White Elephant Exchange at Randy's House

Time for the xmas parties and elephant exchanges.. Last night we went over to our friends house for baked pastas, wine and present exchanging.

The rules:


White Elephant Gift Exchange- $15-20, wrapped
NOTE: the entire gift cannot be a gag gift! ex. $5 gag gift+ $15 cool gift
Randy adds: Shot taken when you steal, 3rd owner gets the gift
The first person that picks gets the last pick at the end of the game.

Darren brought and extra copy of entourage season 1 that he had and i brought Nerf balls and a Nerf gun. The game was a ton of fun and needless to say the two of us drank a lot of shots.

The most monumental steal happened like this:
1. Darren opens up the gift Cindy brought. A world of beer and cooler w/ speakers.
2. Way later I open up a portable grill brought by Reid.
3. Randy Steal's Darren's world of beer
4. As Randy steals Darren's gift we both look at each other at the same time and the monumental steal is in place.
4. Darren then steals my gift of a portable grill
5. I then quickly grab Randy's gift the world of beers
6. World of beers locked w/ me! MONUMENTAL!

Darren and I leave w/ a snuggie, energy drinks, the world of beer and the cooler w/ speakers. I would say a successful elephant exchange for us!

Crazy Holiday Calendar

12/11 Holiday Bash at Trav and Kims
12/12 Sashimi for Roger's 60th Birthday
12/13 Holiday Bash at Marky and Jenns
12/16 Elephant exchange at Randy's house.. yes, there will be food!
12/18 Dinner w/ the Redwood Ladies
12/19 Baking cookies w/ Mom
12/23 Xmas w/ Tsukahiras
12/24 Xmas w/ Darren's Fujikawa Family
12/25 Xmas w/ My Fam and Tyler's Birthday
12/26 Day After Xmas Celebration w/ Perkins (or just DP), McGuires and Kagehiros
12/27 Yen Family Reunion

And then there's new years.. which hasn't been fully planned out yet... I'm exhausted already!

Holidays!

All that diet nonsense has been thrown out the door. Let the holiday's begin!

Things that happen during the holidays:
1. You gain weight... the holidays is when everyone brings out their secrete fat friendly recipes.. Who can resist?
2. You have a hard time remembering what day it is. Wine, bubbly and anything else that makes you feel good is in constant flow.
3. People are happy.. Gifts and present giving and that feeling of joy is just filling the air
4. People are angry... The piggy bank gets lower during the holidays which always causes tension.

Alright those are my observations.. Happy Holidays everyone!

Back from hawaii

We've been back from Hawaii for almost two weeks now and I'm still trying to get into the routine. One great accomplishment this week is I made it to the gym every morning. However, this morning all i did was run. No strength training. But I think even making it there is a good accomplishment. I'm back to the weight I was before we left for Hawaii so that's always a good thing.

Work has been crazy. Before I left things were pretty tense. I think everyone is still very uneasy about their jobs and the need to produce and produce well. It kind of sucks because people that are usually very nice are just on edge.

Not only has work been crazy but while we were gone Darren's auntie became very ill. She's been battling breast cancer for over 10 years and it looks like she's coming to the end. Darren's brother who we just saw in Hawaii came back out to visit. It's always nice to see him and we've gone to visit her a couple of times. She has always been very alert and sharp but really can't eat anything. Yesterday, Darren told me that this weekend will probably be her last and that she's made a video for her grandson Michael. Michael is only two and probably won't remember how great his grandmother was. I've been to a lot of funerals but they never seem to get easier.

This weekend is a busy one. Tonight we're going to celebrate Devin's birthday at Ocean Blue Sushi and Homestead Bowl. I hope things don't get too crazy b/c the weekend is our bazaar. I will be there all day both day's in the flipping burgers. My tan is almost gone so I hope I get one this weekend. I should, it's supposed to be HOT.

