Previous gallery page was outdated and never expanded beyond 1 gallery due to space constraints. Expect the new gallery to be significantly improved once I can prepare additional content.
Some pictures are up in the Friends section, though.
Also, New Year's 2000 pictures are also up!
Brian's Birthday and Alex's visit pictures are up! (apologies for the lame name, but "What we did on June 17th and 18th" sounded even more lame to me!
December 18th and 19th pictures are up. Clubbing and the signs of the up and coming complete assimilation of Barry into the drone that he will be. muhahahahaha....
The first of the Christmas and post-Christmas pictures are up. Ski Trip pictures are up... New Year's Eve pictures are up... more to follow!
Christmas Night pictures are now up. Still more in the wings...
New Year's Day 2001 pictures!
Erik's family visits LA... and Helma's cat. I'm afraid Erik's family didn't get too much of a visit to LA, but Helma did get lots of pictures of her kitty, Isabel, and her roommate's kitty, Cruise.
General pics... JUST BECAUSE I CAN! Gotta love it. Enjoy!
First of a new set of pictures from Summer 2001.
Two birthday boys to start things off, Barry and Jimmy... Then, actually from a few days before, Fourth of July pictures!
BBQ/Party, version 2 just happened, as did Majed's Birthday. For good measure, Brian's Birthday and Erik's Birthday pics are up too!
Just hanging around pictures are now up... sitting around with Erik, Pete, and Jimmy. Karaoke pictures with Rachel's friends are up too, finally. Only had to wait almost 4 weeks for those... LA Trip: Depeche Mode at Staples Center pictures are finally up too! There's still more to come...
Four new galleries... Final party at Patrick's is the first, Labor Day Weekend is the second... third is just random pics, fourth is Halloween party...
Pre-finals party at Sophia/Carley/Grace's place are here. That was a fun little party, saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while as well as some new people.
New Year's 2002 (and New Year's Eve 2001) pictures... lots of fun, although one of the slowest-starting parties I've thrown in ages. Thursday and Friday weekend were to proven sufficiently crazy to end any doubts about the New Year, though. Fun is to be had, if you can find it!
Theresa's Graduation Party up in San Jose... YEP! She graduated and is now looking forward to dental school. Pretty cool. Theresa's Visit- ok, you can get up now- Theresa actually came down to LA to visit everyone!!
President's Day Weekend is Nick C. and Holly coming up to visit from San Diego, while Anil's Birthday was the following weekend.
Pearl's Birthday is the first event of March posted...
Nothing else too significant between Pearl's Birthday and Spring Break, but you can't forget the Pre-Finals party again at Sophia/Grace/Carley's place and the autocross school I did the next day (in the same gallery)...
Spring Break stuff: Ski Trip pics are up!
Diana's Visit is the first event of April- yeah, do you believe it? She actually came down to visit!
Constant's Graduation Party proves that UC Berkeley people really do know how to party, and they know how to do it well!
Helma's 22nd Birthday is the first event of June... June promises the end of another year for us at UCLA and the end of our UCLA undergraduate careers for many... should be lots of graduation pictures this month! Brian's 22nd Birthday is the next event. Cursed finals week birthdays really sucks for partying, we were barely able to squeeze in dinner! Done with finals at last means party time, but graduations to attend mean just a little bit of fun instead of a big party... Thuy's Graduation Lunch pictures are up.
Barry's Birthday and Post-4th of July pictures are up. Some NorCal Maxima Meet at Coyote Point pictures are up, too.
Vacation pictures are up. Germany, anyone? How about Austria? =)
Birthday pictures- Joel's birthday and May's birthday, respectively.
Track Racing @ Buttonwillow pictures are up. A week later, Stillen Nissan Day was held.
Halloween Potluck pictures are up. Finals are over! Party pictures are up.
Birthday pictures are up- Dave and Alan's birthday, plus Alicia's birthday. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers pictures from the Sony Metreon in San Francisco are up. Thuy's Christmas Potluck pictures are up. IHS c/o `98 meet pictures are up-- talk about flashbacks from the past!
New Year's Eve 2002 pics are up. A nice way to introduce the new year.
Los Angeles at night pictures- in the fog. Wilshire Blvd. is especially neat at night in the fog, although driving sure is dangerous...
Lambda Phi Epsilon hosts Union at Grand Avenue. No pics inside the club, just after-party pics at Garden Cafe. Snow Summit ski trip pictures are up. It's no Lake Tahoe, but it is a lot closer... Abby and Tamy's visit pictures- not much but our usual stomping grounds in LA. Potluck pictures at Sophia/Carley/Grace/Tara's place.
Ski Trip at Heavenly in Lake Tahoe over President's Day weekend.
Party at Pete and Nick's place.
Erasure concert pictures and setlist are up from the Los Angeles and San Francisco shows. Then... Constant's 23rd Birthday Party!
End of First Week and Monterey Park- End of 2nd Week pics. Drinking, partying, dim sum, cell phone shopping... lots of fun stuff! Potluck pictures from 3rd week's potluck at Sophia/Tara/Grace/Carley's place...
SF Giants at LA Dodgers marks the end of 3rd week.
Midnight beach exploring plus some random Los Angeles stuff follow-- BBQ at Alicia's and Barry's new curtains. More pictures, this time of Barry's friend Brandon's birthday. Erik's Visit pictures are up-- mostly from Pete and Nick's place.
End of 7th week pics are up. Part 2 of the pictures.
Visitors from UVA are here this week... more pics with them at Roscoe's, Muse, and the beach... aKDPhi National Convention 2003 pictures... UVA visitors leave- more specifically, the night of craziness before they left.
Potluck with Pearl, Jen, Jer, Marie, etc... Sophia's birthday party... Wedding of Melissa and Ed... Brian's birthday at Versailles and then the carnage at Barry's... End of Finals at Barry's...
Graduation weekend in June: Friday: L&S Grad and party at Dennis'. Saturday: Geography Grad, Engineering Grad, party at Jen's. Sunday: Math Grad, APIG Grad, party at Thomas's t-mobile grand prize day 1 suite on Sunset Blvd!!
Summer 2003 stuff... not the first thing to happen but the first to be posted: Rex's Birthday at Miyagi's. The second thing to be posted: Barry's Birthday at C&O's. The third thing to be posted: Erik's Birthday BBQ. Theresa and Jason's Wedding pictures.
Middle of summer brings potluck at Sophia/Carley/Grace/Tara's...
September brings partying and Labor Day weekend as well as a party with Alicia and her friends. More fun stuff, hiking in Ojai, CA for the weekend...
I have some other summer galleries coming...
October Weekend pics are up. Knott's Scary Farm, UCLA vs. ASU with Dave, and Zuma Beach/fires in SoCal... Halloween @ Apt 306 pictures. Just like old times, only most of us are now working! Halloween, take 2 pictures from a last-minute party by Alicia and her roomies... Over at Viet's-- got to drink with Cheston, Billy, and Viet for the first time in forever. Can't forget the rest of that group of friends-- things continue with Thomas and Umi's Birthday.
Out late... for a work night, anyway! Out in West LA again...
New Year's Eve 2003 pictures are up from Sophia's party. Snow Summit pictures are up. The "big" Ski Trip 2004: June Mountain pictures are up. March 2004 pictures from the weekend of the 12-14th are up. June Mountain Take 2 pictures are up.
Vegas pictures with Barry, Brandon, Bernier, Eric, and Jessica are up.
Bej and Sophia's birthday pics are up. Brian's Birthday over a busy June weekend are up. Next up is graduation weekend pics at UCLA. The torrent of birthdays hasn't stopped, Carley and Alexis' birthdays too.
July should be busy, too. Barry's Birthday pics are up. Cafe Bizou, Intercrew, and Roscoe's are the highlights. Grace's birthday pictures are up. Lexus Taste of Luxury event pics are up. Joyce's housewarming party pics are up (ok, apartment warming... same thing!).
Pearl and Jer's Wedding. (yes, Pearl really did get married!) Ride and Drive (aka, abuse a Subaru/BMW/Volvo) event was the day after. Dim Sum with Viet, Maggie, Teresa, Thomas, Kev, etc. Camping pictures from Kings Canyon. Lots of pictures there, particularly inside a cave.
