FLIP + CHING

I’d Like to Stay 33 Forever

Posted on October 30, 2010 by Ching under Life.

Brian and I had joked about throwing me a surprise birthday party this year. However, I’m a control freak so it ended up not being a surprise party. I wanted to pick the entertainment and help with the planning and everything. So we just had a regular party instead. It was a great excuse to get everyone together.

I got this idea from a friend to have Virginia Williams perform. She is simply amazing, and I can listen to her for hours and hours. Except, most of her songs make me want to cry. I think maybe we’ll hire a karaoke DJ for the next party instead. Except, Brian absolutely hates karaoke. LOL.

I think one of the coolest but most awkward moments of the evening was when Virginia asked me to sit on her lap while she sang Happy Birthday a la Marilyn Monroe. Virginia has this sensual way about her… For a brief moment, I almost forgot my sexual orientation. LOL.

Doug and Tammy Nixon, Jim Zachary, Melanie McMillan, Roy and Bonnie Hull

Roy and Bonnie were the best-dressed couple of the evening. Actually, they’re always the best-dressed couple at every event I’ve ever seen them in. They’re just cool like that. They’re my idols. 😉

Misty and Jeanne

With Jenni (left) and Vivian (right)

With Sunny Wylde

Somehow Tallboy is still almost taller than me kneeling down…

Kathy, Sunny and Kurt

With Mom, Tita Esper and Janet

The Nixons

Our best buds April, Becca, Chad and Jay

Mike took most of the pictures and videos…

I think Becca really liked my Sangria. I think everyone liked my Sangria, actually, because there was nothing left. Darcy and Bobbie drank the last of it. 🙂

Armando Allison, Jennifer Teves, Jenni and Me

Because we’re nerds, we ended up playing Guitar Hero in the theater room after everyone left. The theater room actually saw a lot of action that night. I heard there was a couple (who shall remain nameless) who got caught making out. 😉

More pictures here…

3 Comments

My First “Smash” Cake

Posted on October 30, 2010 by Ching under Babies, Poker.

Since I turned 33 this year and we’re both poker nerds, we decided to get a “Pocket 3s” birthday cake. For those of you who are unfamiliar with our poker lingo, a pair of 3s is also called Ponderosa, which is why we came up with the title “Ponderosa Party” for the event.

The term “Ponderosa” for pocket 3s was actually coined about six years ago back when Brandon and LeBlanc used to live at Ponderosa Apartments down the street from T-Mobile. It was funny because we’d squeeze 30+ people into their one bedroom apartments. For seating, they’d roll a couple of the round tables from the T-Mobile break room and borrow some of the break room chairs as well. Whenever we were done, we’d return them so that things were back to normal the next day and no one would be the wiser. Although, I suspect that a couple of chairs got misplaced and didn’t make it back.

At these poker games at Brandon’s or at LeBlanc’s (whoever was hosting that night), pocket 3s seemed to always win no matter what they were up against. I’d lost count of how many times pocket 3s cracked aces by making a set or straight or flush. Since they always won at the Ponderosa Apartment poker games, we dubbed the hand “Ponderosa.” Whenever a 3 would fall on the river to make a set, we called it a “Natural Ponderosa.”

I had never had a “smash” cake before. I was only introduced to it this year when Brian and I attended Gavin’s first birthday. I think it’s a recent invention. Basically, you have the regular cake that everyone eats and then you have a smaller cake for the baby to “smash” — so to speak. Gavin is a little more sophisticated, though. He refused to “smash” his little cake with is hands. It wasn’t until April gave him a spoon that he started attacking it.

My friend Misty said that “smash” cakes are just another way for bake shops to make money. Instead of only buying one cake, parents now have to buy two which translates into more money for the bakery. I think it’s brilliant!

But I digress… We thought it would be funny if my “smash” cake was a 3 on the river for a “Natural Ponderosa.” I don’t think anyone got it except for us poker nerds. It was still funny, though. I loved that my first ever “smash” cake was an homage to the Ponderosa Poker Posse. Those were the days!

2 Comments

Are You Ready for Halloween?

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Ching under Games, Life.

BRIAN: How are you doing the candy?

ME: I figured I’d just let the kids grab candy from the candy bowl.

BRIAN: I wouldn’t do that. They’ll grab a lot and your candy won’t last.

ME: You can be in charge of doling out the candy then.

BRIAN: Haven’t you ever been trick or treating?

ME: No. I grew up in the Philippines remember? We didn’t do any of that when I was growing up.

BRIAN: What did you do for Halloween then?

ME: We went to the cemetery and partied for kalag-kalag.

BRIAN: I like that idea better.

ME: I know. We are cooler than you guys.

I’m kidding. I’m really a big dork. I’m way, way, way nerdier than Brian.

For instance, today when we stopped by Cox Communications to pick up some free passes to Poltergeist on Saturday from @Cox_Will I was really excited because I didn’t just get to meet @Cox_Will for the first time, I also got to meet Joey Shirt.

ME: You’ll never believe who I just met. That was Joey Shirt! He’s @Cox_Will‘s supervisor.

BRIAN: Who?

