Yay Willa! 1 year old.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 11:25 AM

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Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Photos at 4:39 PM

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To commemorate her 30th birthday, Shannan decided to have a bunch of friends meet up to go bowling at The Gutter. She was treating 30 as a big deal, so she was happy that so many friends came out. I'm not sure how I'll be treating my 30th birthday when it rolls around in two months. Probably as just another year.

Note: There were more people than just the few pictured. There were actually LOTS of people.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 10:55 AM

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Jonas threw himself a big bash on Friday to celebrate his 2nd birthday. He gathered his friends at Two Boots Pizza in Brooklyn. He got a bunch of great gifts (I got him a T-shirt and some MTA toy trains (works with Thomas and whatnot), including a nice big tricycle that made another kid in the neighborhood a little jealous.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, Photos at 8:30 AM

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Friday night, we celebrated K's birthday at Beast in Prospect Heights. Not only were some of the items finger licking good, but the mussels were so good that Kate had to help herself to some of the sauce when the mussels were finished. And I don't know what it is with all the bike helmets at birthdays recently, but things devolved as the night went on.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 8:26 AM

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Calvin's birthday isn't until tomorrow, but he wanted to celebrate on a weeknight, so we went out last night for dinner and drinks. After dinner at 'inoteca (see how much Calvin enjoyed the singing of Happy Birthday?), we went out to The Back Room where a few people tried on Lauren's Stormtrooper scooter helmet.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, Photos at 9:25 AM

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Lauren bought me some sexy sunglasses for my birthday yesterday. What else is there to do with such hot sunglasses then to make everyone wear them for a picture. Thanks to everyone who came out last night. And even to those that wished me well but didn't make it.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Photos at 11:49 AM

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I shall ignore the fact that she's actually younger than me, but dram, she's OLD. Last night, Christina celebrated her 20-somethingth birthday at Trailer Park. Why there? Because as we drove by it a couple of weeks ago, she proclaimed "that place would be perfect for my birthday party." And it was - especially since her boss was nice enough to pick up the tab.

And Christina loved the strawberry-rhubarb cake so much that she just had to lick the pan clean.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 8:07 AM

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Yesterday I headed over to NYC Paintball in LIC for some awesome paintball fun. With 14 of my more courageous friends, we enjoyed three really fun hours. And we all left covered in oily paint and at least a couple of bruises or welts. Luckily I only escaped with a few bruises, but I did get hit in the same hand several times.

And how can you not love the fine quality photos from my old Canon S200 which was plenty damaged before I brought with me to paintball. Now it's covered with a nice layer of paint, giving the photos a nice haze to them.

Next time, Skirmish, perhaps? But tonight, I'll be numbing the pain at Barcade!

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Sports at 8:09 AM

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Saturday night we went out to celebrate Johnny's birthday (he's old) even though it's actually this Wednesday. As a gift, here's his huge face on this site. Lovely, no?

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 8:18 AM

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Saturday night, I went to Shelly's on 57th St. to help Katie celebrate her 20-something birthday. I personally had never been to Shelly's, but anything that has steak and seafood couldn't have been too bad. The item I was most disappointed in was probably the creamed spinach, which seemed too watery/creamy.

And if you're curious as to what that last item is, it's a marshmallow dessert with ice cream inside. It was doused with flaming Bacardi 151, which was really, really cool.

Also disappointing was the quality of the pictures I took. Man, going back to the S70 in low light didn't turn out well. Perhaps it was a combination of the lack of usage of the S70 combined with the stellar results of the 20D in low light, which makes the results so disheartening. Mental note, lug 20D wherever I go from now on.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Food/Drink at 8:04 AM

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Yesterday was Jeannette's birthday, so her thoughtful husband Yvan gathered a bunch of people for some karaoke fun at Japas 38. It was a lot of fun, especially with the all you can drink sake and beer. As you can see, Jeannette likes to sing and shake her booty.

But any rumors of me singing are just that. Rumors. Nothing but innuendo from people trying to drag my name through the mud! So don't believe them no matter what they say!

