google hangout.

it was so nice reconnecting with kim and sid via webcam. well planned, but unfortunately some technical difficulties left me mute for about half the "hangout".
had the chance to catch up on life all around. my takeaway: forgo LSAT and move to LA to break into PR and marketing. not a bad idea...

fun stuff -- can't wait to do it again soon!
off to studying and watching tv (more the "watching tv" part in my case).

these two are TAN.

campaign for berkeley.

found these old pictures! we (ferris and I) volunteered to be shot for the "campaign for berkeley" photobooth project. essentially they erected billboards of student pictures and their thoughts about cal. reminiscing about those days; wow.

and luckily our pictures weren't defaced like the others.
doesn't matter which april it was, I looked gross in both.

april '09.

april '10.

burger crew.

from homemade burger night, to indulging in french burgers at chez maman, this is the crew that loves a good burger. chez maman is one of those places with residual flour on the buns and serves garlic aioli with fries. there was no space to dine inside, so we took it to go and ate in the car. so good.

while youtube-ing at youtube last friday, no doubt, burgers were on the menu once again. love that.
this time it was big mouth burgers. and man were they huge. I did the "hangover burger". one with a fried egg and chipotle mayo. so good. sadly, this was that type of place that tends to overcook their burgers. went for medium, and should've gotten medium rare. despite this, their chicken sandwiches were surprisingly well cooked! moist and tender. fresh french fries were also good.

basically speent the time exploring and chilling. and eating.
we also: did the slides, put golf, had scooter races, drew on the wall, played pool, did hula hoops -- basically anything and everything they had to offer.

yanik ended up taking up nap towards the end of the night, while the rest of us just lounged on the sofas. photo montage to follow.

 

 

watching some of the most popular videos on youtube, this was one of the best videos of the night. and though I've felt like I've exhausted the place, it's always fun going back. thanks ferris. and thanks youtube.

comfort food.

grilled cheese at this new spot in SF, the melt. all they serve are grilled cheeses and soup. it's a concept restaurant created by the dude who founded flip video cam. it's all natural and eco friendly. the first time I went, it was a a pre-grand opening and all patrons ate for free. I did "the italian job": fontina and provolone on garlic served with italian sausage and pepper soup. the soups are thick and blended so that they grab onto all the grooves of the bread. and this bread is amazing. a little salty but I love the "special" seasoning they add when it comes off the grill. added bacon and tomatoes are free. pickles upon request. gah I love carbs.

this time I went with the soma crew and ferris. it was a lunch break on a bleak thursday. we pre-ordered online and scanned a provided qr-code at the restaurant. this notifies them that we have arrived and that they should begin making our delicious sandwiches. very fresh and toasty. this time i ordered "the wild thing": aged gruyere on white wheat alongside creamy wild mushroom soup. loved. it. portions seem small, but are indeed pretty filling.

design of the restaurant could be better too. a little crowded and inefficient use of space. also the method in which they notify patrons that their order is ready consists of yelling out initials. who listens for that. there is an screen up on a wall highlighting the queue of orders, but it faces a back wall that no one pays attention to. still, I take it everything there is good, albeit slightly overpriced.

hungout at the office courtyard before heading back to work...

 

forgot my camera, so I used my iphone. now too lazy for the much needed color correction.

the amazing race.

yesterday, ferris and I decided to hit up the open casting call in danville of all places. we are legitly applying to season 20. our hook? lifelong friends, cal grads, working bay area tech jobs.

this place is straight up suburbia. it was beautiful, but there is no way I would ever live in communities like that. clean, clean, clean. waterfalls, pounds, and fountains.

 

the people attending were ridiculous. some looked the part (pair of tall twin brothers, motorchick-lesbians, etc. that fit the mold). others were complete duds, based on profiling of course. few were in costume, and many in athletic gear, as if they were going to start then and there. ridiculous.

met some funny people in line: an inter-racial jewish-korean married couple. connected with the wife while the husband took their 3 yr old son for a walk: she was very talkative, albeit blunt, but I was kind of fond of her. another was a pair of sisters from san mateo. they happend to be cousins of a kid we went to high school with! both "teams" were well traveled, leaving ferris and I a little out of place. still, deep down, I think we have a slim shot at this.

got there at 10:30 thinking we were early. it ran from 11-3, hard stop at 3. little did we know that the line was ridiculously long -- thousands of people showed up to this thing. some people even stayed there and camped overnight! and by the time they passed out numbers for those "guaranteed" to be seen that day, around 400 or so, we realized there was no way we were going to make it. unfortunately had to leave, and decided to do lunch instead in order to make most of that day. would've gone to bridges, the restaurant in my all time favorite movie mrs. doubtfire, but they were closed for lunch on the weekend.

ate at nearby restaurant instead. what's most memorable about the blackhawk grille at this plaza? fresh tasting ranch. so good. a little lemony too. will never forget it. burger for me of course. reuben for ferris, and a little food for the ducks too.

 

instead, we are going to film an audition video at youtube and send it in. we're ready for this.

gonna make this happen and looking forward to it!