Je Ne Sais Pas.

Yesterday was Bomi's 21st, which was celebrated at Paramount Cafe downtown. Finally, a place where we could meet up that wasn't driving distance. Ironically, we asked Soy and Chris to pick us up because it was pouring by the time we needed to leave.

Finally saw Aggie after she served us in Mikuni way back in May.

Chris and Soy

Last night, I realized how much it must have sucked to be here without a plus-one. I guess I've just never experienced that because the majority of my friends at home are so independent and on their own (aka single). I kind of like that about us.

Birthday girl.

By the way, I'm completely traumatized by looking at pictures of my hair. It's brown again. Only on top, again. And though I never get compliments for putting the effort of making my hair look wavy, I always stick to it, and then always end up realizing it doesn't look the way it does when I look in the mirror. So I'm directionless. I don't know what to do with my hair. I suppose I'll dye it black when I go home in two weeks. As for my long mane, je ne sais pas.

Pretty Radical.

I'M ON MY WAY TO BECOMING PART OF THE DENVER ELITE SQUAD ON YELP!

Thanks to whoever nominated me. If it's someone I don't know, that's pretty awesome! If it's someone I do know, I appreciate it. To everyone else who has been giving me feedback on my reviews ("useful," "funny," "cool"), THANKS!

I'm super excited. Stephen hopes that Yelp is not my newfound passion, but who knows :)

Long Walks And Morning Miseries.

We didn't sleep after we got back from Bardo last night. So we went out for "breakfast" at Common Grounds (which is this highly reviewed Denver coffee joint that actually isn't all that great). It was absolutely miserable trying to go about the day normally. By the time we got ready, I didn't even want to go out anymore. I just wanted to sleep. Yet again, I am reminded that all-nighters are stupid and this is why I don't believe in them.

Once I miserably got back to my bed from Common Grounds, I knocked out for four hours. 

We then proceeded to venture out to the Highlands (about a 40 minute walk) in the rain/sun. We ended up walking 20 more minutes to get to a Burger King. Steph doesn't really let me eat fast food so this was basically my first time eating it because we were dying of hunger.

Walked back and stopped by Little Man's (ice cream) and had some intelligent, thought-provoking conversations regarding sexuality and relationships (my favorite topic)-- for the amateurs that we are.

On our journey back, we stopped by Vitamin Cottage (a wholly organic mini market. Think Henry's Farmer's Market in Rancho), then read a little at Tattered Cover. I started Haruki Murakami's Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. I'm taking a break from the intellectual world so that I can be mentally prepared for The Story of Stuff, but I might just stop these short stories to start his other novels that I'm more interested in. It was just a tester.
Honestly, this day was full of aimless walking. We had no real reasons to walk all the way over there.

Finally, I'm home and I think I'm going to watch a movie before I go to bed early. I've been feeling black-and-white lately, so the past two days I've rewatched my favorite b&w's: The Shop Around The Corner and Roman Holiday. Trust me, you will not be disappointed by the good looks of the cast. Gregory Peck and James Stewart are the most handsome and good looking men of all time.

Nothing.

I literally stayed home all day. It was pouring again in the early afternoon and I just didn't feel like going out. 

After cleaning the house (late at night). But I was practically reading all day. Finally on the last chapter of that book. I'm a very, very slow reader. I like to take in what I read.

 Since the Bardo Coffee House (which we have never been to) is open until 4AM on weekends, we left the house at around 12:30 to go check it out. 

The place is lovely. Similar ambiance of my future coffee house that I'm going to open with my sister. And yes, I'm serious if she's serious about it.

 Their teabread is amazing.

We ended up doing our own thing. I tried to write a blog entry for especialee/monotonous spontaneity/whatever you want to call it, but realized it belonged to SUBTLE instead. For the first time since I mentally noted that I didn't want to write for SUBTLE anymore (which was around February. I know, sad, since it launched in the fall of 2010), I finally had something to write about on my own. However, I haven't decided if I want to get shot down for my entry yet (yes, it probably will get shot down, like all of my SUBTLE articles. I have difficulty writing them. So sue me). 

Anyway, so then I sat there staring at the screen because it was like one of those moments when you really want to write a blog entry but can't. And you can't force it either because if you do, it ends up being really sucky. I always feel like people are anxiously waiting to read about my life/my opinions. Invisible deadlines. I know, pretty egotistical of me, but that's how my blog is anything close to consistent.

My DEN to LAX itinerary, a postcard, one narcissistic polaroid, the Miami Horror ticket, and unsent letters. Introducing my bookmarks for a single book.

We were leaving videos for friends.

