How I Met Your Mother series finale

i had no intention of writing a blog post about the series finale of How I Met Your Mother but following the last episode, i feel compelled to. i mean i spent nine years watching these people, causing me to become attached to the characters as if they're people i know. sounds crazy but i know you know what i mean. first it was FRIENDS and now HIMYM. who is going to fill this void for the next decade? it's the end of an era!!

this is not thought out, so i'm just going to write it in the manner of free writing. there were a lot of theories thrown about the internets and blogosphere about the series ending. the two main ones were that 1) the mother is dead and that's why Ted's telling the story to his children and that if #1 is true then 2) Robin and Ted finally become Robin & Ted for the duration of the rest of their lives. in the last five minutes of the series we find that both of these theories have proven to be true. when i first heard about the idea of the Mother being dead, i didn't care for it much but it also didn't bother me. sure, of course after having lost your mother you'd want to hear about her life. it's the second one i was a little more iffy on. admittedly, after maybe the second or third time Ted realized he was still in love with Robin, i wanted the show to call it quits on the two of them potentially ending up together. especially after Robin got together with Barney, broke up, made up and they then got engaged, it almost seemed incestuous that Ted should want to be with Robin anymore. the moment the kids shouted that "the reason why you're telling us this story isn't because you want to talk about how you met mom, it's because you want to be with Aunt Robin," i felt an immediate disappointment. but after a little denial and banter between Ted and his kids, i began to accept it and in the final scene where Ted shows up at Robin's apartment with the blue french horn, i found myself fully embracing the idea again. it was a supremely cheesy way of ending the series exactly the way it began but y'know what? there's a lot of cheesiness in that show which probably has a lot to do with why i loved it so much. and while it was definitely a cheese-filled ending, it also was a good representation of reality between friends and relationships. Marshall and Lily are to become parents to their third child and Marshall finally gets his turn at being judge (Judge Fudge) before he runs for Supreme Court. Barney and Robin end up getting divorced after three years, which seems sad and was difficult but at the end of the day they just weren't meant to be together. Barney goes back to his old ways until he father's a little baby girl. upon seeing her he falls madly in love and declares that from that moment on everything he does and has is for her. ironic, huh? and a very sweet way to show you that at the end of the day he does value at least one female in his life. Ted found someone who he truly loved and got to have children but sometimes sickness and death approaches and you have to move forward. he then fiiiiinally ends up with Robin. varying experiences and outcomes. i wasn't sure that i was going to like the last episode. the whole ninth season was located in Farhampton, an unfamiliar place which makes the audience feel slightly uneasy considering that for eight years we've mostly seen them at the apartment, MacLarens, or Ranjit's vehicle of choice per episode. it was pretty disappointing that we were transported to another place for the duration of nearly a whole season, which took place over the course of one weekend and culminated into Robin and Barney's wedding, only for them to get divorced in the finale. i'm really happy that the final episode was filmed mostly at the apartment and at MacLarens to make the audience feel like we were leaving in comfort knowing that their friendships are solid and to a degree things will always bring them together. i think the final episode was smart. it delved into the complications and realities of relationships but at the end it made you feel like everybody was going to be okay. what a fucking roller coaster of emotions! but that's life right?

happiness is...

someone once asked me what my perfect day would consist of. my answer was "time with friends and family, delicious eats, something active that i enjoy, and lots of laughter." it was a pretty simple, genuine answer i think. there isn't anything more that i need to keep me happy. this week i was graced with all of those things over and over again to a point of almost maximum capacity. most weeks are pretty great but this one was particularly stellar! 

here are just some pieces of the week! 

-----you guys already know that we had a bachelorette party for Muri in Vegas with a bunch of friends but my coworkers weren't able to attend that so we decided to have a second, more relaxing bachelorette party for her in Napa. Ruby, Natasha, Lindsay and i planned a day of good eats, soothing spa treatments and champagne tastings to celebrate the bride before her big day arrives. 

