hi-hat for drinks.  john and mandy showed up, as did roy and vanessa.  sanj left for a bit, only to return with kim.  many gimlets later, we left.

sunday morning, i awoke mildly hung over, but ready for action.  i went to pick up moo, and we headed to sunburst for some hot snowboarding action.  johnny was already there, and billy and AP showed up a bit later.  we all boarded until we could board no more.  AP is really improving, which is a good thing, i think.  the conditions were perfect, but overall i prefer alpine valley by far, and with some of the weekday specials, i think i'll be frequenting there this season for sure.  we left, and had dinner at water street brewery.

this evening, shanna wanted to take me out to celebrate my graduation and birthday and tiffany's birthday and new job acquisition.  i went to get shanna, and we met johnny and lisa and tiffany at the cheesecake factory at mayfair.  unfortunately, brendan couldn't attend as he's in chicago; however, rumor has it that he's had a good bit of carousing lately himself!  i'd never been to this restaurant, but was pleased with my pasta dish.  their menu is very extensive.  thanks shanna!

this was also the first tiffany sighting since "i think we're alone now" was released in the late eighties.  she had a triumphant day that included

1. finding milwaukee

2. getting there in a timely fashion

3. finding her car (twice)

nice work t.  later, we went to mayfair so that i could get a new phone / plan (they were out of the model phone i wanted) and so that shanna could replace her well worn shoes (she succeeded). 

that's about it.  dad leaves for vancouver on wednesday and i still haven't decided if i want to go yet.  if i do, i'll likely stick around here until after the superbowl, then drop into bc on the 7th, one day before chinese new year.  what fortunate timing that would be!

somebody give me a job somewhere nice!