Part II: Mission Accomplished

9 - Chivas On The Rocks (COTR)
3 - Glasses of Beer
3 - Sake Shots
2 - Mind Erasers
2 - Patron Shots
2 - Soco Lime Shots
1 - Yager Shot
1 - Red-Headed Slut
1 - Margarita Frozen Drink
1 - Jackie Moon Costume
1 - Deadly Virus
2 - Weeks of Hibernation

Later...

I survived my own Armageddon and lived another day to share the rest of my story behind the Vegas trip. How did I evolve from Invincible to Vulnerable? Well the last time we spoke, I was on my way to Vegas for Halloween. Driving non-stop up the I-15 to the tunes of my beloved iPhone 3G, we arrived in Sin City at warp speeds (3.5 hrs) following the yellow brick road to MGM. After all the boring stuff was taken care of, we finally SUITed up for HALLOWEEN Wonderland Tricks or Treats @ Jet Nightclub.

The Three Amigos

And how does Vegas welcome its awesome visitors? We get greeted by BOOTY everywhere. YES FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD!

Booty Ultimatum

I always wondered why guys go to clubs with the mentality that they are going to score, when in fact nothing will happen if you do not MAN-UP and approach. It is a sad reality when most of us just end up getting buzzed or drunk, and drunk-calling every female on our contact list. Yes I admit I have had those moments also. Like Kelvin has said, "Initiating the conversation is half the battle." Live in the MOMENT and go ALL-IN! (Man I love using CAPS-LOCK)...My two-cents of the day. Now back to my journey....

My adventure began in JET in search for my Semi-Ho. It was like finding a needle in a hay stack, actually not really...its HO-LLOWEEN! There is one in every corner. I activated my sonar beacon attempting to detect an ounce of Ho-ness in this venue. HO......HO......HO...HOHOHOHOHO. I found her! My lucky winner was a Katharine McPhee look-alike, so I began spitting some game "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH...I'm a Semi-Pro looking for a Semi-Ho". She threw up her hands with proud and honor, and shouted "I'M A SEMI-HO!". She was the chosen one. I bought her a Yager shot as her reward (I could of saved $$$, but Ivan bought us the rounds). Then I took her hand and gave her the KTL tour around the club, danced like no tomorrow, took a few puffs from her cigarette, and made out with Katharine "I'm A Semi-Ho" McPhee look-alike while exhaling the nicotine back into her mouth. One of my pet peeves is kissing a girl who smokes, but I had to admit that particular moment was HOT! Yes boys and girls smoking is bad for you; therefore, you never inhale, but only exhale...LOL. Everything escalated with good momentum. She even introduced me to her friends. However, that is when I finally ran into a brick wall. She started getting hysterical asking me to look for $300 that she supposedly lost. After making laps around the dance floor in search of her missing treasure (it felt like running a mini-10K), I decided to bail. Maybe, if I stuck around I would of scored. The story of my life. So, I pretended like nothing happened and decided to rejoin Disco-B and Ivan "The Stimulus" Package. And this is what I found:

Kimichi Loving

Ivan Found A Home Buyer

After a night of drinking, Pho is PHOTASTIC!

Pho @ Pho Kim Long

Initially, we decided take it easy on our 2nd night in Vegas. I mean can we really party two nights in a row? Are we equipped both physically and mentally to go back into the battle field? After fully digesting our delicious Korean BBQ meal, the initial thought quickly evaporated into thin air. I guess shots of soju and glasses of beer changes your mind as quick as Usain Bolt. To facilitate our partying ways, we decide to continue our escapades in MGM. This time we all SUITed up in white...HAHA! First stop was TABU. They call it an ultra lounge, but its just another word for mini-club.

Here We Go Again

How many places can you actually: 1) Party 2) Step outside for a bit 3) Win some money @ the tables 4) Go back into the club and party some more = V + E + G + A + S.

Here We Go Again: Take 2

So now the question is how did I contract the deadly virus that would eventually take me out of commission for two weeks? Haha...another day another story. VIA LAS VEGAS!