Ruby, Jenna, Natasha, Lindsay, Muri.

we're missing Lorraine who couldn't make it but was definitely there with us in our minds and in spirit. missed you, chick!

delicious brunch and boozy mimosas (tomatoey vodka for Lindsay...) at Mustards 

warm chocolate hazelnut truffle tart with espresso ice cream, caramel sauce and praline.

get this!!! so...damn...good! 

on our way to get rubbed down! ;)

we got our relaxing massages, scrubs and facials at Mais Oui in downtown Napa. this place is a small house that was converted into a "spa." they were able to do all five of us at the same time, which was super convenient. unfortunately (or fortunately?? haha) some of us shared rooms and got to know each other a little more than anticipated. 

next stop was champagne tasting at Mumm! Jenna, a friend of ours, was able to set us up at a table with a great view of the vineyard. as a result of her awesomeness we also got some special treatment as far as extra courtesy and bonus tastings that were very much appreciated and also provided us with a nice buzz for the evening. the people at Mumm are so nice and welcoming, i definitely recommend it as a tasting stop while in the Napa Valley area!...not to mention the delicious bubblies!

nice view, right? if it weren't gloomy out we would've had the doors opened or better yet, been sat outside. but no complaints, i'm pretty sure this was the best seat in the house.

just the beginning

everybody minus Lindsay, who was busy pumping milk in the car for her brand new baby who was patiently waiting at home for mom. maybe that was TMI but what's done is done. also, this will explain the next picture a little better.

probably more TMI...long story short, Lindsay's milk got on my hand and this is my 'what the what' just friggin' happened expression. never in my life did i expect to have something that was just moments before in my friend all of a sudden on me. 

note to self: stay away from things that have recently detached from your friend's nipples. 

dinner and drinks at Morimoto. we splurged and stuffed ourselves with delicious things like bone marrow, sashimi, pork ribs, toro tartare, duck confit fried rice, hamachi tacos and the morimoto sashimi. but i think the winners were definitely the uni carbonara and the marinated dumplings with crispy pig ears. what a rich, delicious meal!

Morimoto sashimi

marinated dumplings with crispy pig ears

uni carbonara

sad that Lorraine couldn't join us, we tried to include her in a photo.

we finished the night off with fresh made-to-order donuts at Boon Fly Cafe and called it a night.

------earlier in the week my friend Meiche announced via group text that she was engaged and getting married on Friday to her boyfriend fiance, Victor. she's in Hawaii so she live streamed their very intimate wedding for friends and family who are elsewhere in the world to, in a sense, partake in their big day. to make it even more eventful, i gathered some friends over for a pizza viewing party. we had a very relaxed and hilarious (because my friends are funny/entertaining) "reception" before the actual viewing. we facetimed a couple of our other friends who are out of town to join us in the wedding festivities. it's sort of fascinating how technology can bring people together for things like this nowadays. quite amazing actually. 

congrats Meiche and Victor and the family you've built together!

we celebrated by cheersing with apple cider and also took the opportunity to celebrate Kris' 30th birthday with cake! happy 30th Special Friend!! love you endlessly!

-----late night shenanigans with my favorite Metro "Italian" Vietnamese! 

him: what are you doing tonight?

me: i'm out with some guy but what's up? i'll leave soon and meet you after! 

this meant drinks, gross food at Lori's and a memorable encounter between his friend and some woman who i vividly remember hearing say "no, i have no desire to speak with you at this moment!" damn, i wonder what he said/did to her in the past to make her so sternly object to any slight communication with him.

