Look it!

You AREN'T in Boston anymore! After about 3 days worth of driving cross-country, I guess this sign must have been a godsend... Helped Terri, David, and Andrew move down from Boston over the weekend. Actually, we didn't really "help". They were unpacked by the time Saturday morning rolled around. However, I did have to pleasure/challenge of assembling their stylo-milo IKEA furniture at their apartment.... They were kind enough to pick up a nice PILBO coffee table for us, which we quickly put together on Saturday night.


"Look it!" is my new phrase that i picked up from little Andrew. Technically, "Look it" is used when he picks up his favorite toys/books and shows it off to us. However, over at our non-kid-friendly (dangerous) house, Andrew is more apt to pick up the nearest Dumbell (Yeah, he is a strong kid), glass coaster, screwdriver, etc and proudly show it off to you, smiling, and saying LOOK IT!!! BTW, you don't know how many different ways you can injure yourselves with daily objects in your home until you have kids over!!! Andrew also finds great joy in dragging our space heater by its cord around the living room. Then proceeding to calming and gently wrapping the cord around his father's neck, then really cutely ask for water!.... Look it!

B&B watching the Bryans!

We had a great time watching a World Team Tennis match between the KC Explorers and the Houston Wranglers! The pair of bleacher tickets were courtesy from Kyle and Elaine for my birthday present, and there were certainly one of the best presents i've ever received! As you guys can guys from the subject of this blog, the Bryan brothers, fresh off the Wimbledon Doubles Championship were there last night!
Weather was a little muggy, and our quest to find parking ultimately had a park like 3 blocks away from the courts (Barney Allis Plaza downtown... but we got there just in time to snag some really sweet box seats with this kind of view!
Gotta tell you, they look even taller in person than on tv!
Those Bryan are kinda goofy tho! Some of the players were pretty serious about winning points, and questioning calls ; but they didn't seem to fazed by it all. Maybe they are just taking it easy, or maybe they are just that good ??!! Anywayz, heres a quick shot of them getting ready for their signature chest bump!

Tze versus the Kitchen Faucet

6.30pm - Weds : As I stood over the just opened package that just arrived on my doorstep, I wonder how long it will take me to install this brand spanking new MOEN kitchen faucet that I got from ebay. Hmmm.. Install time, 20 minutes, the instruction says ; plus, the tools it lists I happen to have them all.
7.00pm : I'm lying on my back underneath the sink, and its not a comfortable feeling. I'm beginning to see how it is really tight-quarters in there, and wonder how the BIG plumbers (you know the ones with the butt-cracks) fit themselves under there.
8.00pm : Mutiple attempts at removing the old-nut from the pre-existing faucet are futile. I decide that 20 minutes on the instructions is probably optimistic at best. Then I decide that the problem isn't between the faucet and the floor of the sink, rather i just don't have the right tools.

8.20pm : Just came back from Ace hardware, where i bought a basin-wrench. Yeah... its really cool looking. Other than being really deadly when thrown at someone, its designed to be able to reach through small areas, grab ahold of nuts, and turn them... (Get your minds out of the gutters... you know who you are!).
9.00pm : Theory works better than practical. The basin wrench isn't big enough to grab hold of the nut. I resort to my preferred way of dealing with stress - cursing in hokkien and english....
9.30pm : Attempt to squeeze the rest of my body under the sink, trying to get leverage on "Bob". Yes. I've given it a name. I figure, I might as well get to know him better since I've almost spent an evening with him... Yeesin starts rolling her eyes, she asks me to reason with Bob, maybe he will let go...
10.00pm : Kitchen Faucet - (Bob) - 1, Tze -0. I call it a night.

6.00pm Thursday : I return to do battle with the faucet, this time armed with $50 worth of wrenches, and a larger basin wrench from Ace hardware again...
6.20pm : VOILA!!!!! Bob releases his vise-like grip! We manage to pull out the old offending faucet out... I'm beginning to think that Bob only responds to high-priced tools. He certainly is a classly guy. Regardless, things are certainly starting to looking up!
6.40pm : Or so we thought... Bad news. The old feeder pipes are 2 inches too short to reach the faucet. *DUH* should have checked before I started installing.






7.00pm : Run to the store again. This time purchase 2 faucet hoses, and hope i didn't forget anything else....
7.15pm : Wonder if I should have put pipe tape on the faucet hoses... Too tired to worry about that now. If it leaks later I will know why...We cross our fingers...


7.30pm : Its a beautiful sight. Especially after the blood and the sweat (well mostly sweat, and lots of cursing) that I've been through for the last 24 hours! I'm thinking that they should preface that 20 minute install estimate with a "individual experience may vary significantly, and may take up to 24 hours". But thats just me. Yeesin says that I shouldn't quit my day-job. I protest that my butt-crack will make me the best-looking plumber around... In any case... ITS FINALLY DONE.
8pm: I wash all the dishware that I can get my hands on in the next 2 hours... I just like playing with this new thingy!

Karaoke Night @ Houlihans...

Yep. You read it right. Karaoke night, where people with (and WITHOUT) talent, at differing levels of drunkeness decide that they are the next American Idol!
It all began with a night out for drinks at the local Houlihans at 95th St and Nieman. Around 9.50pm, we strolled in and grabbed a table by the bar. 2 drinks, and barely into a conversation later, it started...........
"WELCOME TO KARAOKE NIGHT AT HOULIHANS!!!" said the MC for the night. *We just rolled our eyes*
We gotta tell you though, it was entertaining in a disturbing kinda way...


In Asian style Karaokes, its pretty obvious to the crowd (and sometimes even to the other establishments in a 1 block radius), that some people shouldn't quit their day jobs, or even pick up the microphones for that matter!
Now, Houlihans had some semblance of talent yesterday, albeit in my opinion Country and Death Metal Rock can sometimes be hard to sing to....

The crowd, on the other hand, was just as entertaining. Maybe its a monday night thing, or maybe its just a "karaoke-attracts-the-weirdest-crowd" thing... There was this couple that at least had to drive 2 hours out from the boonies to get here. Picture Santa Claus in pink sleveless shirt and cutoff jeans, being held up with suspenders.... Yep, he had a little smell going on with him too, and loves to dance the jig to all kinds of songs. And yes, he loves to do that 2 feet from your face.... ;) "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" We had a GREAT TIME!

The Pilgrimage

Here we are at the holiest site in YS's shopping sites...the place has the trifecta of style,price, and of course size (or rather a seemingly unbelieveable selection of size 5s). Payless shoes has that magical way of lighting up her eyes everytime we are here... Maybe its the simultaneous joy of finding a set that she loves...but having to agonize over what color... To me... They look all alike.. But while i'm only a dude,at least a can tell the difference between a slingback, a mule and a peeptoe!