AYCJ Observation #2: Finding Friends in Unexpected Places

It was around midnight when I was roaming the Bellagio post-catching "O" (The Cirque Show, but more on that later).

I looked to my right and saw a girl with a near empty drink in her hand. I called out to her. Jennifer?

She totally had no idea who I was. That's understandable. Last time she saw me 5 years ago when I looked a wee bit different. 300 lbs, sluggish. You get my drift.

I said, "It's Will, from UCR." She was in shock. The look on her face went from confusion to pure joy. She ran up and gave me a big 'ol hug. We talked in the casino area for about 10 minutes. I then asked if she wanted to grab a drink. We hopped on over to one of the bars in the Bellagio. We sat and chatted for about a half hour. Then her boyfriend (and also my friend/colleague from college) Kevin came and joined us. We decided to roam around the strip and headed to Caesars Palace to gamble and drink some free drinks. ;)

Jennifer and I went to UCR together. We were the same major, had lots of classes and whatnot together as well. We also worked at the school newspaper, The Highlander, together. We also interned at the same place in Washington DC (The US Chamber of Commerce) but at different points for UCDC. We've had a lot of similar experiences but ended up on completely different career paths.

I must admit it was a pleasure catching up with them. They both just purchased a condo in San Diego. They're having a housewarming on Oct. 9th, 2010 to celebrate. They extended an invitation to me, which was super sweet. I'm really happy for them! Jennifer is doing some consulting work for her former company (It's Just Lunch!) as well as working on the ad production side for a local family magazine in San Diego. Kevin is working at the parent company of Red Envelope. They're gonna do dinner at the Wynn tonight and visit the crazy 3 story pool at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Vegas on Friday. Lovely.

It got me thinking. I haven't really ran into anyone in a few years that hasn't seen my physical transformation. It keeps on reminding me of how far I've come these past few years. All I can say is that I started to live life at the age of 23 and I haven't looked back. :)

Kevin W., Jennifer H., & Me

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Suburban Retreat

Before I left on my little AYCJ adventure, I got to spend some time outside of San Francisco vegging out in suburbia.

On Monday night, I made my way to Davis to spend some time with Josef. We grabbed dinner at The Dumping House in Downtown Davis. The food was cheap, plentiful, tasty and fresh. You got like a dozen massive dumping for $6.50. He then showed me his newly decorated office on campus. Totally cute and well done. Total TLCs Trading Spaces status. We had our first heated discussion. It was pretty cute. :P We grabbed froyo after and just chatted back at his pad.

I stayed overnight and we grabbed a quick breakfast before he had to head to school on Tuesday morning. Pumpkin Bagels from Noah's FTW. I also got an Iced Jasmine Green Lime Tea from the attached Peets Coffee.

I later hung out in Downtown Sac for a bit. I strolled through the local (deserted) mall and checked out Old Town sac. It totally reminded me of a real world Knotts Berry Farm.

I then went to go chill with Sean and grab some drinks and lunch with him at the Chevy's on the river nearby his house. He git a Margarita the size if his head. I got a mango drink and some shrimp/crab enchiladas. We got to catch up since we hadn't done chatted in person in a while.

We later grabbed some froyo at Pinkberry. We chilled in his room at home after. He was sweet and gave me a small gift... Undies that lift your butt an inch. :P

I headed back to SF but saw an El Pollo Loco along the way. You know, I can't resist that shit. So I grabbed some chicken and headed to Kev's pad in the Richmond to watch the latest Glee featuring Britney Spears' music. The episode was okay, with the highlights being the performances of "Stronger" and "Toxic."

Kev and I later finished a CNBC special on the History of Pixar that was pretty interesting. I later headed home to plan a bit... aka get some hotel rooms for some of my destinations.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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AYCJ Observation #1

On my first AYCJ flight of the week, I was greeted by the cutest Hapa Baby Boy. His mom is Asian and Dad is white. This baby had a smile and personality worth his weight in gold. Now I know why Nai always got so giddy around kids.

I so wanted to play with the boy. His mom was incredibly proud to be his parent. She kept on showing him off. The baby boy was fascinated with the hat of a middle-aged man nearby. Everytime the hat was taken on or off, he lit up.

This got me thinking about kids one day...