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 8:05 AM

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Last night, a bunch of people celebrated Calvin's birthday. While it wasn't his actual birthday (that was on the 10th), it was still a good time. Dinner at Paprika (I had the meatballs again) followed by drinks at Musical Box.

As a great present, we get to row in the Dragon Boat race today. Fun! Yay!

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 7:58 AM

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Last night, Christina celebrated her 25th birthday at Ace Bar despite her birthday actually being last Tuesday. Oh Christina, you're so young, you could learn from us people in their late-20's. The one nugget of knowledge I will impart on you is that you're now closer to 30 than you are to 20. Enjoy that.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 8:45 AM

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Janelle's birthday, like my mother's, happens to fall on April 15th - tax day. To celebrate, she invited scores of people to the Dove. It was absurdly full by the time I left, and I'm convinced that at least 50 people came to wish Janelle a happy birthday.

And isn't stealing flash great? I think the photos turn out quite well when I do that.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 8:48 AM

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For my mom's birthday, which is today, the family went to Park Slope to dine at Tempo. Conveniently, Tempo is also participating in Dine in Brooklyn. For $20, I had the duck pastilla roll, roasted chicken and nutella gelato. Pretty good deal. The duck pastilla roll was amazing. I highly recommend that.

Happy birthday mom, your birthday is on a day that I can never forget.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Food/Drink, Friends/Family at 9:01 AM

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While I'm not a huge gift person - giving or receiving - anything I get is always appreciated. Pictured, is the first commissioned piece of art that I've ever had. Shannan was nice enough to get this painting of Krispy Kreme for me, which is perfect on so many levels. It should be great for my barren off-white walls.

Other gifts I received include a Stussy jacket from Jake, Porco Rosso and The Warriors from Jen and JDub, Pizza, A Slice of Heaven from Adam, the TLA Video & DVD Guide 2005 from Kim and Mike, who also gave me a doughnut from Krispy Kreme.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 7:55 AM

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Last night, to celebrate my birthday, a few friends and I went to Peter Luger Steakhouse and gorged on meat. As always, there was an insane amount of meat and we left uncomfortably full, which made for a not so fun rest of night at the bar.

Earlier in the day, I decided to donate some blood (warning! blood pictured!) because it's been a little while since I last donated.

Thanks to all that came out to dinner and to Ace Bar at night. Nothing like celebrating a birthday with a big group of friends - all making fun of you. Awesome.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Food/Drink, Friends/Family at 12:47 PM

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With the birthday two days away, my parents took me out to dinner last night at Patios in Brooklyn. I had the 14 oz. sirloin, not pictured. The gelatto is quite a filling dessert at Patios and it's almost like frozen fudge.

You know the craziest part of dinner? My parents have become very cooperative with my picture taking.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Food/Drink, Friends/Family at 11:23 AM

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Last night, a few of us gathered at 'inoteca to celebrate Johnny's 27th birthday. Damn, those 27 year olds are old. Us youthful 26 year olds are so chipper in comparison. 'inoteca is a great space, but the light makes it extremely difficult to take pictures, especially of food as the colors are all lost in the lighting. Oh well, you'll just have to imagine what they look like as the images might be too dark on the PC.

Later this year, Johnny will be the first of three (!!!!) weddings that I'll be in this year. At least I won't be the best man at his, just a lowly groomsman. On the plus side, no need for a speech. Or is there...? Anyway, the food was good, but I have no idea what all of them were called. Some meats, cheeses, calamari salad, panini, truffle bread, mozzarella bread, eggplant, and beets.

Oh, and if you don't know what Johnny looks like, here are two pictures.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Food/Drink, Friends/Family at 7:29 AM

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Happy Birthday, Gothamist! To celebrate its second birthday, there was a concert and cupcakes. Sounds like you can't go wrong. Especially when you start stuffing them in your mouth.

See, I'm trying to remedy that whole lack of me stuffing face picture thing.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Food/Drink, Friends/Family at 7:56 AM

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Last night, I went to dinner and then drinks with a few friends for Shannan's birthday since she was in town and everything. Seemed like the right thing to do. Dinner was at Zipi Zape, a slightly out of the way tapas bar in Williamsburg. I thought it was great, and I'm going to try to go again sometime. Takers?