Diet Log 4.24.2009

Breakfast:
Fat Free Yogurt w/ Strawberries w/ raw almonds
Double Fiber Toast w/ Strawberry Jam

Lunch:
Ground Turkey Okazu w/ Brown Rice

Dinner:
Make your own sushi

Work Out Log 4.24.2009

Cardio:
Elliptical on Variety for 20 min going 2.25 miles

Circuit:
16 Weighted Squats (20 lbs)
16 Lunges (20 lbs)
10 Jumping Squats
16 Hip abductions x2 (1 on each side)
16 Kickbacks x2 (1 on each side)
30 Sec Planks
16 Dumbbell One Arm Lat Row x2 (1 on each side)
16 Hammer Curls (10 lbs in each hand)
16 Over the head shoulder presses

I did this twice

Diet Log 4.23.2009

Breakfast:
NonFat Yogurt w/ Peaches and raw Almonds
Banana Pineapple Muffin

Lunch:
BrownRice w/ Hot Chili and Corn and Broccoli on top

Dinner:
Japanese Cucumber Salad
Ground Turkey Okazu over brown rice

Dessert:
Strawberry Shortcake w/ light cool whip drizzled chocolate

Work Out Log 4.22.2009

I couldn't wake up to work out this morning :( But I did play two games of softball last night. My right arm is SORE!

Diet Log 4.22.2009

Breakfast:

Strawberries and Fat Free Yogurt w/ raw Almonds
Double Fiber Toast w/ Plum Jam

Lunch:

Left over Chicken Ravioli in a balsamic reduction sauce
I munched a lot, on nuts, peanut M&Ms and pumpkin mochi

Dinner:

Left over BBQ Chicken Teriyaki and sweet peppers
Two Bites of a Carne Asada Taco and French Fries
And Beer

Work Out Log 4.22.2009

Cardio:
Treadmill: Variety Mode 3.0 incline at 6.0 speed and then 0.0 incline at 7.0 speed

Circuit:
16 hanging leg lifts
16 over the head triceps curls on 1 foot
16 sec leg Lifts on incline
20 weighted crunches (10 lbs)
16 shoulder presses (10 lbs in each hand)
16 weighted hyperextensions (10 lbs)
16 weighted side hyperextensions x2 each side (10 lbs)

I did this circuit twice. Right now my arms are really tired... blah

Diet Log 4.21.2009

Breakfast:

Strawberries and Fat Free Cottage Cheese
Double Fiber Toast w/ Plum Jam

Lunch:

Half Asian Pear
Turkey, Cheese, Cucumber, Tomato Sandwich w/ Extra Fiber Bread'

Dinner:

BBQ Teriyaki Chicken
Brown Rice
Sweet Peppers

Dessert:

Popcorn and Peanut M&Ms

Work Out Log 4.21.2009

Cardio:
20 Min elliptical

Circuit:
16 Squats
16 lunges
10 jumping lunges
14 sitting chest presses (50 lbs)
14 leg presses (50 lbs)
12 bicep curls (20 lbs)
10 Leg lifts on incline
12 Machine Quad Lifts (50 lbs)

I did this circuit twice.. I went to the gym early too.. was on the elliptical by 6am! So I got back early enough to start a load of laundry.. I'm so proud of myself.

Diet Log 4.20.2009

After the weekend I've decided that I really need to go back to watching what I eat again. I've almost gained most of my weight back.. NO GOOD.. all that hard work for nothing. It definitely has a lot to do w/ drinking. So after we come back from Hawaii I will prob. bring that to a semi halt. I don't think I'm going to do weight watchers again but I'll just eat healthier.. it will no longer be a diet but the way I eat.

For breakfast:

Strawberries and Fat Free Cottage Cheese
Double Fiber Toast w/ Plum Jam

Lunch:
Large Asian Pear
Chicken Wrap w/chili, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes

Snack:
Mixed Dried Fruit

Dinner:
Mixed Green Salad w/ Fat Free Balsamic Dressing
Chicken Ravioli in a Balsamic reduction sauce (green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and garlic)

Dessert:
Oatmeal Cookie Crumbs.. haha I ate some broken cookies from the ones my Mother made for our bake sale at work.

Work Out Log 4.20.2009

Cardio:
Treadmill running for 25 min. Variety running incline (3.0) at speed (5.6), then incline (0) at speed (7.0)

Circuit:

Hanging leg lifts (14 reps)
Bicep curls (10 lbs in each hand, 16 reps)
Weighted crunches (10 lbs, 16 reps)
Weighted hyperextensions (10 lbs, 16 reps)
Weighted side hyperextensions (10 lbs, 16 reps each side)
Bent over rows (10 lbs in each hand, 16 reps)

I did this Circuit twice. I got to the gym early so was able to get back to the apartment by 7 which was nice.