Labor Day Weekend pictures back in the SF Bay Area. Elaine's visit with 2 of her friends as they decide to harass Barry and myself. (ok, Barry got an extra day of harassment in there.) October weekend pictures-- the Bodyworlds exhibit at the California Science Center and then Viet's birthday. Birthdays again-- Billy's Birthday and the UCLA vs. ASU game.
A break from birthdays-- Toyota Put It In Play event at the Rosebowl in Pasadena, then the California International Auto Show-- or at least the little corner that I worked! The few pictures from Halloween at Joycelyn's and Election Night at Sophia and Carley's are here. The break from birthday is over-- Kim and Cheston's birthday dinner. The following weekend is a few pictures from an Ars meet at the Getty. We're back at Buca di Beppo for Thomas and Umi's birthday.
The December avalanche: Thomas's birthday and skiing pictures, Pearl's moving-away dinner, Alicia's birthday, and Christmas weekend.
New Year's Eve 2004 pictures from Mike/Chris/Henri's party. Fun times, fun times, just wish I could remember everyone's name! Tara's birthday at Curry House in West LA. Dinner with Sophia and friends. 2005 Los Angeles Auto Show pictures from two separate visits to the show-- yes, it's a crazy amount of pictures. GM Autoshow In Motion and many other things on a very busy weekend in January. An incredible 24"-48" snowpack at Big Bear meant we couldn't resist the urge to go skiing!
Take two of the Autoshow In Motion along with Mike's birthday pics lead off February. The big yearly ski trip this season is to Mammoth, which is in turn followed up by a trip to a wee little hill called Mt. Baldy the next weekend. Instead of sleeping in, dim sum was the next day.
Beginning of March is a rare visit to Hollywood with Joel and his friends, then Nathan's Birthday over in Chinatown, and finally out with Barry the following day, at an Evo meet and then dinner in Hermosa Beach.
April is U2 in Anaheim. A break fron concerts- hiking in La Canada Flintridge to Strawberry Trail. We dive straight back into more U2, this time at Staples Center. Ever heard a concert every 5 days? The third one for April is Garbage! (and now hopefully my ears get a break for a while...). Carley's performance in the Loyola Law School Talent Show follows, then Shing and DeAnne's wedding (!) in Houston.
End of April/start of May is a Saturday hiking at Millard Falls and then the Museum of Contemporary Art, while Sunday is at Coachella. Two Erasure shows end the spring concert madness, Avalon on Saturday and then The Grove on Wednesday.
LONDON! London, Edinburgh, and in-between...
Phoenix Ars Meet, then Memorial Day weekend.
First June event, out with Eileen and her friends. Then the June birthday storm arrives. First up is Sophia, second is Brian, and the third is Carley. Unfortunately, I had to skip Erik's birthday this year. =( A change of pace is UCLA Graduation and then a big change: outdoor rock climbing.
Barry's birthday leads off July. Fourth of July actually came a few days before. Grace's birthday and then Garbage at the Orange County Fair are the next two things, then a return to Stoney Point because Joe's moving away and we just can't get enough rock climbing!
August starts quickly. Bill's birthday, swing dancing at Swingfish, and then Margaret's birthday along with a night out with Barry and his old coworkers. A modest hiking trip up Mt. Baldy turns out to be a brutal one, but we made it! Camelot at the Hollywood Bowl. Jennifer and Steven's wedding in Berkeley. Jen Cruz is a high school friend who I haven't seen in a long time, probably since college. And now she's married. Eeep! More stuff on the final weekend, lots of eating and then hiking Strawberry Peak.
Kim's moving-away dinner. She's leaving us to go to med school! Ahhh! Ars Technica meet of the Northern California group over Labor Day weekend. Mid-Autumn Festival dinner. Thanks to Sophia for organizing! Los Angeles area Ars meet in West Covina. Moving weekend followed by a quick night of minature golf.
October marks the first major party at Constant's new place. Not content to party on Friday and into Saturday, we rock climb at Point Dume the next day. Concert madness, birthdays, and football madness mark the second weekend of October. The third weekend of October is a Stoney Point followed by a massive SoCal Ars meet. Things get busy the last week, with Sudeep's birthday and then Justin's birthday. Halloween gets compressed into a single gallery, somehow!
November is more moving, U2 insanity in Vegas and the second (and final) dose of U2 insanity (for this tour) in Oakland. Daniel and Erick's birthday, hiking up Mt. San Jacinto with the usual suspects, and a Taste of Lexus driving event in Orange County make for a very long weekend. The next weekend isn't quite as full, but dinner with Jianhui and Kean, then Thomas and Umi's birthday ensure it's full of food! November wraps up with Thanksgiving weekend and Joyceyln's birthday.
Snow marks December. Skidazzle on Thursday, then off to Mammoth the next day, then the next weekend is Big Bear. Jian-hui's going-away party and then Alicia's birthday follow. Christmas weekend beings with rock climbing at Stoney and then a very large collection of pictures over Christmas.
New Year's Eve 2005 pictures from Mike/Chris/Henri's party. Yes, we love it so much, we keep going back! Two days later is dim sum and the shooting range, then back to Northern California to go to Tahoe. Swing dancing at Sugarfoot Stomp follows after Tahoe does-- clearly not the best idea, but who needs sleep! Tara and Chris' birthdays start off the next weekend. Adriana's birthday follows the next day. The weekend afterwards is almost as busy with dinners (Chili's and Rambutan Thai) and clubbing (Zanzibar). Dinner at Ragin' Cajun' with Barry and friends.
The completion of scuba lessons (PADI Open Water) off of Catalina marks the start of February. Not too many February birthdays-- just Amy's and Mike's. President's Day weekend is in Lake Tahoe, then the following weekend's meals.
Malaysia marks the beginning of April. Then... April is a trip to Venice Beach. Then the usual favorite activity for exercise: indoor climbing at UCLA followed by outdoor climbing at Echo Cliffs. Plus, at least around here, the almost-forgotten swing dancing for Angela's birthday.
May begins with a barrage of Erasure concerts and then visit from Joe and a return to Stoney Point. As though two straight nights of concerts and a follow-up day of climbing aren't enough, partying and climbing continues with Nick's birthday and climbing at Tick Rock that weekend. Five straight days of going out gets a break til the next Friday for Bej's birthday in k-town. The weekend madness continues as I hop back on an airplane for Gina's graduation from Cal. May finally wraps up with Alan's graduation and Memorial Day weekend at Barry's place.
June starts with Nick and Emily's engagement party, plus dim sum with Maria. Birthdays continue with Brian's birthday and hiking, then surviving large amounts of alcohol for a trip to Stoney Point the next day. We finish birthdays with a triple birthday at the end of June.
Fireworks and other fun mark 4th of July. Massive amounts of hot weather and alcohol mark Barry's birthday in Vegas. Then some semi-random pictures from, well, random places in Los Angeles Not-random-at all is pictures from Leif-Eric's dinner in Westwood.
Roadtrip to New York in August. Earlier in August was BBQ and Karaoke and Joel's visit. The rest of August is... well, busy in NYC.
September is rock climbing at Stoney Point and the UCLA vs. Rice game, then hiking Mt. Wilson. Follow it up with dim sum and rock climbing at Malibu Creek. Hiking Calabasas Peak and the Dodger game where Thomas sang the national anthem was also lots of fun. Dinner pictures with old coworkers. September finishes off with Viet's Birthday and UCLA vs. Stanford football.
October begins with a trip to LACMA, then smack in the middle of the month is Billy and Amy's wedding! Random food with Korean BBQ and Oktoberfest. The end of the month is hiking San Gorgonio and Halloween that Saturday, with a visit to West Hollywood on Halloween itself.
November starts quietly. Bej's bachelor party, followed up with Pet Shop Boys at The Wiltern LG. Football continues with UCLA vs. OSU and the Taste of Lexus event the same weekend. Then some birthdays at work. Wine tasting part 1, followed by part 2 for good measure just a day later. Then... Thanksgiving weekend! November ends out with grad students again.
