Passport Renewal

I picked up a renewal application for a new passport.
Mine expires in August this year. Wow, it's been 10 years...

There are no fees listed on the form.
Probably so they don't have to reprint new ones each time the fees go up.

The guy at the post office said $75.
Of course I don't remember how much it was 10 years ago... but I thought it was around that much. Maybe $60 or $70.

I have to take passport pictures.
Gah!

Big Clean Up Day

Ichigo came over today to help us clean the living room.
We have a new delivery coming on Thursday, and we need to make room to move some furniture around.

So the living room is now completely clean.
We can have friends over again.

But I was too sleepy (had 2 hours of sleep) and Ichigo was too tired (from cleaning all day), we didn't get to start our taxes... eeep, we're running awfully close this year (last year was bad too).

L-C Baby

Ards messaged me saying if I check the old BRO email.
I haven't accessed it in a few weeks, and I tried to login from the web & I get a "bad site" warning image from Google. Hmmm, I wonder what that means?

Anyhoo, the news was that Michelle and Gerald recently had a baby.

Whoa?
I thought they weren't planning on having kids, so that was a surprise.

But congratulations!

Gerald had uploaded photos on his Mac account.
No comment on newborns... in general.
I know they get cuter as they get older.
And she has good genes.

So Poki and Psycho have a new sibling. Hope they play nice.

Last Day in Burbank

Today is じゅるる's last day in Burbank.
Which means I won't be heading out this way for a while either.

It was nice to have Steph in the neighborhood... but damn, it's far.

And it's rather pleasant right now, but it gets damn hot in the summer.

I guess I won't be visiting until Christmas time. Tee hee.

No Food at Home

There isn't a lot of food at home.

Maybe cuz I haven't really been home for the last 3 weeks... but I haven't gone to the supermarket in a while. And the only thing Sat goes out to buy is pomegranate juice & yogurt from Trader Joe's.

I found cabbage & eggs, so we made野菜炒め last night... but today, there wasn't a whole lot left in the fridge.

So we called up Ichigo to have her bring food.

She brought extra steak from N (from staff who didn't eat it for lunch), and toro. Yes, that would be fatty tuna. Yum!

Koge begged and begged and begged for it.
I didn't give her any. Sat would NEVER give her any.
But we're not sure if Ichigo gave her some... but there were about 4 pieces left, so I bet she gave Koge some. Spoiled cat...

PS. All four of us (including Koge) took a nap around 3pm. And I didn't wake up until 7pm. Ack! Damn you, jet lag!!

Dust Buster for Steebu

Steebu came by in the afternoon to pick up the dust buster I inherited from Prince K.

Apparently Steebu got into a fender bender, got his car fixed & painted, and the auto body shop left bits of paint in his car & it's giving him a headache.

If the boys want to vacuum their car, they should do it all at the same time.

Jetlagged in LA

Back safely in LA.
I didn't get caught in the airport hold up in Japan. Although I heard about it from Ards when I got back.

Monday:
I woke up at 9am, went to ORG. Picked up Sat at 2pm, went to the bank in downtown LA.

Then we came back at 5pm and promptly went to sleep.
Slept for 3 hours or so... But went to sleep at midnight to wake up for my doctor's appointment in the morning.

Today:
I woke up at 9am, went to the doctor. Came back around noon, ate lunch w/ Sat.

Then fell asleep on the floor from 1pm to 6pm.
Ack!

I'm back in Japan time. Very very bad...

Last Full Day in Japan

Today was my last full day in Japan.
I was going to spend all day shopping for gifts... but I ended up chatting w/ Chi-san for 4 hours *laugh*

So I'll do all my shopping at Narita airport.
I should leave early, so I have plenty of time to shop.

I'm almost done packing... and I'm charging my DS so I'll have something to play w/ in the limo bus to the airport (unless I sleep).

I guess I should go to bed now.

See you all in LA!

Dinner w/ Ruuku

Today I went to Akihabara to pick up a mini PC for Ichigo's friend.
Only to find out that it's a web-only item... But I'll be looking for another one w/ similar specs.

I also bought a few things at Yodobashi Camera.
Like Momo-Tetsu 20th Anniversary edition (for Sat).