Part 1: Semi-Pro Looking For A Semi-Ho

After watching "What Happens In Vegas" (starring Ashton Kutcher), I had an epiphany about the last time I actually went to Sin City. It happened last year for my buddy's bachelor party. In LA standards that's a freakin long time. No wonder a certain level of emptiness has created a huge void in my life. Like a drug addict, I needed a quick fix. I need some wrong in my life. No other place does this any better than the 5-letter word, V-E-G-A-S. We use the alphabet game to learn our ABCs. This is what I use to remind me of the sacred place:

V ixens
E rotic Adventures (Sapphires, Deja-Vu...do I need to continue)
G irls Girls Girls (Motely Crue style)
A ll-U-Can Eat/Drink (TI has the best lunch buffet....hello Beef Stew noodles)
S oberphobia (Chivas On The Rocks)

So I answered the WHY, the question is WHEN. Drumroll please....10/31, Halloween! There have been some great combinations in our lifetime:

Adam and Eve, Sugar and Spice, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Jordan and Pippen, Redbull and Vodka

But nothing I MEAN NOTHING beats Vegas and Halloween. Move over Frankenstein, Vegas + Halloween = HO-LLOWEN. ITS ALIVE ITS ALIVE!!! So who is brave enough to venture up the I-15 to a place filled with a smorgasbord of desires and pleasures. Do I see a raise of 3 hands? I will take the passion of SUITING UP as Jackie Moon from Semi-Pro. Bobby will super transform to Disco Bobb-E and dance to the beats of Saturday Night Fever. For Ivan, your going to have to see it to believe it. He has the perfect stimulus package to rescue Vegas...HAHA. I'll post all our costumes in Part 2 of this blog entry. So I hope everyone enjoys their wicked weekend. Trick or treat, give me someone sweet to eat!

Peace!

Park Behind The Blue Line...

Before I explain the meaning behind today's blog entry title, let me tell you something about my weekend...

This past weekend, Kelvin and I headed off to Tampa, Florida for our annual Buccaneers game. Since we are such time managment geniuses, we decided to catch the Red Eye flight to Houston-Tampa. If you ever want just 2 hours of actual sleep, I highly recommend the torture. On our lay over in Houston, only devouring a Wendy's breakfeast burrito and walking endlessly along the A/B/C/D/E wings of the airport allowed me to pass out temporarily on the benches of our terminal. Just imagine Tom Hanks wandering around in the movie Terminal (Hilarious!). At this point my mind already entered a state of delirium; mental garbage swimming in and out of my cranium via iPhone.

6AM At Houston Aiport

Thanks to Fon's email, I was able to entertain myself on the notion "Can a single guy and a single girl be just friends?". So I did some digging. Based off a recent poll on the Internet, the results state the following:

18% = Not Likely
38% = Sure, but it's not easy.
12% = No way, my ex bf/gf left me for his/her "friend"
32% = Yes, I have tons of guys/girls that are just my friends

Exhibit A: Ted and Barney in "How I Met Your Mother". They both caved into the seductive prowess of Robin Scherbatsky; all three are single friends. Exhibit B: "When Harry Met Sally" principle. Many great scholars agree (i.e. Tom Leykis) with this notion. Simply stated, a single guy and single girl can only be friends when one does not find each other attractive = Un-Porkable. Here's a percentage to think about. Are 32% of your single friends not good-looking enough to shag it in the bedroom? Look at it from another perspective, are 67% of your attractive single friends (same or opposite gender...depends on your preference) on The List of Porkables?

This takes us back to my initial spill on "Park Behind The Blue Line". The origins of the concept derived from the self-parking setup at the Renaissance Hotel in Tampa, FL. Since Marriott and International Shopping Plaza shared the same parking lot, hotel officials decided to draw a blue line on the pavement to indicate to hotel guests that they must park behind the Blue Line. This is where I made the connection. Friends always park behind the Blue Line, because if we openly shared our sexual intentions with one another the friendship is ultimately doomed. Yes boys and girls sexual tension will always be in the equation. Now look around and see who are your friends and who are not...LOL

The Closing Of A Chapter In My Life....XXs

9.20.08

The conclusion to my 20s, ended with an awesome Birthday weekend. In many ways, you can think of Super Saturday as the official ending to what was a memorable summer. The LAM Clan Birthday Slam (say that 5 times in a row..haha) Beach Party was a total success, drawing together our closest friends to partake in such a grand spectacle (move over Beijing Olympics). How many people can say they witnessed an Iron Chef Cookoff competition, Superbowl XXX, and American Idol all in one day....PRICELESS!