-----hopped on my bike for the first time in a verrrrrry long time (over a year) and it felt just as awesome as i remember it. i can't wait to get back on my Dolce regularly and frequent rides in Marin. there's something about the wind sifting through your hair, the accomplishment of a climb, the rush of a descend and being able to visibly see the distance you've covered that makes cycling one of my favorite past, present and future activities. i mean, i could do without the gnats flying in my face but otherwise it's an awesome way to spend time. 

my Specialized Dolce sport

-----you guys, i think i've found my new favorite comedian next to Louis CK!! a friend, Jon, invited me to Cobb's with an extra ticket to see Chris D'Elia this past thursday and i shit you not, i did not stop laughing for the duration of his full set. if you know me well you know that it takes some serious wit to make me truly laugh. there wasn't one thing he said that didn't have me stretching my mouth from ear to ear and convulsing like a person during seizure in a never ending bout of laughter. okay that might be a slight exaggeration but not by much. i saw him at the Oddball Tour last year and thought he was pretty damn great but the set he did at Cobb's was by far one of the best comedy shows i've ever been to. aahhh to laugh is to live!

watch his bit on church here! SO funny! but wait...if you're sensitive on that subject then maybe don't watch it. or do, but don't blame me! i gave you fair enough warning. 

such a fulfilling week! =)

the time a patient made me cry

when your heart takes over your mind

i hate to say it but when you work with patients day in and day out you sort of build a numbness to some of the things you see and experience. they are in physical pain or they are frustrated for whatever reason. they're sad because of a diagnosis or they are lethargic and fatigued and there's no telling why. you sympathize for them and understand what they must be feeling or going through, but you can't get too caught up in it because you've also got a job to do. while your compassionate side wants to console people and allow them to express their thoughts and talk to you so you may gather an understanding about the person you're taking care of, the show must go on. there's a balance that needs to be met requiring you to distance yourself enough from the person to get the exam done but also make them feel like they're being cared for physically and mentally. over years spent figuring it out, you get to be pretty good at this. while i work with patients with full intention of taking into consideration their thoughts, feelings and pains, it's rare that my interactions with them stick with me after the day is done (unless you've read my facebook posts and it was a comical interaction. those stick with me forever!). in a non-cold hearted, healthcare-worker way, i'm trying to say that sympathy is frequent but empathy sometimes lacks.

but not the other day...

i had a short interaction with a patient that left me with tears in my eyes and a memory i won't forget. he was an old gentleman, around his early 80's. he came to the department with blood shot eyes and a sad look on his face. i was to do a CT scan on his head because someone reasoned that he had an altered level of consciousness and they wanted to rule out a bleed or some other explaination for the difference they saw in him. after addressing him and telling him what we were going to do, we had this exchange...

patient: something's not right
me: that's why you're here. hopefully we can get to the bottom of it.
patient: the bottom of it is that my wife isn't here anymore

good god! with those few words along with tears in his eyes, i could feel the agony he was experiencing. my heart strings were yanked at an incredible rate and i found myself shedding a few tears alongside him. i rubbed his shoulder a bit and told him that i was sorry about his wife and that i couldn't imagine what a love loss so grande might feel like. i would bet that he was right. if others noticed a change in his attention span or responses with people, it's likely that he's suffering from the greatest form of heartache and doesn't know how to function without her. we've all experienced heart pains, right? but when you've shared decades with a person and suddenly they've disappeared, you can imagine their demeanor is going to drastically change. poor guy. his heart took over his mind. i really hope that he can find happiness again. i'll never forget how quickly i empathized with him. that quick interaction is going to be a lasting memory for me. 

Muri's RATCHETlorette

Karl is getting Muri'd (Karl is getting married to Muri) in less than a couple months! we celebrated with her bachelorette party in Vegas (as most do!) and dubbed it a RATCHETlorette because well...it seems that word has become quite popular and fitting for how people are "supposed" to act in Vegas. responsibilities go out the door and debauchery ensues. classy in life, ratchet for the weekend. though i wouldn't say anybody in this group of girls could ever really be considered ratchet. we're too old for that. fun times were had though! here's a snippet into the weekend...

ironic. the only reason why she could even hop into the heel is because she's wearing flats.

outside of Marquee with these pretty ladies

what a beautiful blushing pre-bride! errrrr maybe it's more like she makes people blush with those girls all out. haha!

someone made it rain on Muri and then promptly took the money back. what can i say? the chinese don't just give away their money.

what guys think girls do during sleepovers, minus the pillow fight.

we all took a shot at being reeeeaaaaally awesome (in the most comical way) on that pole. twerk attempts and endless pole fails.