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King of Anything

Love the lyrics to this Sara Bareilles song. So poignant and relatable.

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How Ty-mely

I woke up this morning with an email from YouTube with the subject "Apply Revenue Sharing for your video 'YouTube Live - KevJumba says Hi to Ty."

It currently has just under 16,000 views on YouTube. This is a monetization program called "Individual Video Partnership" program where rather than having all of your videos be monetized, only your popular ones that qualify based off certain criteria (like views) can shows ads against that specific content as long as they adhere to content policy.

I can't help but think of that day --- Saturday 11/22/2008. It was YouTube's biggest promotion ever, affectionally called "YouTube Live." It was an evening spectacular to showcase YouTube's biggest talent as well as popular culture stars of the time. It stood as a symbol of empowering everyday people to drive popular content rather than the mainstream pushing us content of what they think we'll like.

The day holds incredibly special meaning in my heart. I had just took to plunge switching jobs from Google to YouTube two months prior. I was crushing after someone who would later become one of my besties rather than a love interest. I brought Kevin W. as my date, as YouTube employees were granted 2 tickets to the event, which was held at Fort Mason in San Francisco. I remember when I introduced Kevin to one of my favorite people I've ever met at Google, Kenji. He's someone whom I've always looked up to, both personally and professionally. He was one of the Google AdWords temp managers when I was going through conversion in 2006. I remember when Kenji kept on checking in on how things were progressing with my interest beyond friendship with Kevin. I can't help but smile at those days.

Katy Perry, whom at the time was just starting to gain a smidgen of popularity based off her single "I Kissed A Girl," was the opening act. Kevin and I were incredibly excited to see her. Who would have called her not becoming a one-hit wonder and quite possibly one of the biggest pop music acts in the world today? There were also a ton of other cool acts.

Before the actual event, there was a YouTube Live Festival with live performances, art, etc. YouTube also invited a lot of its partners to the event, including KevJumba. KevJumba is a hilarious comedian who's currently still in school at UC Davis. However, he's also part of this season's Amazing Race 17 on CBS. He's racing with his Dad, who's featured on many of his videos. You can check out their Amazing Race intro video on CBS' website.

I remember Ty had one goal for me. Hunt down KevJumba and get him to say to hi to him.
To be completely honest, I never thought in my wildest dreams that:

1. I'd find KevJumba in that huge crowd and
2. Be able to get the balls to go up to him and record a video message.

I suppose it's symbolic. It was at a point of my life where I was consistently going out of my comfort zone to help me grow as a human. At one point of my life I was a incredibly shy (and in the closet) guy who'd always stare at the floor and never give anyone eye contact. I wasn't really social by any means and lived my life through entertainment (TV, Film, Radio, Music, Computers) rather than interactions with humans. I've come a long way from those days (basically up until my first year after graduating from college.)

I didn't want to disappoint Ty or not achieve a goal that was given to me. It wasn't a serious goal by any means, but I ended up taking it pretty seriously.

Today, KevJumba debuts on the Amazing Race, going from internet sensation to mainstream entertainment. Today, my KevJumba YouTube video qualified for monetization. Today, I'm a stronger person than I was on 11/22/2008.

KevJumba, Me & Kevin // 11.22.2008


My Video for Ty:

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And so it begins...

I'm in Walnut Creek, CA at a local Starbucks near downtown. I'm eating "The Perfect Oatmeal" (and maybe had an apple fritter, just cause) along with drinking a Zen Green Tea. I love their Zen Green Tea because it's full leaf. Just as long as they don't put too hot of water that can scold the taste of the Green Tea, I'm cool with S'Bucks.

It's the first day of my 2 week vacation. A vacation that has yet to be planned really. It also so happens to be my 27th Birthday. It's supposed to be a day of joy and celebration. The day where people take a moment to really let you know they were happy that you were born on this planet. It's also a day where you're supposed to recognize this yourself. It's a good time to reflect what makes you, you. Why you really rock.

Last night was the beginning of a celebration. Josef wanted to hang out with me and grab some dinner. We walked around the Castro. Looked around a few cute stores and eventually ended up at the Wednesday Farmer's Market in the Castro. We tasted some fruit. The pears we had were quite tasty, so we went ahead and bought some for Greg. I think we tried 5 different pears, and 2 were stellar for different reasons. One really had an interesting texture and tartness. The other was like butter in your mouth with the perfect amount of sweetness. Seemingly the same object, two completely different experiences. We also dropped by a dessert place to pick up what looked to be a delicious Blueberry Flan.