I'm not going to give you a recap of what went on this past Saturday; however, I do have the LamChop awards for the stud and studdette performances.

Santa's Lil Helpers Award = David, Phi, and Trinh. Thanks for showing up early and setting up guys.

Best Line of The Day = "Is this the real size of a football? It is soooo BIG!" by Becky "Beck Beck" Zhou.

Biggest Asssssets Award = Gotta go to our neighbors, Jugs R' Us and their twins(Blond and Brunette chick). If anyone has pictures of them, please forward it to me.

Iron Chef Award = Who would prevail in the Bacon battle in Kitchen Stadium? Iron Chef Korea or Iron Chef China? There were suppose to be 3 judges; however, Ivan and I could only find ourselves to to do the judging...

Ivan picked Iron Chef Korea.
I picked Iron Chef China.
You be the judge. I'll put a poll to the right of this blog for you to vote.

Superbowl XXX Offensive MVP Award = I nominated Myself, since I had a spectacular offensive showing throwing for 2 Touchdowns and 1 Touchdown reception (Fanatasy football stud in my book).

Superbowl XXX Defensive MVP Award = I gotta give it up to my best friend, Kelvin. He was all over the place making interceptions, pass deflections, and tackles.

Superbowl XXX 6th "Wo"Men Award = Gotta give it up to my offensive line, BD: Becky and Daisy. I wouldn't be able to stand in the pocket comfortably if it weren't for them. Plus I had a nice booty view....LOL.

I Got The Munchies Award = Gotta give it up to Dominick (Actually his Mom...Thx Auntie!) for providing all sorts of Balls: Fishballs, Squid balls, and Shrimp balls. I never experienced a group of people thirsting for tasty balls.

Bring Out The Family Award = The Bute Family...Awesome to see Kent/Amei + Baby Girl/John come out to the beach once again.

I Just Came For The Food Award = Christoper Chan and Christine...HAHA JK, you know I love you guys. This award could apply to everyone who attended...Ivan Who? Kenneth Who?

The Drunk Award = I know many wanted this one....but only one can be crowned. Our winner is Aileen. Trinh was a close second; however, Aileen turned it up in the 4th quarter by puking.

Best Song Award = Sweeet Caroline....BAH BAH BAHHHHHHH.....SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD!

William Hung Award = Only one person comes to mind....Michael Lee!

National Geographic Photography Award = Julie and Jinie for their awesome play-by-play snapshots of the festivities. Without them, everything would of been just a blurrrrr....Here are their links:


http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.tran/IvanAndKennethSBdayIronChefEdition
http://picasaweb.google.com/JinieK/HuntingtonBeachIvanKennethBday?authkey=vAYqzpiUd0s

Videos:
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5

I can't think of any other awards. However, I wanna thank everyone for coming out and showing your support. It was a blessing to see those close to us celebrate the most important birthday weekend of all....HAHA

My First Purchase....

OMG! What a revelation! I finally made my first purchase from iTunes...LOL. Actually, I bought Celion Dion tickets, and Ticketmaster hooked me up with 3 Free Complimentary downloads. What song did I use it on? Since I had a hard time finding this song on the Internet, I decided to BUY T.I.'s Whatever You Like...

Stacks on deck, patron on ice
We can pop bottles all night
Baby you can have whatever you like
Said whatever you like (Yeah)
Late night sex so wet and so tight
Gas up the jet for you tonight and baby you can go where ever you like
I said you can go where ever you like



1 down, 2 to go. Any suggestions on what else I should use my downloads on?

