Team Walk & Roll

I haven't blogged in ages, but I promise, I have a bunch of drafts that I just need to refine before posting. This entry however, is of urgent matter, so I'm doing an emergency post. Stay tuned for back-dated entries!

So my friend Tam invited me to take part in the American Cancer Society's "Making Strides" Walk this May in an effort to help raise money for breast cancer research. What started off as a few friends getting together for a casual walk n' talk to support the cause (but not expecting to raise much [or any] money) became a full blown fundraiser with all the bells and whistles!

With a team of highly [hot] capable girls, and an ever-so-slightly nudge (aka. Yen's infamous spam-n-rah-rah email), we went from $0 to over $1,300 in less than two weeks and are listed as one of Portland's Top 10 Teams, currently ranked in 4th place and just $226 away from 3rd place! (I had to edit that last sentence twice since we moved 2 ranks within the same amount of time it took me to write this entry). Woot woot! We have 18 days left to take Portlanders by storm... and trust me, we will!

In fact, Tam met with Portland Director of the American Cancer Society yesterday who claims team Walk & Roll is the talk of their office - for our fundraising-prowess and quick moves to the top! We're even being used an an example of small groups of people can get together and do great things! And as a special incentive, he's promised to take our entire team to lunch if we make make it to #1! I wonder how Enterprise Rent-a-Car is going to feel about that.

As you've heard me say before, every bit counts. We've got personalized donation canisters at a handful of bars and restaurants, two promising sponsors, and an uuber exciting fundraising activity around the corner! This is what I live for!!! hahaha Please feel free to be inclined to donate money on my behalf! It's super easy and tax deductible - just click on this link which will happily allow you to punch in your credit card details and provide a receipt or check out Michael's Facebook page for updates on my progress! I'm 40% to my goal of $700! Woohooooo!!

Thank you everyone for your support!

Easter Brunch & Pie Swap

It's almost spring time! Woohoo! [I'm so sick of drabby winter - hence, the overtly cheerful colors of this image] And with that comes...

"Yen's Quarterly Give-Back" <--- I just made that up :)

We got such a warm reception from the cookies we donated last winter, a friend suggested we do PIES this time around! Yep, a perfect excuse to whip out that KitchenAid mixer and apron you never use!

Bake a pie (or two) - we'll cut one of your pies into slices to swap and taste amongst each other and we'll donate your other [whole] pie to the Portland Rescue Mission for distribution to the homeless on Easter Day! Bake it, buy it (peel off the Costco / Safeway label), steal it, I don't care! Sweet or savory! I'll provide the bubbly but I'll also have tea, coffee, juice, etc. Oh and an Easter egg hunt! Just come veg out, let the kids run amuck, relax and feel good about giving back! It's just a reason for us to hang out!

Golden Hour

I don’t usually blog about anything that relates to work, but as I do blog about my travels, this entry will be one of the few exceptions. I'll try not to write too much about my actual work, as it would go against the unspoken principles of this blog, though I suppose this would be a good opportunity to announce to you all (since I probably never will if I don't do it now), that I recently started working at a software development company! I know, a far cry from advertising :) but it’s exactly what I want - a laid back, hands-off, creative environment where it doesn’t matter what you do or how you do it, as long as you get it done... and done well. Worry not!.. as I'm clearly not going to be the one developing the software (god help us all) but my profession is the same anywhere you go, regardless the industry – there’s always three common goals: keep the client happy, protect the bottom line and increase profitability. Plus, with a fridge full of beer, chocolate covered espresso beans, a Wii console, PlayStation and bean bag chairs, how could I go wrong? (Not that I drink beer, but they have OJ too).