Work Out Log 4.18.2009

Saturday I went to the Gym w/ my friend Jenny. She's a Physical Trainer so the pointers definitely helped. Here was my workout:

20 min on elliptical
Circuit:
Over the head triceps lifts (10 lbs)
16 Squats
20 lunges
8 jumping lunges
16 jackknifes
16 triceps push ups
16 back presses

I'm not so sure about the names of all the exercises I described them as best I could. We did this circuit twice then went back to the apartment b/c we both had to get back up to Oakland. I'm going to try to do more circuits from now on.

Work Out Log 4.16.2009

For the past 2.5 weeks I've been working out 5 times a week. Usually I go in the morning before I head to work. I thought it would be a good idea to start logging my daily workouts. Just so I can compare what I actually do each day.

Woke up at 6:00am
Got to the gym at 6:30

Stair master for 30 min
Leg Lifts 3/10
Crunches 3/15
Hyperextensions 2/15
Side extensions 2/15 for each side

Doesn't look like much.. I think I'm going to start planning my workouts before I go now.

Tenchno Buddha!

This past weekend I attended the Techno Buddha Conference at the new IBS building right behind my Church in Berkeley. It's the second annual conference and I went last year and thought that this is a good way to reconnect w/ my religion. It was weird, I had a good time last year and wasn't really looking forward to the event until I got there. Once I got there I was really excited for the day's activities. Registration was $30.00 and this included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, and all the workshops.

The morning started off w/ Breakfast in the kitchen then we went upstairs to the Hondo for Opening Service. Our Dharma Talk was lead by Rev. Harry Bridge. He spoke about Buddhism and the relationship it has to technology, specifically the Internet. Are the tools good or bad and how we can relay the message to our generation of Internet, email, texting savvy people. He even had emailed his talk to himself and referenced his iphone whenever he needed. In Buddhism there are a lot of old school people that will probably never adopt to technology, which is why it's been so hard to share our message to a bigger population. After the Dharma talk we broke out into different discussion groups.

Each discussion group consisted of about 15 people. I was the dinosaur group and stayed in the hondo w/ Rev. Bridge facilitating. I was very lucky/unlucky to have one very passionate/intense member in our group that started the conversation off. You could tell that Buddhism meant a lot to him and he expressed how intense the teaching meant. To him it shouldn't matter how the message is displayed. All that matters is what we teach. I agree that we should be teaching good things, but I also think that they way we teach them is equally important. That since times are changing we should adopt to those changes. If our age group finds most of their interests on the Internet, then we should be on the Internet. The Buddhist community that I grew up with is shrinking. So, what can we do to help it grow? If you think about any type of learning, the way the message is conveyed is equally important. When I went to college I generally learned better in smaller classrooms w/ intimate teachers. I think I almost failed two of the classes I took that we in big lecture hall w/ teachers that are really smart but have a hard time explaining their message in a way most people can understand. This is the same way I feel about Buddhism and it's teaching. At first you need to find what people are interested in, then explain your message so that its easy to understand, if they're interested then they'll keep coming back for more.

After our discussions we broke for lunch. Shoyu Weenies and Fried Rice!! One of the main goals of the conference was that it was interactive and that we learned and did everything. All of us were split into groups and we had to make our own fried rice. There were 5 people in my group, three from Central California. Lunch was really nice. I gave me a chance to get to know some of the other members a lot better and sit w/ people I normally wouldn't sit with. Once lunch was cleaned up we all broke up into our perspective workshops.

The first workshop that I attended was Interpersonal Communication with Cindy Rivera. Cindy is a therapist that work mainly on relationships. This workshop was really good in making you realize what is the best way to approach someone. What type of things you really need to do. I've been to a couple of communication classes and the one thing that she stressed a lot was listen. Something I am not good at. I always have something to say and usually want to interrupt someone while they're talking. It's definitely something I realize and need to work on, but it's hard! Even when she was talking I wanted to keep asking her questions before she was done.

The next one I went to was a self defense class. It was nice to be able to get up and stretch and get some movement in my day. I've been trying to work out consistently and with the conference it made it a little hard, so self defense was a nice change from sitting. We learned how to kick, flick, and run away. All I can say is don't ever attack me. I know where the pressure points are and you will be badly injured if you try. To make sure we wouldn't harm anyone, he made us take an oath saying we wouldn't use anything we learned for evil.