1:14AM....Still Not Asleep

As I sit here typing on my Apple Wireless Keyboard (which kicks ass), I just witnessed the World Premiere of My Best Friend's New Blog Site Kelvin's Tidbits. Even after mowing the lawn and swimming, I still have energy to blog on my site, leave comments on other sites, and share my thoughts to the world. Some things spinning inside the great mind of mine:

1. Turning Dirrrrty soon...Yes I will soon will be known as XXX.

2. "Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis..." Trying to decide whether to get this T-shirt Click Here.

3. Thinking if my fantasy team will go on a tear this week.

4. And yes my GMATs...SIGH

My mind is about to go into hibernation mode...zzzz. **SLEEP MODE ACTIVATED**

Nike Human Race: Los Angeles 8.31.08

8.31.08

On a single day, the world stopped to run together as a Human Race. I never thought I would participate in a race, or even run. What began as means to see Kanye West perform live and for charity purposes (I donated to the WWF), slowly evolved into an addiction for running. My brother and I trained on a weekly basis leading up to the big race. Run after run, I increased the distance and intensity level. Not only was running physically challenging, but it also tested every ounce of your mental capacity. I thought swimming was tough, but the rigors of running pushes you even more, constantly challenging how far you can elevate your focus and determination to cross the finish line. I truly admire the individuals who run marathons, and the dedication committed to it. Mucho respecto!

On the day of the race, I was quite nervous. Thoughts of uncertainty flooded my mind. How well am I going to do? Is my knee going to hold up? All thoughts were brushed aside when I looked and absorbed the grand stage I stood in front of. Good friends and thousands of individuals, here on this day to dedicate every once of sweat to one single cause, the Human Race. We all did really well for our first race, and partied afterwards like no tomorrow to the beats of KANYE and COMMON!!!

Since we like running so much (and we all bought so much Nike gear for the Human Race...hey gotta run with stylez), our next 10K run will take place in Manhattan Beach on 10/4 @ 7:30AM. For more details, Click Here and preregister online before 9/22 to pay only $25. Hope to see everyone there.

My Bib Number

Determination...Almost There!

Ivan, You Can Do It!!!

Ivan Huffing and Puffing

Yes! Placed 3185/12000 runners.

Next Time It Won't Be That Close

What Happens In Valencia Stays In Valencia....

**Change the channel**

Now back to the Spain trip....

After 3.5 days in Madrid, we traveled over to Valencia via the Renfe train. We could not miss the opportunity to experience the European train ride across the countryside of Spain (well it was actually only 3 hours away). However, it was the perfect departure away from Madrid and into Valencia, the 3rd largest city in Spain.

Time To Board

Passing Through The Countryside

Welcome to Valencia

Valencia was the leg of the trip that was most surprising of all. Unlike Madrid, Valencia was that Vegas weekend getaway that you've been dying to depart to. The hospitality was excellent (e.g. Holiday Inn Swedish Front Desk Chick). The Valencians were friendly, hilarious, and refreshing. Every taxi driver was a comedian, constantly entertaining us during each cab ride. The most hilarious of all, is when they pretended to be lost. In general, people had a good sense of humor, and actually enjoyed your company. In regards to food, all you need to know is one thing....PAELLA. OMG! It was the best invention that the Valencians came up with. It was truly the best thing we tasted in Spain, and definitely lived up to its hype. We even found our first Asian Buffet. We turned that place inside out, and ate so much we couldn't even get a buzz from the alcohol at the Caribbean.

Getting Ready To Grub At La Pepica

Boyz Will Be Boyz

Paella de Mariscos

We also had one of our best moments chillin' at Plaza de La Reina for 3 hours, sipping on some chocolate martinis, dipping churros in hot chocolate, and enjoying good times in a beautiful city. Wait....also we have Dave! LOL.

Melt In Your Mouth Not In Your Hands

Relaxation

MEET DAVE!