The company is highly virtual, with our American CEO & Founder based in Dublin, Ireland and a good amount of our [web] developers dispersed everywhere between Portland to Pittsburgh and even Paris. HQ is (or rather, soon-to-be “was”) in sunny Santa Barbara, an absolutely majestic pocket of Central California, with mildly warm temperatures year-round, a Mediterranean-like ambiance, and structures covered with red-orange tile roofs - the elemental trademark of a beach town; even the gas stations and McDonalds had tile roofs - how charmingly way-out is that!? I got to fly down this past week to stra-tee-ger-ize and meet a few people from the team. My accommodations were apparently around the corner from the beach, but with so much to cover in two short days, I didn't expect to see much of Santa Barbara.

However, my new and awesome team had something else in mind. After enjoying dinner al fresco (my faaave) (in March!!!) in the courtyard of Argentinian restaurant Cafe Buenos Aires', my unassuming colleagues decided to use me (the newbie) as an excuse to re-live their old college days by taking me out for a night on the town to some of the most renowned watering holes around Santa Barbara's main strip, State Street. We checked out James Joyce, Wildcat Lounge, Elsie's, The Neighborhood Bar, and The Cliff Room among others ;)

Already content with what was accomplished in such little time, I prepared myself for the flight home the next day after another day-long meeting when Francisco Torres* and Tropicana Lily* decided I could not leave Santa Barbara without seeing the beach! Yes, photo opp! How could I say No? En route to the airport, we stopped by their beloved alma mater, University of California Santa Barbara. Situated on cliffs above the Pacific Ocean, I learned that UCSB is listed as one of the top schools in the world and considered a "public" ivy league, according to Newsweek. That coupled with some of the highest public university rankings for students to get rich (upon graduation) and one of the few in the U.S. that has its own beach (check out the students surfing after class), I imagine it as paradise, not school. The last stop of my trip was at neighboring college town Isla Vista (and made up my mind that I'm going to name my daughter Isla; not sure how Michael feels about that yet :P but it reminds me of pearly elegant bliss in paradise), which because of its appeal, also happens to be the most densely populated square mile west of the Mississippi. "You know how you watch those movies about crazy college parties?" Francisco Torres says to me, " Well, it's like that here, except 10 times better."

So I didn't get to see Oprah's mansion in Montecito and I didn't have time to wine taste in the surrounding vineyards (though they tell me me it doesn't compare to our Willamette Valley), but I did feel that wonderful nostalgia of my years in Cali as a young kid when I saw the palm trees and smelled the eucalyptus leaves (I use to sit by those trees all the time as a kid, peel off the bark and pretend to build fires when playing house as a 6 year old)! I got to smell the oh-so-sweet Santa Barbara air (barring that skunk/weed smell, which actually could pass as "good" - that's how sweet the air was) and take pictures during "Golden Hour." Most importantly of all though, I got to bond with everyone! I’d been working at home the past week and was starting to feel ever-so slightly isolated, but as we went back to our respective homes in Newport Beach, Seattle and of course Portland, I felt a total sense of camaraderie. Tomorrow, I start work in the office and look forward to showing my compadres what Portland is made of when it's their turn to come visit!

*Names have been changed to protect the guilty :)

Ken's Artisan Pizza for 6 + 1 booster seat

I am not a huge fan of pizza (I know, I know "boo Yen, boo"), but hey, I eat it ok! And I even at times enjoy it :) It's just not my "favorite" food and I would probably be the last person to suggest we eat it unless it's "gourmet" pizza (cue Mario Batali)(hehe)... or clam pizza (yum)(again, cue Mario Batali). But like with most relationships, you make sacrifices. You do things your partner likes to do and you try harder at enjoying things your partner enjoys. Most of the time, we're on the same page with our likes and dislikes. Michael is actually quite understanding about our differences, but because I won't rock climb with him, I compromise...

