oahu day 2: in which we eat our favorites

//day 2
//tuesday
//waikiki, mccully-moiliili, haleiwa/north shore, ala moana

BREAKFAST_at rainbow drive-in.
me: breakfast special - portuguese sausage, 2 scoops rice, 2 eggs
bear: breakfast special - ahi katsu, fries (instead of rice), 2 eggs
delicious. filling. comforting. the portuguese sausage was so delicious.
when is linguica not?

BREAKFAST-CAP(?)_beers at rock island cafe (tourist trap, waikiki).
because we had time to kill before the surfboard rental place opened.
they had kona longboards in the bottle.

SURF_rented boards from koa board sports. surfed waikiki.
koa was great.
wide-ish selection of epoxy boards, including short and long boards. some foam tops, too.
if you pay for a multi-day rental, you can swap boards as you want for different conditions.
(the bear did this.)
if you rent a longboard for multiple days, they have a storage space at their shop where you can lock it up after hours (their hours are only 10-6 every day).
also took care of our stuff while we were surfing, since there are no lockers on the beach & people get stuff like their flip flops stolen.
friendly, nice people.

waikiki was crowded. with mostly kooks. because the waves are small here.
LOTS of people taking "lessons" where instructors push them into waves.
without looking. resulting in knocking someone (the bear) in the neck with the student's board.
ugh.

oh, i learned how to paddle!
i attempted catching waves. and was unsuccessful.
the one time i sort of popped up, i have no idea what happened, but i ended up in the water.
good workout, though.
props to the bear for trying to teach me.
sporty spud i am not.

LUNCH_at da kitchen (mccully-moiliili).
pupu: fried spam musubi. yes, fried. as in the whole thing is dipped in batter and then deep fried.
shared entree: katsu cutlet plate lunch - chicken katsu smothered in an onion & mushroom gravy.
GRAVY WAS SO GOOD. onions and mushrooms added flavor. elevated the otherwise already good katsu. chicken was moist and seasoned well inside the breading.
plate included two scoop rice and potato mac salad. both were solid.
side: fries. a lot of them. this may have been unnecessary, but the bear needs his fries.
probably bear's favorite meal of the trip.
probably my favorite out of all the plate lunches we had.

DRIVE_
traffic, just like at home. took the central route through the island to the north shore.

SURF/LAY OUT_haleiwa regional beach park (north shore).
this beach's sand is not as soft.
and there is pine tree crap everywhere that will stick to your towel.


see? both pine trees and palms overhead.

the beach was rather rocky, too. chunks of black lava rock here and there. coarse sand. eh.

the surfing wasn't so great, either, with these rocks jutting out and making it scary.
i laid around until the bear came back in.

DRIVE_scenic route along eastern coast back from north shore.
mostly after dark. boo.


look where the waves break.
yeah, it's dangerous
[waimea bay beach park]


[waimea bay beach park]


sunset at THE pipeline.
[banzai beach/the pipeline]


warning at the pipeline.

PIT STOP_water, snacks, and wine from foodland (ala moana) on the way back to the room.

DINNER_marukame udon (waikiki).
probably my favorite meal, because I LOVE NOODLES.
like way more than rice.
it's a cafeteria style udon place. you pick the style (toppings), udon or soba noodles, hot or cold, size (small or large).
FRESH noodles made before your eyes.
me: ontama bukkake udon (soft poached egg and tororo (japanese grated raw mountain yam that is mucilaginous) on top)
bear: curry udon
mine was better. bear's was more flavorful, but i appreciate the subtle, delicate flavors of dashi broth way more than he does.
there is a buffet of omusubi/onigiri from which you can choose.
we ended up taking ours (salmon & bonito) back to the room and eating them the next day. delicious, fresh, generous chunks o' fish.
there is also a buffet of tempura/deep fried goodness you can throw in your udon or just eat.
mushrooms were juicy but meh in flavor. fried chicken was good.

line is sometimes intimidatingly long. do not fear. it moves fairly quickly.

oh, and it's cheap! bowls of udon are like $5-7ish. sides are a buck to a couple each.
mmm. noodles.