Finally, after two hours at The Bardo, we walked along Broadway.

Stopped by El Diablo for this grilled-corn wannabe.

Now it's 5AM and I'm sleepless in Denver.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.

Our wonderful EIC didn't let us know that our event door meeting was CANCELLED so we spontaneously ended up going to Billy's Hot Dogs-- something we always passed by but never thought we'd step foot in.

But I didn't get a hotdog...

We also finally went to Crema Coffee House after seeing so many great Yelp reviews about it.

(Sooo..I was the gay's photog today...)

Then it started pouring out of NOWHERE. We were drenched.

Saved ourselves at a Chinese restaurant called JJ's Bistro.

And ended the night at Cherry Creek after visiting Jihee.

US Day.

In commemoration of Independence Day, we went to Brother's for BBQ. I don't want it again for a very long time :(

Pablo's (coffee) on 6th.

The dark wild forest that is my hair.

At night, Sarah came to Denver (by mistake because we all thought there would be a show at Civic Center, but that was just yesterday, which I also enjoyed, accompanied by Matthew). So we headed to Aurora and had a picnic just before the fireworks. We had THE BEST view. They were shooting them right in front of us.

Haha.

Cute thang.

Cadence's fussiness hahaha.

By the way, SUBTLE relaunched: new and improved. And we have a Facebook page now. So please "like" us if you haven't yet, and seriously, thanks to everyone who has been following, reblogging, commenting, and now "liking." I'm no longer a writer for SUBTLE but involved in "community development." AKA I need yall to like, comment, and follow us.
I'm not joking.

Explanations, Churches, and English Majors.

I can see why people find it difficult or annoying trying to pick up daily blogging after being on hiatus (whether out of laziness or out of sheer choice). That's why those 365 things are stupid to me. It's an excuse to give up on blogging. And, do you really have nothing to write about that you need 365 commands/questions to answer? If anything, you read the questions ahead of time, and wanted to share with the world who your current crush is. Ain't that right?

I chose not to blog and I chose not to take pictures this week. Out of respect, and even just to take a break. Stephen says it was nice to go to First Fridays and not worry about being my photographer. In a way, I guess my life is kinda glamorous when my gay gets to follow me around and take narcissistic and pretentiously candid photographs of me while I prance around Denver.
Laugh at your own expense, but the previous statement is a) true and b) probably offensive, but I can't remember the last time I got shot down for being offensive to gays on my blog (it's been quite a while).

So, I decided, for my desperate need of therapy and for your lethargic summer pleasures, I'm just going to write.

This past week has been tough, emotionally, in my brain. Nothing anyone could see from the exterior. I didn't want to see people (and still don't, really). I spent a lot of time to myself thinking about a recent event in my life, how it was going to change my Cali friends' lives, how my life was going to change, and how it wasn't going to change. How it hasn't really changed yet. But as usual (minus the pictures), I still ate and explored more of Denver, and Yelped about them while I was at it.

Today I went to a Korean church near the University of Denver. I actually found out about it because of The Douche (if you don't know what I'm talking about, here is the reference). Then I Googled it and decided I'd check it out. I don't know, I don't mind Calvary with its casual come-and-go services and 1000+ member congregation, but to me, it's all commercial. I don't really dig the whole mega-church thing. It's on radio and everything.

Though there are always problems with an Asian church, I was raised in one. That being said, I'm used to them, and dare I even say that I am calloused by them-- to the ironic point where I want to go to them just to observe. The EM pastor was reiterating the Bible on bearing fruit (and like my hip, post-structuralist home church pastor aka EIC of SUBTLE once said to me, "there's a Christian bookstore for that"). I didn't particularly agree with all his talk about the church losing authority over its people and that those who don't necessarily agree with the Word aren't cool people. To me, the Bible is subjective to today's society. Call that "playing God" or "writing my own version of the Bible to cater to my needs" if you want. That's just what I believe.
Either way, I kinda liked listening to his message. Though it was not my cup of tea, it was certainly much more  real than the guy at the pulpit who's on 89.7 every Sunday morning.

People-wise, it was good. Everyone seemed to be twentysomethings. Mostly mid-twenties. Met a guy from Long Island who goes to Northwestern but is here for an internship (haha...). Also met a guy who finished undergrad with a BA in English and is now going for his Masters in accounting (haha x2). As a male representative of the English major, he believed that the rational route (accounting) superceded his passion (journalism), and, well, he has a good job lined up for him in September now.
Regardless, the great thing about meeting other English majors is that they understand you even if they all know it's "not practical." Every English major (unless you're a dummy) knows that being an English teacher isn't the only option, and if anything, is most likely NOT your option.