Afterwards, we went to Antique Lounge, also slightly out of the way, for some drinks. It was surprisingly empty for a Saturday night, but it was nice. I liked it because there were lots of velvet/velour couches. "If I could ensconce myself in velvet..."

Before leaving, a song came on that sounded a lot like an 80's song. I couldn't place my finger on it last night and my friends were no help, but today, thanks to Google, I know what song it was. Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield". [Side note: What is up with this new look?!? Or, when did it start?] I wonder, how many times I can listen to this song on repeat until I get sick of it.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 1:13 PM

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It's not often that I talk about my personal stuff on this site, despite the fact that it is a personal site. I don't really talk about my relationship much, because, frankly, I prefer not to make my readers vomit. Anyway, today is a special someone's birthday, so I'd like to say, "Happy Birthday" to the owner of the eye pictured.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 12:00 AM

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Mike's birthday is on Monday, so he had a little gathering at his apartment. He made several of his guests don a disco suit that was a little tight (note the camel toe moose knuckle) and has polaroids for blackmail later. Janelle, who came with, somehow managed to escape without a photo.

As you can see, Mike's got a fair collection of Mao trinkets. Who doesn't need more Mao trinkets? That clock is especially cool. Turn the numbers mechanism and the date increases.

Anyway, happy birthday, Mike. Pity it was so cold, as there was no chance to grill bacon in the yard. No robots, but obviously with disco.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 12:18 PM

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There may be better ways to celebrate a birthday than eating pizza, but when you have a pizza blog, that might be the best way to go. That's exactly what Slice did last night with pizza at Patsy's in East Harlem. Celebrating the best pizza blog in New York (if not the country or worldwide) with the best pizza in New York. It was also billed as the latest Slice Pizza Club gathering. Two birds, one stone.

Instead of cake, there were pies of pizza...five of them for eight people. Two plain pies, one fresh mozzarella, one mushroom, and one sausage and onion. I believe I had seven slices when the dust settled. It's hard to say as things became hazy after six. I do know that I managed to eat two slices in five bites. That sounds really impressive, but for those who have never had Patsy's, the slices are very thin.

Happy birthday to Slice and congratulations to Adam, the head honcho over there at Slice.

More information:
- Youngna on "Slice, Patsy's"
- Joe on "Returning to Civilization at Patsy's"
- Slice on "Bringing A One-Year-Old To Patsy's"
- Gothamist Interview: Adam Kuban, Pizza Enthusiast
- All entries on the Slice Pizza Club

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Food/Drink at 7:50 AM

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Jeannette's birthday is Monday when she turns 20 something and last night, a few people gathered for dinner at Grand Sichuan, a place renowned for its spicy food. Spicy it was. We had hot pot, some appetizers, and some main dishes, but none of Mao's favorite dishes.

There was also a three flavor ice cream cake, which hit the spot after the spicy food. Banana, red bean, and lychee, the perfect trifecta for Asians. Yum. The only issue was the fire that came in the form of candles. Good lord those were some strong and dangerous candles. I don't believe a fire extinguisher was on hand.

Happy (early) birthday, Jeannette!

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Food/Drink at 9:16 AM

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Jake Dobkin's birthday is actually Monday, but Saturday night, he got some of his peoples together for some drinks at Double Happiness. By my count, Jake had quadruple happiness and was not carried out. Then again, I left before Jake, so for all I know, he was stumbling down the streets of Chinatown on his way home.

I was just too hungry not to leave early. I had a desire for some soup dumplings, so I had to excuse myself. For that, Janelle and I hit up Joe's Shanghai. While it may not be the best anymore, it totally hit the spot.

- Jake on "28th Birthday 1" (what, he's got more than one entry?!?)

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 1:48 PM

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Today is Christiona's birthday and to celebrate, she had some people over to her apartment last night - despite returning from Costa Rica earlier in the day. A trooper, I say, a trooper. There were mashed potatoes and meatloaf topped with bacon (made by her roommate and roommate's boyfriend), both of which were both excellent. They totally hit home twice; once when I arrived and again later in the night when I was a tad inebriated. Their apartment on the Lower East Side has spectacular views of the rest of Manhattan.