December starts with Tick Rock/Doug's birthday/Kean's visit in the same gallery, then Frances and Jenn's birthday. Bej and Weixian's wedding in Las Vegas. Birthdays! Alicia's birthday, at least. Pictures from West LA including Rockreation and Sawtelle Blvd with the Tsais. And the last for 2006-- Christmas, including the Emerald Bowl: FSU. vs. UCLA.
New Year's Eve 2006 in Tahoe. Hanging around with Viet/Billy/Cheston/etc. plus an Ars meet. Off to the freezing land of Chicago just hours before Keezer's bachelor party. Dinner with Leif in K-town, then Nick Keezer and Emily's wedding a few days later. Dinner again with friends, this time in the Bay Area.
February appears to be good for one thing: skiing at Mammoth, not once but twice! Then food! - specifically lots of seafood. Mmmm seafood.
Concerts open March. At least one, anyway: Snow Patrol at Gibson Ampitheater. Skiing at Big Bear-- well Snow Summit to be specific. Pearl's housewarming party at her new place. Leif-Eric and Eun-Young's dinner at Versailles. The theme is food, Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse, then Sushi Masu. China and Hong Kong trip concludes March.
The NCAA Basketball Tournament leads off April, with UCLA vs. Florida in the Final Four. Random stuff hanging out with Pearl, including UCLA Football's Spring Scrimmage. Some rock climbing at Echo Cliffs the next day. Dim sum twice the next weekend, then helping Pearl move. A mid-week trip to UCSB follows. April concludes with a busy weekend: a visit from Erik and scuba diving off Anacapa Island.
May begins with Mike's Birthday and then lots of food: tofu and dim sum, with rock climbing and helping Pearl move in-between! The third weekend of May is Carley's graduation and the UCLA Run/Walk, May 24 is a UCLA dinner, while the last weekend of May is camping at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Shen's birthday concludes May.
June is lead off with birthdays: Bej/Sophia's the first weekend, then Brian's the second weekend. Leif-Eric and Eun-Young plan dinner again, this time at Flame in Westwood, followed by cake. Out on Sunset Blvd with Peter and his UCLA Medicine residents. More food weekends- with Korean tofu, pastrami at The Hat, and Hakata Ramen.
July starts with Kwik-E-Mart! Then dinner at Pearl's, followed by Fourth of July the next day! Sherry and David's wedding on 7/7/07. Hiking the next day to San Gabriel Peak/Mt. Disappointment proved to be a nice little morning jaunt. On the other hand, Smith Mountain was definitely not a nice morning jaunt. Seeing Wicked is next. Mickey's visit combined with Annie and Bill's birthday conclude July.
August starts off with a barbeque at Barry's and a ton of random pictures from UCLA/Westwood mixed in with a trip to the Ahmanson. Trip to the East Coast finishes off August-- New York and Pennsylvania.
Labor Day weekend in September is spent in Yosemite, camping and hiking. Playing with Sam's camera and a new Canon 24/1.4L on Friday before the weekend. The weekend-- Saturday is UCLA vs. Washington with tailgating beforehand, partying, and Sam's visit, while Sunday is at Huntington Gardens with Sam and Sophia, then Underworld and Paul Oakenfold at Hollywood Bowl. Sam's visit days 3 and 4 highlight rock climbing at Stoney Point, Santa Monica and the beach. Sam's visit day 4 is wandering Japantown and downtown LA with cameras. *grins* Day 8 is MOCA, Grand Central Market, and Nextfest; plus some random Korean BBQ pictures thrown in. A trip to the Bay Area for an Ars meet follows, then Cecile's birthday. Rock climbing at Mystery Science Theater finishes off a very busy September.
October is just as busy, with Justin visiting for the Japanese Classic Car Show on Saturday (and then the UCLA game...). Friday was spent wandering Los Angeles, and Sunday had some wandering plus the Ferraris at the Petersen Automotive Museum before he left. Alpine Village's little Oktoberfest, plus Billy and Simon's birthdays fill up the following weekend. Two weeks in South Korea and China finish off October and the first day of November (for Leif and Eun-young's wedding in Seoul, John and Weixian's wedding in Nanjing).
November starts off with a visit to Pink's Hotdog Stand in Hollywood, then wine tasting, take 2 at Irina's. The second Saturday in November is UCLA vs. ASU, plus Billy and Amy's housewarming party. The next weekend is throughly food related with dim sum and a birthday dinner (old time Maxima club members, then Heather C.'s birthday). Thanksgiving weekend includes cousin Jason's wedding. Birthday dinner for the Hacketts followed up by Joycelyn's birthday wrap up November.
December starts off with the SSC Holiday Party. Rock climbing at Malibu Creek, followed by Alicia's birthday and a work lunch, then two dinners, one with Leif-Eric and Eun-young, the other for Jenn's birthday. Back to Northern California for Christmas.
New Year's Eve 2007 at Mike/Chris/Henry's. Vacation! China starts off 2008. Beijing and Hong Kong this time. Rock climbing at Malibu Creek, take 3, and Tara's birthday follow.
Going-away party for Ulrich at Westwood BrewCo, Francis and Camille's engagement party plus Superbowl Sunday playing Rock Band, then a quick Ars meet at Barney's Beanery in Hollywood. Follow it up with more outings with Pearl: Ruth Chris' Steakhouse for DineLA Restaurant week, plus Magic Mountain. Rock climbing at Echo Cliffs, take 3, then more climbing (UCLA Dangling Bruin) combined with Amy's visit. President's Day weekend in Mammoth. February ends with visiting Keith and the new Chipotle in Westwood.
March leads off with take 4 of rock climbing at Echo Cliffs, then the Star Trek Tour in Long Beach. Pearl's birthday follows. Cheston and Angie's wedding in the middle of the month. Hiking Devil's Chair makes for a fun day trip. A walking tour of Los Angeles' historic core wraps up March.
April's first gallery is an Ars meet and a UCLA Final Four party. One very busy weekend consists of: Will Foster's birthday + UCLA Run/Walk 5K + dim sum. Exploring the Petersen automotive museum again. Days full of food: pictures at Gyu-kaku, Spoon House, and with Kean at Bonchon. Leif-Eric's dinner at Hodori on Friday. Stoney Point bouldering on Saturday. The weekend finishes off with Movie night and dim sum on Saturday night and Sunday morning, respectively.
May starts off with UCLA Staff Assembly's Casino Night, then the weekend following is JPL Open House, the Santa Monica Classic, and lunch at Newport Seafood in San Gabriel. Hanging out with Maria and then dinner at Sushi Masu occupy Thursday. Bouldering in Bishop is the second weekend in May, followed up by dinner with Maria and friends. Busy Saturday: hiking Mt. Baden-Powell in the morning followed by Bej and Yuan's birthday in the afternoon. Wrapping up May with Memorial Day at Kevin's.
June leads off with dim sum at New Capital Seafood. Double party day on Friday: UCLA Rock Wall and UCLA Geography. Mike and Emily's wedding is the following Saturday. Brian's birthday, then watching a movie at Del Amo the next day. Weekend back in the Bay Area for Katie's graduation party and a company picnic. Kim's visit the following weekend.
Kicking off July with another visit back to the Bay Area, then Independence Day at Billy and Amy's. Chris and Bettina's wedding followed the next day. Dim sum at Elite Restaurant with Frances, Patrick, and Dan. Leif-Eric's potluck for BECKS-NG.
August is helping Pearl move and Frances' going-away barbeque. Trip to New York follows. No Broadway shows this year, but lots of fun was still had! August wraps up with: food, waterfight, and dim sum. Lots of random pictures wrap up August: dinner by Bill and Annie, pre-Disneyland Half Marathon, dinner at El Gringo, and Century City mall pictures.
September opens up with UCLA vs. Tennessee on Labor Day. Dim sum at Capital Seafood, then more college football: UCLA vs. Arizona at the Rose Bowl. Throw in more random pictures throughout September: dinner at Sushi Masu, lunch at Pho Vie, and a BBQ. The month concludes with Vegas for the weekend.
October is UCLA vs. Washington State at the Rose Bowl, one of our few wins this season. Fooding: Thai and Korean noodles commences. Five days in Oregon are next, including UCLA vs. Oregon football! Viet and Maggie's wedding finally happened! Second-to-last gallery in October is fairly random: Lucas' going-away party and lots other random shots. Cheston and Angie's Halloween party at That 70's House.
