New iPhone
Last week I finally received my birthday present from Jeff! A brand new iPhone 3G! After jumping over a few obstacles to get one (standing in long ass line at the new Apple Store in Monterey, finding out I might not be able to get it without my Mom present, etc, etc), I finally was able to put my hands on the iPhone’s shiny glass touch-screen. Oh, heaven, it is so wonderful, i can’t even begin to express my love for it in words.
For those who may not be aware, the iPhone is made by those lovely people at Apple, and its essentially a mini computer with built-in phone. The innovative feature about the iPhone the touch screen that enables you to flip through screens, scroll, enlarge/reduce images, and tap on things really easily. It also has an accelerometer which allows it to know which way the phone is facing (upright or sideways). When you flip the phone, it flips the image on it. Here are our first pictures playing with it while we dined at California Pizza Kitchen.
Look, it’s the blog!!
Everything on the iPhone works really good, the only complaint i have about it is that its a little hard to type with. But with practice you get better. And when you are able to turn the keyboard to the landscape orientation, its a lot easier to type.
The camera on the phone has some serious lag time and you have to be absolutely still for it to take a good picture, but i guess considering it is only a camera phone, its still pretty damn good. I’ll post some pictures up later.
There are so many applications i installed on the phone, like Facebook and MySpace utilities, and a cool restaurant finder called Urban Spoon, where you can choose a cuisine or price bracket, shake the phone, and it randomly selects where you should eat! EXCEPT, of course, this cool application does not have SALINAS information. Ah, Loving Salinas. But they DO have Hawaii! I will still use it when we’re out of town.
Speaking of food, at CPK we ate a Chinese Chicken Salad (my all-time favorite!) and, for the first time ever, a regular plain pepperoni pizza. The salad was yummy as usual. The pizza was very disappointing. The crust was not crispy at all. We both thought it tasted just like — if not worse — than microwave pizza. YUCK!
My iPhone cost $299, plus an extra $30 for unlimited internet service per month. We don’t get the fast 3G network in Salinas (Loving Salinas) – but it’s not too bad since most of the time i’m at home or work where I have access to a Wi-Fi.
Another one of my favorite apps is the Associated Press News and playing the Tap Tap game, which is a rhythm game similar to Dance Dance Revolution/Guitar Hero.
Did I mention I LOVE my iPhone?!?! I can even make blog posts via the iPhone! How sweet is that?
*hugs iPhone*
Thai Food and Marina Sunset
On Tuesday, we went to go eat at our favorite local Thai restaurant in Marina. Well, actually, its more our favorite by default since its the only real Thai restaurant in the area. As we drove up to the little house – we noticed a sign saying “Under New Ownership”. We simultaneously let out a worried “Ooooohhhh….” but quickly decided we had to give it a shot. It ended up being the same friendly waiter, the same great food, and the same great price. The only bad thing was that they were only accepting cash or check. Jeff and I asked each other, who the hell carries around checkbooks? But lo-and-behold, the tables around us paid with check! Must be an old-person thing. =P
Our usual order consists of a soup or appetizer, curry, and noodles. If we’re lucky, we get dessert! We were worried we wouldn’t have enough cash for it, but we barely did. This time we ordered:
1) Tom Khai Gai Soup – coconut milk, chicken, mushrooms and spices
2) Red Curry with Beef and a side of rice
3) Spicy Basil Garlic Noodles
4) Mango with Sticky Rice
It was all soooo yummy. We were so happy that they had the mango sticky rice dessert! The last few times we went they were out of mangoes. Next time we go I will take pictures because the place is pretty cute and I love taking new people there.
After we ate dinner, we noticed the sunset looked awesome. We quickly drove over to the beach and arrived just a few seconds before the sunset. So amazing!
The sky was so crazy looking. I really miss living in Marina to catch these wonderful sunsets at the beach. But I sure don’t miss that thick fog every day!
While we were driving back to Salinas, I noticed a strange formation in the clouds. Take a look. It seems like there is a rainbow within the clouds/fog. I swear it is, but Jeff doesn’t fully believe. What do you think? Click on the picture to see it up close.
Happy Birthday Mom!
Otanjoobi omedetou gozaimasu!
(Happy Birthday!)
Today is my Mom’s birthday.
I probably shouldn’t mention how old she is, but lets just say she is at a new decade mark in her life, at which you start to become eligible for special discounts, if you know what I mean.
I’m so totally a bad daughter and have yet to mail her my hand-made birthday card. Oh well, she’ll get it eventually.
Hope you have a great birthday Mom! Cheers!