Afterwards, I headed to Roppongi to have dinner w/ Ruuku & Yuka.
I had requested for 回転すし, and they took me to one in Roppongi Hills. This was my first time in Roppongi Hills... lots of firsts on this trip, yo.


We ate 33 plates among the 5 of us.
Doesn't seem like a lot... but ロイonly ate 4-5 plates at most.


But it was really good.
And ended up not costing too much (Ruuku paid for most of it) for the amount we ate.

Oh, we had cake & tea afterwards too.
Cuz I demanded that we eat something sweet.


I wish I got to talk to Ruuku more, but I guess that's what Facebook is for.

100yen Shop

I had some time in the morning, so I went to the 100yen store across the street.

They didn't have the spicy negi soup, but I got plenty of shouga-yu and other katakuriko drinks.

And laundry & travel baggies.
And chopsticks.

Love! 100yen Shops.

Going to Akihabara tomorrow.
And eating 回転すし w/ Ruuku & Yuka.

Skyping w/ Koge

Sat was kind enough to connect me on video Skype to see Koge.

Poor Koge was sleeping, so she didn't know what was going on.
Other than that she didn't like what was going on.
But she doesn't 逆らう to Sat.
怖いもんね。

Steph Going Home Early

My legs are so sore.
It's probably the walking & standing all day thing.

I'm also eating less because I'm sleep deprived. And all this walking... should equal losing weight? Hmm, maybe not with all the gyoza I ate last night.

We went to a place that was 100yen a plate (5 pieces).
If I was concentrating on eating, I could have probably ate 10 plates on my own. Mmm, gyoza.

Oh, Steph is going home early.
She has a job on Friday.
So she won't be able to eat out w/ Ruuku & Yuka. But I'm still looking forward to the 回転スシ.

New Japan Phone

I ended up having to buy a new pre-paid cell phone in Japan.

S*ftbank insisted that the old phone (2nd gen) can't be reactivated once the phone number expires.

The new 3G phones have a different plan, so that's probably the main reason they're phasing out the old phones. The website says 2nd gen phones won't be use-able after March 31, 2010.

But I get unlimited email on the phone for 30 days (300yen).
Which is useful.

The old phone?
It's a paperweight now.
I wonder if we can donate it to the program that converts old phones to pre-paid phones for battered women? Oh, it's in Japanese...

PS. Had dinner at an izakaya w/ のりちゃん, Steph & マックン。

Arrived in Japan

I arrived in Japan safely.
I got here local time 3:00pm, and finally got to the hotel around 6:00pm. Took about 1 hour to get out of the airport, and 2 hours to get to the hotel via train. Long trip, yo.

I injured my tailbone somehow from the airplane seat.
I might have been slouching when I slept, and put all my weight on the tailbone... but it hurts when I bend forward. I hope it gets better after a good night rest.

I might have lost one of my SUICA cards at the airport too. *sigh*
It was in a cute Slime pass case too. SAD!
And who knows how much was in the SUICA card... I was depressed for 30 mins on the train.

And the prepaid cell phone isn't working.
So I have to get up early & find a Softbank store to see what the problem is. Cuz it's gonna be hard to go around Japan w/o a working cell phone...

I'm really sleepy.
But I should try to stay up until midnight...

PS. Food on plane:
Lunch - bibimbap
Snack - baked meat bun
2nd Meal - beef stew thingie

PPS. Tonight's dinner:
b/c I couldn't meet up w/ Prince K for my free dinner, I bought a お赤飯おにぎりat a convenience store. It wasn't enough, but I don't feel like eating anything else. I'll eat better tomorrow... I hope.

All Ready to Go

I'm more or less packed up to go to Japan.

One small-ish medium suitcase & one duffel bag for check-in.
One attache-sized bag & one Trader Joe's bag for carry-on.

I'd also like to take a small purse for just going out shopping... so I guess I'll put that in the duffel bag.

I'll be there til the 22nd.
And will have email access, so you know how to get a hold of me.

No Water Again

They're stopping the water in our building again.
This time the plumbers are installing valves on all the pipes, b/c they still can't figure out why some units only get hot water & some units only get cold water. (Our unit is fine)

It's very difficult to stay at home from 9am - 4pm with no water.
Mostly bathroom issues...

Last time?
I couldn't wait, so I went... and didn't flush.

This time?
I couldn't wait, so I went... and didn't flush again.