The SkirtChaser 5k marks the start of November. Follow it up with an IDSA-LA event on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and some protest pictures the next day. Watched UCLA vs. Oregon State and had Korean tofu the two days later, then ran the UCLA Tri-team's Bruin 5k the following weekend. Camille and Francis' wedding the weekend before Thanksgiving. Lunch at Hide Sushi the day before Thanksgiving.
Joycelyn's birthday is Max Karaoke and Shojin for dinner, the 26th Annual California International Marathon (CIM), and then Bill plans Korean BBQ. 888 Seafood for dim sum, then Tara and Heather's Christmas potluck, followed up with a Mongolian hot pot lunch at Little Fat Sheep in Monterey Park. Then Alicia's birthday and Kim's visit. Brunch at Amandine with Dave/Amit/Alan and UCLA vs. Mercer basketball at Pauley Pavillion. More dim sum and then game night at USC. Home for the holidays. Pictures from New Year's Eve at Kathy's place.
Leading off January with ice skating and sushi (from Roll House) in Santa Monica. Follow it up with Five Guys Burgers and more fooding. Then a random collection of pictures from San Diego, plus a UCLA Geography colloquium, pita, and pho. Tara's birthday and dim sum. Szechuan food at Chung King in San Gabriel and a hot chocolate party. A day at The Griddle and The Grove for breakfast and the Farmers' Market, respectively, followed the next day by the search for pocky and ramen (and okonomiyaki, but that failed). Taking advantage of a beautiful day in Orange County. #jpltweetup in Pasadena (at JPL, naturally!). The Los Angeles Conservancy's Spring and Main tour plus dinner with Kim and friends. Dim sum at Capital Seafood with Pearl and coworkers. Kyochon fried chicken a few nights later.
dineLA Restaurant Week at Tengu (sushi) in Westwood. Gone skiing. The Kogi BBQ taco truck! Dinner at Royal Kabob. Presidents' Day weekend at Mammoth. Some more "skiing", then karaoke with Ulrich at Brass Monkey, and then Mike's birthday at Lucky Strike. A busy day: dim sum with Bill, the BMW Art Cars at LACMA, Kevin's Oscar night party, and a random rabbit sighting. Then another crazy day with hiking Parker Mesa Overlook, then into Pearl's birthday.
Massive food: Din Tai Fung, Galco's Soda Pop Stop, and Scoops! More food in Westwood. UCLA vs. Oregon basketball plus a Geography grads potluck and Park's Korean BBQ. Dim sum at Capital Seafood along with Grace and Kevin's engagement dinner at El Cholo. UCLA in the Pac-10 Tournament at Staples (plus Carnitas Michoacan for lunch!). Hiking Temescal Canyon and karaoke. The president's motorcade while on my way to work. Random photos from Pho Show, St. Patrick's Day, and Sawtelle. Climbing at Stoney Point plus Matt's party. Lunch at Sushi Central. Korean BBQ at Soot Bull Gui Rim 2 in K-town.
April is the usual theme, food: Umemura Ramen and Naja's (latter for Matt's moving-away party take 2), then the UCLA Run/Walk 5k and lunch at Shanghai Palace. Back to the Kogi truck, then poker night at Bethany's. Chris and Bettina's housewarming at the beach. More food: cupcakes and pho, then dim sum, followed by boardgames (and pizza), and finally, Korean BBQ at Tahoe Galbi.
May is the Santa Monica Classic, mixed with JPL Open House and an art show: Chase Langford: morphic. Mixed in Rutts' Hawaiian Cafe and Marisco's Gullein La Playita for food, too. Europe 2009 is... Days 1 and 2: London. Day 3: sleeping in, and more London. Day 4: Windsor in the morning, the Thames at night. Day 5: London to Athens. Day 6: Athens. Day 7: Hania, day 1. Day 8: Hania, day 2. Day 9: Hania, day 3. Day 10: Hania, day 4. Day 11: Hania, day 5. Day 12: Samaria Gorge. Day 13: Hania, day 6. Day 14: Heraklion (Iraklio) and Knossos (and a trip to the movies in Hania). Day 15: Rethymno and the surrounding area. Day 16: Hania to Copenhagen (via Athens). Day 17: Malmo. Day 18: Copenhagen. Day 19: Return to the USA, CPH-LHR-IAD-LAX. Back in the USA: Memorial Day BBQ at Kevin's, BEJ's birthday, Frances' summer BBQ, and fooding at Seafood Town and Hurry Curry.
June, amazingly, does not involve traveling anywhere crazy. Dim sum for Sophia's birthday and then off to Dee's birthday starts off June. A quick stop at Attari Sandwich Shop for dinner. A low-key evening at Sasaya Izakaya and Saints and Sinner's. Dinner with Patrick and Sonya at Ye Olde Kings Head. Brian's birthday at Mu Dung San (Korean BBQ). Random photos including Marisco's for lunch. Walking UCLA. A Streetcar Named Desire at the Los Angeles Theater. Unexpected craziness with Michael Jackon's passing at UCLA. Billy and Amy's baby shower for mini-Lowe.
July begins with banh xeo at Van's Restaurant in Garden Grove. Independence Day in Seal Beach follows. Back to the Bay Area to visit family: day 1, day 2, day 3/Gigamon Summer Picnic, and day 4. Time for Grace's birthday, then a visit to Hole in the Wall Burger Joint. Charity party at Isshin in Westwood. Rani's birthday at The Edison. Shen has her moving away dinner at Mu Dung San. Wandering Century City, then back to The Edison with Vena and her friends.
August means random photos wandering Redondo Beach. Semi-random hanging out with Frances and Patrick. Mickey's return from Japan. California Roll Factory for sushi with Gina. Pink's Hot Dogs with Booker. Joel's temporary return to Los Angeles, day 1, day 2, and day 3. Dinner at Bangkok West. Superman's going-away dinner. Karen and Mike's wedding at CalTech. Kyochon for an Ars Technica meet. Hiking Mt. Baldy again (more smoke and fire!). Meeting Baby Miles Doughtery!
Wandering UCLA, dinner at Pann's Diner, and dinner at Terried Sake House lead off September. Sam's visit, day 1. Day 2 is... well, Bill and Annie's wedding over Labor Day weekend in Laguna Beach. Hanging out with Bill and Annie: Good Stuff restaurant, Shin Sen Gumi Hakata Ramen, and later Simpang Asia with Sophia and Justin. Hiking Dan's mystery trail at Temescal Canyon. Sunday is Yelp Sweet September Elite event and then Camille's birthday at Cafe Bizou. Random MINI E sighting. The LA County Fair. Lots of food and a visit to Riverside. Jason and Joanna's wedding. Brunch at Din Tai Fung plus running around. Happy Hour at Palomino. Dinner at Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori. Korean BBQ at Road to Seoul in Koreatown.
Janet's birthday leads off October. A packed Saturday: dim sum at New Capital Seafood, hiking Abalone Cove with Rani, and checking out Alicia's new place + dinner at Open Sesame. Sinister Pointe haunted maze and Brazillian BBQ with Konami geeks, then Heather's birthday at C&O Cucina. Food at nineThirty @ The W and Jongewaard's Bake n Broil. A mystery meal, then dinner at Pho 79. Vegas for U2's 360 tour! Post-U2 Vegas and then a corn maze in Hollister. Amy and Nik's wedding. The Ford Fiesta Movement makes an unexpected appearance. Pre-Halloween and then Halloween at Cheston and Angie's.
Seeing The Bravery and dinner at Thai Tangerine starts November. Mariscos Chente and Angel Maid Bakery for lunch, then UCLA vs. Washington football and Compton's birthday. Hennessy's for steak sandwiches. Peru 2009 is... Days 1 and 2: Cusco. Day 3: Tipon and Pikillacta. Day 4: Saqsayhuaman, Q'enqo, Puca Pucara, Tambomachay. Day 5: Cusco (again). Day 6: Sacred Valley, Pisac, and Ollantaytambo. Day 7: Inca Trail, day 1. Day 8: Inca Trail, day 2. Day 9: Inca Trail, day 3. Day 10: Machu Picchu/Inca Trail, day 4. Day 11: From Cusco to Lima. Day 12: Lima-- and the end of the trip to Peru! Lots of food: Fat Dogs and O Dae San Korean BBQ. November wraps up with Thanksgiving, day 1, day 2, and day 4.