The final workshop that I attended was w/ my Uncle Artie and it was on How to Explain Buddhism to your friends. It was a really good workshop that made you think how we all have similarities and differences. We never really answered the question of How to explain Buddhism to your friends. But we did do an exercise that really got us thinking. We had to stand up and say one thing you think only you have done and then another thing that you think everyone has done. Some were really deep and some were not (like mine). I said I think nobody has gone to a Greek wedding and has done that Greek dance.(yeah and nobody in the room had done that) For what I thought everyone has done I said, Worked at a Bazaar. When you are at a Buddhist conference sometimes the crowd is easy.. haha.

After the workshops we all went to Thalassa's down the street for Happy Hour and then headed back to IBS for Dinner. SHABU SHABU.. or Chicken Misutake. SOO DELICOUS.. and it was a really good interactive dinner. The groups were small (4 people) and we all really got to know each other. Overall it was a really good time. I hope we can continue to grow the conference and grow the group.

On my Mind...

This week has been so strange. Monday our Company did what they called limited restructuring. It was pretty much a layoff. I was very lucky to not be affected by it. However, it still felt so weird. I felt so bad for all of the people that no longer have their job. The economy is really taking effect right now and I'm really starting to feel the pain and grief that everyone is going through. Everyone that was affected will still work for Cisco for 2 months. However, their job now is to look for a job. If they can't find one in the 2 months then they will get a 4 month package. My company is great b/c everyone gets that same 4 month package no matter how long they worked here. It's so awkward and sad at work right now.

One thing I've been doing lately is working out.. I know shocker huh. Darren and I have been having this weight loss competition and I think I've bottomed out. It's annoying b/c I've actually been gaining weight. So as soon as that happened I decided that I should probably work out a little more. I've been walking to work everyday! It takes me 20 min each way. Just walking started to become too easy so I've added 3lb dumb bells in each hand to my daily stroll. Now, that's starting to get easy so I'm thinking about raising it to 5lbs.. but I don't know yet. Along w/ my daily walks I try to get in some type of cardio work out. Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday of this week I ran on the treadmill. I also try to do some kind of strength exercises like squats, crunches, etc. I'm feeling good hopefully I see results soon.

The last thing on my mind is: The Warriors suck! The overtime game wasn't even worth staying for.. It makes me sad! :*(

Sponsor Me at March for Babies!

Happy 25th Birthday Dan!

As it has been anticipated Brunch is Back. Saturday was Dan's Birthday and I always wanted to bring back brunch so it seemed like a perfect opportunity. I wanted to have something that was decently easy and also something that everyone would enjoy. We ended up w/ having loco moco's. Here was our menu:

• Hamburger Patties (Darren made the meat and it was DELICIOUS!)
• Gravy (Made from Trader Joe's beef concentrate)
• Fried eggs
• Rice
• Stuffed bell peppers wrapped in bacon
• Cream cheese stuffed bell peppers wrapped in bacon
• Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
  
• Bacon wrapped bread
• Zucchini bread (that mark made)
• Doughnuts (From Byran Harada)
• Girl Scout Cookies (Jun and Michelle)
• Lots of Mimosas
  

It was a lot of fun and I was so happy to see everyone. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I forgot to take pictures of the food but let me tell you, it was ALL GONE. I was surprised b/c we got like a big thing of meat from Costco and made two pots of rice!

After Brunch and drinking all day we made our way to 4th street bowl. I already took a 2 hour nap by the time we left and was actually still in a daze when we got there. But it was a lot of fun. Check out some of the videos we took while there!

Us Dancing!


I need your love!


And the final performance: I'm Down on Bended Knee!



It was a really fun night and I'm sure we'll be back for more 4th street fun!

Russian River Weekend- Final Day

It has already been a very long weekend and Sunday was no disappointment. Some of us, myself included did not feel up to par on this final day so drinking really was not on my agenda. We all woke up early to clean the house and were able to leave by 11:00am. We then headed to Healdsburg for breakfast. Most of us had a craving for soup, I personally had a craving for french toast. We ended up going to a nice little bakery called Costeaux French Bakery & Cafe. Once done filling our tummies we headed to stonestreet the winery where Kaj worked. It was really cool b/c we got the behind the scene's tour.

This is a picture of the pourer telling us about the area

From Russian River Wine Road

This is a big barrel. I forgot what it was called but it was huge!

From Russian River Wine Road

Shaun made his own wine that we were allowed to try. Michelle named it Shaun's juices.. haha

From Russian River Wine Road

The boy's in the lab

From Russian River Wine Road

The girls in front of that big barrel

From Russian River Wine Road

This is how we felt by the end of a vary LONG weekend.. It was a lot of fun!

