[MLK Weekend 2005!!!]

MLK Weekend Visuals Ugh� my room needs to be cleaned. I quite possibly had the most awesome weekend of the year (granted that the year has only had three weekends so far) but if this is an indicator of how the rest of the year is going to go� I think I�m in for a lot of fun. Thursday: Had dinner/coffee with CSUN GF Jenn it was great. They opened Red Robin in the Northridge mall so we had that. It was yum! While getting after dinner coffee� Jay called in an attempt to convince me to go to Vegas one more time. The 98ers (well that�s what I call them hehe�) that had bdays in January were heading up. I wasn�t too convinced because it was so last minute� so I told Jay I would think about it. Lemme tell you he had me convinced on Thursday =) but I just wanted to make sure I went with the right person, so when Jenn said that she could go� go we went! =) Friday: Had dinner with the girls for Tammy�s birthday. We went to some Mexican food place in West Hollywood where they kinda recite the menu to you instead of viewing it. The food is not hot but spiccccy. Hehe� I can�t describe it very well, but it was definitely a cool spot to go to. The waiters use these really deep gregarious voices (haha� is that a good description) but anyhow� across at the table next to us was a gentlemen by the name of Chris Pierce and his lawyer and his manager. They were celebrating his album release and doing it in style with lots and lots of margaritas. It was cool. They talked to us a lot and they order us a pitcher of sangrias. At the restaurant they have guitar players walking around asking if you want to hear them play. His lawyer paid for a song, and they asked if he could borrow the guitar to sing with. So right there� in the booth he played his song (which is the song that starts playing on his myspace) Bye Bye Butterfly. He�s Jack Johnsonish, it was really cool. The girls and I thought we could try to catch him perform. Sounds like a good acoustic show. Afterward, we tried to go to Rokkbar (sp?) on Las Palmas and Hollywood Blvd. Very hallywoood not my cup of tea� after some bunkness� we headed over to Boardners (a chiller eventsco spot) and danced a little bit. It was for free and it was fun! They played a lot of cool music too! I�m very animate about the difference between a Filipino club party and an Asian club party. In Asian American Studies standards it�s grouped together, but for clubbing purposes it�s not! There is a big difference, I think at Asian parties they�re big on venue ambiance, but for Filipino clubs� I think it�s all about music and dancing. That�s really fun (I guess because I�m Filipino huh?) Anyhow� rolled into bed around 3AM and when I woke up� DUN DUN DUN� The MLK Weekend Vegas Adventure began! MLK WEEKEND: Jenn is my CSUN GF or� for you new readers� my best gurlfren from college. We have known each other since about sophomore year of college. She was my classmate, my lunch buddy, my venting partner� you name it! We had never gone away on a trip together that was not related to the club we were associated with in college so this was our first spontaneous road trip to anywhere. Like I said earlier� we were going up for a January birthday party. I was a little hesitant to go, but I decided to eventually because this is my last weekend off for a while so I thought might as well make it worth it. Saturday we checked in to our spot off the strip and met up with the 98ers and crew at the Venetian for some food at the Grand Lux. Afterward, we headed over to Bellagio and Light. I had never been clubbing in Vegas, it was my first time! It was a lot of fun� the club was a little on the older side. Def. not one of those Filipino club clubs =) I was dressed to� get in so it wasn�t too comfortable. I need to move at the club. If converse makes heels please let me know! After the club around 2ish everyone decides to head back to their rooms except for Harold, so the three amigos headed over to the Cal Marketplace for their late night specials. Harold, is the only gentleman who is able to invade a CSUN GF outing (many have tried and many have failed) =) So I thought it was funny that we still managed to hang out all three of us in Vegas. Good times� =) We rolled into bed around 4ish back at our place we were staying at� around 8sh� Franny and Mike came from their long drive from SD. It was cool. They slept for a little bit and then we got ready to roll out around noon. We headed to probably the one spot in Vegas that I always have to visit when I go� Bellagio Buffet! It is my favorite� and they serve the best prime rib! I freakin love it� Jenn had never been too so it was cool� the line outside was like Disneyland