December is the Nom Nom Truck, then the SSC Holiday Party, followed by Mickey's visit and Farhana's birthday. Work-related food follows: Geography Holiday lunch at Westside Tavern and Helen's departure dinner at Santouka. The Konami Holiday Party follows. Tara/Heather/Cari's Christmas potluck, then steak n s'mores at Union Cattle and after, then pile on a quick visit to San Francisco. Lunch at Mr. Noodle followed by more food at Le Saigon and CPK. Mammoth: December 2009: day 1, day 2, day 3. Lunch at Philippe's French Dip, then Christmas Eve dessert at the Melins'. Christmas day, Yoshi and Peter's wedding, random blue skies, then an Ars meet at Stuffed Sandwich. The year wraps up with dim sum in the morning and New Year's Eve that night!
January 2010 begins with Cacao for coffee. Caroline and Bee's wedding. Gastrobus and Bool BBQ food trucks for lunch, then Yum Yum Bowls (and non-truck Samuari Sam's). Albert's birthday at Skybar. Tara and Chris' birthday plus Valentino's Pizza. Mammoth: January 2010: Trip 1, day 1, day 2, day 3, and day 4. A day of food: dim sum and sushi (plus Marina del Rey). Climbing at Stoney Point and lunch at The Counter. Food trucks galore take 1. All about food: dim sum at Lunasia + food trucks at T-Lofts ("for Haiti"). Food trucks galore take 2. Hit the Fishlips (sushi truck) and Palomino's happy hour. Mammoth: January 2010: Trip 2, day 1 and day 2. Kevin and Grace's wedding in Pasadena.
February leads off with food: Bool BBQ and Frysmith trucks, dinner at Cayenne and Susina for dessert, and the Fishlips sushi truck. Dim sum at ABC Seafood with Yelp, hiking at Paradise Cove in Malibu, dual happy hours (BrewCo and Isshin) in one day, and Star BBQ for Korean BBQ. President's Day trip to Mammoth: day 1, day 2, day 3, and day 4. Lunar New Year dinner at Phoenix Inn. The Kogi truck (and then pho). Out in South Bay for Hakata Ramen and drinks. Back in the SF Bay Area, day 1 and day 2. Isshin Sushi for lunch and (again!) lunch. Food trucks (mini) galore, take 3. The last meal at Isshin. Helping Pearl move means more food (The Loft and pizza). Dim sum at Capital Seafood to finish off the month.
March is Volcano Tea and Pearl's birthday at Casa Sanchez and Max Karaoke. New Capital Seafood for dim sum is followed by a visit to The Den in Hollywood. More fun in South Bay: Leo's Mexican and Tony's On The Pier. Lunch at The Loft in Gardena. More Bay Area, day 1 and day 2. The Phamish truck and Sophia's successful PhD dissertation defense dinner, followed by Umami Burger on St. Patrick's Day. The India Jones Chow Truck. The following Saturday: LA Marathon Expo, Original Pantry Cafe, Hubble 3D at California Science Center, and Constant's birthday. Seeing Metric at the Palladium. UCLA Geography faculty retirement party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Dinner at Dan's and lunch at LA Smokehouse BBQ wrap things up.
Mammoth: day 1, day 2, and day 3 leads off April. Food: Flying Pig Truck, Hawaiian at King's Hawaiian and Back Home in Lahaina (also Mexican at Cafe Rio), and Elite for dim sum. Yuri's Night. The Frysmith truck. Geography lunch at Acapulco's and a tour of the new UCPD station. More food: Yamato, Wild Thai, and food trucks.GueriLA at the LA Festival Of Books. Visiting the Rosebowl for UCLA Football Select-A-Seat. Margarita Mondays at Acapulco, followed by dinner at Sunnin. Finishing April: X-Prize Tweetup, OC Marathon Expo, and dim sum.
May begins with: OC Marathon and Pho 79. Calbi and Border Grill food trucks. UCLA Staff Assembly Casino Night. The Revlon Run/Walk 5k. UCLA Pauley Pavilion renovation groundbreaking. Blowfish for dinner at Dae Bok (we didn't die!). UCLA Geography stuff: Abbie's PhD and football (soccer) tournament. Sophia's graduation from USC + the Kogi truck. More stuff with Sophia, including JPL Open House and Din Tai Fung. Santa Monica Classic plus lunch at The Local Yolk. A Greek food truck: Louks-to-Go. In El Segundo: farmers' market and Good Stuff restaurant. Erik's graduation from University of Oregon Law: day 1, day 2, and day 3. UCLA Geography's annual von Humboldt colloquium and dinner. Memorial Day weekend is: rock climbing at Malibu Creek's Power Wall + burgers at The Counter, dim sum + hiking Sandstone Peak, and Venice Beach + BBQ at Simon's.
June beings with Professor Entrikin's retirement, then food at Vesuvio and Chego, followed by Patrick's graduation from UCLA School of Medicine, and finally Sophia's birthday. Coconut Bay for Dian's birthday/graduation. Leonardo da Vinci at the Getty along with Cafe 50's and then BECKS, then going to Sawtelle Blvd. for Curry House and the Dumpling Station truck. Friday is Korean BBQ at Furusato (plus Menchie's Frozen Yogurt!) with Pearl and the Konami crew. Saturday is packed with lunch at the ESPN World Cup Truck, hiking Malaga Cove/Flat Rock Point, and a dumpling party. Sunday finishes an overloaded weekend with paintball and dinner at Benihana's. Tons of food trucks-- Komodo, plus six more on Sawtelle. Vince's graduation celebration at Barney's Beanery. Saturday is King's Hawaiian, hiking at Del Cerro Park/Palos Verdes Nature Preserve/SMC Celebrate America (food trucks, including The Dim Sum Truck!), while Sunday is rock climbing at Echo Cliffs plus Korean cold noodles at Corner Place. Chase's retirement from UCLA. More food trucks: Flying Pig and South Philly Experience.
July is Breadbar for ramen, New Capital for dim sum, and Independence Day at June's. Trip to Alaska and Vancouver: 11 days including Richmond, Vancouver, Icy Strait Point/Hoonah, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan, and the Inside Passage. Exploring UCLA, Fatburger and more airports, hiking Mission Peak and dinner at Cooking Papa, and finally back to the airport. Joycelyn's housewarming wraps up the month.
August starts with kayaking at Anacapa Island. UCLA All-staff picnic, dinner at Gui Rim Korean BBQ, the Mitsuwa summer festival, and finally random stuff: Pho Show, JR Cafe, and Ray and Molly's wedding invitiation. More food trucks: Krazy BBQ and Canter's, then Fishlips Sushi (plus a beautiful sunset). Erik's visit, day 1 (Hurry Curry + Kogi), day 2 (Langer's Deli + Versailles + bar-hopping), day 3 (dim sum at Elite + Parker Mesa Overlook + Roscoe's + Yuko's birthday at Q's Billards), and day 4 (Westminster and Huntington Beach). Wrapping up a month of eating with more eating at Super Pho and Chego.
The Fish Happens truck leads off September, followed by Nick B.'s going-away party. Game night at Simon's, followed by Rebecca and Johnny's wedding and then Labor Day barbeque at Camille and Francis'. Dinner at Pho 21. Random trip to Irvine (including Kula Sushi). UCLA vs. Stanford football! Lots of food: Bool BBQ, Coconut Bay and Class 302 (Taiwanese shaved ice!), then happy hour at Soi 56 and drinks at Citizen Smith. UCLA vs. Houston football (plus Phamish and Pho Consomme). The Counter and Volcano for Jocelyn's going-away lunch, followed by Daikokuya for ramen. UCLA Geography new grad orientation. Visiting the LA County Fair. Ending the weekend: Muse at Staples and King's Hawaiian. Andi visits: Father's Office, Ortega 120, Brock Yates Jr., Hollywood, and The Place LA truck.