... by eating pizza :)

Two of Portland's most talked about pizza joints, Apizza Scholls and Ken's Artisan Pizza had been on our list of restaurants to try. But that's the problem with hyped up eateries - the wait can be excruciatingly long, particularly when reservations are not accepted. That coupled with my lack of love for pizza hindered our motivation to actually try it, even though I was already sold on Ken's Artisan's dough (see my post on its sister establishment, Ken's Artisan's Bakery), so when Allison invited Tram and I, along with our boy toys Tommy, Souk and Michael out for dinner the other night, it was the catalyst we needed to get into the two-hour wait.

But this entry is not really about Ken's Artisan Pizza or about long waits. It's about our new munchkin friend, Jenny! Besides my friend Thuy, none of my other girl friends in Portland have kids. But on this fateful night, Allison and Tommy brought along their three year-old cousin Jenny to dinner. Now keep in my mind, my friends and I are not accustomed to being around kids. We are all very much "single" when it comes to that sort of mindset :) But imagine my surprise when Jenny occupied all six of our attention! A tomboy at heart and not one to be messed with, she is extremely articulate, smart and well behaved. She prefers black All-Star Converse to pink ones and her favorite color is blue. She loves watching "The Grinch" and is not a fan of American food or pizza for that matter. She favors guys and doesn't care for girls, unless you got something good for her to eat. Lucky for me, I had a box of Girl Scout cookies in my bag! We all fought and climbed over each other to steal her for a moment. She is so clever, I am baffled every time she opens her mouth to speak. She even taught Michael a thing or two in Vietnamese!

Dinner was a complete blur to me. I vaguely remember a ceasar salad and calamari appetizer... oh and four pizzas, one of which had anchovies on it (another one of my preferred pizza toppings :) but the highlight of my night was hanging out with Jenny. Maybe because it was a new experience for me to be around my old friends plus a kid. We had always been kids ourselves! Or maybe because I got to imagine what great parents my friends would be one day. Then again, it might have just been because it was funny when I saw Michael dizzily walking out of of the Papa Haydn, a cake bar we had dessert at, looking as if he had gotten hit by bus. Being around Jenny was exhausting - even with six of us to take turns watching her. But it was so much fun and very endearing.

"Anh Hai [that's what she calls Souk], why are you bald?!"
:: rub rub rub ::

Michael napping while he's suppose to be watching Jenny. lol JK!

"Look, I've worn Michael out! Now I can eat his ice cream!"

The (Simple) Life

High of 59 degrees today.

Not a cloud in the sky.

Slight breeze.

Light sweater weather!

It's utterly and extraordinarily beautiful outside.

Tram and I just got back from having brunch at Village Inn, a Dennys-like breakfast joint, famous for their pies. Everyone there, including the waitresses was seriously three times older than us. As we sunk into our booth by the window, letting the vitamin D soak in, we happily ate our chicken fried steak, eggs, bacon, hash brown, pancakes and simultaneously breathed blissful sighs of content. We could get use to this life!

"No pie?!" the surprised, but friendly hostess asked us as we paid the bill. Though old enough to teach even our moms a thing or two, she was full of life and looked as if she had so much more to live for! "We're stuffed... maybe next time!" I replied. Then a slight wave of sadness swept over me. I'm starting this thing called "work" at the end of the month and wonder when "next time" will actually be. Then as if to purposely distract me, a cute old man whizzed by with his walker exclaiming, "(Out of my way) I gotta' use the little boys room!!!"

For all those of who think you'd get bored if you didn't work, I suggest you think again :) It's all in the eye of the beholder. Ok I'm going to attempt to do some yoga in the sun now, then maybe jump on my bed and sing along to some "Please Mr. Postman" oldies jams.

Cupids for Charity Results

We've finally tallied up the results of our Cupids for Charity singles event and with over 80 attendees, we raised $2,510 for Haiti!!! That's a pretty darn successful first attempt at hosting my first singles /charity event... wouldn't you say?

