Stan’s Bloggy Blog Blog

Saturday, February 10th

Year Of The Rat
Chinese New Year Potluck

It’s
Chinese New Year, and it’s the Year of the Rat! Thanks to Jessica, we
had a fun ol’ Chinese New Year’s houseparty/potluck at her condo up in
San Carlos. My contribution: Korea spicy pork. This is the one of the
few times that you’ve seen me cook! Stan Da Iron Chef!!!

 

Stan Da Chinese Iron Chef. I wish I can say I made all that food…

All the delicious foods were mouth-watering, ranging from Eugene’s "habanera/green chilli sausages",
Dan & Sylvia’s beef chow mein, Joey’s red bean cake, and my Costco
lemon cake. Aside from the delicious foods, amazing ballroom dancing
(Ferris & Jessica, Ferris & Pam), and Ferris’ shaking ASSets,
we capped the night off with a fun-filled round of musical chairs,
where, through strategic cheating, I won!!!

 

  The players were: Stan, Ferris, Jeanette, Pam, Joey, and Sylvia. Eugene was our designated music controller.

 

Musical Chairs Extravaganza!!!

Round 1: Freebie round - no one gets kicked out!
Round 2: After a few playful turns, our first victim is Sylvia
Round 3:  Jeanette is the odd person out
Round 4: Pam is now the unlucky one
Round 5: Through a strategic cheat by standing on one of the chairs, I survive, and Ferris beats Joey to the last seat!
Round 6: It’s b/w Ferris and I. After a "ballroom/dance," I emerge the winner!!! King of Musical Chairs!!!

The
coolest part was sharing all the photos and videos on Jessica’s 42"
LCD!!! Nothing beats looking at digital pictures on the large-screen!

 

Never get into a boxing match with girls. They pack a punch!

 

Is that Jessica blushing?

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

   

To see the rest of the photos and videos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/chanfunk/021008ChineseNewYearPotluck

January 12th, 2008:

28+1;
30-1; 21+8. 8th 21st bday. Either way you look at it, I turned 29, one
more year before the BIG 3-0! What better way to celebrate or cry in
anguish, than to spend it with friends. As before, every year, I throw
a big birthday bash, and choose a restaurant that appeals to the all
the hungry stomachs and taste buds of friends and family.

Every
year, dinner is held at ethnic restaurants.  In the past, we’ve had the
exotic spices of Moroccan cuisine, the multi-varied tapas of Cuban
delights (Cha Cha Cha), the endless-meat array of Brazilian buffet @ Cafe de Brasil, the delicious Azian Fuzion variety at Shanghai 1930, and last year’s adventure into Persian  kabob heaven at Deezi Cafe. This year, we went dining (or stuffing) ourselves at Sushi 85, the home of the "All You Can Eat Sushi".

   

This
place was awesome!!! On the 3rd of January (my real bday), some buddies
and I came here to "test" the place out, to see if it was to our
liking. The All-You-Can-Eat-Sushi costs $23/person –> for fresh,
made-on-the-spot sushi, that’s a deal! The sushi menu was HUGE!!!
Instead of the typical nigiri sushi, we were able to order over 40+
sushi rolls! After stuffing myself, I knew this was the place to host
the party at, where everyone can enjoy all sorts of sushi!
    

The
owner set up 2 table areas for 30 people. When I had spoken to the
manager the night before, the deal was that it would be the same
$23/person: 1st round would be sushi combinations set up by the
manager, and then, for the 2nd round, each person would order one roll,
and so forth, till the end of the night. What happened instead was even
better.

After seating everyone, James, the manager, presented me
with a HUGE bottle of saki as a bday present on the house. With so many
people, saki cups quickly ran out, and we used small wine glasses also.
YES! I actually took two shots, which is pretty good for me!

   

Once
the toasts were made, it was time to gorge ourselves on sushi. Instead
of the aforementioned plan, the owner decided he would just feed us
different varieties of sushi throughout the night! For the sushi lover,
this meal was heaven!

