¿ù¿äÀÏ ¾Æħ: 2day's jerome's b.day.   happy b.day, jerome.   »ýÀÏÃàÇÏÇØ.   *sigh* the whole idea'f jerome's havin' a b.day brings me back to the heyday'f the cal taekwondo party crew (as u'd expekt).   'member those days?   also, 'member when we used to have bronx's junkyard events?

well, this past sat, i finally made it to the slopes.   i didn't skateboard all wknd but got to snowboard.   woo hoo! finally my 1st snowboarding day'f the season.   i got to try out my new burton cartel bindings, which appear to be the industry standard 4 freestyle snowboarding now.   sony mdrv700dj headfon monitors : djing :: burton cartel bindings : freestyle snowboarding :: independent trucks : skateboarding ('specially vert / 0.5pipe / pool)...   could that be true?   well, when i strapped in, i wasn't sure what to expekt.   when i 1st put on my 1st strap, i almost accidentally put it on like a normal toe strap, but then quickly 'member that i now have toecap straps.   wow.   well, i strapped in n' noticed rt 'way that the binding (singular, as i 1st only strapped in my front foot/boot since i had to kick/push/skate to the lift) was stiffer than i'd expekted, stiffer than my sims 7075.t5 al baseplate bindings.   i expekted this plastik baseplate binding to be more flexible, but maybe it's the hiback that's stiffer. *shrug* i guess so.   well, as i rode, i tried not to think 2 hard 'bout my bindings, instead just to ride as usual.   yah, they felt fine.   better? worse?   definitely, not worse... better?   *shrug* maybe...   a couple'f things r 4 sure, tho': i'm glad that i no longer hafta worry 'bout some screws (such as my ankle strap's screw) comin' loose.   also, it's easier to unstrap than b4 cos i just hafta pull up not push down n' pull up.   that's an improvement that bindings've had 4 many yrs now.   i realised that i'd had my sims bindings 4 8 seasons.   i'd had my boots 4 8 seasons.   i've had my deck 4 4 seasons.   my boots've cn over 100 days on the slopes.   neway, altho' i haven't yet felt a total super big improvement cos'f my new hi.end bindings, i do feel improved reliabilty in'em.   we'll c.   maybe i'll notice next time a big improvement.

here's a kewl british newspaper article that i found on tim fong's xanga: "70-year-old ex-SAS soldier dares to tackle four muggers and wins."

w/ all the christmas n' "holiday" parties these days, plz be sure to watch whatchu eat!   last nite was the grx christmas banquet @ sunnyvale's avalon niteclub on lawrence expwy @ homestead rd.   'twas a fun banquet as always.   the kids put on a cute christmas show (pageant?) as always, n' the grx dance ministry put on a great dance show as usual.   this female singing trio, who call themselves "2 week's notice" cos they all recently quit their jobs, did a great job.   this dude dennis kwon sang a jazzy, loungey rendition'f "i'll be home 4 christmas."   hey, i'm tired'f michael bublé; why not give this guy a "record" contrakt?!   yah, 2'f those gurls n' then this guy dennis (aka "dk") r on grx's worship (praise musik) team.   the final akt was this rap duo c.r.i.m.e. n' likewise.   man, they were really good.

[later] ¿ÀÈÄ: 2day, i went to lunch w/ the beautiful kaela hwang @ sunnyvale's chelokababi persian restaurant @ the corner'f wolfe rd n' el camino real (1236 wolfe rd; sunnyvale, ca 94086; 408.737.1222; www.chelokababi.com).   4 kaela n' me, that was our 2nd time there.   we went there 1nce a few yrs 'go w/ our friends mark n' grace.   2day, we used a gift¢hecks ¢oupon.   as i sed b4, we're tryin' to use as many'f these up as possible b4 the end'f the yr, when they all expire.   kaela ordered the monday lunch special - fesenjun ($11.95), n' i ordered the ghaymeh (~$11.95).   we also got an appetizer'f hummous (hummos) ($4.50, expen$ive), n' i got a sekanjebin beverage ($3.50), described in their menu as "a sweet refreshing drink prepared with sekanjebin syrup and shredded cucumbers."   it kind'f tastes like a sauce that u u dip appetizers in @ a thai restaurant.   check out an ol' metro restaurant review on'em by andrew x. pham from back on 1996³â06¿ù27ÀÏ: "Persian Way."   that article mentions pri¢e$ in that r signifi¢antly ¢heaper than those that we paid 2day!   wow!

[later] neway, yah, we're aktually havin' a li'l funny these days usin' up these ¢oupons.   yesterday, @ lunch, we used a good 1 @ the san joseacute; radisson's picasso's restaurant.   whereas many'f these (bogo, buy 1 get 1 free, b1g1) ¢oupons have an upper $.value limit, yesterday's picasso's ¢oupon was unlimited, butwe didn't go 4 the most expen$ive stuff neway.   kaela ordered this pistacchio cursted wild salmon over pearl rice w/ sun dried tomatos, n' i ordered the grilled large prawns n' roasted veggies salad w/ pine nuts, feta cheese, n' raspberry vinaigrette.   the fud was surprisingly good 4 this kind'f out'f the way hotel, located in a rather industrial area 'cross the street from a teamsters union office.