From Russian River Wine Road

Russian River Weekend Day 3

The weekend has already started off with a lot of fun and its amazing that it could get even better. Saturday was our main day for wine tasting. We started our tour at De Loach. I knew that Sunce was a must go and since De Loach was right next door we thought it would be a good idea to start our tour off there. Our tour ended up looking like this: De Loach, Sunce, Le Crema, Martin Ray, Iron Horse and finally Korbel... 6 wineries, not bad.

The Girls at Sunce

From Russian River Wine Road

The Hawaiian Boys

From Russian River Wine Road

Michelle and Win.. They had Yummie Cheesy bread at Sunce

From Russian River Wine Road

Group Pic inside Sunce

From Russian River Wine Road

Yumm.. We took a Sandwich break a La Crema

From Russian River Wine Road

Check out that Beautiful View at Iron Horse

From Russian River Wine Road

Overall it was a good trip. There was a little blip at the end. We went to Korbel and they stopped serving us b/c we were Asian. Yes, we tested this theory w/ Mark who they continuously served till the end. If anyone decides to go there, make sure you don't go up to Gordon. He was Racist!

Russian River Weekend Day 2

Once the boys and Michelle got back from golf they were exhausted. Michelle said she felt bad for being so tired b/c she didn't even have to hold her own bag. She pretty much came home, took a shower and then passed out for a good hour. The other golfers lasted a little longer and hopped into the hot tub.

From Russian River Wine Road

After we rested a bit we decided to go out to Healdsburg for dinner. We went out to eat a a restaurant called Ravenous. It was a cute little house with probably about a dozen tables and a bar inside. Luckily Shaun (Ray's Friend) made reservations and our table was waiting for our arrival. The food was very good. We got crab cakes for an appetizer and I got the braised short ribs. My dish was out of this world amazing. The meat melted in your mouth. If you go again and this is on the menu, order it! Here are some pictures of us waiting for our food.

From Russian River Wine Road

From Russian River Wine Road

From Russian River Wine Road

From Russian River Wine Road

After Dinner we headed off to a bar.. one of two bars in downtown Healdsburg. There we got a couple of drinks, played some shuffle board and pool. The first time we played darren and doug beat us 2 out of 3 games. The first game we killed, the next game they killed and the last game was down to the wire... DANG.. After that Michelle and I played Doug and Bo.. We killed them... One game the score was 17 to 4, enuf said.. Here are some pictures of that night! haha

From Russian River Wine Road

From Russian River Wine Road

From Russian River Wine Road

From Russian River Wine Road

From Russian River Wine Road

By the end of the night some of us got hungry again...

From Russian River Wine Road

Group picture of all of us!

From Russian River Wine Road

Russian River Weekend Day 1

We arrived late Last night around 11:30... I thought we could go straight to the house and put in the code but realized after trying the code the company sent me unsuccessfully that we had to go to the office first. Ahh.. Oh well, good thing it was only a mile away..We needed to get the key code from the security box outside of the office. After a couple of unsuccessful tries at the security box outside what we thought was the office, we saw a not that read: Please make sure this is the right vacation rental place, there are three different rental companies that start with Russian River... Oh.. It's next door... Uhhhh Okay, now lets try.. YES!!! success... Now, I need to find my welcome packet.. Uhh... It's not there!! FML Good thing there was an emergency #... Anyways, it ended up working out. The lady that answered the phone did not sound happy, but the man that came to help us get into the house was really nice. The place is three bedroom, two bath house with a huge deck and jacuzzi. Last night we started off the way we normally do with a whole bottle of crown and What the F**K... Good times with good friends...