NIGHTCAP_wine. in our room.
fully stocked kitchenette had a corkscrew.

and wine glasses. 

mmm. wine.

running

blah. but i'm squishy. and at my max. weight again. and my pants don't fit. wah wah wah.

meet my nike+ avatar. she's cute.

she also has no eyes. like me!

so today i ran. well actually, i mostly walked. you know how some people complain about how they're REALLY slow, not runners, etc? then they go and run 1.5 miles at an average 11-minute mile the FIRST day they try. or they run like 4 or 5 miles the first day. well, i'm really not a runner. like REALLY.

even she says so.

"i've turned into a couch potato! i need to run!"

i ran/walked a 15-minute mile for 2.31 miles in something pathetic like 32 minutes today. see? i'm really not a runner. after a 2-minute brisk walking warmup, i could only run for about 5 minutes before my chest felt like it was on fire and going to burst. out. of. shape.

i really want to use the nike+ coach programs to keep me motivated, but once school starts (in less than a week!!!), all bets are off.

tahoe, not galbi

definitely not a warm, toasty grill. rather, a snowy hill + freezing lake.

oh yeah, happy new year! but now i must wind back the clock a bit.

wednesday, december 24, 2008

wake up. finish packing. drive to mom's. load her car with all our gear + luggage. drive to airport. sit in airport for.ev.er. playing word warp on my iphone. flight is delayed.

fly into vegas. connecting flight is a bit late. had a 2-hour layover anyway. play some more games on the iphone. finally board plane.

fly into reno. get rental SUV. except...it's a midget SUV. barely fit gear into it. barely fit humans into it. drive in snow (yay for snow tires and AWD on the midget) at around 25 mph. get into south lake tahoe quite late. check in. unpack. call grocery stores to see if open. nope. call restaurants to see if open. not much is open.

walk with the bear to KFC. watch incompetent workers get confused while manager fills our order. walk back in pretty but super cold snow. eat kfc for christmas eve dinner. hey, others were eating AT KFC. at least we had a cozy kitchenette table in front of our gas fireplace.

went to bed.

thursday, december 25, 2008

wake up to boys' alarm at some crazy hour like 7 AM. listen to them debate whether they are going to attempt to snowboard or not in the windy, snowy, blustery weather. all go back to sleep.

[photos bear took that morning from our room]

wake up late morning to go grocery shopping. grocery store is closed. eat subway for christmas brunch. messages at grocery stores from the previous night saying they'd be open have changed to saying they'd be closed on christmas day. maybe it was the weather.

go to liquor store, which is the only place open for all of its normal hours, to stock up. go back to hotel. mom books spa appointment at another hotel. we decide to go hang out at casinos during her appointment and watch lakers/celtics game, then meet up later for a casino buffet christmas dinner. don't judge. our options were limited.

watch lakers/celtics game at harrah's sportsbook bar. listen to boys trash talk with boston fans. fall asleep at bar while game continues. boys bet on wizards/someone else game because of huge point spread. go to manchu wok as i have the munchies. disappointed they are out of seafood rangoon and settle for egg rolls and chow mein. slather chow mein in sriracha. hits the spot. mom meets up with us.

we head up to the buffet line. everyone and their mom and many kids are in line with us. the bear coos at the cutest baby in front of us in line. such a good, happy, fat, cute asian baby. the bear makes the baby smile and laugh by making faces. he's going to be a lot better parent than i am. the bear and potatobro then turn around and mess with me. hmph.

they think they're badass or something.

friday, december 26, 2008

yay! perfect weather for snowboarding. ok, a little cold, but otherwise perfect. see?

you can see potatobro on the left and me on the right,
if you look closely.


yay! i remember how to ride.


deep powder is good.


crazy trees.










walking the flats from california to nevada.
meh.


so. much. snow.

got kinda lost. bear and me were two hours late meeting my mom at the lodge. oops. boys go back out while i inhale chili, water, gatorade, a cookie, hot chocolate, and i forget what else.

we drop by the grocery store (finally). then we retire to our room and frozen pizza.

the boys laugh when i reveal what i had on under my cute brown + soft aqua paisley jacket.

hey. you're supposed to keep the sweat-wicking base layer closest to the skin, so i put on all my other layers over it. oh and no, i didn't have the flannel PJ pants on under my snowboarding pants.