 

After
gorging ourselves on rice, fish, and other sushi toppings, we decided
to go to Hue, a Korean Bar in Santa Clara. One bottle of saki wasn’t
enough to quench the "thirst" of this party crowd. Hue is an awesome
Korean Bar, with excellent yogurt soju.
   

It
was great hanging out with great friends and partying the night away.
Also, it was great to see T-Dawg back in the states after a hiatus of
two years in the Motherland. He’s only missed one of my bday parties
ever (last year, while he was in China). So he still has the record for
showing up no matter what. Once, from LA/Las Vegas, and this time - all
the way from China!!! Thanks for making it out to my birthday party
this year, everyone. Also, thanks for all the "houseparty" gifts that
will come handy when I throw a housewarming party at my new pad!

Saturday, June 30th, 2007:

Today was Wedding #4 in the Year 2007! Today, I witnessed the wedding vows of Remo and Susan, two lifelong partners who have been dating for (did I hear it right?) 14 years!!! As far as weddings go, this one was definitely one of the most cultural weddings I’ve ever attended. Being the second Indian wedding I’ve been invited to, I was looking forward to the colorful outfits, food, music, and dancing. It didn’t disappoint. The ceremony and reception all took place inside the humungous Grand Indian Buffet Hall (about 300 guests). There was a large shrine in the middle of the restaurant also! Talk about large scale and grandiose to the extreme! but only the best for my boy, Remo, and his wife, Susan!

The Bride & Groom awaiting wedding vows

The Indian ceremony was quite interesting, as the preacher went through many verses in Hindi. At times, he was chanting (or singing?). While the ceremony was going on, we were all chomping on appetizers. Things were going well, until my curiosity got the better of me and I took a bit of a suspicious-looking fried halepeno. YES! it was a halepeno! Burned my %@#)* off 

Remo looked every bit the Indian King and Susan looked gorgeous in her Indian outfit. A beautiful wedding, this one is going in the books as one to remember.

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007

   

Wedding #3 so far this year. Today, my good friends, Frank Tsai and
Connie Hu got married at the Ritz-Carlton at Half Moon Bay. The
location was beautiful but the drive was "interesting" to say the
least. I was passing through a myriad of cherry orchards, pony rides,
apple groves, ranches, on the way to the Ritz, so I though I was lost
(as always, it seems, when it comes to exotic wedding locales). The
wedding was at 5 pm; I arrived at 4:50 PM, and right behind me, was
Connie, the bride!!! Guess I was on time, afterall

 

 

The
ceremony was held outdoors near the ocean. The view was spectacular,
with the awesome Ritz-Carlton itself as a backdrop. Finally, us guys
could use our suits. The weather was chilly, so the suits definitely
came in handy. Normally, weddings held outside are usually under the
burning sun, so we cook in our suits. This time, it kept us nice and
warm

   

The
reception was held inside the Ritz-Carlton. The food was quite good. We
had a crab bisque soup, scallops and polenta, and an entree of (1)
seabass & (2) fillet mignon!!! Yummy! Grub Grub!! Chow Chow!!! Had
a great time catching up with friends: Jennifer Gih, Jenny Hu, Alan
Ting, Sherry Kim, Anita Suen, Grace –> which made hopping dinner
tables such a joy

   

I
also met my twin (in name): Stanley K. Chan, who happened to be one of
the architects who designed a part of the Ritz-Carlton. That is so
cool. His fiance, Cammy, is an awesome singer, as evident, when I
started playing improv at the piano. I played a Sammi Cheng song while
she sang. They liked my piano playing so much, they want me to play at
their wedding in December! It’d be fun. Always thought it’d be fun to
do.

 

The
entertainment was hilarious and the games were outrageous. I’ve never
seen such creative "games’ played before, during and AFTER the
reception! Anyhow, Wedding #3 was a blast, and I was glad to be a part
of it.