Then this morning we had to wake up really early so that Michelle, Darren, Doug and Bo could go golfing. Ray's friend Shaun's girlfriend was able to get them Tee Times at the Mayacamas Country Club at 9:30. The course was about 35 min away and we knew the place had to be nice so we didn't want them to be late. I woke up too b/c I needed to do work and I wanted to make them all breakfast sandwiches so that could eat something before they started their round. The coolest thing about the whole experience is they ALL GOT CADDIES! I get a text message from Michelle part way through their round and she goes, WE GET HAVE CADDIES!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!!! I wasn't even there and I'm super excited for them. I never knew that you can get a Caddy. I thought those guys were just for people who play in tournaments and things. I didn't even know that they had it for an every day joe... well I guess if you play at this place they don't think your an everyday joe... its obviously a really nice place where they have very prestigious people... Michelle told me it was so much fun and amazing. I'm really happy she had a good time. This weekend will be her first time wine tasting and I want her to have a lot of fun. I then asked her if she tipped the caddy. I'm pretty sure if some guy carries your clubs 18 holes they are expected to get tipped. She said YES WE TIPPED THEM!!! Oh, how much did you tip them.. Oh I donno she answered.. Obviously SHE didn't tip the Caddy but someone in the group did... haha... Just a bit of information if you ever have a caddy while golfing.. you should tip your caddy 50% of the caddy fee, which varies from course to course. Oh, I forgot to mention that the golfers fee's were taken care of so I'm not even sure they knew how much it cost, its obvious to me it had to be a lot. Geeze, I'm still in shock that they had a Caddy.

Video's from Mark and Jen's Wedding

Tyler being Tyler

Please ignore the laughter... it's me




Evan and Uncle Robert


A bunch of the boys... ALL Awesome!

Darren: Coming out of his Shell

Lately, Darren has been really good about drinking. A couple of times he hasn't had a drop. The main reason is due to the fact that he's trying to lose weight but in our surroundings its a pretty big accomplishment. Social drinking has become a big part of our lives and its sometimes hard to resist the temptation. This past weekend Darren's friend Doug was in town from Slo. It was his excuse to let lose.

The night started and ended in our apartment. Crown shots and Beiruit always seems to be the way we start off. This night Darren and I decided to finish all the left over champagne (3 bottles) that were left at our house from Brunch. He then played a couple games of Beirut and then finished with some crown shots before heading to Koji Sake for a friends birthday party. Needless to say he probably shouldn't have driven, but we risked our lives and made it downtown.

Once at koji the guy was a little rediculous. It took me a good 30-45min to get him out of the bar. And for some reason our car was nominated to go to La Vics... Can you imagine this guy at LaVics..espeically with all the people in that place... Once you watch the video you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Roommate Ray

Yesterday Ray came home from Costco with 2 things in his hands: Crown and Tomatoes


Who goes to Costco and buys 2 things??

13x 6.... 69!

I think this year was one of my most memorable valentines days. The day started off with me making brunch for all my roommates and some of our friends. I made sausage and mushroom strata, hash browns and of course we had lots of mimosas! The pictures were taken after the food was half eaten.. opps forgot to take them before. But the strata was really yummie.. i was very happy the way it turned out.

Darren also surprised me (kinda) with a nice valentines day gifts. He decorated the bathroom sink with all the gifts. Champagne, chocolate, dice, message oils, and and and... ROCK BAND 2. I think that last one was a gift for everyone.


For dessert I made crepes, melted chocolate, strawberries, and banana foster.. I ate 3 of them.. We took a break from the diet this day.


Now many might wonder what the heck does 13 x 6.....69 means. Well, Devin, Steve and Ray were playing some card game when they finished devin shouted out his score. He goes... ha ha 13 x 6.... 69! With such confidence... haha.. needless to say the room was hysterically laughing after that.

Wight Loss Competition

Darren and I have recently been on this weight loss competition until we go to Hawaii at the end of April. Darren has been on South Beach and I'm on Weight Watchers. So far Darren has lost 12 lbs and I have lost 9lbs. He's beating me by about 2% points. I really don't think its possible for me to win. I mean he can lose so much more weight then I can.. But we'll see. Check out the chart on our progress. Too bad we didn't take a before and after picture, its kind of cool to see the difference.

100 Things to do before I die..

Steve gave me this list of 100 things I should do before I die.. I'm going to try to do them... I'll keep it updated as much as possible. It is now a new goal of mine.

