tontek's Xanga

10 questions...

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:46:31 GMT

nice summary of what's going on with me....
if you're bored, let me know what's going on with you by filling out this short survey!

1. Places I want to visit for next year:

Korea, Chile, and UK

2. Favorite show at the moment:

Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Heroes, 30 Rock, Entourage, The office, and Fringe

3. Last good movie you remember:

Dark Knight

4. Last good meal:

Momofuku Ko

5. Something “cool” you’ve bought recently:

Navy blue Adidas soccer socks.

6. Something you want to buy:

Air jacket for iphone.

7. Recent outdoor activity:

Playing my semi final game for office soccer team at Chelsea Piers....we lost 1-3. I suck at goalie.

8. Things you dislike at the moment:

Rain, Working late hours at the office, pants that are too long, loud drunks on the train, spoiled food, scabs, and being late to places.

9. Things you like at the moment:

Japanese food, Vietnamese deli sandwiches, Soccer, Tax free shoes and clothes, new season of TV shows, Taking Mondays off of work, coworkers, Dove chocolate, and new interesting friends.

10. Things you’re looking forward to:

Starting new season of soccer, going to Chicago in October, Starting redeemer beta group (sg), and the holidays!

a good day... a productive day

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:29:23 GMT

So I had a day off yesterday due to my hard work and long hours last week… There is nothing like taking a Monday off and looking forward to a 4 day work week. For those of you working, I know you COMPLETELY feel me on this. I wanted to recount my day yesterday to let you know a typical day in NYC…and how much fun I had and how productive I was.

8:00am: I wake up earlier than I normally do for work and see that my roommate made breakfast! A fancy Japanese egg thing which I ate with yummy spicy squid Korean dish (banchan) and rice. I could tell it was already going to be a good day. =)

9:00am: Play with Natto (my roommate’s dog) for 45mins or so…which involves me lying on the couch and scratching his belly (he loves that).

9:45am: Take a nap on the couch while scratching Natto

10:45am: Wake up and take a ride on motorcycle and to get my new storage/parking spot for motorcycle. Got my sweet new parking in a new building about 8 blocks away…I hope to meet other bikers who park there.

12:30pm: Walk to my dry cleaners to pick up my clothes… awful pain in my fingers as I carry my huge load of clothes back home.

1:00pm: Chill at home for a bit since its too hot outside…debate if I should do laundry…I don’t do laundry…I read my roommate’s nymagazine….

2:30pm: Walk natto in the blazing hot weather… be disgusted by picking up his hot poopy.

3:00pm: Head out to Chinatown for lunch… I get my fried rice noodle with 2 chicken wings for $2.50. Only in Chinatown!

3:30pm: Shop in SoHo for a while. Brought my camera to take photos but realize I FORGOT my memory card at home!!!

5:00pm: Sit and relax in Nolita for a while

5:30pm: Take 6 train up to Upper east side to look for some new glasses….the store I was planning to go to recommended by NY magazine is no longer in business!! Dang it… at least I got to walk around the neighborhood and explore

6:00pm: Head down to East Village to set up hair cut appointment at a place recommended by roommate at couple of coworkers. I hope hair mates do an amazing job for the price they will charge.

6:30pm: Head down to Century 21 (discount department store) to pick up a couple of dress shirts for work.

7:00pm: Head back over to SoHo to pick up a couple of things I needed to get

8:00pm: Check out Italian street fest going on and eat some great mango and lemon Italian ice

8:30pm: Meet up with roommate in Chinatown to eat some decent Pho….still haven’t found a GREAT Pho place in NY yet….

9:30pm: Walk up to East Village to get some dessert from well known Dessert Truck…my milk chocolate mousse w/ peanut butter and caramel popcorn was awesome! & I finish half of my roommate’s bread pudding…. I really feel like I need to work out after all that food….

10:00pm: Get home and look for flights back to Chicago for Oct. 17^th-19^th….I book it for $290…expense yes…but all worth it to see friends getting married and spend time with family and friends.

12:20am: SLEEP!

That’s my day!!

back to shape!!!!

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:27:31 GMT

So in my futile effort to try and get back into shape I went bicycle riding today....Probably one of the best/worst rides I've had in a long time. My destination from Brooklyn was to Central park in manhattan... The 8.6 mile ride there was okay... the 6.1 mile ride around the park was AMAZING! No cars and wide open road with only bicyclists, runners, and rollerbladers. You instantly forget that your are in the city and trekking through the ups, downs, and curves of the road was pure pleasure. Going up the hills got me at some points but, for the most part I was in a good rhythm...