New Microwave and Table
Jeff and I finally bought a new microwave! The old one we had was covered with stickers from his college years, as well as a few new additions since we have been together (Ron Jons, Braun Racing, Busted Tees, to name a few). Jeff’s favorite sticker is the Warsaw one in the front – that makes sense – theres a chick on it. Haha! The bad thing about our old microwave besides the outside being so bachelor-esque was the stupid dial timer that was so inaccurate and the inability to set different power levels. I’m glad we finally purchased a new one at Costco for $99! Here are a couple of pictures for comparison. The toaster on the top was a wedding gift. We heart too! The black and stainless steel looks soooooooo much nicer.
Another addition to our lovely condo is a dining table and chairs! Being the young twenty-somethings that we are, when we moved into this place we decided to put both of our computers in the “dining area” – which meant of course, no place to eat. We had placed a bookshelf in our make-shift office area. But I got tired of it being a mess to look at in such a common living space area, and also, the sun would hit my bookshelf and fade all of my books. I moved the bookshelf closer to the entry way of the house and moved a bunch of my crafting stuff that was on it into a separate organizer. We bought a new table set from Target for $200 that went where the bookshelf was before – giving us a nice place to have an adult sit-down meal. It’s pretty nice, but as expected, we haven’t sat down there once to have dinner yet! I guess we just prefer sitting down on the couch in front of the TV for meal time. =)
Tehani Visits – Point Lobos & Monterey
On Saturday, while my friend Tehani was visiting with us, we went to Point Lobos. Fortunately it was a nice sunny day, as compared to the last time we went when it was cold and foggy. Even though Jeff and I just recently went to this park, we did an additional trail so we saw some different things.
We picnicked on the rocks and this friendly (and hungry) seagull thought he could get in on the action. He didn’t though. Here is a picture of Tehani and I (Note: She is standing on a rock which make her look taller than me!)
This little cover looks so gorgeous. There were quite a few seals laying on the rocks.
We saw a couple of deer – a fawn and a doe. They were so cute! Just munching away on the grass right next to the trail. In the ocean, we noticed there was a lot of kelp! But no otter sightings.
Jeff enjoying the view. Me and Jeff – what a beautiful background!
Today we had planned to go to the aquarium, but we ended up not being able to go because we had to leave Monterey at 2 to get Tehani to the airport on time. The line on a weekend during summers is SO LONG! Need to remember that and be sure to buy tickets online next time. Instead, we walked around Cannery Row and Fisherman’s Wharf. We had lunch at Petras. Yummy greek food! Here are some pictures, we saw more seals!
This seal was hanging out on the rock, then all of sudden another one comes up and starts barking at him. I guess its a coveted rock! The other one briefly got up on it, but then ended up going back in the water. It was fun to see them interact.
This seal is spotted! And the rock he was hanging out on was underwater so it looked like he was floating. On the right, there were many sea birds chilling on smaller rocks. The one in the middle looks like a pelican. i think.
There were 3 cool pirate-like ships docked at the wharf. Right after I took this picture, Jeff got bird shit on his face and shirt! Ewwww.
Tehani Visits – Yay for Omiyage!
This weekend Tehani came to visit with us. She is a very good friend of mine from Hawai’i, whom I have known since the fourth grade. We lived pretty close to each other so we would always carpool to school together. But the last time I saw her was abour 3-4 years ago. Tehani is currently living in Okayama, Japan, going to school to learn Japanese and teaching English. We had a great time asking her all kinds of questions about Japan. She gave us some great omiyage (gifts). Check it out!
Sake “juice box” – should that really be in a kids kind of container? Well, it is Japan after all. The “Strong” drink is actually a “girly” wine cooler type drink. The Kirin Beers are so mini but so cute! They are about the size of Treetop apple juice cans. The wording on them is funny. “Open up the smooth taste that goes perfectly with good times.” Kampai! (Bottoms Up!)
This bottle is a “hangover prevention” elixir type drink. It looks a little “syrupy”. I love the kitty on the container. This beer on the right came in a package with it’s own plastic cup and powdered beer. You add cold water, watch it go “moku, moku, moku” and then drink the frothy, sugary, goodness. Awww, Japanese kids can be just like daddy and drink a mug of biiru! (beer)
“Black Black” gum with nicotine (its strong!), Watermelon Kit Kat, Chocolate Wafer-type cookies in colorful kiddie packages. However, they are probably meant to be marketed towards everyone – everything in Japan is super kawaii (cute).
Kibidango – Sweet mochi – which is a glutinous dessert made of rice flour, water, and sugar. This clever box features a character that supposedly hailed from Tehani’s town of Okayama. Look, it expires on 08.08.08.
I think Momotaro who came from Okayama as well? Is he Hello Kitty’s friend? Not sure. This is a pad of paper, and a really weird holey eraser (now is that really efficient?). The socks say “Strawberry Milk” on them. For whatever reason, Japanese people really dig Strawberry flavored milk. Kore wa watashi no suki na! (This is my favorite!)