We then walked over to my car to drop some stuff. I ended up giving him a small gift from my trip to NYC. I got him a tee from Parke and Ronen in Chelsea as well as a handkerchief of the map of London from Muji. I also gave him a CD of my latest music mix. It was just my way of letting him know I was thinking about him while I was away for 2 weeks in NYC.

Turns out he had a surprise in store for me. He gave me a birthday gift with an adorable card. He got me some Jack Black Beard Lube (don't get me started with the name) as well as a small box of chocolates from CocoaBella. Totally adorable. He then went ahead and surprised me with dinner at 7:15 at Farina on the border of the Mission/Castro. The interior decor was stellar. The vibe was laid back and relaxing. It's a place I've always passed by by and never thought to stop in. That is until I saw an episode of Check Please Bay Area in which it was featured. It's a very specific Italian cuisine that focuses on Focaccia breads. Delicious. We got the following to share:

• Capesante rosticciate con colino di san marzano ed olio al basilico (pan seared scallops served with san marzano coulis and basil extra virgin olive oil)
• Focaccia di Recco con prosciutto (focaccia di Recco topped with Rovagnati ham)
• Anatra alle olive con patate e cipollini arrosto (braised duck with pancetta and seasonal herbs served with roasted potato and onions)

The standout for sure were the scallops. The carmelization from the pan sear was spectacular. I could have had 20 of 'em. Everything else was also great. Of course their breads were stellar too. Chewy, soft, crispy, yum. The dinner concluded with a nice birthday dessert:

I did make a wish when I blew out the candle. Let's just say that it has to do with something that's been on my mind for a while. We went back and watched some TV and we cuddled a bit. We fell asleep and woke up in the this morning. Breakfast? The Blueberry Flan we bought last night. It was okay, I think it needed to be at room temp and not refrigerated temperatures. Nonetheless, it was wonderful to spend time with Josef. He's such a good guy and sweetheart.

I then drove Josef to Walnut Creek where he left his car at the BART yesterday. He prepared by getting "Long Term BART Parking" for the evening. He cracked me up. Today's his first day teaching an undergrad class at UC Davis. He's surely well dressed. :)

And so here I am. Alone on my birthday in Walnut Creek typing away. It's hard to not get emotional today with everything that's going on in my personal life. I can't help but smile at all of the text messages, phone calls, emails and Facebook Posts from family, friends and loved ones. I can't help but think of how lucky I am. I'm not much of a celebrator of myself, but I love to celebrate others.

And yet, I still can't help but think about what's lingering on my mind about everything in my personal life. The next two weeks, there sure will be a lot of thinking going on.

Sept. 2010 Music Playlist. It's Bangin'!

I've created 4 playlists during the month of September. So much good music has been released this month. It's made me soul oh so happy. :)

Here's what I'm listening to. Mind you, this one leans toward upbeat tracks with a smidgen of slower ballads. My music taste is sort of all over the map usually. I guess I'm in an upbeat mood.

The September 2010 Playlist (v4)

1. Shontelle - "Perfect Nightmare"
2. Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup - "We No Speak Americano"
3. Rihanna - "Only Girl (In The World)"
4. Selena Gomez & The Scene - "Sick of You"
5. Michael Buble - "Hollywood"
6. Remady feat. Craig David - "Do It On My Own"
7. Cheryl Cole - "Promise This"
8. Matt Pokara - "Do Anything" (Version Anglaise)
9. Armin Van Burren feat. Sophie Ellis Bextor - "Not Giving Up On Love"
10. Janelle Monae - "Cold War"
11. Katy Perry - "Firework"
12. Jason Derulo - "LoveBeat"
13. Glee Cast - "Empire State of Mind"
14. Ray J feat. Pitbull - "1 Thing Leads To Another"
15. Jamiroquai - "White Knuckle Ride"
16. Leona Lewis - "Perfection"
17. Darin - "Endless Summer"
18. Jumpsmokers feat. Jermaine Dupri - "Drunk Girls In The Club"
19. Will.i.a.m feat. Nicki Minaj - "Check it Out"
20. David Guetta feat. Michele Belle - "Read Your Mind"
21. Pitbull feat. T-pain - "Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)"