I made the mistake of taking a break after the great ride and my muscles were pretty frozen up...I guess I could've taken the train home with my bike but............I didn't want to be a wuss! Oh man, going up the willamsburg bridge was pure torture and I thought it would never end!!!!! AND on top of that I kept thinking about theresa's friend who got attacked by some kids at the bottom of the bridge when he was coming down with his bike. I probably would've just sat there limp as they ran off with my bike.... good thing I made it back in one piece. So a total of 23.3 miles....decent.

Other than that, I've been trying to play soccer twice a week at Chelsea piers @ pier 40. I joined my firm's soccer team and I realize I am HORRIBLE at soccer... I get tired after 5 minutes of running so, they stuck me at goalie and I've let about a dozen goals pass me in 1.5 games....wow I suck. I'm only proud of my one goal in my first game..yiyea!!! I give mad respect to pro soccer players and all those amazing players I've been seeing out there.

oh yeah btw, my team's record is 0-4 please pray for us.....=(

So I guess I'll try to find new things to keep me active...If anyone else has some good tips for incorporating a workout for someone who works full time and is too cheap to get a gym membership, please help me out...thanks!!!

annoyed...

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:58:27 GMT

So I had my first long day of work today. Stayed at work until maybe midnight and then took the train home. It was weird because for the last 30 minutes at work I was trying to finish something and 4 of my coworkers are standing around me watching me finish what I'm doing b/c they felt bad if they left the office before all the work was done. Some serious pressure when they make a comment on every move I make on the computer. I felt retarded or something....
otherwise work has been okay...fairly slow. I'm looking forward to practicing with my office soccer team tomorrow.

SO after my retarded session at work, I waited for the N train in the sauna-like train station and then took the L train home. When I was approaching my apartment I saw a kid that looked like they were taking a piss on our building...which I guess was not a big deal to me. But then I saw this other kid (his friend) walking back to his car with what looked like a motorcycle cover. MY MOTORCYCLE COVER!! So, I had to run toward this kid to grab my cover and say "that's mine" and all he had to say was "sorry sir." I didn't say anything else and went back to secure my cover and try to lock it down with my krypto lock. BUT as I was doing that some other people from my building who I didn't know saw me and whispered to her friend "should I call the cops?" I had to explain the story... and no big deal.

Whats with all the activity at 1AM?? and wow what coincidence that I got home as they were about to steal my cover.... I hope my motorcycle will still be there in the morning.... stupid hoodrats, what am I going to do about them!!

so this is why I'm annoyed tonight.......

the life in nyc...

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:11:22 GMT

It has officially been two weeks since I moved to NYC. Here are some hard facts....

1. I have a solid 30 minute commute door to door. From Bushwick Brooklyn to Midtown manhattan. It beats my 1hr commute in Chicago! works it eself is okay....I have a nice view of the west side....
I've put my architecture skills from last 4 yrs of work to put this diagram together...

2. I've eaten pizza 4 times since I got here...they were all awesome. Brooklyn style still rocks.
3. I've eaten Korean food for lunch almost everyday at lunch (I'm in heaven). Benefit of having work close to Koreatown.
4. My roommate has a super cute awesome dog named natto. only dog I know with a facebook profile...

5. I have two roommates who are fun and awesome to live with. Jee soo on the left and michelle in the middle and the enormous sized head on the right.

6. I still don't know how to cook
7. I have yet to ride my own motorcycle around nyc. I know...I know this weekend...
8. I spent my birthday hangin with roommates and two other friends eating great thai food at Won dee's in Hell's kitchen, dessert at a quaint bakery near there, and topped it off accidentally seeing fireworks in central park. nice.
9. I need to exercise to burn off all the crazy food I'm eating.
10. It rocks livingin NYC. I'm loving it and having a great time.

I need to take more picture with my normal camera...but here are some from last weekend....

I'm officially in love with this album...

its finally here!!

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:30:51 GMT

forget the iphone release next month...this is what I've been waiting for.... finally here!!! officially the most downloaded program in a 24hr period. get it...get it!

the journey...

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:56:12 GMT

Okay so I'm finally trying to catch up on my blogs and stuff now that I'm finally getting settled here in ny....

I have to say that I own way too much stuff. Packing was a nightmare and considering that I packed everything all on my own and packed the minivan I rented all on my own...it was a miracle that I made it here to ny. wow. I need to start throwing away more stuff!!!   BUT, before I left on my journey to NY with my cousin, the focus group for my church had a going away/fun get together at McCormick and Schmicks for their happy hour special....yassa!

it felt like it was the first time that entire focus group just got together to have fun and hang out...or maybe I just missed out on a bunch... I will REALLY miss you guys.

SO we left on our journey this same night after dinner/after more packing/more last minute prep...at 1:30am to try and make it to Brooklyn by 6pmISH....15 hr drive . Driving through the night sucks....too bad I had the first leg of the drive.

despite driving most of the trip, all I gotta say that the toyota sienna is one sweet minivan.