The event itself was only three hours long and while it turned out that a lot of people ended up already knowing one another (gosh, this world is small - or maybe it's just Portland - we need to branch out, people!) I had a ton of fun. In fact, I think I had too much fun, considering I'm not even single! lol Don't worry, Michael came to help out too and insisted he helped a couple of guys on their "3-second pitch." :P Spontaneously, a friend's brother cleverly concocted an auction where the highest bidders would win a lunch date with a lovely lady or hunky hottie. I was afraid people wouldn't bid (hey, it's Portland; it's a tough economy and again, it's Portland :) but to my surprise, bids went as high as $120! I heard there was even a guy who doubled the amount he bidded after he went on his date! Wow! That one must have went well ;) It's for a good cause, right?... in more ways than one :: wink wink ::

Here are a few of our brave auction volunteers...

Bachelorette #1: Tran

Bachelor #5: JeoLida

Bachelorette #6Bachelor #9

It was really heartwarming to see all my girl hostesses (also spoken for and thus perhaps more gung-ho) hustle their hot asses around the floor swaying guys to open up their wallets and toss their dolla' dolla' bills in our donation box. Little did these poor guys know they didn't stand a chance. haha JUST KIDDING! But seriously, they were working it so hard, I didn't barely have to do anything! Man, if the corporate world operated like us and had employees like this, we would not be in a recession right now :) Everyone really pulled together, worked super hard and as a result, we raised enough money to essentially sponsor at least three victims of the Haiti earthquake for an entire year!... but of course, Mercy Corps will decide to use the money the best way needed right now. Thank you and Guddah Bless!

Left to right: The "Other" Yen, Thuy (hostess), Tram (hostess), Minh, Me - Yen (duh)(hostess), Vi (hostess), Allison (hostess) and Tran (Missing: Annie Thao, hostess)

How Charlie Rolls

Yesterday was our good friend Charlie's birthday. The night consisted of dinner and dancing at Studio 1. Charlie reassured me that dinner would be an intimate affair, with just his closest friends. I had foolishly attempted to help him pick out a venue for dinner. And each restaurant I suggested was "too small." I retorted, "How big do you want the place to be? I thought it's just suppose to be for close friends?"

But I should have known... no one rolls deeper than Charlie. When you think of "dinner with close friends," how many would you invite? Six? 10? 20? Ok, I'll even give you 30. But would you ever guess 60?! And to think I thought Michael and I were special and "close" enough to be invited to dinner! Ha. They just kept coming and coming. There were three cakes! And that was just dinner. The theme was black, red, and white. Charlie, decked out in a black suit, white shirt and red tie w/ vest had to divy up his time from table to table. Some say it was like MTV's Sweet 16. I say it was like a Chinese wedding. He had to make his rounds, toast and take shots with each of his tables! If this was for his 28th birthday, I can't even begin to imagine what his 30th birthday might be like. Or his wedding for the matter :) We better start mentally preparing for it now.

"The San Francisco Treat"

Thinking we were hard core, Michael, Chi Quan, Derek and I took an impetuously planned road trip to San Francisco. But the "hard core" part was when someone (ahem) thought of the bright idea of driving overnight to save time (OK so it was my bright idea). Ten hours each way! I must have thought I was 22 years old again. Every time I got behind the wheel, it rained. No, let me correct myself - it poured. I don't know why it is, but every time I drive long distances, no matter the season, it rains! And not just the normal drizzle you get in the city. The kind of rain that comes down in buckets, where your head feels like it's gonna' explode and your eyes wanna' pop out of its sockets from concentrating hard on the road, and even then, you're hydro-planing - scary!!! Then every time Derek got behind the wheel, it snowed. LOL The drive through Mt. Shasta was at times treacherous, forcing us to slow to to 40MPH for a few hours... but the trip was well worth it! I hadn't been to SF for over five years. It's still as lovely as ever. Here are some pictures - enjoy!

Getting ready to pay our toll to cross the first bridge!View of downtown from the Golden Gate Bridge

We road on this cable car - the Rice-A-Roni train!