1. Roast chicken and bread salad at Zuni

2. Coffee-rubbed pork shoulder at Range

3. Carnitas taco at La Taqueria

4. Spicy crab and grits at the Front Porch

5. Chasu ramen at Katana-Ya

6. Burger with fries at Slow Club

7. Shaking beef at the Slanted Door

8. Morning bun at Tartine Bakery

9. Tofu soup with kimchi at My Tofu House

10. Baja-style fish tacos at Nick’s Crispy Tacos

11. Pork sugo with pappardelle at Delfina

12. Salt-and-pepper squid at Yuet Lee

13. Soup dumplings at Shanghai House

14. Beef brisket at Memphis Minnie’s

15. Oysters on the half shell at Swan Oyster Depot

16. Katsu curry from Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill

17. Tea-leaf salad at Burma Superstar

18. Salumi misti plate at Perbacco

19. Tuna tartare at Michael Mina

20. Chicken pot pie at Liberty Café

21. Pizza margherita at Pizzeria Delfina

22. Vietnamese roasted pork sandwich at Saigon Sandwich

23. Beer sausage with sauerkraut and grilled onions at Rosamunde Sausage Grill

24. Blue Bell Bitter from the cask at Magnolia Pub

25. Loaf of bread straight out of the oven at Tartine (bonus: sliced while still warm and slathered with Brillat- Savarin cheese from Bi-Rite, down the block)

26. A classic gin martini at Bourbon & Branch

27. Papaya salad with salty crab at Sai Jai Thai

28. A Gibraltar at Blue Bottle Café

29. Spaetzle at Suppenküche

30. Laughing Buddha cocktail at Cantina

31. Pan con chocolate with sea salt and olive oil at Laïola

32. Pupusas at Balompie Café #3

33. Prime rib at House of Prime Rib

34. Yellowtail collar at Oyaji

35. Salted-caramel ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery

36. Dry-fried chicken wings at San Tung

37. Rotisserie chicken at Limón Rotisserie

38. French fries at Hayes Street Grill

39. Pierna Enchilada torta at La Torta Gorda

40. Cheeseburger at Taylor’s Automatic Refresher

41. Pho ga at Turtle Tower

42. Fried-shrimp po’boy at Brenda’s French Soul Food

43. Mint julep at Alembic

44. Cannelé at Boulangerie Bay Bread

45. Galapagos cocktail at Absinthe

46. Chips and salsa at Papalote

47. Ceviche at La Mar Cebichería Peruana

48. Angels on horseback at Anchor & Hope

49. Ginger snaps at Miette

50. Giant pretzel with mustard at The Monk’s Kettle

51. Maccaronara with ricotta salata at A16

52. Fried brussels sprouts at SPQR

53. Garlic soup at Piperade

54. Spiced-chocolate doughnut at Dynamo Donut with a Four Barrel coffee

55. Milk-roasted pork at L’Osteria del Forno

56. Caponatina with burrata at Beretta

57. Goat stew at Kokkari Estiatorio

58. Absinthe daiquiri at Jardinière

59. Huarache with cactus salad at El Huarache Loco

60. The Brass Monkey at Little Star Pizza

61. Crab soufflé at Café Jacqueline

62. Shrimp-and-chive dumplings at Ton Kiang

63. Meatballs with grapes at Aziza

64. Paper masala dosa at Dosa

65. Crispy eggplant at Jai Yun

66. Pig parts at Incanto

67. Sand dabs at Tadich Grill

68. Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe

69. Licorice parfait at South

70. Omakase menu at Sebo

71. A Fernet at R Bar

72. Arancini at Ducca

73. Popovers with strawberry butterat the Rotunda

74. Corned-beef sandwich with Gruyère at the Sentinel

75. Fried green beans at Coco500

76. Chicken hash at Ella’s

77. Eggs benedict on the back patio at Zazie

78. Chilaquiles with a fried egg at Pastores

79. Onion strings at Alfred’s Steakhouse

80. Apple fritter at Bob’s Donuts

81. Chicken curry at Punjab Kabab House

82. Fried chickpeas at Piqueo’s

83. Sweet-potato fries with banana catsup at Poleng Lounge

84. A margarita at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant

85. Pulled-pork sandwich at Roadside BBQ

86. A cheese slice at Arinell Pizza

87. Fresh spring rolls at Out the Door

88. Buckwheat crepe and a French cider at Ti Couz

89. Lamb schawerma at Truly Mediterranean

90. Slow-cooked egg at Coi

91. Albondigas soup at Mijita

92. Bacon-wrapped hot dog from a cart in the Mission (preferably when you’re drunk)

93. Seven courses of beef at Pagolac

94. Mango with chile, lemon and salt at Doña Tere’s cart

95. 3 a.m. bowl of caldo verde soup at Grubstake

96. Baby-coconut ice cream from Mitchell’s

97. Sesame balls at Yank Sing

98. Basil gimlet at Rye

99. Clam chowder at Hog Island Oyster Co.

100. Cheese course at Gary Danko

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