October beings with UCLA vs. WSU and Cecile's birthday, followed by the LA Triathlon and Rutt's Hawaiian Cafe. Food galore: Gourmet Genie, a rainstorm and Morton's for dineLA, Vizzi Truck, and Manilla Machine w/Sky Gourmet Tacos. A busy Saturday: hiking Temescal Canyon, bibigo bibimbap, and Heather C.'s birthday at C&O Trattoria. More hiking: Temescal Canyon (again) to Will Rogers State Park. Massive food: Ahn-joo (Ahnjoo) (korean) truck, Chego, then Fogo de Chao and Flying Pig. Saturday: Long Beach Marathon Expo, UCLA Geography BBQ, and Simon's birthday. Sunday is the Long Beach Marathon (well half marathon for me!). Off to Hawaii for Ray and Molly's wedding. Kate's birthday bonfire (and lunch at Pho 79!), followed by UCLA vs. WSU and halloween at Bethany's. Wrapping up October with a Halloween potluck at Amy's.
Vegas to Kansas roadtrip! (including SEMA in Las Vegas) Returning to food: Feng Mao 2 (Korean mutton kebab) and Chego. Dim sum at Sea Harbour, pearl tea at Half and Half, then off to Santa Barbara for scuba (and Rusty's pizza!). More food trucks: Happy Cup Ramen and Ludo Truck, followed by Phamish and Leif's PhD potluck, hosted by Sophia. Ten days in China with the family.
December begins immediately with the SSC holiday party, then UCLA vs. usc, lunch at Lulu's Cafe, and food trucks (Sky Gourmet Tacos and Frysmith). Following Friday is TastyMeat!, Chego, Scoops, and V Lounge in Santa Monica. Triple-booked: Carlitos' birthday, Tara/Heather/Cari's holiday potluck, and Jen's birthday. Dim sum and pearl tea at Empress Harbor and Half and Half. Geography holiday lunch at Rock Sugar, then AYCE Korean BBQ with SSC at Hae Jang Chon (and Boba Bear). Experiments with the Panasonic LX5. SSC secret santa. Three birthdays in a row: Virgil's (plus lunch at Yamato), Leif-Eric's (and dim sum at NBC + Jim's Bakery), and Alicia's. More fooding: Ming Wok, Sky's Gourmet Tacos, and Orochon. More dim sum (NBC + Half and Half, again!), then breakfast at Rutt's Hawaiian Cafe. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and post-Christmas day 1, day 2, and day 3. Or in short: dessert at the Melin's, Christmas with family, more family, friends (and Pho Garden!), and back to LA. 2010 wraps up with New Year's Eve at Pearl and Simon's place!
January 2011: the Onolicious Hawaiian BBQ truck, Bethany's birthday at Manna Korean BBQ in Culver City, and the first of the season's trips to Mammoth: day 1, day 2, and day 3. Lots of food: Canters Truck, Britt's BBQ, The Stand, then Nom Nom. Virgil's birthday at The Room. Tara's birthday at C&O Cucina. Hiking Topanga Canyon and dinner at The Counter. Lots of random, very ordinary food: Outback, ceviche, Chego, and El Torito (!). Miki's visit. Second trip to Mammoth: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, and day 5. Amy and Nik's visit at Gulfstream in Century City.
February starts off with Lunar New Year, then wandering Manhattan Beach including Uncle Bill's Pancake House and The Counter (yum!). Dinner at Curry House, then insanity at Mr. Pizza. A day of dim sum, movies, and french toast. Dinner at Hwang's Korean BBQ. A day of food with Alex (visiting from NYC!) and then with Jen (Hurry Curry and Santouka). Mammoth over Presidents' Day weekend: day 1, day 2, day 3, and day 4. Jesse's wedding: day 1, day 2, day 3, and day 4 (+ dinner at Kotosh in LA), not to mention a side jaunt while in Houston for 24 Hours of Lemons day 1 and day 2.
March is new furniture and then Korean BBQ at Honey Pig. Dan's birthday: hiking Temescal Canyon, the Counter, and Thai Patio. Back to New Capital for dim sum, then the Kings vs. Stars hockey game at Staples. More Nom Nom Truck! Pac-10 Tournament: UCLA vs. Oregon quarter-finals at Staples. Visiting K-town for Boiling Crab and karaoke at Brass Monkey. Pi Day! Packed Saturday: LA Marathon Expo + 5k, Griddle Cafe, and Pearl's birthday at Fogo de Chao. Sunday: post-LA Marathon and Daikokuya Ramen. Staples Center for Sharks vs. Kings (plus the optometrist' office). Typical Monterey Park visit: NBC Seafood and Half n Half (dim sum + pearl tea). Wine cruise fail. More food: Phamish and Barney's Beanery (w/ Andi B.). Finishing off the month with dinner at A-Frame.
April is dinner at Apple Pan, followed by LRO poker night, food on Sawtelle: Wakasaya and SushiStop, Korean BBQ at Man Soo, and finally Sky's Gourmet Tacos. More Mammoth: day 1, day 2, and day 3. Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of human spaceflight: Yuri's Night, followed by the Grilled Cheese Truck. Happy Hour at Gyu-kaku. Busy Saturday: New Capital for dim sum, Getty Villa, and Duke's Malibu. Dinner at Ramen Jinya, then dinner at Kyochon. Ophelia's birthday at Animal (plus lunch at Tofuya). Evening food trucks at UCLA, dinner at Nanbankan and Scoops, and hiking the Hollywood sign. Next, Easter Sunday fooding. Korean BBQ at Moodaepo II (and karaoke!). Food plus OC Marathon Expo. Then dim sum at Elite and pearl tea at Half n Half.
An ambitious start to May: post-OC Marathon lunch at Brodard Restaurant, then Chase Langford: Chaos and Control studio show. UCLA Staff Assembly Casino Night, followed by Acapulco's for lunch, Life Rolls On celebrity poker tournament, then a wine cruise with Corksaway. Food trucks on Gayley Ave at UCLA, dinner at Ajisen Ramen, of food trucks and rabbits, the day in San Francisco, and the 100th Anniversary Bay to Breakers. UCLA Geography Denis Cosgrove von Humboldt football tournament, day 1 and day 2. Busy Friday: Waffle Chix, then Kylie Mingoe at Hollywood Bowl. Dinner at Pacific Dining Car. Breakfast at Good Stuff. UCLA Geography von Humboldt awards dinner. Memorial Day weekend at Mammoth: day 1, day 2, and day 3.
Patrick's birthday at Red Lion Tavern. Dinner at Ma Dang Gook Soo. Second JPL tweetup. SOFIA at NASA Dryden. Post-E3 dinner at Mr. Pizza and Sojutown. Dinner at Azuma and then at Lukshon. Full of food: Ocean Star and Golden State Cafe. U2 360 Tour leg 7 (final leg), Anaheim 1 (Friday) and 2 (Saturday). Carley's birthday. Keith and Carrie's wedding. Ryan's farewell lunch at UCLA Faculty Center, then his farewell dinner at Star BBQ. Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Independence Day: day 1, day 2, and day 3 (Independence Day!). Peruvian food at Picca, then dinner at California Chicken Cafe. Florida for the last Space Shuttle launch: day 1, day 2 (STS-135 launch!), day 3 (Gulf Coast), day 4 (Miami), day 5 (Universal Studios), and day 6. Dim sum and pizza on Carmageddon weekend (New Capital and Pedone's). Breakfast at FOOD. Seeing Owl City at Club Nokia. BBQ time! (Frances and Patrick's, then Alan and Judy's housewarming) Dim sum at Empress Harbor followed up by board games! (Agricola!) UCLA All-Staff picnic. Korean BBQ at Oo-kook, then a day of food: dim sum and ramen!