ME: Joey Shirt! (Brian still had this baffled look on this face.) He used to play with us on Ogame. He played on Red Hot Pawn also. I will never forget him because the first time we played chess together on Red Hot Pawn I checkmated him in six moves.

(I couldn’t beat him anymore after that. I think I just took him by surprise because he didn’t expect me to actually know how to play. He probably underestimated me and was playing too easy.)

BRIAN: What department was he in?

ME: He was in tech support at the time, I think.

BRIAN: That explains it. I didn’t really get to see those guys.

The sad thing is that I think I remember more people from Cox Communications than Brian did — and he’s he one who actually worked there! LOL.

There was a period of two months in 2005 when I was completely consumed by Ogame. I ended up joining the Cable Mafia through Brian and actually leveled up faster than him. Anyway, I got to play with a lot of the Cox folks through that game and found out that some of them played chess also — which is how I ended up on Red Hot Pawn. It’s a convenient way to play chess with other people online.

I find it amusing that I remember all of these people from five years ago that I’d never even met in real life. I just know them through their game handles. I didn’t even know real names. So five years later, I finally get to meet Joey Shirt. And we wouldn’t even have met if it weren’t for @Cox_Will.

This made me realize a couple of things: I’m really, really nerdy and it’s a small, small world! I guess we all already knew that I’m a nerd, but it dawned on me that I’m way nerdier than I originally thought. =P

1 Comment

Got Another FREE House Cleaning Today – FTW!

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Ching under Life.

We had a surprise when we got home from work today.

BRIAN: Sue said there might be an invoice on our counter for house cleaning and to just disregard it.

ME: Huh?

BRIAN: I think they meant to clean 1305 and they cleaned our apartment instead.

Sure enough, there was an invoice for $60 on the counter.

ME: Are you sure we don’t have to pay this?

BRIAN: That’s what she said.

This is the point when I saw the sink, which is empty and shiny. This is embarrassing to admit, but we were lazy last night and hadn’t put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher yet.

ME: OMG, they did our dishes!

We will generally pick up quite a bit, make our bed, put away our bathroom toiletries, make sure there are no dishes in the kitchen sink (dirty or otherwise), and hide all of the sex toys before we have house cleaners come. We didn’t ask for a house cleaning this time, though, so we didn’t expect them to come. Thus, we did none of the pre-house-cleaning-prep that we normally do.

Incidentally, our carpets are noticeably cleaner than they had been. We just had our house cleaned recently, but it was rainy the two days that the Cox guys came and we’d had company and stuff since.

It’s funny how house cleanings usually only last a few days and then you need to do it again. We’d been super busy, though, so we hadn’t had time to clean the house or pick up in the last couple of weeks.

BRIAN: They better not have touched MY TV!

ME: Check the bathroom down here while I go check upstairs.

BRIAN: Wow. They did a better job this time around.

ME: Well, the first time was a freebie. If they’re charging people, they better do a good job. It’s still cheaper than the $90 that Darcy pays each time she gets her place cleaned, though. LOL.

Darcy gets her downtown penthouse bachelorette pad at The Rumley cleaned every two weeks to the tune of $180 a month. She’s living the high life! Not for long, though. She just bought a house so she’s leaving Old Town to move to “the ‘burbs” (or so she calls it) next month.

BRIAN: They made our bed! And, they folded your clothes!

ME: They even dusted this time. Nice!

We’re back downstairs again.

BRIAN: Okay, they didn’t really do the dishes. They’re still stinky. I think they just rinsed it out real good.

ME: I guess they just needed to clear the sink so they could clean it.

BRIAN: This isn’t bad for $60.

ME: And we don’t have to pay for it… I love this place!

Comment on This

Fall 2010 Parade of Homes

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Ching under Things to Do, Wishlist.

Brian and I really enjoy the Parade of Homes. It’s like cheap entertainment for us. Misty likes going also, but I don’t know of anyone else who enjoys it as much as we do besides her. Anyway, here are some of the things that I would love for my future house to have… (I can dream, can’t I?)

… an outdoor fireplace and built-in grill …

… a huge bathroom so that I can dance around while I get ready in the morning …

… a large shower that can fit a basketball team, preferably with multiple shower heads so that Brian and I won’t have to fight over who gets the water …

… a large walk-in closet with a built-in shoe cabinet …

… a home theater room with stadium seating …

… a covered deck with a nice view of the lake …

… a large enough living room so that we can have half a dozen guests over to play Rock Band and not feel so crowded …

Brian wants a TV in the shower, but it’s not really a must for me.

I’ll probably never ever ever own the house of my dreams. Oh, well. At least I can live vicariously through the Parade of Homes twice a year. LOL.

Ever since we learned that my friend Misty enjoys checking out the Parade of Homes, the three of us have been going together. She’s just as curious about how the affluent people of Wichita live as we are. =P

Check out Misty and Brian are staring at something below. I don’t know what they are looking at… Probably the manabloc. Brian always likes checking out the utility room in the basement. He fancies himself as some sort of plumbing expert ever since he started working for Viega and he is totally fascinated by the manablocs. LOL.