but it was well worth the wait. Afterward we headed to meet up the crew at the Orleans. The 98ers and crew were there for a while, so I think their gambling was winding down�mine had not start yet so I was ready to roll. After a few hellos and lost money on wheel of fortune slots� I took Jenn to the Pai Gow tables for some gambling fun. She normally doesn�t gamble so she just watched for a while. The Chi wasn�t being too good to me, and I was down 20 bucks when all of a sudden Mr. High Roller (MHR) sits down. A gentleman in his early 30s (who affectionately calls himself papa bear to the dealers and his chips), he�s a regular at the hotel because dealers and bit bosses cater to him instantly. He�s a little obnoxious but really quite witty and funny. He wasn�t dressed nice and well he was like� a little drunk, but he definitely brought the chi to the table. MHR was also playing with 2100 dollars, which totally blew me away. He was very nice to me and Jenn, he paid off my commission and when he saw that Jenn wasn�t playing, he gave her some money to play. After a couple more hands, he asked to bet on my hand, so I let him. He put a 100 chip on a couple of my hands. Some won and some loss. Franny played with us for a while too and he was really nice to her also. Franny and Mike moved to another table and then I decided to take her seat. So now, MHR is sandwiched between me and Jenn. He�s a little more drunk so he�s a little more social. The mood was nice and shoot� he brought the chi so I was up. Jenn sat out for a while and all of a sudden he gave her his change from the commission and told her to play it. So all three of us were playing� he was up and down the whole night. He was the womanizing type but you know� my GF and I don�t play like that. When he did well he asked for kisses from us, but Jenn would say I�m mormon and when he asked for one from me I said I don�t kiss on the first date. He laughed about each comment. When he noticed my chips growing, he tired to shove them onto the betting circle. I was having a heart attack. I told him no. I�m not going to do that� but he insisted on me doing so. It was crazy� my heart was beating so fast, he said If you lose I got you� don�t worry. And well for one thing, this is a drunk stranger who could totally take back his words and say What a sucker� you lost your money. Somehow he convinced me and asked the dealer to count my chips. She said 140 what she had, and he pushed her a black chip and said make it 200 So the first time, we left the stack and I pushed. I was so relieved. I wanted to take it back but he pushed it back. He held my hand and said Don�t worry I got you. Haha� Franny was holding my other hand. When we got our cards� I hit it� 400 bucks!!! We were cheering it was great! He told me to do it one more time� and I lost, he smiled and nonchalantly handed me two black chips� I told you he said� I got you. The whole night he was very nice to us, like he lived at the place. Asked if we wanted food and drinks� the whole nine. He was tipping the dealers 100 bucks, and he was tipping the waitresses 50 buck each time they passed by. They supplied him with cold beer and lots of smiles. Eventually the dealers were getting to us and well somehow� my money turned into $350. MHR had a lady friend come sit next to him. When he lost all his money, no good-byes no nothing� he just walked away and left me and Jenn a lot richer. He forgot that Jenn had some of his money and left her with $140 bucks or so. Awesome! Afterward� we headed to the Wynn to check it out and look at stuff we couldn�t buy with Franny and Mike� then it was back to The Cal for food (again) and for some craps. I left my first love craps for Pai Gow, but craps was good to me at the Cal. Came up another 100 bucks! What a good night! Mike wasn�t doing too well at Pai Gow so I tried to bring him some Chi� he ended up breaking even. Lucky him! The drive there and back had some good convos with Jenn� not that we normally don�t but you know the drive is long, so there�s a lot to talk about =) It was so good going with Jenn! We totally rock! Haha� It was the first time in a long time I hung out with Jenn 4 days in a row post college. It was such and awesome trip and I was glad to spend it with the people that I care about and my favorite friends from college. I rolled in around 6AM and still managed to wake up to hang out with my mom because she was off for MLK. We watched Last Holiday, it was really cute. Tomorrow is my day of birth. Twenty four is my old soul. It�s business as usual with work at UCI and with a fam bam outing for me and Franny�s birthday. Good times as always as long as loved ones are around. More later