Arigatou to Tehani for the bringing the gifts!
Shakespeare Santa Cruz
On Tuesday this week, it was my boss Kathy’s birthday. We decided to “surprise” her and take her to see Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare Santa Cruz (SSC) – a professional repertory in residence at UC Santa Cruz. The neat part about SSC is the outdoor venue, called the “Festival Glen”, which is actually in the middle of a forest of redwood trees. My work, Schipper Design+, created all the print media for the festival this year. Last year, I created their web site (www.shakespearesantacruz.com). So we were fortunate enough to have a bunch of tickets to see the plays.
Jeff couldn’t come with me since I recently got him sick ( I was sick with a cold the week earlier). We bought some Pizza My Heart and I made cupcakes to celebrate the occasion. Here are some pictures of the venue and the Playbill I designed:
Santa Cruz Boardwalk
This weekend we met up with Taylor, Nathan, and Sofia at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Jeff and I probably make it out here at least once a year. Its a fun spot to ride carnival rides, play games, hang out at the beach and shop.
The day started off super cold (mid 50’s) but it eventually warmed up and the sun came out. Jeff even got a sunburn (poor thing). This summer at the Boardwalk you can see “The Amazing Chinese Acrobats”. They were pretty amazing.
This guy did a series of gymnastics before flipping through the ring. I think the guys are there to stop him from falling off the stage. Watching this performance brought back memories of good ole’ jump rope demonstrations. This next girl was crazy. Well the picture explains it all.
Sofia really likes sand. She even tried to taste it.
Jeff hanging out in the sun. Taylor and Sofia. She’s turning 1 in August! My how time flies by. =)
Speaking of kiddos, we were thinking it would be nice to have kids the same age as our friend’s kids. Seeing as several of our friends have kids already… where does that put us? We figure we’ll wait until they start having their second kids. We’ll see…
Chris and Patti’s Wedding
On Saturday Chris and Patti got married. They’ve been engaged for a about a week, so this came pretty fast and unexpected! But we are happy for them and look forward to spending more time together as married couples. Chris is in the Marines studying Arabic and DLI and will be heading to Texas in August for 6 months (hence the impromptu wedding). After Texas he will be stationed in San Diego, but will most likely end up getting deployed soon thereafter. Patti plans to move down to San Diego to be with Chris and to plan their 2nd, bigger wedding. As a gift, I will be creating a web site for their next wedding at www.pattiandchris.net.
Here are some pictures from the wedding that was at Monterey Stone Chapel next to Tarpy’s in Monterey.
Chris waiting for his bride. Patti walking down the aisle.
They decided on a simple civil ceremony (about 5 minutes before the wedding). 
Chris and his Marine buddies. Look at them standing so straight and proper! Me, Patti and Torie.
After the ceremony, everyone headed to A Pizza Paradise (they have a Hawaiian inspired menu!). Patti made a cute double-layered star cake with raspberries and blue berries. For the record, Chris shoved the cake in her face first!
Congrats to Patti and Chris. Welcome to married life!
Fourth of July
Jeff and I went to Mike and Shelby’s place for a BBQ on the Fourth of July. They live in an apartment complex that is within walking distance of our condo. Jason and Michelle came out to hang too. Everyone had the idea for making margaritas, so we had a surplus of margarita mix and tequila! (Not a bad thing, I guess.) After lunch everyone came over to our place to play ROCKBAND on our Wii. We played that for a pretty long time, and Butters got a lot of attention from Mike, Shelby and Michelle.
After everyone left, Jeff waited till it got dark and played with our fireworks that were leftover from last year. We had a few spinning eyeballs, some lighting flash ones that literally blinded you, and a lot of lame morning glories. The morning glories I remember from when I was a kid were bigger and lasted longer than these shrimpy ones we got. Anyway, Jeff did all the pyrotechnics, I didn’t even touch one! Here’s some pictures of him and Butters having fun:
After “Jeff’s Fireworks Show” – we took a walk around the street and watched an incredibly illegal fireworks show originating from the ghetto neighborhood behind us. They were having some party! Tons of cars were parked along the street, music was blasting and people were out. We enjoyed the aerial show and wondered how much money these people spent on this, and how difficult it must be for police to track down illegal such illegal firework displays (must be hard to pinpoint those bright lights and loud sounds, huh?).
The rest of the weekend we spent chilling at home. We generally hate going anywhere on long weekends since we have a fear of overcrowding/traffic. But we did make some plans to go to an Oakland A’s game in July. We have also planned a trip to Disneyland for the last weekend of August. A few days after we planned this, I realized that we had planned to go during the busiest time of peak season — Labor Day weekend! AHHH! We are definitely going to change that and go instead during Jeff’s birthday in September. Phew, glad we caught that one. Who wants to wait in long lines?