hot tub. shower. food. sleep. ahh.

saturday, december 27, 2008

wake up. listen to boys debate whether they want to go out on the slopes for a full day, half day, not at all. boys decide not at all. take mom + her SO to the slopes. do a lot of window shopping at the village. where we see this lady.

that's one way to recycle grocery bags.

pick up mom + SO from the lodge. drink free hot chocolate. change and pick place for dinner.

end up at timber house at lakeside inn. best meal (obvs) of the trip. casino is old school vegas. HVAC system makes it smell and unbreathable like old vegas, too. no cover for the UFC fight that night, so lotsa locals and interesting characters. everyone is friendly and nice. decide against the 9.99 prime rib special. scarf fried mac 'n' cheese balls (er, triangles) and lettuce wraps for appetizers. yep, eclectic menu. fried mac is DEEEElish. lettuce wraps are suprisingly good, too. better than PF chang's. the bear and me share a seafood linguine in a rich, creamy sauce with cheese garlic bread and a prime rib sandwich with swiss, horseradish, peppers, mushrooms, etc., etc. both are solid. try part of potatobro's goat cheese twice baked potato. rich and good. oh, and drinks are cheap, yo.

if you want a solid, artery-clogging meal, this is the place to go. we've tried supposedly gourmet and supposedly authentic ethnic cuisine in south lake tahoe and environs. it's either bleh and overpriced, or just aiite and overpriced. this was a much better value and much more enjoyable. sorry no pics. it was too dark in there.

sunday, december 28, 2008

ugh. this is getting too long. wrap it up already!

flew back. delayed a bit but got back in decent time. dropped by the in-laws' on the way home and picked up some guava and homemade thai food. mmMM.

the end. finally.

christmas blahs

negative nellie time. this christmas was sort of...blah. i'm not quite sure why. i think it's just a combination of factors.

first of all, we didn't go to any church service, period, as we were traveling all christmas eve and in tahoe on christmas day. as much as i whined about having to be at church while everyone else was partying while growing up, i missed it this year.

i usually get really excited about giving gifts, finding really good gifts for those on my list, shopping for them (online, of course), and wrapping them nicely. this year, even though school let out a couple weeks before, i didn't have as much time and energy to think and get excited ahead. i gave too many gift cards and standardized packages of treats that i mass-produced this year.

the bear and i just got home to the gifts we received last night. we opened them this morning, but it was a bit anticlimactic opening them four days later. yes, this whiner is very grateful for what i received, no doubt. it just wasn't as fun not opening them on christmas. picky picky.

the bear's uncle's annual party was weeks before christmas rather than on christmas eve, and no other "kids" showed up this year. we kind of ate and ran as a result. much less festive for us.

lastly, my family usually goes to lake tahoe either right before or after christmas so that we are home on christmas. this year, my mom could only get a reservation during. plus i was extra impatient, irritable, and easily annoyed by my family the whole trip. my mom's changed a bit since her current romance began, and apparently my subconscious was acting out and letting me (and everyone) know i'm not quite as comfy with it as i thought i was. i must admit i was quite the biatch and knew it, but no matter how hard i tried, i kept snapping at everyone before i could stop myself. boo to me.

i promise my next entry recapping the tahoe trip won't be as whiny. the bear took some awesome photos of the amazing scenery, tons of snow, and me shredding decently (finally! after like 5 seasons). in the meantime, please enjoy this scenic photo starring this asian woman and her, er, innovative snow footwear.

now to think of a better way to ring in the new year...

bowling

bowling pin-shaped bud light.
klassy, but tickled my fancy.
also love the bowling pin [formica?] laminate on the tables.

gross-looking chli fries
that are so addictive.
everyone kept coming by and stealing the bear's food.

the bear can bowl.
i cannot.

i still encroached on the bear's weekly boys' night because b brought d, who was in town, so they could be d&b. d and i tried breaking 100 while the boys got turkeys and such. it was a nice mid-week break to celebrate tuesday, though.

k pop!

driving home from the gym one night.

potato: you know what kind of music really gets me motivated and keeps me going when i'm running?
bear: korean music.
potato: WHAT?!?! how did you know???

hmph. i don't even listen to my old collection of k pop *that* often. somehow that man knows me a little too well. anyway, its mostly-stolensampled beats and hooks, upbeat melodies, and random interjections of english lyrics just have some sort of totally wrong yet right magical quality to them.