          

                                              Frank gets his groove on!                      Stan re-enacts "Wedding Crashers"

Thursday, May 31st, 2007

Remo’s Last Night Of Freedom
Before Saying
"I DO"

Tonight,
we celebrate Remo’s last nite of freedom before he ties the knot on
Saturday, June 2nd, 2007. After that day,  he will be a married man,
subject to the whims and demands of the "wife."

 

The
gang met up at our new favorite Korean bar: VIP. We just hung out and
talked about the upcoming wedding, which I would not be attending,
because I was going to go to Frank and Connie’s wedding on the same day
at Half Moon Bay. Because Remo is throwing two weddings, I would make
it up by attending the second one. Plus, it’s my favorite style of
wedding: INDIAN STYLE!!!

The
soju and OBE beers were plentiful, and since we ordered so many drinks
(which I only took one shot of), we got free canned peaches and popcorn
on the house! Who would have thought to eat popcorn at a Korean bar!

 

It was really cool to see our boy enjoy himself before his big day!!! Congrats, Remo Deo!!!

All pics can be found @ http://picasaweb.google.com/chanfunk/053107RemoSPreWeddingDrinkUpVIP

Saturday, May 26th, 2007

Today was Chowie & Vi’s wedding at Byington Winery. This is Wedding #2
for 2007. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been almost fourteen
years since I met Chowie way back in high school…a long, long, time
ago, in an academic class level far, far away. Gone are the days of
"Goo mba" and "Mushroom Head" I’m happy for my buddy; he married a
wonderful person, Vi. The wedding took place high up in the Los Gatos
hills. I thought it would be a simple drive, but it was going to be
quite an adventure before I reached my destination.

   

On the way "up" the mountain, I happened to take the wrong turn,
and ended up going up the WRONG side of the mountain. I drove all the
way to the top of the mountain, where the road ended in a dead end! I
tried to back up, but since it was at a steep incline, my car started
turning too early and was on the path to hitting a parked car
perpendicular to the road! I was about a foot from hitting the car
before I braked and put on the emergency brakes   At
this point, my car stalled; I was stuck; I couldn’t move w/out hitting
the car behind me; I was on the wrong side of the mountain; I was at
the top of the friggin’ mountain, out in the boonies; I was going to be
late to the wedding; I was in desperate straits!

I
got out of the car, and tried to look of the owner of the car. Being at
the top of the mountain, the house was isolated. Luckily, I heard
someone in the backyard and let him know I was stuck. The guy was cool.
He laughed and said that I certainly wasn’t the first person to
"trespass" on his property, a lost soul amongst the general civilian
population. After moving his car out of the way, it took a couple tries
before my car started up, and he guided me backwards into the road
ditch, and I was on my way… back down the mountain, and up the OTHER
side. Luckily, I wasn’t the only foolio to get lost; the wedding
actually started an hour AFTER the designated 11 AM scheduled time.
Thank God!!!

The Wedding Party

The
wedding was beautiful! Held outdoors at the top of the mountain, the
view was spectacular. At the end of the ceremony, Chowie and Vi
released doves into the air. I’d never seen that before, so it was
definately something to behold! Afterwards, I had a chance to enjoy
some grand piano playing time.

 

The
wedding dinner reception took place at Grand Palace. This was one of
the most entertaining of weddings based on the "live" entertainment.
There was a live band rocking the night away from beginning to end.
Three vocalists, whom included Vietnamese Michael Jackson. This guy was
hilarious. He danced like MJ and was all over the place, providing many
classic YouTube moments! See below for some guaranteed laughs. The band
and music reminded me the band from Kill Bill.

 

Congrats to a beautiful wedding, Chowie & Vi!!!

