FLIP + CHING

Brew Ha-Ha 2015

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Ching under Events.

Brian and I had a blast hanging out with coworkers and friends at the ninth annual Brew Ha-Ha event at Flint Hills National a couple of weeks ago. There were a couple of extra tickets because Lacie didn’t end up going so Darcy’s whole team got to go this year.

Here’s a photo of Brian with Darcy’s team member Josh and his partner Alicia.

Here’s the menu along with the list of beer and wine pairings.

Brian and I paid extra to get the commemorative wine snob tumblers. I’ll have to remember to bring a purse next year because toting around our beer mugs and wine tumblers was a bit tricky.

This was everyone’s favorite food item.

Our obligatory party bus selfie.

There was a car accident at the Flint Hills National entrance so we got stuck on the bus while the driver had to figure out another way back to the lodges. Thankfully, there was plenty of beer on the bus so, while we were missing out on food and the rest of the party, we didn’t get to miss out on beer drinking. Brian and Derek both showed off their pole-dancing skills. I didn’t get a photo of Derek, though. I only have this one of Brian.

Here’s a picture of the great-looking CRC group.

Brian and I left earlier than usual this year. I didn’t bring a jacket and it was a little chilly outside. We normally stay all the way to the end to claim our silent auction winnings but I got outbid on several things and assumed I didn’t win anything. However, I actually did win something.

I got a call from Shelly while I was in Topeka this week. I took a vacation day today to take care of errands so I stopped by the Big Brothers Big Sisters office this morning to pay for and claim my silent auction basket.

Among my silent auction goodies is $70 to Pinot’s Palette so there’s painting event in my future. Anyone else want to go?

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Birthday Dinner at Sabor

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Ching under Events.

Here are some pictures from our most recent dinner at Sabor.

Thanks to all of our goofy friends who joined us for dinner.

We are so busy that we rarely ever get to see these guys anymore.

Here are some pictures of delicious food.

Afterwards some of us walked over to Oeno for some Latin dancing.

Some of us even went all out and donned masquerade masks.

And, I got to break in my Sneaky Cards game by using a couple of cards including the “selfie with a stranger” card. See below. I have no idea who this man is but he was super nice and gracious about doing the selfie. However, I think he and his female dinner companion found me a bit odd.

Here’s to another fun-filled and memorable year!

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Home Away From Home

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Ching under Travel.

Hyatt Place Topeka has quickly turned into my home away from home. Been staying here for days at a time as I work on my new project assignment. It’s not the greatest hotel in terms of how comfortable the bed is and how clean the rooms are but the staff members are friendly and they’re starting to get to know me. I think that counts for a lot. Unless the place is absolutely gross like that time that Carmen and I got stranded in Atlanta and had to stay at that terrible hotel, I think I’m pretty tolerant of minor misgivings.

Anyway, the Hyatt Place does some pretty cool stuff. For instance, they had a staff pumpkin carving/decorating contest over Halloween. The staff members got really creative. Here are some photos of their unique designs.

I actually voted for the towering cupcake pumpkin one.

There were actually two winners. The witch and the cupcake tied for first place. What do you guys think? Which one is your favorite?

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Juli’s Coffee & Bistro

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.

I found a great place to eat while I’m in Topeka, Juli’s Coffee & Bistro. It’s just across from our Topeka office on 8th Street. I eat there almost everyday, whenever there’s enough time to grab lunch.

It’s got unique decor and really cool ambiance.

Even their salt and pepper shakers are cute. There are different ones at each table.

And, they serve breakfast and lunch.

Here are some pictures of food from Juli’s.

I would have more pictures of food except most of the time I’m grabbing my food to go and eating while I work. As you can see from my parking voucher below, ten-hour days are not unusual. I think we’ve had a couple of thirteen-hour days already so ten hours is about average.

I’m still straddling my regular job and my role in the CIS project right now so I’m kind of doing my old work while I’m working on the project. Fridays are pretty much dedicated to getting caught up on what’s happening with the Customer Relations Center, and training my coworkers and team members who have been gracious enough to take care of some of my duties while I work on the CIS project. I’m finally at a point where my major responsibilities are covered so I can start focusing most of my attention on the project.

I’ve been spending most of the week (Monday through Thursday) in our Topeka office. While I’m starting to get used to driving from Wichita to Topeka, I’m not really fond of driving so I’m glad I found a place within walking distance of the office that serves great food. I highly recommend Juli’s if you’re ever in downtown Topeka.

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Pictures from the Boo and Brew Ball

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Ching under Events.

The Boo and Brew Ball was fantastic. It’s a benefit for Dress for Success Wichita which is in its 14th year. Dress for Success helps impoverished women break the cycle of poverty by providing women with professional attire to wear to job interviews, guidance through the career center, job training, and employment retention support programs.

This was our first year attending Boo and Brew. I hope we get invited again next year because it’s not only a great party but it also supports a great cause.

We ran into several people we knew including Aharon (pictured above) and CJ. Also ran into the glamorous Sheona from Backstage Makeup Studio who I met earlier this year when we had our team builder at her shop.

Chef Jason was there also. He offered his services as a live auction item. I think it fetched more than any of the other live auction items that night. Rune won the bidding on that one. I’m too poor to bid on live auction items but I absolutely love the silent auction.

The silent auction is one of my favorite things about these fundraising events. I won two this time around; which reminds me, I still need to call Patton Pest Control and schedule bug extermination service.

Rune’s costume was a big hit. He won a $100 for the best men’s costume. His Darth Vader costume looked so authentic that several people asked to take photos with him.