Food leads off August: Tsujita LA, the OG Tempura and The Boba Truck, and then Hurry Curry and Volcano Tea. Nom! More food: Border Grill Truck and Hae Jang Chon Korean BBQ. Irina's last day. Dinner at Glorias Mexican and Salvadorean restaurant. Visiting June (including Oak Tree Gun Club), then Maria's visit. Okonomiyaki for dinner at Gottsui and then Death Cab for Cutie at The Greek. Climbing at Malibu Creek. Dim sum and Fantasia at Hollywood Bowl. Taylor Swift at Staples Center. Shin Sen Gumi Hakata Ramen. On a boat! (Newport Beach) Yuko's birthday at Busby's. Shin Sen Gumi Hakata Ramen's very first opening day of their new Japantown location. Watching Dodgers vs. Padres at Dodger Stadium. The Lexus GS350 (and Chego).
September starts with Will's PhD defense party. Majed and Randa's wedding, plus Labor Day weekend. Watching UCLA vs. SJSU at the Rose Bowl, then hiking Mt. Baldy (and Boston Cafe!). Massive food: Michael's Cajun, Class 302, and Chego. PhD Comics: The Movie + Father's Office. Dim sum and UCLA vs. Texas, then Taiwanese breakfast at Huge Tree Pastry. Finally a return visit to New York: Long Island, Manhattan, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls (Canada). Happy hour at Westwood Brewing Company.
Hollywood for Erasure at the Palladium and Papaya King, then brunch at Jack n' Jill's in Santa Monica. Red Lion Taven for Oktoberfest. A packed Saturday: Simon and Issei's birthdays plus UCLA vs. Washington State at the Rose Bowl. Sunday: Long Beach Half Marathon and Heather C.'s birthday at Ugo. Two weeks in Latin America: Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. Dim sum at 888 Seafood followed by dinner with Ulrich (and other Geography dorks) at Nine-Thirty at The W. Halloween at Bethany and Dylan's. Dim sum at Capital Seafood, then Amy's 2nd annual Halloween potluck.
November madness! Joel and Jessica's wedding weekend: rehearsal dinner, wedding morning, and the wedding itself. Lunch at Tanino in Westwood, and at Ramen Kiraku. Quyen and Michael's wedding in Santa Monica. Their post-wedding brunch (plus Frances' Thanksgiving dinner), followed by dim sum at NBC Seafood. Caroline's baby shower. Dinner at Ramen Yamadaya. Ryan and Caroline's birthdays at Napa Valley Grill. Thanksgiving weekend: day 1, day 2 (Thanksgiving!), day 3, day 4 (more turkey!), and day 5 (Teresa's birthday).
A chilly December leads off with ramen at Yamadaya. Two birthdays: Frances and Joycelyn, then a third birthday: Karen's. Korean BBQ for dinner at Hae Jang Chon, then Peruvian for dinner at Inka Express. Breakfast at Huge Tree Pastry. SSC Secret Santa plus a visit to Ramen Yamadaya's new Westwood location, then a packed day: Ramen Yamadaya again, Leif and Eun-young's moving-away party, and Julie's birthday. Dinner at Gaam. UCLA Geography holiday lunch at Bottega Louie. Lunch at Hole in the Wall burger joint. The much-anticipated Secret Santa Underwear Exchange. Lots of food: Boiling Point, Bonjour Bakery, and Qdoba. Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner at the Melin's. Post-Christmas socializing. Frances does more turkey. New Year's Eve!
Welcoming 2012 with dim sum and ramen on New Year's Day. Walking around UCLA, brunch at Grub, then Tara's birthday at Rush Street. Pearl, Simon, and Chris do Deep Fry 2: Fry Harder. Korean BBQ at Don Day. First trip to Mammoth for the season: day 2, day 3, and day 4. Dinner at Outback. dineLA Restaurant Week at Fogo de Chao.
First of February's trips to Mammoth: day 1, day 2, and day 3. Sushi burritos at the Jogasaki truck. Brazilian BBQ (again) at M Grill. Hanging out with Pearl, Amy, and Nik: SushiStop, Valentino's, and cats. Hot pot at Seoul Garden, then dinner at Curry House. Visiting Hawaii for Kristen and Dave's wedding. Pho from Pho Ever and later from Saigon Dish. Inbetween, the second of February's trips to Mammoth: day 1, day 2, and day 3.
March involves lots of eating. A night in k-town: kbbq at Honey Pig (Korean BBQ) + Soju Town/Wine Bbar. Chicken ramen at Ramen Jinya. Retirement party for Professor Scott and Professor Trimble at Luxe. Pearl's birthday at Metro Cafe. A day of eating: dim sum and kbbq (Monterey Palace and Hae Jang Chon). Food on Overland Ave: Lobsta Truck, Chego, and Scoops Westside. House of Pies for Pi Day, and then pho at Huong Vi. LA Marathon expo. Wandering (er, eating) through LA (Juicy Burger, John Kelly Chocolates, Wako Donkatsu). Dinner on Sawtelle, take one (Furaibo + Blockheads Shavery) and two (Spaghetti House and shaved ice). 24 hours of donuts. Brunch at John O'Groats. Curry for dinner at Coco Ichibanya, then dim sum at Top Island.
Europe: Barcelona and Rome. Not a bad way to start April. Dim sum at 888 Seafood and Ocean Star. Celebrating human spaceflight at Yuri's Night. The first 626 Night Market in Pasadena along with Smokehouse (dinner) and Phoenix Dessert. CicLAvia, the Jogasaki truck, and Mara's birthday at Mapo and Max Karaoke. Saturday night at Sion's Mexican, Library Bar, Seven Grand, and Hodori. Curry for dinner. Korean BBQ at Oo-Kook, then tapas, Korean-style, at LaOn. Pearl and Simon's wedding. On the road back home.
May leads off with dinner at BCD Tofu and then Kiriko for sushi. UCLA Staff Casino Night. Shanghai No 1 Seafood Village for dim sum plus Half n Half and The Counter. Busy Sunday: Rose Bowl, Green Street, basketball, and meeting Baby Apollo. Doritos shell tacos and the Canon EOS C500. More Korean BBQ at Oo-Kook. Susie and Michael's wedding. Lunch at Tasty Garden (and dinner at The Counter). Canon Live Learning: 5D Mark III and 1D X (event #3). At home take on the strawberry festival, then a partial solar eclipse. UCLA Geography Denis Cosgrove von Humboldt football tournament, day 1 and day 2 (plus Bethany's going-away party). Teresa's one last Fuller party starts the weekend. Saturday: Wurstkuche, alcohol run, Happy Caturday, and Dodgers vs. Astros. Sunday: dim sum at NBC plus Frances and Patrick's wedding! Monday: dim sum at 888 plus Amy's Memorial Day BBQ. Lunch at Tanino and dinner at the Ludo Truck.
June's first midnight snack at Tatsu Ramen. Day of food: dim sum at Elite plus BCD Tofu House. Cherry picking at Cherry House. Venus transit. Jinya Ramen and E3. Handmade noodles at JTYH. Busy Saturday: Din Tai Fung plus Van and Marin's wedding. June birthdays, take one. Korean BBQ at Don Day and a last meal with foie gras at Animal. UCLA Anderson class of 2012 commencement. Geography grad student party. Dinner at Sweethome Grill and at Il Chicanti. Carley's birthday at Don Dae Gam and June's birthday at Quality Seafood.
July 1st: Taiwanese food (Yung Ho, Pa Pa Walk), Dodgers vs. Mets, and pho. Celebrating Independence Day. Time to geek out: NASA's Capturing the Final Frontier, plus Hello Kitty at Yogurtland. Dinner at Shaka Shack. Meeting up with Leif-eric and friends at Nong La Vietnamese Cafe and Volcano Tea. Visiting Reno, day 1 and day 2. Lunch at Fat Sal's in Westwood. Grace's birthday at Moodaepo II (AYCE kbbq!) and Bethany's baby shower. dineLA Restaurant week at Fogo de Chao. Dinner at Dumpling House. A very Asian day: King Hua (dim sum), Half n Half, and 626 Night Market. Visiting City Target in Westwood. More AYCE kbbq at Oo-kook (plus a visit to Sea Launch).
