08.08.02

Ashlyn and I had lunch with Wing at 369. 369 is my favorite lil' Shanghainese restaurant in the South Bay...it's a small place that's always crowded. They serve up yummy steamed pork dumplings and other selection of small plates (ie...stinky tofu). Every time I go home, I'll try to eat there at least once. =)
The weather was in the blistering 100's today. Since I missed out on the Q-Cup experience last night, Wing took me to Q-Cup that opened up in the same plaza. Q-Cup is pretty cool. They have a large variety of boba/pudding drinks, as well as coffee and snow bubble drinks. They also serve the spicy fried foods I love so much. The decor was interesting...very art deco. They utilize a lot of IKEA and Target furniture in bright bold colors. But I think the thing that makes this place stand out from other boba places are the flat panel TVs that plays techno/trance videos.
We kicked it at Q-Cup for a while...just hiding out from the heat. Finally I had to go pick up my dad's car at home so I could make it up to Evain's before traffic.

It's been a long time since I've been to Evain's house and heard that she and Darrell remodeled their home completely. I got up to the hills of Brisbane around 4pm. From the outside, their place didn't look very different...but the minute I walked into their house, I was in complete awe! It didn't look anything like what I had remembered. So much had changed and it was like walking into a brand new place. They knocked down walls, rebuilt the kitchen, bath, and master bedroom. Replaced all the light fixtures and put in hard wood and marble flooring. What I found most impressive was the paint-work they did. Since recently doing my own home-improvements, I can appreciate how much time and work they put into it. Evain did sponging in the kitchen and guest room, and I really liked that. There's also this one wall that I couldn't stop staring at....it was a deep shade of crimson, with gold diamond-shaped foiling throughout. The intricacies that went into creating that look was amazing (heard it took three grueling days to complete). Talk about "Trading Spaces"....the house was beyond recognition! I also loved the custom cherry shelving in the living room and the pull-out vertical drawers that hid videos, CDs, and DVDs. Aric and I could really use something like that. hehehehe Oh, that and the Murphy bed in the guest room. =D

Evain and I had a chance to catch up before our other friends joined us....although I'm sure we could have talked for longer. Evain cooked dinner for all of us. I always thought she was a great cook, but she's been cultivating her skills the past few years and dinner was delicious! It was great seeing Juana, Lawton, Eryn, Megan, Joyce, Liz, stacey, and Spencer. It's been a while since I last saw them. Sarah, Ivy, and Oli joined us...and although I see them regularly, it was nice seeing them too. I had a good time talking with old friends, watching the lil' ones at play, and catching up with some of them. I think my only regret was not being able to really catch up with everyone individually. Too much was going on all at once, and I would only be able to catch bits and pieces of everyone's conversation and news. Hopefully next time. =) Oh, I finally got to see the indie-short, "Dai Fu Blues" that featured Sarah, Joyce, and our other friend, Allison. The film was cute, creative, and raw. I was mighty impressed with Sarah's acting ability. Dang, girl..never knew you had it in you! hehehe
I heard that it'll be shown at the San Diego Independent Film Festival this month. Kickass!

Ashlyn and I left around 10:30pm. I didn't want to stay out too late in fear that Ashlyn might go into another tirade once we got home. Luckily, she didn't. *whew!* My mom and I stayed up to talk, then I made my nightly call to the hubby. *YAWN!*....another long HOT day. Even at this late hour, it's mid 80's! *GOOD LAWD!* Nitey-nite!

Pictures from tonight:


Ashlyn kickin' it at Q-Cup


Wing


Ashlyn and me


Eryn, Megan, and Ashlyn


Megan having fun rubbing Ashlyn's bald head. HAHAHA!


Sarah, Ashlyn, and a tasty blue ball


Evain in the kitchen


Lawton, Eryn, Juana, and Megan


Ashlyn, Ivy, and Oli


Joyce and Sarah enjoying the view from the balcony


Liz and Stacey


me, Ivy, Ashlyn, and Sarah


Oli, Ivy, Spencer, Sarah, Evain, Darrell, Ashlyn, Liz, Joyce, and Stacey


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