so i went to a friend's b-day bbq yesterday...thank God it didn't rain...it was suppose to! it was my first time going to a bbq in here where i didn't have to buy or prepare anything at all...i usually do most of the work out of my group of friends...not that i mind, but it's kind of nice being able to just chill and relax, enjoy the food and chat with friends for once. this was b/c the bbq i went to, i only knew the b-day boy and the people i came in a car with...so i was like a guest there amongst the b-day boy's friends. there were so much food and drinks...it must have taken them a long time to prepare!
the b-day boy told me that this chief prepared all the food downstarirs, so my friends and i went down to meet the great cook...when i first saw him...i was thinking...he looks so familiar...but i didn't know where i've seen him at. then someone mentioned his name...and i was thinking, he can't be one of my co-workers at the japanese restaurant i used to work at in ohio...he'd recognize me if it was really him, and he'd probably say hi. then we went upstairs, and i was telling my friends my thoughts...then when the chief came up, he came over and chatted with us...then one of my friends asked the chief "did you used to work in ohio?" and the chief was like "wheret?" then i said "soho!" then he immediately said pointed at me and said "karen!" wow...what a small world...i can't believe i'd see someone i used to work with in ohio, at a friends place 2yrs later. i asked him if he moved to ny, and he was like "i'm from ny!" go figure...i should've known...a lot of people are from ny who worked at soho. i asked the chief why he didn't say hi to me, and he was like "i wasn't sure if it was you or not." how funny huh? i'd have to say, his food was pretty awesome! and the drinks was really good as well.
after eating, we played some group games...i don't know where the host of the game got the ideas from...but the games i've played were games i've never played before...all really fun. i'd have to say, this was the best bbq i've been to this summer! enjoy the pics!

i went to volunteer for the china earthquake today in chinatown. we're asking people for donation...i love to volunteer...especially with friends and co-workers. it's always a lot of fun...and i feel good about myself afterwards.
so many people donated money. there were lots of 100 dollar bills inside the big water jar we used for the donation. many people also wrote checks...and when we said "thanks" to people who've donated money, many of their response were "don't thank me, i should be donating" or "it's my obligation!" hearing that from people is really humbling. but seriously, they don't have to donate...it's out of their free will and ability. people don't realize that it doesn't matter if they donate a dollar or 10,000 dollars, it's the thought that counts...just because you've donated more doesn't make you a better person! There was an older man who wrote a check for $200,000 yesterday...no joke! we're all like "wow!" then, there was another guy who was like "i was gonna donate a million dollars, but i lost a lot of money gambling...so i can only donate a dollar!" and he wrote a check for a dollar and asked for a receipt for tax deduction...this was the funniest story i've heard yesterday!
i got on the japanese news station (NHK) tonight! they're there the whole time i was there, and the broadcaster came and asked if we can speak english...we were speaking in chinese before. i told her yeah, and asked if she can do a live interview with me at 7pm...it was 5pm at the time. i told her "sure!" and she told me that she's gonna do a few rehearsals with me around 6pm. i was thinking...rehearsals for live tv?! i've always thought that it's without any rehearsal for live news...but i guess i was wrong. another person from the news crew asked me to say what i'm gonna say on tv to her, and she was like..."you can say this, but don't say that...etc." i didn't realize that they had to filter out stuff they don't want to air...not like i was saying anything bad...and she was like "you should keep it short since the whole interview should be less than 2min!" now i know what all goes in a short 2min news interview...lots of practice! good thing i took acting classes before...j/k! i only did skits! there were a lot of people watching on the side though...as if we're making a movie. good thing i wasn't camera shy when the live interview started. i think i've overcome my fear of being in front of the camera!
all of my co-workers were like "now you're famous! um...sure...in japan, where nobody knows who i am! it's my second time on tv...it's a neat experience, i'd have to say!