I hope the problem gets fixed soon.
Or I'm going to get used to not flushing when I go.

回転スシ w/ Ruuku

Facebook is handy.
I usually forget to email Ruuku when I'm heading over to Japan, but this time I just sent him & Yuka a message via Facebook.

Huh?
It's no different than emailing?
Not when you see their photos pop up on your front page (or whatever you call it) whenever they comment on photos & things.

Ah, I see why people are crazy about the Internets.

Although I plan to see Ruuku & Yuka w/ Steph, I made my request to go to回転スシ. I think the last time I went was 6 years ago & I've never sat at a 4-person table that's connected to the conveyor belt.

I would have asked forもんじゃ too, but that doesn't make you that full. I'll just go eat that on my own...

Temp Phone No Longer Needed

I grabbed Sat's pre-paid phone for Steph on Sunday, but it seems like her new phone arrived & she no longer needs it.

At least we can all get in touch w/ her w/o the assistance of Facebook.

Dropped off Henry's HD

I was finally able to drop off Henry's external HD filled w/ his wedding photos.

Steph said some of the RAW files were in a new format & wouldn't open on her computer. But I'm sure Henry will find some converting software to open them.

After dropping off the photos,じゅるるand I headed to The Hat in MPK.
I realized I've only been in there once... back in HS, although I don't remember with who. I was explaining toじゅるる that most of my HS friends didn't go to eateries like that. Or did they? And they just didn't invite me?

The chili cheese fries were yum.
I want to go again.
Although I don't really care for pastrami sandwiches. Too salty.

No Cook Weekend

Since I spent a whole week cooking for じゅるる, I'm going to slack off this weekend.

Well, I never cook on weekends.
Okay, it's my usual weekend.

I have one week to prep for my Japan trip.
Need to go buyお土産 at Trader Joe's & Whole Foods.
And contact people so I have free dinner every night.

Going to Japan for a Week

I finally bought my plane tickets to Japan.
I'll be going from 3/14 to 3/22.

I bought Korean Air for $790.
When Ichigo called 10 minutes later to say she found another travel agent who's selling Korean Air tickets for $690.

Too late...
Oh well.

If anyone wants me to buy anything in Japan, give me a list & give me money.
I'm self-financing this business trip so I don't have money to spend on people this time.

Steph's Phone

Steph's phone died over the weekend & she's been trying to get a new phone since then. But today she found out that she's going to be phone-less until the phone gets mailed to her.

I was planning on visiting her tomorrow, but how am I supposed to know she's home? I guess I can watch her Facebook activities...

Sat suggested lending her the prepaid phone, when I realized Prince K's phone is still active until 3/15. But Sat wants to play some game on the iPhone, so I guess we'll have her borrow the prepaid phone.

AT&T told me that I could get Prince K's phone transferred to another name for $140... but I don't think I want to pay $140 then pay $70 per month. Plus the number is his old number!

I haven't researched into upgrading my service so I can use the iPhone yet.
I'll do that once I come back from Japan.

PS. Tonight's dinner was just leftovers.

Lasagna, green beans & garlic bread.
We're almost done w/ all the leftovers from the Industry party.

Shiz Can't Cook Series: Al Dente Pasta Gets Over-Cooked

So I attempted to make mushroom spaghetti, 和風-style.

Of course I didn't look at online recipes before I went shopping, so I didn't know most Japanese recipes use bacon. But I was watching Everyday Italian on Food Network and Giada made pasta w/ mushrooms and artichoke, so I thought of making that... but flavor it with soy sauce.


They sell Rachel Ray olive oil -- EVOO.
I used to think that term was lame... until I heard myself say EVOO in my head when I was making pasta a while back. Ack! She's invading my brain!

After I got back from the market, I looked up recipes.
Sounds pretty simple.
"Save a little pasta water to mix the toppings," got it.

I had everything timed to whenじゅるる was coming home.
He gets off at 10:30, it takes about 10-15 mins to come back.

Mushrooms & artichoke... done at 10:30.
Turnip leaves (side dish)... done at 10:35.
Pasta... done at 10:45.

Time to mix in the mushrooms & artichoke topping to the pasta!
Mix, mix, mix. Add soy sauce. Taste. Add more soy sauce. Add pasta water. Mix, mix.