Thanks to our friends from Valencia, we were able to go to the best discoteca in town, L'Umbracle Terraza and M.Y.A. A hidden gem below the Valencia Science Museum, we discovered the most beautiful woman on the trip, MUY BONITA! Shots of Jose Cuervo after another, we experienced ultimate highs. Especially, Dr. Chan....HAHA. The boy got soooo excited and drank soooo much, he prayed to the porcelain gods all night long (He was looking for his medical card in the middle of the night...LOL).

Since our boat ride to Ibiza got cancelled, we ended up passing out at Playa de La Malvarrosa on our final day in Valencia, and enjoyed the sound of waves from the Mediterranean Sea. However, like Vegas, 2.5 days of Valencia was more than enough.

I Believe I Can Fly

Still Hungover

ME

Village People

Village People From The Phillipines

Village People From Hong Kong

Chris Brought His Umbrella

Hold On Dave

Typhoon Season In Spain

Typhoon Season In Spain Part 2

For complete set of Valencia pics, Click Me

Next Destination: Party Capital of The World....IBIZA!

Things To Do At A Dodger Game?

So my best friend, Kelvin, won Dodger tickets from work and decided to "Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd...." It was his first time at the historical "ghetto" stadium (probably his last) and my second visit (probably my last also). Being the bitter sunflower-eating Angel fan, he booed throughout the game, pointed out how many security guards were on the field (see Oakland Raiders), went back and forth on Angel and Dodger comparisons, and praised the Angels for acquiring Mark Teixeira from the Braves.

Why Am I Here?

Dodger Stadium

I too was beyond bored....so what did we do for 8 innings? We busted out our iPhones and compared notes. As the iPhone 1st Gen (Slow G) specialist, Kelvin advised (and he attempted to charge me for his services....i guess knowing the guy for 15+ years doesn't mean anything...haha) what applications needed to be loaded on the iPhone.

1. Google Search = Goooooogle it!
2. Loopt = Spyware which allows you to locate your friends.
3. AIM = Gotta have it since the chat app is blocked at work.
4. Yelp! = I will never starve or struggle to find a bar anywhere again.
5. Bloomberg = Need to get up to speed when it comes to my financial news (that's how I can afford the iPhone 3G...hehe)
6. eBay = Man we won Tampa Bay Buccaneers using this client....Bid Bid Bid!
7. Pandora = Internet streaming radio (Thanks Kelvin! By far my favorite app)
8. Remote = Use the iPhone to control your iTunes on your Macbook (everyone needs one).
9. Shazam = Can't identify that song on the radio...Bam Shazam! It even recognizes Spanish tunes...Feliz Navidad
10. Voice Notes = So I can record mi sexy voice over and over and over.....
11. PhoneSaber = Pay tribute to all the Jedi Knights of the world...Dave this ones for you!
12. myLite = Don't have a Maglite or glow sticks handy at the raves.

It's only been a week and I already have so much crap loaded....stay tuned as I tweak IP3G some more.

Why So Seriousssss.....

I'm literally backed up on my thoughts for the past couple of weeks. Who knew that blogging can be soooo time consuming. However, two weeks ago I had one of the more exciting weekends outside of drinking and lounging. Besides getting the iPhone (I still can't believe how much of my time is consumed in such an amazing gadget...haha), I was able to catch the new installment of the Cape Crusader and his arch-nemesis, The Joker (Heeee...Heyyyy...Haaaaa) on IMAX @ Irvine Spectrum. Yes I'm one of those nerds who stood in line for 2 hours to grab a good seat. As Kent clearly put it, "I don't think I've ever dedicated my whole day around a movie". Now you have!

This was probably the best movie I've seen in along time. Storyline, character development, and the fact they paid a good tribute to the beauty of Hong Kong (and no its not all about the masaage parlors as depicted in Rush Hour 2) was worth every single penny of the $17 ticket price. I'm not going to even go into the movie and spoil the fun for some of you, since its all over the Internet. However, I do have to point out Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was priceless. After watching his performance, you can't help but feel somewhat disturbed by how well he plays the Jokester.