Maybe a bit eerie to celebrate birth on a day of remembrance, but life has got to go on, and indeed it does.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 11:53 AM

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Yesterday was Necia's 2xth birthday and a whole bunch of people went to the Bowery Bar to celebrate. I think there might have been 17 people there at one point. I'm not even sure I have 17 friends!!

I had actually never been to Bowery Bar before - for reasons I won't go into, but it was a good time and nice to see Necia on her "special day".

And I refuse to call it "B Bar" - blech.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 7:36 AM

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Yesterday was Dahlia's birthday and to celebrate, she invited a few people to The Porch for some birthday-related libations (like I need an excuse to partake). Due to a minor detour in Flushing, I was a little more than fashionably late. No matter, I had a good time and hopefully Dahlia enjoyed herself as well.

In a related thought, when the hell did I become so old? It wasn't too long ago when I could stay out really late. Don't get me wrong, I'm no party machine or anything, but back in the day, at least I wouldn't be yawning my ass off at 1:30. Due to the yawning, I had to head home at 2, which is the latest I've been out in ages. Ages, I say, ages!

Dahlia, it looks like you have a lot to look forward to in a year.

- Dahlia on "Birthday Success"

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 11:32 AM

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Last night, a whole bunch of people went out to celebrate Christina's 2xth birthday. She's such a youngen'. We went to dinner at Tennessee Mountain Restaurant for some hot BBQ action. Lucky for us, Monday nights is all you can eat for $14.95. What better way is there to celebrate a birthday? None, if you ask me. Foolishly, I learned nothing from watching Crazy Legs Conti eat and I was done after about a plate and a half of ribs. I'm still kicking myself.

Despite my poor showing, there's just something about all you can eat. When presented with it, you can't refuse, but after you're done, you wonder what the hell you were thinking. At least when you're full to the point of illness, you can say, "I got my money's worth!"

Anyway, happy birthday Christina!

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 8:44 AM

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I don't think I'm ever going to have a party or dinner again! The gifts just keep on coming. Maybe next year, I'll just invite people to my apartment for dinner or something (assuming my apartment ever gets finished) and they can bring gifts. Man, I sound materialistic. Anyway, Jen and Jake of Gothamist gave me The Ultimate Simpsons in a Big Ol' Box: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family Seasons 1-12. Essentially, it's three books about my favorite television show, The Simpsons. It covers every episode of the series from season 1-12, which spans the years 1989-2001. Excellent (say that like Mr. Burns).

Thanks, Gothamist! Er...I mean, thanks, Jen and Jake!

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 7:26 AM

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Woo! Last night, I got The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, a gift from Rachelle. Thanks a lot. This is like the umpteenth gift that I've gotten off my Amazon wish list. It's such a great feature!

Hopefully, with this book, I can gain some of the photoshop touch-up skills that Rachelle clearly has. She has the ability to take the exact same photo and make it at least two times better. Now, I can cut that to at least 1.5 times better.

Thanks, Rachelle!

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 7:40 AM

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This birthday weekend, I went up to Pennsylvania, taking advantage of the fact that my parents were away for the week. Johnny, Katie, S, and I went up on Saturday and returned on Sunday. It was a great relaxing weekend, and a perfect way to celebrate turning 26.

Who needs fancy dinners, when you can cook a fancy-ish dinner yourself? A couple bottles of wine, surf and turf, and vegetables, all cooked on the grill. For dessert, strawberry cheesecake from Eileen's Special Cheesecake (my favorite!!). Perfect!! I'm getting hungry just thinking about all the food.

Other activities included watching Chuck&Buck, which as many people pointed out, was quite disturbing, playing Taboo, and tossing around the baseball.

The three of them also gave me some great gifts. S gave me his and her blog-related shirts, a journal, and The Sneaker Book: Anatomy of an Industry and an Icon. Johnny and Katie gave me Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right and The Central Park Concert.