Time... 10:55.
じゅるる still not home.

So the pasta that was little harder than al dente (also suggested by the recipe)... came out awfully soft.

じゅるる came home w/ drinking water & garlic bread. Cuz he had promised to bring back garlic bread from lunch, but it was all gone.

Thanks honey, but the pasta is super soft...


Oh, but the garlic bread was delicious.

I already ate half the pasta & took a bite out of the garlic bread when I realized I didn't take a photo of the finished plate.

I will attempt this again!

Henry's Wedding Photos

I think I forgot to mention that Henry got married two weeks ago.
That's why Ruuku was in LA last week.

Anyhoo, Steph was the photographer for the wedding.
And I was entrusted with Henry's external HD to get the wedding photos from Steph.

I got to see some of the photos when I went over to Steph's house.

Steph showed me a photo where she was trying to get the married couple to peek out behind the flower-covered columns of the gazebo. Henry's spouse Pei was able to understand Steph's instructions. Henry? Nope.

Aw, Henry!
Let's try to be cute on your wedding day! *laugh*

No, no.
It was very Henry-like.

I'm now arranging to deliver the HD to Henry this Friday.

Vaio Dying!?

After leaving ORG, I stopped by the condo to pick up checks (hmm, mortgage check missing?) and few things. I realized later that I should have picked up some salonpas because my shoulder/neck has been aching for the whole day. And salt & pepper, b/cじゅるる doesn't have any in Burbank. How am I supposed to make dinner w/ them?

I thought I'll do a little work before I headed out to Burbank... when my laptop started to make a loud whirring sound.

Eep!

It's either the HD or fan.
The laptop is tiny & lightweight, so whatever is whirring is making the whole machine vibrate like crazy.

It's Vu time!
His diagnosis?
"Send it in. The warranty should still be good."

Lazy IT man...

Anyway, I decided to back up all my files.
Last time I backed up? May 2008.
Gah!

And I just read Sasami's blog too... she's having computer problems & is backing up her stuff. I don't take photos in high-res, so my backup files are much smaller... I'm not backing up the 6GB of emails on the BRO account, though.

As I was wrapping up my backup... the computer goes quiet.
Oh my gosh, did it die!?
No, it seems like it's back to normal.

What was my HD trying to do?
Maybe it was just trying to remind me to back up.
*sigh*

I hope this Vaio survives another 8 months or so.
I can't afford a new computer until later this year.

PS. Dinner tonight.


Frozen ravioli courtesy of Bertolli frozen pasta bags. You have to bake them for 40 minutes (according to the bag), but I think 30 mins is actually OK. You have to bake it another 5-10 mins after you sprinkle on the cheese & crumb toppings. There wasn't enough cheese, so I poured on some more parmesean.

Plus frozen creamed spinach courtesy of Green Giant. I love those microwaveable pouches! But these creamed spinach cools too quickly... it's like you have to plate them, then reheat the whole thing in the microwave *sigh*

PPS. Happy Girls' Day!
And happy birthday Erikku!
(just an obligatory phrase that follows anytime I mention Girls' Day)

Shiz Can't Cook Series: Dull Knives = Crushed Tomato

We had leftover teriyaki chicken, so I decided to arrange them taco style.

So I bought two tomatoes, one red onion, bag of cheese, bag of tortilla, jar of salsa and a box of Rice-a-Roni to make the tacos.

I stopped by Steph's to pick up my casserole dish... and ended up staying there past 10pm.

So I rushed back to prep for the tacos and I tried cutting the tomatoes & onions w/ the knife provided in the room.

Grr!
The knife is so dull, it's just crushing the tomatoes (I was trying to dice them).
Same w/ the red onions.

Oh well.

PS. I bought salsa to put in the Rice-a-Roni, and I picked "hot"... and it made the rice super spicy. If we get a tummy ache, I know where it's from.

PPS. I forgot to take photos, even though I was thinking about it. Boo!

Staying in Burbank for a Week

After the industry party at Steph's place, I went to the Oakwood apartments whereじゅるる is staying. I'll be staying here for a week, since there's WiFi internet access & cable TV.

Tonight's dinner:

Leftover chicken from Steph's party (deep fried & a bit spicy), side dish pasta (chicken flavored), and green beans.

Tomorrow? More leftovers.