We love our In-N-Out Burger

Michael's dream job :P

Ghirardelli Square! Yep, the chocolates!
Lombard Street - the world's curviest street!

Taking a break from our crazy uphill climb!

We want that rooftop and the view from it (below)
Mission Street - where the mission-style burrito was born!

Cupids for Charity

When: Thursday January 28, 2010

Where: Old Town Pizza

Who: Singles ONLY!!!

If your New Year resolutions involve giving back to the less fortunate and say...meeting someone special, then you're in luck! Even if you're only toying with the idea of settling down from your wild ways OR simply venturing outside of your comfort zone to muster up the guts to talk to someone new, this event is for you.

Join us for a night of cheap drinks for charity!

Here's the name of the game:

To keep things even, all you have to do is:

BE SINGLE AND BRING A FRIEND WHO'S ALSO SINGLE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX!

Please don't come solo! We encourage you to spread the word and invite all of your eligible and single friends, but we're not in high school anymore, so don't bring your posse (unless you want them ruining your game).

Please also be sure that:

1. Your friend is not already in love with you.
2. You're not in love with your friend.
3. You and this friend have not had a (even remotely) romantic past.
4. You have not had dreams of having a romantic past with this friend.
5. And that you and your friend are truly single! No baggage please!

Breaking those 5 rules would defeat the purpose!

The event is casual and free to attend. If you're shy, we'll have hosts to help you mingle!

Old Town Pizza on MLK is an amazing space, with a spacious bar area, fireplace, high wooden beams and tons of seating. Drinks are cheap - stay long enough to enjoy happy hour at 9pm where well drinks are just $2.50 and pizza slices (arguably the best in Portland) are $1.50! But don't be so cheap that you wait till 9pm to come. Seriously. Everyone might already be drunk and the "good ones" taken by then ;) though we are expecting a very good turn out! It's for a good cause!

Plus, 20% of sales that night will go towards Portland-based Mercy Corps in an effort to help those who suffered Haiti's earthquake. Even before the tragedy, more than 80% of Haitians already lived below the poverty line, so imagine where this leaves them now. Please come support - every little bit helps!

UPDATE: ADP, Blount International and Nike have agreed to match the donations we raise that night!

Got questions? Feel free to ask! Or go directly to my Evite by clicking here. You will have to add your name to the guest list before you can RSVP but please do RSVP!

Italian Night

After a deliciously successful Hawaiian themed Christmas party at Allison & Tommy's house (shall I reminisce of the homemade macaroni salad, pulled pork, ribs, chicken skewers, and mango salad - all on a banana leaf spread?!), we decided to have monthly themed potlucks in an effort to get together more often, in the midst of everyone's busy schedules.

Last night, Piet & Thuy hosted Italian night at their's where Michael started off the night with his family's shrimp bruschetta recipe.

Followed by Thuy's zuppa toscana (I don't have a picture of the soup but here's one of her Italian soda :) !


Allison's tomato, basil and mozzarella salad.

Ina's spaghetti meatballs.

Tram's corkscrew pasta with chicken in a homemade pesto sauce ("with lotsa' pine nuts").

And after making Thuy feel bad about having eclairs at Italian night, Piet ran to Jakiva and bought us tiramisu! I am so bad. But what lovely hosts! Their 2-year old son did the honors of devouring the first slice (who cares that it was the most rum potent tiramisu I have ever smelled) and I had two slices myself! YUM!!!

She said, "It's not Goodbye, but See You Later."

A lot of Texans seem to move up to Portland (like Kieu here on the far right), so it was inevitable that we'd lose some of our own to the good ol' South...

One of my oldest friends Thoai (second from the left above) and his lovely lady from Austin, Elaine (second from the right below) will be moving to Houston today!

They will be sorely missed, but it's just one more reason for me to go to Texas. "Everything is bigger in Texas!" I love it there!

Last supper :) Thoai & Elaine's Goodbye Dinner @ Uyen & Tinh's house.