Thanks to the three of them for all the gifts and for a great weekend. It was a lot of fun. My parents need to go on vacation more.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 7:47 AM

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Some twenty-six years ago this day, I was born here in this fair city of mine at New York Infirmary. It's a special day and it's not. It's special in that I was born today, but it's also just another day for me. It is appreciated when people remember my birthday, but I don't think I've ever been the "birthday blowout" kind of guy. It's same for New Year's Eve for me, kind of just another over-hyped day. I think in a way, I enjoy celebrating the birthday of my friends more than my own.

As I've grown older, I have grown less fond of birthday parties. While I appreciate the gestures, I kind of feel strange having all that attention. Now, as I move past the party with clowns phase, I've moved into the dinner and drinks phase. Even then, at those dinners, I feel bad whenever the check comes and my friends have to shell out a good chunk of money. I would be perfectly happy with just a few friends, a few drinks, and maybe a slice of pizza. I know, I'm strange, I can't help it. That said, gifts are always nice and never too late give them (feel free to buy here - shameless, I know).

This year, I'm just doing a quiet weekend in Pennsylvania. After all, I'm now twenty-six, wishing I was twenty-five, and feeling the effects of my advanced age in my bones.

What's crazy is that I'm that much closer to the big 3-0. When Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympics, I remember thinking "man, when that happens I'll be 30!" Now, that's not so far away. Yikes. I better get on that life plan. Or come up with one, that is.

- Other happenings on this fine day

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 10:01 AM

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Mussels in a cheese basket.

Calamari.

Pork chop, garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized apples.

I said I didn't want anything like this. Damn parents.

Last night, I went out to dinner with my parents and S to celebrate my birthday a couple of days early. Why did we eat early? Because they are going skiing in Vail!! Can you tell that I'm a tad bitter? Anyway, we went out to Banania Cafe here in Brooklyn, which I didn't love the first time I went there, but it was better than I thought it was last time. Maybe it was the wine?

Thanks mom and dad (since you guys now read the site - bah!). I'll forgive anything/everything as long as you pay for those apartment renovations. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 11:24 AM

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It pays to have your Amazon Wish List linked on your site. My friend Lana, who I've known since freshman year in high school bought me three things from my wish list: Ya Gotta Believe! : The 40th Anniversary New York Mets Fan Book, Hail To The Thief, and Sneakers. I guess pandering does pay off. Just kidding. Thanks a lot for the gifts Lana.

The book on sneakers is perfect for me, since I have a boatload of them and since I'm clearly obsessed with one model.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 8:48 AM

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Yvan - Photo by Jeannette. Nothing says, "I love you," like taking a picture with flash in a dark room while a foot away.

Last night, a few people (Jeannette, Sarah, Yim, Yvan, and I) gathered for a subdued celebration of Yvan's birthday, which is actually today. We met up at Gaslight for a drink or two before heading out to dinner at Kobma Thai. Jeannette, being the loving fiancée that she is, bought Yvan a pie from the Little Pie Company. It was a delicious sour cream apple walnut pie...in fact, I wish I could have more of right now. (It seems to me that they also make key lime pie and cheesecake, which happen to be my favorite pie and cake. I wonder if they are better than Steve's Key Lime or Eileen's Cheesecake?)

Anyway, after pie and drinks, we sat down for some Thai food cooked by Chinese people. Nothing like semi-authentic-Americanized food. I love it! Anyone else find it interesting how Chinese people have "restaurants" (I use quotation marks because some of them can hardly be called restaurants) in all sorts of cuisines? Japanese, Thai, Mexican, and even Chinese. I guess it's all about what sells, and at this point, Chinese food has become such a cheap food that there's no margin in it anymore. But with places like Go Sushi (the one in Murray Hill has Chinese people in it) serving fast food sushi, will Japanese be the next food to become cheap? What's next? I'm waiting for the day that Chinese people open up a soul food or Ethiopian establishment.

I seem to be going off on tangents today, but dinner was good, the pie was excellent, and it after-dinner conversation was very interesting, to say the least. Happy 31st birthday Yvan. Damn, that's old.

The aforementioned sour cream apple walnut pie.