[running update: week 4 of couch to 5k is going well. i am supposed to do my third run of the week today, but i just showered and don't feel like getting sweaty again. so tempted not to do it, but then next week's 20 minute straight run might just kill me.]

cheers to you, DJ DOC (Dream of Children), Fly to the Sky, Brown Eyes, Fin.K.L. (Fine Killing Liberty), Roo'ra (Roots of Reggae), R.ef. (Rave effect), Deux, and H.O.T. (High five Of [sic] Teenagers)!

the past handful of days

i had a decent-sized client presentation scheduled for today at 11 a.m. or so i thought. i showed up, apparently to my client's surprise. one person wasn't in the office, the other was really surprised. the meeting is tomorrow and i somehow entered it into my calendar wrong. april fool's to me! i had a good hair/cuteness day today, too. i was rocking the business casual and my well-styled (for once) new haircut. i don't think i can ask for that two days in a row. or i can, but i doubt i'll get it. ah well.

we crossed over the bridge a few times this weekend to eat. first, we got sandwiches from busy bee market. yum. lots of meat. my corned beef satisfied the craving i've been having since before st. patty's day. i also got the bear to admit that corned beef is good. he had a bad, bad experience last year on st. patty's, never had real corned beef before that incident, and had sworn it off. his "bellybuster" with meatballs, italian sausage, mozzarella (i think), and some delicious marinara was good as well. cash only, peeps. don't believe what yelp tells ya. just for that, no linky for you, yelp! also, it's more of a market/deli, so there's no seating and nowhere nearby to really eat it. so get the marinara on the side if you get one doused in the red. their bread is so soft and yummy, but it falls apart pretty quickly and gets all matted down, though. ah well. no photos because we were so hungry by the time we got home and after riding with those sandwiches wafting their goodness into the air of our car. and because i'm a pig with no self-control. ah well.

we marveled at the crazy cranes on the way back. i wished i had an SLR and actually knew how to take halfway decent photos during the drive. it's really a shame that i can't given my industry. ah well.

then we crossed the bridge again the next day, for a late brunch at gaffey street diner, which was featured on the d show with guy fieri (i can never remember the dang title despite my penchant for alliteration). gigantic portions. home cooked tasting goodness. their gravy for their biscuits is probably the best of that kind i've tasted (i usually don't love that kind of gravy). they were out of the eggs benedict, eggs florentine, and the crazy french toast by the time we ate, though. :(. it's OK, the patty melt we had on the sourdough was delish as was the gaffey street special (eggs, chorizo, cheese, with tomato and avocado, a side of homefries (the perfect balance between crunch outside, soggy inside, well-seasoned without being salty), and a carb of your choice, including the biscuits + gravy). campy paint colors that made me cringe a bit, two varieties of delicious + fresh salsa on your table, and fun[ny] waitstaff all added to the fun. did i mention the portions are ridiculous? too many parentheses in this paragraph. ah well.

i started week 4 of the couch to 5k last night, and i was scurred for the 5- and 3-minute stretches of nonstop running. however, i did it, and i felt SO good after it, too. i was a bit sore a couple hours later, but i had a nice endorphin high going right after the run despite how sweaty i was (i hate sweating...gah-ross). i even got some studying in during the walking portions. unfortunately, my aging brain doesn't retain as much when multi-tasking anymore, as you will see below. ah well.

we had an extra credit pop quiz in class tonight. if you get 100% on it, you don't have to take the midterm that's coming up in two weeks and you get an automatic 100% on it. oh, and we don't have class next week because of spring break. i totally forgot that i get one of those, it's been so long! oh, and i know i didn't get 100% on the dang quiz. i guess i will have to show up in two weeks after all. ah well.

march madness

my school actually made it to the tournament this year. i had no idea, but the bear told me. they were up against another nerdy school with similar colors but with much better athletic programs. i told the bear my school would lose because they suck that bad. he told me i had no pride in my school besides for its academics and its food. well, duh. guess what? i was right. they lost. booya!

this year, i will not root for the bruins. i come from a family of trojans anyway.