BTW, I predict these music trends/themes will define the decade. You can already see solid trends of what will be the future:

• Dance Music with Hip Hop Beats
• The Return of the Singer/Songwriter
• World Music will start to become trendy in the U.S. We no speak Americano, buddy! (The French Hip Hop Star, Matt Pokara is also a great example. As is Sweedish star, Darin.)
• The Futuristic Power Woman (Kelis, Janelle Monae)
• Older 90's/2000's singers featured on modern Dance/Hip Hop Tracks
• 90's influenced beats. This will eventually come back after 80's beats fade away
• Semi Long Shot: 70's Disco and or some variation of Nu Disco

What will get very old really quickly:

• Any song with the theme of getting drunk in a club. I mean how many songs about getting drunk in a club can you handle? Getting drunk in a club and listening to a song about getting drunk in a club just gets tired.

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if your house was on fire and you only had 60 seconds to salvage something, what would it be?

This is a hard one. I take it this would mean my SF Apartment and that 60 seconds means I couldn't really drag out anything that's big or plentiful. I would say my photo albums (digital hard drive and physical ones). This is one of the few things that can't be easily replaced. Photos not only give me joy but joy to others.

Ask me anything

Whats your favourite book?

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

Ask me anything

Optimist

via 26.media.tumblr.com

Josef shared this with me and I think it's adorkable. :P

Well, originally it had to do with my views on the NYC Bed Bug situation.

Time to be an Optimist Prime and not a Negatron! :D

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Being Local

Nearly 10 days into my stay in NYC and I feel like a local... well, relatively. It's the longest time I've spent spent in the Big Apple in any single visit. Outside of living in Ann Arbor and Washington, D.C., this is the longest I've been in a location while not on vacation. Being here for work has opened my eyes immensely. I almost don't want to leave.

Here are some observations after being in Manhattan for so long:

• People work late hours in NYC. Most people don't leave work until at least 7pm. This is very very different than what I'm used to.
• It's very easy for people to burn out easily, but it's something you have control over.
• People are direct, which people confuse for being rude. I actually quite prefer this. Get rid of the bullshit and just move on.
• People dress well. I felt completely out of place in my usual California clothes, at least in the workplace.
• People really care about money. Seriously. It's what rules people in this city. It determines a lot how people make decisions.
• The smell of fresh air is hard to come by.
• The East Side of the city is generally looked down upon, as well as anything very north in Manhattan or an borough that's outside of Manhattan.
• People have their calendars booked. If they don't, it's very easy to get lonely in the city.
• People eat dinner here very late. 10pm dinner isn't unusual.
• People are VERY good about including new folks to the city in their groups/hangouts.
• People in NYC are super clique-y, at least in clubs.
• People generally have a "I don't care if you like me or not" mentality. There are 6 million people here, if someone doesn't like you, move on. You can't worry about being liked by everyone.
• It's very rare to run into people you know. When it happens, you get really excited.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but these are some of my random observations.

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Privy to information

Sometimes it's hard being privy to information you know is going to affect someone's life drastically.

Part of me wishes I didn't know. Part of me wishes I could help. We'll see how life's events go.

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NYC Trip 2010 v2.0 (9.8 to 9.18)

I'm off to NYC for 10 days for work. I'm flying a Jet Blue red eye tonight (as part of my AYCJ). I'm excited what the next two weeks will offer. I'm especially excited to meet the NYC Sales Staffing team. It's so much different working with people in person than via the phone, email or Videoconference (VC).

I'm also excited to see NYC area friends in addition to some friends who will be in town at the same time as me.

It's gonna be hectic in town... HELLO Fashion Week! I hope hope the bed bugs don't bite.

I'll be sad to leave my roomies for that long in addition to Josef. As roomies, we get along so well. I mean, Danny baked Greg and I sugar cookies. :D I'm glad were spending more time with each other as a group. It's really fun. It's been a nice change of pace from living on my own to living with people I really love to be around.

I'm keeping positive. I hope I don't get mugged this time around. :)

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