It seems like I'm not a big fan of flash either.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 9:15 AM

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"on one's birthday, who doesn't love a little pussy? happy birthday jeannie. love, tony." (at el rey del sol)

happy birthday jeannette! also on this day, joan cusack, mc lyte, and...luke perry!! i can't really write more right now for some other reasons, but happy birthday!

read what else happened on this day in history here.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 10:19 AM

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today is kim's birthday...i would put a picture up, but she doesn't let me take pictures of her. oh, the stories i could tell, but as a wise man once said, "we all have stories." anyway, there were a lot of famous people born today too, including many pretty women (besides kim, of course). the list of people (with the women interspersed) includes gore vidal, chubby checker, dave winfield, tommy lee, clive owen, gwen stefani, janel moloney, kevin richardson, neve campbell, india arie, and shannyn sossamon. long list, i know. to see what else happened today, read here.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 10:58 AM

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**note: i should wait until the morning to write this, but i think i'll be okay (hmm, maybe not, i just typed plau instead of okay).**

since yesterday was amy's birthday, a bunch of her friends went to frank for dinner. it was an excellent meal, especially the steak dish. not sure what it was called, but it was great (i do have a predisposed love of beef though). after dinner, we decided to go to blue and gold, which brought back a lot of memories from summers during college through 2001. good times, good times.

amy and me at dinner. yeah, i don't know what's up with my eye.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 12:30 AM

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today is amy's birthday. woo! i should stop with these birthday things. who reads them? and if i forget, then i'm probably in big trouble, right? anyway...also born today were david souter, rita rudner, and vinnie from naughty by nature. the late john ritter was also born today. he would have been 55. what a tragedy.

also today was my favorite civil war battle, the battle of antietam. it still is the bloodiest day in u.s. military history, with 23,100 people killed or injured. man, this post has turned morbid.

see what else happened on september 17th. perhaps there will be pictures of a birthday celebration later.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 2:40 PM

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today is rachelle's birthday. she turns 28, which is 3 years closer to 30 than me. oooh, there are other birthdays today too...sid caesar, david steele of the fine young cannibals (i remember them from like 6th grade or something), everybody's favorite thug basketball player, latrell sprewell, jonathan taylor thomas, and pink! okay, not a spectacular list, but it's rachelle's birthday.

today is also the day that the dutch handed new amsterdam to the british, who then named it...new york. see other happenings here.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 10:04 AM

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today is my buddy tom's birthday. he is now 25 as well...all downhill to 30 from here. so sad. also today, is richard gere's birthday. not that i like gere or anything, but tom and i both loved his ex-wife cindy crawford back in the day.

see what else happened today here.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 7:21 PM

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today is the birthday of crayola! it's a pretty momentous occasion, if you ask me. 100 years ago today, the crayola brand was born. according to the crayola site, the name comes from "craie," the french word for "chalk," and "ola," for "oleaginous," or "oily." back in 1903, there were 8 colors (black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, violet, yellow, all of which are still in the 8 color box) that sold for 5¢, now, there are 120 colors available.

i wonder what percentage of people in the united states has used a crayon. it has to be really high, since they are relatively cheap and readily available.

the original box of crayola crayons.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 9:13 AM

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today is my buddy john's birthday. i swear, freshman year of college, we came up with more nicknames for john than we knew what to do with. one of my favorites (read one of the few that i can mention here without him getting mad) was "the last don." see what else happened on this day here. and thanks for the update on the news thursday.

john, in june, representin' "the lou". he is like nelly in so many ways. i count one.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 12:56 AM

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today is calvin's birthday. he has now joined closer to 30 than 20 crowd. it's so sad. also born today was herbert hoover, antonio banderas, patti austin, rosanna arquette, and the state of missouri. see what else happened today here.

last night, a bunch of people gathered to celebrate calvin's birthday at ace bar (he loves the attention). here are some photos from the night...

me thinks i need a haircut...or not.

jp, calvin, tien - one of many birthday shots for both birthday boys (aug. 9th for jp, the 10th for calvin).

sas, tien - "oh my, what have they done?!?"

calvin showing off his pool prowess, or lack there of. he had a few too many to drink.

further evidence of calvin's alcohol intake.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 5:20 PM

