It’s 2011 and that means more money to use in my Roth IRA… Last year’s money went to Apple.  What company(s) should I invest it in this year?  

A couple of months ago I had some light irritation in my shoulder, probably from sleeping wrong.  This past week, it got irritated and then all my shoulder muscles started knotting and locking up from inadvertently overcompensating.  I went to get a massage and even after that, she was only able to remove half of the tension. 

Saturday I went to the doctor and got prescribed Naxopren and Flexeril.  One is a anti-inflammatory, the other is a muscle relaxant.  The problem is that both drugs may cause drowsiness.  At 10 p.m. I was so woozy that I went to sleep and was conked out for 11 hours.  I woke up Sunday and was still dazed.   

All I could think of was… this what Michael Jackson must’ve felt like… a walking zombie with his pain numbed.  So I decided… If I get pain during the day, I’ll take Naxopren.  Before I go to sleep, I’ll take Flexeril, then hopefully it’ll relax my muscles for the next day.   Long term side effects of Flexeril… drowsiness, hallucinations, mood swings, suicidal thoughts, nightmares.  Hahaha.  Any of you ever had rotator cuff or shoulder pain?  

I wish I had some good dating stories for you, but I haven’t been dating at all.  What’s wrong with me?  The only people hunting me down have been big white girls.  Where are the Asians or the caucasian girl-next-doors?  Why don’t I have any motivation to get out there? 

I haven’t been doing too much of anything recently.  Went to the Lakers vs. Thunder game, that’s about it.   But the next month or two might heat up.  I have tickets to the NBA All-Star Practice, NBA All-Star 3 Point Shootout & Dunk Competition (would prefer to sell them over going), Dierks Bentley & Friends pre-Grammy concert at the Troubadour, OMD in March (yeah, you know them, a cross between Pet Shop Boys & New Order, in the US for the first time in over 20 years), floor tickets to Lady Gaga in NY and LA (obviously I’m not going to the NY show… wait, I could book a flight and go…), and this Wednesday I get to meet My Chemical Romance for an intimate Q&A and signing!!!

Oh, I forgot to mention, I have iCarly tickets for Anaheim House of Blues… any hot mommies want to bring their little girls?   

What new CD’s are you diggin’?  I can’t wait for the new Adele and Cut Copy to drop.  Radiohead, where are you???  I would love to go to Coachella on Day 3… reunion of the Strokes and the sun going down with Kanye West.  Even Duran Duran is playing on Day 3! 

My friend (a high schooler) had unlimited free tickets to the Jay Chou concert in LA and forgot to ask me!  Her uncle is Jay’s agent and since the show wasn’t close to selling out, I could’ve gone gratis (Seriously, who is going to pay $300-$500 for lower level seats in this economy).  Well, at least she hooked me up with the Jay Chou/Kato Green Hornet figure that they’re giving away with kid’s meals at Carl’s Jr.  Who would’ve ever thought the day would come that we could find Jay Chou action figures at our local hamburger joint in America?   

Zhou Jie Lun!  Zhou Jie Lun!  Zhou Jie Lun!

Cheap Ass Meetup

My friend formed a meetup group for Asian-American singles in LA and OC so I joined.  I went to my first event last week.  The dinner was at a French brasserie that had a $10 value menu (like Filet Mignon for $10). 

I sat myself down across from two girls, one of whom was fairly cute.  Before I could decide if she was really cute or just cute from a distance, she got ugly.  She opened her mouth. 

It wasn’t the color of teeth or the smell of her breath.  It was her whining.  She asked the waiter about the $10 menu, but he stated that for parties greater than 8, then $10 menu was not in effect.  He explained that there was a three course prix fixe for $18.  French onion soup, filet mignon, and dessert for $18?  Not a bad deal. 

There’s nothing wrong with asking about the happy hour deals or the daily specials, but if you’re single and at a mixer, would you keep on complaining about saving $5 on a steak or fish dish?  The girl harped on it for the next 20 minutes.  She asked the waiter to ask the manager if we could be the exception group.  After the manager wouldn’t approve, she and her friend started whispering that maybe they should move to their own table since they don’t know anyone at the meetup group table anyways.   Five minutes in, I was already praying that they’d move. 

I’ve never really thought about instant deal breakers but sitting there clarified one for me.  When a girl is in a nicer restaurant and can’t just enjoy the restaurant for what it is, then she doesn’t know how to let go and relax and will always be unsatisfied in life.  You’re career age.  You’re in a group to meet new people.  The first thing you do is advertise your cheapness even though you’re at least in your late 20′s, holding a brown LV bag that your mom or your ex-BF bought you.  Thank God this girl wasn’t one of my online dates. 

What’s worse than being stuck with buying a $15 martini for a girl you have little interest in?  Being stuck with a girl who’s complaining in disbelief about how expensive that martini is.  The one that you bought her.   Anyhow, this Howie is smart and cheap too (he did not buy her drink).  He bought himself a glass of red wine and while the girl whined away.  Last thing I heard, “Where’s the server?  It’s taking him forever to bring us some bread…”    Seriously, STFU. 

