i bbq everywhere i go.  korean bbq however is a bit new to me because it is just restaurant bbq brought to your backyard.  in our case, it's the balcony.  and in my case, the first time was a little stressful.  3 hours in the supermarket, trying to buy 삼겹살 from the lady.  looking for all the right dipping sauces and vegetable accompaniment cuz koreans like their bbq the traditional way.  that was 2 months ago.  i'd say i'm a pro now.  it took me less than one hour in the supermarket this time.  setup at home took 10 minutes.  grilling was easily set up.  and they key is the cleanup.  when u wake up to a clean apt, u know u've done your homework.  

i can't believe we finished the case...

5:55 PM

it's good to see my colleagues again.  but to have a get together of all the former colleagues is just odd...no?  알바's hiring the right people.  but even they've got to realize there's something wrong from within for there to be such high turnover.  they're doing something right cuz the business volume is high and profit is good.  but everyone under the director's position is miserable.  corporate culture is also miserable.  odd.

 

4:57 AM

"please fasten your seatbelts.  we will be passing through a typhoon ahead of us" - that sounds pretty scary esp when the news was hyping this typhoon up to be the biggest one ever.  the perfect storm that was supposed to hit, wasn't bad at all.  barely rained.  just some heavy winds.  it's good to be back.

6:14 PM

隨和 people can handle me a bit better...

other than her ocd, louisa's pretty much down for anything.   kind of an oxy moron but still, fun fun and easy going.  can also take a joke.  steve, also very 隨和, when he picks me up...he just sits and waits downstairs...even for 15 minutes.  doesn't call nor ask what took so long.  just happy and content sitting downstairs in the car doing whatever is in the glove compartment or messing around on the phone.  haha.  hilarious.  with these people in taiwan, it makes taiwan a lot more fun.    which also sucks when louisa's boyfriend is in town.  and we can't hang out.  gah.  and that comment should probably bring up a whole other conversation.

2:16 AM

happy birthday uncle huang.

比以前漂亮。。。因為脾氣比較好。

的確是你的兒子

 

6:37 PM

grandma went in for surgery.  all went well.  so we went to visit.  of course my cousin goes a few hours earlier than me...gets all cozy in the hospital room.  talking about his new gf.  gf this and gf that.  and so when i walk in..."where's your girlfriend?"

 

1:53 PM

cng was an easy convince.  once i landed in china i got to work.  "duke just moved back to taiwan"....then i started telling him about the justin lee scandal.  then i started telling him about the girls in taiwan.  then he talked josh into going to taiwan for the weekend.  and that's how it happened.  so after 8 days in beijing.  and 12 hours apart, i got separation anxiety.  so he got on an ungodly early flight.  got to taiwan and rested.  while i had morning meetings and due to some weather delays, got to taiwan late friday night.  steve picked me up.  told me to open the glovebox.  and so it began.  i changed, went to the W.  and started the weekend with chung, josh, duke, larry and BECKY!  it was very good to catch up.

u know it's a big night when chung pukes. W.  bar code.  chess.  primo. 

 

 

 

鼎泰豐

chuck bass

W hotel.  that's where we always start.

deleon beach party @ stream

how do you lose 1k gambling sausages?

6:30 AM

kimbo's in taiwan.  for what reason?  i have no clue.  but we play this game.  "if you can't read it.  you can't eat it."

and so that's how someone who doesn't eat duck.  ended up eating 滷鴨蛋。  and what she thought was 紅燒。。。was actually 麻辣。  ergo the stomach ache.

and in between.  we work out.  watch suits.  "that's you.  your smirk" 

FIGURE IT OUT!

1:58 PM

"omg. you look different.  DID YOU GET YOUR EYES DONE?  YOUR DOUBLE EYEFOLD WAS NOT THAT OBVIOUS BEFORE"

it was great catching up with becky.  some key points...managing expectations.  net net. break point.  vintage re-issue is dre.  for some reason, we get each other. and accept each other for what they are.  that actually takes a bit of intelligence to wax and wane accordingly.  "when alex says 7pm.  i knew it might be 730 so i had to check".  and when i showed up at 730, its not that we planned to go somewhere, she said she wanted local food, we walked 5 minutes to the local food street.  had some great local delights.  sat in a quite air conditioned upstairs and chit chit chit chatted.  the conversation is less important as the approach.  it's a very new york or finance overtone of bullet points.  somewhat jaded and cutting straight to the point with "i get your intention, but all that matters is the net result" ..."can't control what's around, so leave that 50% alone and just focus on what you can control..."  and then it's the metaphors, the graphs, the analysis.  it's much more natural in person, and im not as calculated as the conversation presumes, but for conversational purposes, here's the "play by play"...

 

did you get your eyes done?

6:31 AM