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today is abby's turn for a birthday. i can't say that i've known abby too long, but oh how we have progressed...wink wink, nudge nudge, hubba hubba. she's also in a band that i've seen a fair amount (i hope she doesn't consider me a groupie or anything).

if you want to (and why wouldn't you), check out this post to download some songs.

also born on this date was charlize theron (soooo hot!), newman from seinfeld, and bruce dickinson from iron maiden. actually, a lot of musicians were born today.

see what happened on this day in history and who else was born today here.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 10:27 AM

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in a week filled of birthdays, today is eric's birthday. eric is a friend of mine since birth, our parents were friends before we were born. unfortunately, he lives out in california now, so it's harder to stay in touch, but we see each other whenever he returns to ny.

this day actually has a lot of famous people born on it: lucille ball, david robinson, alfred tennyson, robert mitchum, geri halliwell, andy warhol, soleil moon frye, and more. see more about this day in history here.

mmm...bagel...

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 12:55 PM

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unfortunately (or fortunately), i will never reach the age of 227. i'm at the rents' c-house (c for country). it's not the most quaint country house, in fact, i'm not sure i would call it a country house. it's more of a house that is in pennsylvania. so far today, i have driven around in the family car (not exactly a minivan) and eaten lunch with watermelon after. mmm...watermelon... later there will be steak. nothing like watermelon and steak. gotta love being fed by parents.

out for a drive in this hunk of junk

for more on the history of july 4th, check out the library of congress site here.

also today is the annual nathan's famous fourth of july international hot dog eating contest. the defending champ won for the third time in a row, eating a mere 44 1/2 hot dogs and buns. that is well off his record of 50 1/2. it should be noted that he is only 5'7" and 145 pounds. he beat men and women, some weighing more than 3 times his weight. he finished his first hot dog in 5 seconds and finished 13 in the first 2 minutes.

for more on his feat, read this.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 1:55 PM

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today is my college buddy justin's bday. also on this day, the battle of gettysburg ended. fitting since he is one of the bigger war buffs i know as well as one of the bigger michigan fans i know. also born today, tom cruise, star of my favorite movie, top gun. check out what else happened and who else was born today here.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 9:28 AM

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today is carolina's birthday.
there dont seem to be too many famous people born on this day, but carolina was born today, which is all that counts.
check out who else was born on this day here.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 10:39 AM

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my friend mark was born today. check out what else happened on this day in history here.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 7:18 AM

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okay, i'm not going to finish because i dont want to do all that typing, but...happy birthday audrey! your day doesnt have quite as many cool stars as my day, but there are quite a few "stars" that share your day. maybe they will be on next season's "i'm a celebrity, get me out of here." and the "stars" are...judd hirsch, mike love, fabio, terence trent d'arby, bret michaels, mark mcgrath, mark hoppus, will.i.am (some rapper), joseph hahn (the asian dj from linkin park), and ruth bader ginsburg. there are actually a lot of singers on your list, so maybe you are in the wrong profession? there is still time.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 9:36 AM

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thanks to peeps who came out last night. much love.... and now in normal english. thank you to everyone who came out last night. i appreciate it.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 10:41 AM

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because its also michelangelo's birthday today.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 10:17 AM

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the city of toronto (it was york before this day in 1834), alan greenspan, ed mcmahon, michelangelo, cyrano de bergerac savinien, marion "i'm a coke hound" barry, elizabeth barrett browning, mary wilson, rob reiner, tom arnold, d.l. hughley, bubba sparxxx (i think i want to do this to my name - add some x's), shaquille o'neal...and me!
if you want to check out a more comprehensive list and some other news for this day, click here.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 12:25 AM

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damn, way too many birthdays in these months. have i mentioned that before? anyway, happy birthday kim (white)! why white you ask? i have two kims, one yellow, one white. it just makes it easier to distinguish this way. you understand, right?

(yikes, my own bday is soon. i'm going to be 25! gasp. out of the 18-24 age group. ho hum.)

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 12:06 PM

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i tell you, may and june...popular months for baby making back in the late '70s.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays at 9:39 AM

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