December was a blurrrrr to me.  Worked the normal shift that pays with benefits, then worked my ticket broker side project like mad, listing everything I could in hopes that people would buy tickets for gifts.  Lakers?  Taylor Swift in August 2011?  Dierks Bentley?  White Lies?  My Chemical Romance?  Lady Gaga in New York in February?  All sures.  So I did a good month, of course it could’ve been better, but thank the gods of Cobol that it wasn’t bad.  Bad is like this summer, when I lost $3k on Lady Gaga tickets (blame the recession).  And then after all the major online pimping was done, I was sitting having dinner at Mama D’s with the Pixar artist and the former Laker girl and noticed the date… it was December 23rd.  I missed the whole month of Christmas. 

I didn’t write cards to anyone, which I hate myself for, as I’ve written cards for the last twenty years.  Oh well… only two people complained that they weren’t getting a homemade card.  I’m not that missed.  The world goes on. 

My New Year’s was quite royal.  Friday started with a $20.10 prix fixe lunch at Charlie Palmer.  Pear salad with walnuts and gorgonzola, medium rare strip steak with short rib sauce (because they ran out of the short rib) and mashed potatoes, then pumpkin bread pudding with ice cream, add a Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir for $6.  There was the 80s house party, with board games and 80s music rockin’ in the New Year until 3 in the morning.  New Year’s day I had an awesomely seasoned and seared steak and had Jack and Coke while watching others play flip cup at a house they rented in Huntington Beach. 

The day after that was rainy Sunday.  I hate the rain, but it was a near perfect day.  It started off with a botched attempt to get $25 student rush matinee tickets to see West Side Story at the Pantages, a pee stop at the W Hotel across the street (stealing their free coffee), then we strolled through the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, thumbed for CDs at Ameoba Records on Sunset, checked out vintage clothes on Melrose, crashed Mozza with only a 15 minute wait for lunch at 1 p.m., took pictures at the Statue of David house, showed my friend downtown LA and Skid Row (which she really wanted to see because they don’t have places like that in Japan).  Then we picked up her rental car, went to the Japanese market, and then I gave her a 20 minute lesson on how to drive on the right side of the road.  Hot damn the girl did good!   How would you fare if it was dark, pouring rain and I made you drive on a California freeway for the first time in your life?  If you’ve never sat in the driver’s seat on the left side of a car or driven on the right side of the road?  

What I learned last weekend?  Macallan 12 year is smooth, my Generra Hypercolor shirt still works after 20 years, Hollywood Farmer’s Market is a good place to people watch, and 21 year-old Japanese girls are fearless. 

My New Year’s Weekend…

What is LA?  Seeing Norrywood (the house with all the Statue of Davids in front) decked out for Christmas.  Check it out at 3rd and Muirfeld (near 3rd and Beverly).  That’s him, Norwood Young, in front of his house! 

Norwood Young is a singer (of very minor fame) and socialite in the LA area, known for throwing parties.  Now you know. 

Said wassups to my boy John Lennon. 

Walked up to Pizzeria Mozza and only waited 15 minutes for a seat at the counter!  I’ve been waiting two years to try Mozza.  If you want to book a table during normal hours (like not eat at 10:30 p.m.), you have to book it a month in advance!

Above, that’s pineapple and jalepeno pizza, about to be topped off with some proscuitto.  Below, brussel sprouts with proscuitto bread crumbs.  Next to that, the pizza making line.  The pizzas may take 20-30 minutes to get to your table, but trust me, those guys are cranking them out fast.  They were flippin’ dough non-stop. 

Olives al Forno (clay oven roasted). 

Speck Pizza.  Proscuitto, Buffalo Mozzarella, Olive Tapenade, Oregano.   This was very good, not too heavy.  

The Funghi Pizza (mushroom).  Funghi Misti, Fontina, Taleggio, Thyme.  This one was the bomb!  ‘Shrooms everywhere and smothered in truffle oil or something that tasted like it.   This was very flavorful and overpowering compared to the Speck, but it was good that we had both to mix it up.  Don’t want everything heavy, you know? 

Mozza’s crust is perfect, it really is.  Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa can’t compare, because the center of Ortica’s thin crust pizza’s always get soggy.  I still like Ortica, it’s just not Mozza.  At Mozza, the crust is just the right crunchiness and holds up.  The most popular pizzas (from what I saw the chefs making) seemed to be the Funghi, Speck w/ Mozzarella, Speck w/Pineapple and Jalepenos, both Fennel Sausage Pizzas (one has bacon and salami, the other has red onions and scallions), and the Egg, Bacon, and Yukon Gold Potatoes with Bermuda Onions.    

Nancy Silverton’s World-Famous-To-Die-For-Butterscotch-Budino.  I told my friend we could share one.  She said she was very full and would only have a taste.   Then she kept on dipping and couldn’t stop, eating more than half of it!  The sea salt, creme fraiche, and butterscotch all play together perfectly.  

I’ve always wanted to crash the light party at TBN/Trinity Broadcasting Network.  We all know they are evangelizing money grabbers.  Anyone can just drive onto the lot and there’s no one there. 

Spending time with my hero, Baby Jesus. 

Kazumi, hanging out with the Three Wisemen in the rain. 

Turn back the clock… I look hella skinny in this picture!  The darkness is so slimming…. love it.  Ryan Seacrest here I come…