Once we made it here to nyc, it was just pretty much unpacking unpacking, buying stuff from target, ikea craziness, and FOOD.
Brooklyn style pizza rocks!!!!!
New york style pizza tastes like same old...
Hipster pizza from Roberta's is eclectic and delicious.
PETER LUGER'S STEAKHOUSE HAS OFFICIALLY ROCKED MY WORLD.
I have to officially say to everyone in the world that it is the best steak I've ever eaten in the world. Sorry capital grill delmonico steak.

sizzling oil and crazy hot plate....porterhouse mixed with a bit of filet mignon.   oh so good.

Other things on our agenda were to take a one night trip to Boston on Harley motorcycles....oh man....good and bad. Good thing is that we got to try harley's....bad thing is that suspensions sucked! it took us 8hrs to get there due to traffic (normally 4hr drive). and we found out later that we weren't suppose to go faster than 60mph on harley's. We were pretty much holding on to the handle bars for our deal lives going WAY to fast........
I can safely say I probably won't buy a harley....although the sportster (top) was tempting.....

I think I'm still sore from that trip....maybe its just from all the moving too...I'm tired.   I'll have to talk about my first couple of days of work next time....

and last but not least....my 3 roommates rock. rock!

the process...

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:26:18 GMT

So pretty much the last couple of weeks has been a little crazy with the whole move and all. The closer it gets to the actually move date next wednesday June 11th, the more I'm getting excited about it. I've had some sad moments already like me selling my baby!

Selling my car was a very sentimental moment for me...not sure exactly why. Did I really love that car? Is it possible to? not sure but, as I was taking the CDs out of the car cd player, I got a little emotional. More emotional maybe as I was handing over my keys to the Carmax people... I guess I'll just stick to the bike thing for now in NY.

Besides selling my car, I had my last day of work in Chicago last week and had my farewell lunch at my all-to-favorite japanese restaurant called Ginza. This week was SUPPOSE to be for packing and throwing away stuff BUT, i think it mainly ended up being catching up on Lost, The Office, and 30 Rock. Its pretty much been a giant checklist of stuff to take care of and do. I spent freagin' 8hrs looking for a rental minivan to drive to NY for less than $400...normally one way rental to there is $1000!?!? what the.... on top of that trying to ship my bike out there, looking for new bed mattress, and buying laptop from craigslist almost seemed like a part time job to me...so much effort and labor involved. arg... at least I came out with relatively cheap shipping, a nice memory mattress, and a practically new fully loaded dell m1530 laptop....shaweet.

Most of all, I've been really enjoying the farewell lunch/dinners that has been occuring as I get ready to go... Just meeting up and talking & enjoying good food has been just a huge treat for me. Everything from my last dimsum chinatown meal to quick little lunch in Evanston with friends has been awesome. Yeah the free meals are nice too...DUDE I'm unemployed...haha

Here is my dimsum crew...Without them I would never be able to order and eat the lotus leaf rice thing. you guys rock. & lastly, chicken feet is NOT cool.

trying out the coast...

Wed, 21 May 2008 04:17:58 GMT

The last few weeks has been a whirlwind of "stuff" going on and new developments going on in my life. For the first time today I convinced myself finally that I AM actually moving to NYC. Something about myself kept saying that I'm still not 100% sure since everything isn't figured out yet. Although everything isn't figured out yet, I now know MENTALLY that I am leaving Chicago for 2+ years to live in Brooklyn and to work in Manhattan.
We had a nice time during small group today to share about whats going on with our lives and it was refreshing to openly share about some thoughts and prayer requests for this big transition. I really need God's wisdom when I move so that I will not make foolish decisions and not fall in my faith....here is a verse from today's small group...Please pray for me.

17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. James 3:17

Its a bit strange how you look at things differently when you know that you won't be around it anymore...Everything I look at or do, I feel like I'm going to miss it.... family, friends, The Chicago skyline as I drive into the city, eating lunch at Ginza, meeting with small group on Tuesdays, hmcc, Bowling with friends and coworkers, commuting on the CTA, driving down lakeshore drive, lake michigan, birthday dinners....just a bunch of random things... I grew up here. This is my hometown. I know I'll miss it for sure. I know I'll miss the people the most. Please come visit ANYTIME!

structural art?

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:40:16 GMT

I took this on Houston st. and Broadway in NYC and it is a weird case of architecture, structure, and art blending together. In this instance the artist seems to have embraced the structure of the building and extended the beams from the building but at the same time making them look like columns from a plan view. Its a nice even grid but, not sure if it represents the actual structural grid inside the building ...regardless Pretty cool and pretty interesting.