**Beware some SPOILER news**

Despite its greatness, I did have some minor complaints: a) Why is Batman's voice soooo much deeper than in Batman Begins? So much anger...GRRRRR! b) It did NO justice to cast an older-looking Maggie Gyllenhaal to replace Katie Holmes' character (I'm glad they killed her off...hehe) c) Action sequences were nothing compared to the first d) Two Face's actual burned faced looked a little too fake. Other than that I'm definitely going to take a another crack at it in the upcoming weeks. Here are just a few pics of our day....

Let The Wait Begin

This Heat Wave Is Killing Me

The Golden Ticket

IMAX Experience

HAHAHAHA

Buckle Your Seatbelts...Here We Go!!!!

Tune in tomorrow — same Bat-time, same Bat-channel...HAHA

E.T. iPhone

When I woke up this morning, I was thinking of dedicating today's post to The Dark Knight IMAX Experience, or even further back, July 4th BBQ. However, due to today's change of events, this virtual space is locked and loaded for my one and only iPhone 3G. It was only a few days ago, I was determined to wait 3-5 hours at the Apple Store, but I was left only to find the iPhone sold out at most Apple retail stores. Frustrated at another failed attempt, I decided to reserve it at the AT&T Store and wait 10 business days. But today, I unexpectedly received a phone call that my reserved iPhone 3G Arrived. Since the debut of the original iPhone last year, I waited patiently for the 3G version. The wait has finally paid off, and now belongs in my sole possession. I introduce my iPhone 3G.....HAHAHA

¡Hala Madrid!

I finally finished my set of Madrid photos (Madrid Set). Even though photo editing has taken me a month, it was an awesome experience going back and reliving every moment photo by photo. From planning the Spain trip to capturing every moment, I can honestly say I'm proud to be part of this amazing journey.

Madrid was by far our favorite destination. The capital city not only offered a taste of cultural and political importance, but it also surrounded us with a true sense of life in Spain. Because of the strong sense of tradition and authenticity, the Spaniards in Madrid were not as friendly and open as the other cities, except for Dave's pink scarf-wearing secret admirer (he was happy to show Dave the way to Museo Del Prado...LOL). A perfect example is getting directions from the locals. The difficulty level was amazing. The directions were some how always lost in translation, left really meant right and vice versa, which helped contribute to our endless walkathon. We also feared that the Siesta period would interfere with our schedule; however, we hardly saw any signs of places closing down in the afternoon (i guess blame it on the economy and the fact that there were days we didn't wake up until 4pm....maybe that explains it). The dining service was extreeeeeeeeemmmmelllly slooooowwwwww. However, the timeless approach allowed us to enjoy the moment, so I can't complain too much. The Asian community was a culture shock to us. It felt like we were at the bottom of the food chain. The only places you found Asians at: convenience stores (called Frutos Secos - we owned all of them), a few Chinese restaurants, and street vendors selling Jamon sandwiches @ 4AM in the morning...WTF. Whereever we went, we stuck out like a sore thumb.

Regardless, we still live by to the tunes of ¡Hala Madrid! (Hail Madrid!). It is in Madrid, we were able to get sick of Tapas, experienced our only museum visit in Spain, witnessed an amazing bullfighting event, and journeyed in and out of numerous plazas. Because only in Spain, is "Where Madrid Happens"....

Museo Del Prado - Standing In Line

La Plaza de Santa Ana - Terrrace Cafe

Plaza Mayor - Casa de la Panadería

Plaza De Torres De Madrid

Plaza De Torres De Madrid - Put Your Horns Up

Plaza De Torres De Madrid - The Battle Field

Matador On His Knees

Catedral de la Almudena

A Peak of The Royal Palace

BANG BANG!

Palacio Real de Madrid

I Present: The 3 PERVETERS

Catedral de la Almudena - The Aisle

Catedral de la Almudena - Angels of The Church

Catedral de la Almudena - Church Pews

Catedral de la Almudena - The Cross

Catedral de la Almudena - Stained Glass

Temple of Debod

Next Stop

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu - Where Real Madrid Happens

Chris On A Kiddy Ride

Mario Kart

Next Stop Valencia....stay tuned!