August begins with dinner: sushi at Kabuki in Pasadena, Italian at Vito, and FEAST at Rieber (UCLA dorm food!). Ryan and Lisa's engagement lunch at Sunnin (plus Asa Ramen!). UCLA All-Staff picnic and dorm breakfast at Covel. The OC Fair plus pho and the Perseids meteor shower. Dim sum at 888 Seafood and Fosselman's Ice Cream. UCLA SSC China program barbeque. Dinner: burgers at Rustic Canyon, sushi at Hide Sushi (plus Blockheads Shavery), and ramen at Menji Miyata. Ramen at Umemura in Gardena. Rock climbing at Stoney Point plus lunch at The Counter and dinner at Tara's Himalayan Cusine. Dinner at Anatolia Mediterranean Cusine (Turkish food!). More Yogurtland. Shabu Shabu at Shin Sen Gumi Horumon in Gardena. Yuko's birthday at Will Rogers State Beach. Food: Rex's Cafe, Chabuya, and Pho 87. Dinner at Curry House.
Matt and Michelle's engagement (plus the Awesome 80's Fun Run and dim sum at NBC Seafood). Camille's birthday. Michelle's birthday plus grilling on Labor Day. UCLA SSC Summer picnic at Wilson Park in Torrance, then UCLA vs. Nebraska at the Rose Bowl. Dinner at Lee's Grill. UCLA vs. Houston at the Rose Bowl. Visiting San Francisco (and the rabbits!), then Sonoma for Cindy and Ken's wedding at Viansa Winery. Food: Cooking Papa and more food: Onkei Ramen and Boiling Crab. Arrival of Space Shuttle Endeavour in Los Angeles! UCLA vs. Oregon State plus Loretta and George's moving party. Dim sum at Elite in Monterey Park. Owl City at The Fonda (plus Papaya King). UCLA Geography welcomes new grad students (plus shabu shabu at Shin Sen Gumi Horumon). UCLA YRL/East Asian Studies Mid-Autumn Festival followed by dinner at Shaherzad. Cecile's birthday on the beach and Alicia's moving-away dinner at Oo-kook. Backyard grilling.
Garbage at the Palladium (and Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles). Saturday: Urth Caffe and Long Beach Marathon expo. Sunday: post-Long Beach Half Marathon brunch at Grand World Buffet plus New Order at The Greek Theater (and Mr. Pizza!). Fresh soba at Yabu. Transporting Space Shuttle Endeavour across Los Angeles: day 1, day 2. Additional activities: Uncle Bill's Pancake House, UCLA vs. Utah, Half and Half, and BCD Tofu House. SGV-area fooding: 888 Seafood for dim sum, more Half and Half, and 101 Noodle Express. Jogasaki for sushi burritos. UCLA Geography's annual von Humboldt awards dinner. Sue's birthday at Curry House. New Capital for dim sum and 626 Night Market, take 3. Lunch at Enterprise Fish Co. in Santa Monica. Hiking Mt. Baldy (take 4). All-you-can-eat Korean BBQ at Jinju. Reopening of the new Pauley Pavilion at UCLA.
Ramen at Asahi on Sawtelle. Din Tai Fung, Half and Half, and UCLA vs. Arizona at the Rose Bowl. Handel's ice cream. Ye Olde Kings Head for afternoon tea. We Run The City 5k and Frances' Thanksgiving dinner. King Shabu, Handel's (again), and UCLA vs. usc. Shin Sen Gumi Hakata Ramen. Lunch at Westside Tavern. Thanksgiving, day 1 and day 2 (including singlebarrel in downtown San Jose). UCLA vs. Stanford at the Rose Bowl. Dinner at Malibu Fish Grill and then Shin Sen Gumi Horumon (more AYCE shabu shabu).
December leads off with dim sum at Sea Harbour and dinner at Souplantation. Out with Mickey, Matt, Kim, and Bao in West LA (Hide Sushi, Beachy Cream, Gottsui). Waffle Chix and The Boba Truck. Frances' birthday at Monkish Brewery. Jen's birthday. Dim sum at Ocean Star. Lots of holiday parties. Packed Sunday: Holiday Half, dim sum at Empress Harbour, TLT Food. U-Mini for lunch. Alicia's birthday at Disneyland and C&O Trattoria (and Frosted Cupcakery). Lots of food and celebration: Heather and Justin's engagement party, The Grilled Cheese Truck, and dim sum at New Capital (Five Star Seafood). Saturday dim sum (Capital Seafood), Fosselman's Ice Cream, Max Karaoke, and Pacific Dining Car. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and post-Christmas. UCLA vs. Baylor in the Holiday Bowl. Holiday food: Larchmont Bungalow, Oo-kook, and Iota Coffee and Bakery. New Year's Eve.
Starting off the new year with UCLA Men's Basketball vs. Cal and Stanford (plus a trip to California Science Center to see Space Shuttle Endeavour). Dinner at Pho Citi. Dim sum at Lunasia followed by Fosselman's Ice Cream, then Tara's birthday at The Stinking Rose. Santouka for lunch (ramen!). Shin Sen Gumi Hakata Ramen in Fountain Valley. Lunch at Sepi's. Dinner at Sushi Masu. Beijing duck (Peking duck) at Duck City. Home cooking. NBC Seafood for dim sum. Hangin' at UCLA: Professor Jared Diamond talk and 800 Degrees Pizza in Westwood. Muse at Staples Center. Mammoth, January 2013: day 1, day 2, and day 3 (plus Hurry Curry). dineLA Restaurant week at Scarpetta and Fig and Olive.
AYCE KBBQ lunch at Hae Jang Chon. Japanese hot pot for dinner at Morinoya. Ramayani for lunch and Super Bowl Sunday. Lunch at Pho Mai. Locks of Love and UCLA vs. Washington men's basketball at UCLA. Ocean View Cafe for brunch. Tsukumen at Tsujita LA. Valentine's Day group dinner. Grad student adventures (Soo Rak San and Bar Lubitsch). Saturday fooding (Sea Empress for dim sum and AKA An American Bistro). Visiting the San Diego Zoo (and Taste of the Himalayas). More dim sum at Capital Seafood. Dinner at Musha. Saturday food: Tsujita LA and Ashley's birthday at Wurstkuche. Sunday: dim sum at 888 Seafood and Oscars mini-party. Lunch at Pho Show. Lunch at Palomino in Westwood.
March kicks off with three days in Houston (day 1, day 2, and day 3) for the rodeo, and four days in Mammoth (day 1, day 2, day 3, and day 4). Callendar's for Pi Day. LA Marathon expo. All food: dim sum at 888, Pho Citi, Niko Niko Sushi. Happy hour at Sepi's. Lunch at Palomino. Seoul Sausage and Little Hong Kong Cafe. Friday fun: sandwich party and dinner at Vito. Saturday: Pi Day part 2, Feng Mao, and Constant's birthday. Sunday: Uncle Darrow's (Cajun) and Manna (Korean BBQ). Dinner at SushiStop. Mike's birthday (hot pot at Lu Gi). Last days of Chego in Palms. Crazy Saturday: post-Carley's briday shower. Sunday: dim sum at 888 Seafood plus Game of Thrones party.
April starts with AYCE shabu shabu at Shin Sen Gumi Horumon. Dinner at Lula Cocina Mexicana. Busy Sunday: dim sum at Sea Empress in Gardena, hiking Temescal Canyon, dinner at Patrick's Roadhouse. Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting and associated UCLA Party. Yuri's Night + AAG part two (AAG, Mendocino Farms, California Science Center). Ars Technica mini-meet at Feng Mao. Music Box at The Fonda for Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark (OMD). Impromptu dinner at BCD Tofu House plus dessert at Ice Kiss. Pre-Coachella dinner at Tasty Kitchen (Gardena). Coachella 2013 Weekend 2: day 1, day 2, and day 3. Highlights included Postal Service, New Ordrer, OMD, Metric, Blur, Grinderman, and Phoenix. Post-Coachella: dim sum at NBC Seafood, Half and Half, Kotosh, and Handel's Ice Cream. Mammoth: day 1, day 2, and day 3 (plus Tsujita LA ANNEX for ramen!).
May begins with dumplings at Myung In in Koreatown. UCLA Staff Assembly Casino Night. Random Saturday: OC Marathon Expo, UCLA Football Select-A-Seat, and Rita's Ice (ice blasts!). Carley and Sonho's wedding. More fooding: Hwang's Korean BBQ and Phoenix Dessert. Dinner at Curry House (anniversary special!).