on sat, what did i eat?   on our drive up to tahoe, i ate an egg mcmuffin meal from mcyukyuk's .   4 lunch, i ate a fatt'ningly creamy but decently tasty chicken corn chowder w/ a corn bread muffin @ the top'f the mountain lodge (top'f the comstock express lift) @ northstar.   4 dinner, i ate a strangely ordered burger @ the auburn in.n.out: a "2 by meat w/ ketchup n' mustard instead of special sauce n' with everything."   u c, i 1st ordered a "2 by meat w/ ketchup n' mustard instead of special sauce."   then the gurl asked, "just ketchup and mustard and nothinge else?"   that gave me a flashback to when i asked our ol' friend johnny tien to pick me up a turkey sandwich @ subwy w/o cheese.   he asked me, "anything else?"   i sed, "no."   he showed up w/ a sandiwch that was just bread n' turkey.   nuts.   well, this gurl ended up placing the order as "double meat with extra cheese, onions, and ketchup and mustard instead of special sauce."   the burger was $2.35 + 25¢ 4 cheese ($2.60), which's ¢heaper than a 2×2 ($2.85).   i also had fries.   when i tried to order a small soda, the gurl misunderstood me n' just gave me a free cup 4 ice h₂o, which i graciously accepted since it's healthier.   wow, that was a decently ¢heap but filling dinner.   what a strange in.n.out experience.

[later] Àú³á ÀÌÁö¸¸ ¾ÆÁ÷µµ ´ç¿¬È÷ Á÷Àå¿¡¼­: this past wknd was all 'bout fud or nethin'.   'twas 'bout snowboarding.   well, clarence stayed over on fri nite.   we left pretty on time in the morn; picked up gilbert @ the milpitas, calaveras blvd mcyukyuk's; picked up phil (@ the parking lot'f walnut creek's broadway plaza); met up w/ yulin, jonny boy, n' yulin's college friend jeff; n' made it up to northstar pretty on time.   msot'f the day - 'least 4 gilbert n' me - was spent ridin' luggi's, 1'f the few open runs.   luggi's's prob'ly the run that i've ridden the most, the 1 run in the whole, wide world that i've ridden the most in my whole, entire life!   can i ride it blindfolded? ha ha.   well, i wouldn't take up that dare, but i'm sure i've ridden it in poor visibility conditions multiple times.   i know well that there r 2 li'l hit jumps after the big rt turn.   i rode that freeride run over n' over, n' then my very last run'f the day was finally a run thru northstar's 1 terrain park rt now, on pinball off'f the vista express lift.   i didn't do so hot.   i had cr@ppy dismounts off'f each'f the boxes that i managed to grind/slide.   then @ 1 pt, feelin' all beat up n' crestfallen, i sat down after slidin' a box.   a few moments later, a skier landed on me!   i was very glad i had my helmet on.   we both apologised cos i knew i should've moved more off to the side to sit, n' he know he should've cn that i was there b4 jumping or 'least b4 landing.   i was quite shaken up but proceeded down the course to try to jump onto 'nother box, which i thoroughly mangled!   i jumped 2 late, n' my board hit some sharp edge, like on the side coping'f the box.   i slid down the entire legnth'f the long box on my belly n' then dismounted switch (switchfoot) as my only saving grace.   man! i must've been the laffing stock'f the park @ that moment! *sigh* u c, the prob w/ that run was that, w/ the quickly freezing, icy snow, i was gathering 2 much speed in my approaches n' then did the wrong thing by speed checking 2 late.   as an experienced freestyle snowboarder, i know u can't do that.   u either start closer to ur jump n' speed check earlier or else just take the jump w/ whate'er speed u've got n' just get ready 4 some big air.   *sigh* neway, live to ride 'nother day. :-/ when i got down to the mid.mtn lodge to meet up w/ my friends (as i'd gone up solo 4 that last run); i discovered that the box that i bailed on took a sizeable chunk out'f my base... "coreshot..."   i felt pretty low n' humbled.   i summed up the day as "u win some, u lose some."   perhaps i looked like the "sickest" guy on luggi's just cos i could pull of staelfishes off that li'l hit after the turn n' could bullet down the run; but i sure looked like a fool on pinball!   i realised later that i'd jumped rt into the big park stuff w/o havin' a chance to praktice in a smaller park since northstar doesn't have 1 rt now.   well, heck! that's how it used to be.   in the ol' days, there weren't baby parks like there r 2day.   sometimes, i think i've gotten 2 com4table these days w/ baby parks, so i don't push myself as hard as i used to.

well, yesterday (sun), after church, b4 lunch, kaela n' i went to mel cotton's to 1) complain 'bout the overcharge on our recent maintenance order w/ the tahoe card n' then get my new damage fixed.   i kind'f argued w/ them a li'l, tryin' not to sound like the stereotypikal "¢heap a$ian."   my reason 4 wantin' to get our deserved $$$ back wasn't cos i just wanted to get every penny back that i could but cos i can do these repairs myself n'do >know< what it takes but am willing to pay 'xaktly what they're worth n' just that.   in the end, the manager dude there gave me our $$$ back n' did the new base repairs 4 free.   smart choice 4 that guy: a win.win situation!

[later] this is my last wk'f werk b4 our early holiday shutdown.   as much as i dislike being coerced to use vakation time, this is a much needed brk.   i've been burnin' out.   what shall i do w/ this time off?   as u know kaela n' i r goin' to tahoe 4 a bit n' then to her parents' house in chino 4 a bit.   other than that?   heck, on whate'er days it doesn't rain, i'd like to skate (skateboard).   i guess we ought'a get the furnace fixed.   other stuff? &Nbsp; yah, i ought to make the most'f my time.