Whale Watching
YESTERDAY:
- woke up around 10 am
- Brian missed our mentor meeting again q.q
- found that missing jacket … in my backpack
- head out to lunch with Franco
- traffic was a bit awful
- lovely Japanese place called Toyokan Bowl
- didn’t realize it was mostly chirashi!
- had some delicious wagyu instead
- fun conversation about Franco’s work situation
- walked around a bit
- massive tree fell over in the local neighborhood
- it did hit a parked car, but luckily missed a house
- drove over to Granville Island
- horrible parking situation
- got very lucky with street parking
- checked into our whale watching tour
- happened upon a street performer
- juggling knives and a torch on a 10-foot unicycle
- hilarious with the audience participation
- whale watching was fun!
- saw two humpback whales preying on fish
- also saw two separate pods of orcas hunting for food
- lots of smelly sea lions
- took some photos for a fun family
- went to a social on the island afterwards
- mix of bachata and salsa
- ended up leading salsa a few times xD
- good energy with folks!
- started raining like crazy!
- head to T&T
- lucky I had an umbrella in my backpack
- massive grocery store!
- three types of frozen lo mai gai!!!
- dinner at No. 9 restaurant
- open 24/7!
- also a massive menu!
- sadly, it was a bit pricy for what we got …
- got home around midnight
VR Sandbox
YESTERDAY:
- work
- head to lunch with Jackie’s dad!
- HK BBQ Master’s
- amazing bbq pork and roast pork
- hostess at the restaurant recognized Jackie’s dad
- dropped by Canadian Superstore afterwards for some frozen lo mai gai
- realized Jackie’s dad doesn’t have a lot of freezer space …
- finished work around 5 pm
- head to Shannon’s place
- carpooled to the Olympic Oval
- took a call from the cafe there
- climbing at the Oval!
- so much incline!
- failed an interesting route
- required a compression followed by a dyno into a heel hook
- I’m still not sure how Shannon pulled that off …
- dinner at a malatang place afterwards
- fun convo with Jackie’s friends
- got caught up on their latest gossip
- got home pretty late
Poutine
YESTERDAY:
- internet still out!
- head to Jackie’s aunt’s house that still had internet
- productive in the morning
- head out for lunch
- picked up James who lives a few blocks away
- went to Lunch Lady, a Vietnamese restaurant in east Vancouver
- soft shell crab appetizer was delicious
- head back
- dropped off James on the way
- work into evening
- dinner with Jackie’s aunt
- tasty homecooked food
- chicken + potato reminds me of my parents dish
- head out for social at Baza dance studio
- decent leads and follows!
- had fun with a switch that got confused whether she was leading or following
- drop by poutine place next door!
- first time!
- vegan cheese was … not as melty as it should be I think
- pretty tasty though for a late night snack
- got home late in the evening
BJJ BBQ
YESTERDAY:
- head to drop off a bag to Mel
- picked up some shrimp skewers from a Canadian Superstore
- it’s actually pretty massive
- beef prices are super low compared to the US
- found out our afternoon plans had to change
- originally was going on a hike with a friend
- dropped by to pick up some dance shoes
- head to West Van (not to be confused with Van West)
- bbq!
- apparently it’s the 18th anniversary of Jackie’s cousin’s husband’s BJJ studio
- met an interesting guy from Colombia
- also relearned how to throw a football with Alex’s son Liam
- he’s so much bigger than when I first met him!
- delicious picanha!
- head to downtown Vancouver for a free social at Robson Square
- mix of salsa and bachata
- picked up some basic on-1 steps
- had fun with a few folks
- head back to Richmond to enertain Melissa’s kids
- took a nap in the car
- head to dinner with Jackie’s parents
- picked up Jackie’s dad on the way
- amazing crispy roast pork belly!
- and it’s only 4 minute drive from Uncle James’s house!!
- head back to hang out
- finished off three mangos for dessert
Vancouver Island
YESTERDAY:
- head to work
- got a bunch of things finished in the morning
- bento box for lunch!
- one nap
- head back early
- finish packing
- forgot to switch my shoes
- also left my kindle behind q.q
- Dad took us to the airport
- Flair requires us to show up like 3 hours early
- but flight was delayed by 1 hour
- found a cool exhibit on afro-futurism in the airport
- with an artist from Pittsburgh!
- flight was pretty smooth
- switched seats with lady so she could sit with her daughter
- got picked up by Jackie’s family
- late night noodle soup at one house
- took Jackie’s dad’s SUV to his house
- some trickiness with the gate remote not working
Marugame Palo Alto
YESTERDAY:
- head to work
- ginger chicken for lunch
- not too gingery
- busy day
- head to solidcore class in Palo Alto
- met up with Ann there
- lovely class, lots of hamstrings and triceps
- Sara caught up with us for dinner
- took Ann to Marugame Udon since she’s been without Asian food on travels in Europe
- picked up my bike
- head home
- packing for Vancouver trip
Pack for Vancouver
YESTERDAY:
- head to work
- karaage bento box for lunch?
- pretty chunky sushi too
- few naps
- head to solidcore class in Mountain View
- quick shower
- Jackie brought back Google food for dinner
- another chicken and avocado toast
- one more episode of the Eternaut
- won’t see Thorvald for ~3 weeks
Yoga Weekend
YESTERDAY:
- took Dad’s minivan to Costco to fill up on gas
- also picked up 6 jackets for dance team
- head to hot yoga class
- 26&2 was lovely
- great breathing exercises
- Palmetto Superfoods refuses to take online orders now in Santana Row
- had to order via a tablet!
- but it gave me time to take the minivan to re-enter the parking garage
- avoid that $3 charge after 2 hours
- also picked up Jackie’s lunch from Urban Plates
- head home to shower and have lunch
- quick nap
- head up to see Sharina
- quick stop by Trader Joe’s
- watched Devil Wears Prada 2
- drop by Satoshi Ramen for dinner
- sadly they close at 9 but kitchen closes at 8:30 pm
- went home for dumplings instead
- stayed up a bit late playing around with an ADU loft concept
Sheep Detective
YESTERDAY:
- head to work
- chile verde for lunch!
- lots of naps today
- head back to Mountain View for a checkup appointment
- doctor took a while getting to see me
- work from home in afternoon
- another late night call with China team
- Jackie had dinner at Google
- head to birthday dinner with Benson
- Daeho in Milpitas
- delicious!
- also fun catching up with folks
- watched sheep detective movie
- little easy to anticipate
- but a fun movie
- couldn’t fall asleep until 4 am
Fiber
YESTERDAY:
- head to work
- bunch of morning meetings
- late lunch at 1 pm
- choo chee fish!
- but it wasn’t that fresh
- two naps
- had a call with a Earthlink about fiber availability
- representative was completely useless
- head home
- dropped by Wells Fargo to take out some cash
- pick up Jackie from home
- drop by Costco for gas
- went inside to check out adidas jackets
- adult small size is too large
- kids L size is close though …
- productive dance practice
- working on fundamentals
- head to home eat for dinner
- call comcast about internet outages