PS: The
only thing that really stunk that night was I left my jacket at the
reception. I was out talking with Eric, Victor, Jimmy, and Bee, so I
left my jacket at the dinner table. When I went to get it, it was
GONE!!! I searched all over the restaurant for it, but it was AWOL. I
not only lost my jacket, but also my camera case, the wedding favor,
the polaroid of me, Chowie, and Vi, and most importantly, my car
keys!!! I had to bum a ride with Eric. Got home at 12:30 AM. My dad
drove me back to pick up my cars with the spare keys around 1 AM.
Luckily, it turns out, Vi’s dad had taken my jacket because he thought
I’d left it, so it wasn’t lost in the end. It’s now in the safe hands
of JoMamaFoonga Brian Lee

Enjoy Vietnamese Michael Jackson in action below:

Friday, May 25th, 2007

Went
to the driving range for the first time with Remo, Kinh, Alan, Ernest,
Kevin, Denise. Pretty fun, I have to admit. It looks so easy on TV but
it’s harder in reality. We got about 250 golf balls and starting
swinging, thwacking, batting, and hitting! It sure is a great feeling
when you smack that golf ball hard!

Afterwards, we went to the
brand new HOOTERS in Fremont just to chill. Since Remo is getting
married on June 2nd, I had to subject him to the HOOTERS bachelor
dance. After making Remo wear a napkin and writing "SUCKER" on it, they
proceeded to dance for him, letting him know that he’s giving up
everything great about being single

Decided
to get into the whole YouTube craze and upload videos of myself playing
the piano. Here’s me playing "Kiss The Rain," the title song to a
Korean TV drama that I don’t have the name of. I didn’t have the first
part, so I just started playing in mid-stride. Very beautiful song with
a romantic melody. What do you think?

Stan Da Piano Man - "Kiss The Rain"

Add to My Profile |   More Videos

February 19th, 2007:

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!
A new year, a new beginning, and a new condo!!! I bought a condo today
after much ballyhoo, research, and anticipation. For 2007, my biggest
wish was to purchase property. After a couple months of searching, I
finally made the purchase of the century. Thanks to my good friend,
Remo, he showed me the brand new condos being built by KB Homes right
next to the Great Mall, in Milpitas . Since he’d already bought a 2
bedroom/2 bath condo there, he showed me the plan, and instantly, I
fell in love with it. After going through all the financials and
talking it over with my real estate agent and my parents, I made the
decision to purchase it. It’s right next to Cisco, where I work, so it
provides the best commute!!! No more traffic jams! The condo is 1229
square feet, located on the 5th floor (top floor), overlooks the
courtyard, and is in the corner (neighbors to my left and bottom). It
has a deck without a roof, so I can BBQ to my heart’s content! I’m
pretty excited as this is definately a new beginning! Now, all I have
to do is wait till September, when it’s done building, before I can
move in and throw huge house parties!!!

Happy (Chinese) New Year, indeed!!! I am now a proud homeowner of a brand new KB Homes condo: Luna @ Terra Serena (Serene Land)!!! 

     
KB Homes - Luna @ Terra Serena

January 14th, 2007:

Jenny
& Ray’s wedding was absolutely wonderful. It was quite honestly the
best Chinese wedding I’ve ever been to. It began at at the Valley
Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley and ended up at Dynasty Seafood
Restaurant in Cupertino. The wedding itself was beautiful as Jenny and
Ray are the perfect couple. I loved the music that they chose and the
fact that it was live, piano and harp!

The
reception dinner was huge! 33 tables full of friends and family! I
didn’t realize just how big Dynasty was. Jenny and Ray’s wedding was
huge in itself but on the other wing, there was another wedding almost
as large. In between, there’s a hallway with private rooms for birthday
parties. And coincidentally, my mom and dad were at Dynasty for a bday
party!!! Talk about coincidence! Since my dad knew the restaurant
manager, he was able to score a free Tsingtao for the both of us!
Nothing like drinking with daddy!

The
dinner was excellent and the entertainment was awesome! The live
singers who were hired were probably the best I’ve ever heard at a
wedding. In addition, the wedding games that were played were highly
entertaining. Not only did Jenny and Ray grace us with their "First
Dance," they also sang a Chinese duet!

A beautiful wedding for a good friend, I’m glad I was able partake in their revelry!

Congrats, Jenny & Ray!!!

     
Enjoying a Beer with my Dad!!!