#sexyFAIL #aintnoworriesKarl #nobodywantsthat

dinner at Olives with a great view of the Bellagio fountain, which also resulted in sprinkles every fifteen minutes.

daaaaamn! Special Friend lookin' all model hot.

girls, girls, girls! 

yep, i'm already in my foldable flats. told you it was a ratchetlorette. just living up to the weekend's motto. 

aliment

aliment is a no frills establishment. i would consider the decor simple and crisp. the host and server were friendly and genuine. this leads me to believe that they just want the food to speak for itself (which it does)!   I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here and encourage anybody who just wants a good meal to find their way there!

fried brussel sprouts with fish sauce caramel. nori. sesame seeds.

caramelized fish sauce? really? i honestly wasn't sure what to expect with this but i figured that screwing up brussel sprouts would be a pretty hard task, so we gave it a go. lemme tell you, these guys were so tasty! the caramelized fish sauce gave it a familiar sweetness that matched well with the bitter brussel sprout leaves. surprisingly the best dish of the night! i was popping these in my mouth like they were candy!

seared diver scallops. crispy red quinoa. green thai curry. pickled shallots.

hearty portioned, well cooked, fresh scallops in earthy curry. no complaints here!

burger on brioche. bacon jam. white cheddar aioli.

the burger itself was pretty salty however it was balanced by the bun which was extra sweet. the bread almost tasted more like a hawaiian sweet roll than a buttery brioche. overall, the flavors all worked well together. the fries look to be of the kennebec variety, which usually come pretty crispy but these were almost soggy. not a problem for me, as i actually prefer soggy fries.

braised short rib. broccoli di ciccio. turnip graten

a simply good short rib dish. it's hard to go wrong with short rib.

flour + water

Flour + Water, an Italian restaurant known for pasta and pizza (but what Italian restaurant isn't?). it's definitely on the pricier side for small plates of pasta and thin slices of pizza. while we all know that pasta dough and pizza dough is essentially just flour + water, it's almost a slap in the face deliberately noting upon entry of the restaurant that you are about to pay a hefty amount of money for something that's base is flour (cheap) and water (cheap...monetarily anyway. right now with this lack of rain California is having, it's scarcity increases it's value otherwise). still, people flock to this place (myself included) but why? welllll, because it's delicious! i can only speak for the pasta as that's all i've tried thus far but every dish i had was excellent. the pasta is masterfully crafted and cooked to a perfect al dente. dressed with varying compliments to the pastas, there's something for everybody to like.

side note: can i just say that i get that Italian restaurants want to be authentic and use the correct terminology for their pastas but seriously, it's impossible to get a good grasp on  what these words indicate. howsabout using parenthesis under the ever-so-hard-to-decipher names with words like 'ravioli-ish,' 'maggot shaped,' or 'cone shaped,' hmm? 

romanesco cappalletti with anchovies, capers and garlic

the pasta is delicate and fragile forming a pocket holding the light pillow of romanesco. you definitely have to like the unique tastes of capers and anchovies to enjoy this dish. good thing i do!

cavattelli with lamb ragu, egg yolk, mint and breadcrumbs

hearty and deep in flavor, this is a verrrry rich pasta. the mint cuts through it a bit but maybe not quite enough. the texture of the pasta itself provides for a nice chew and the breadcrumbs give it a good dash of crunch. i will say that i am not a fan of the visual element of the shape of pasta. sooooorta looks like maggots, no? 

cappellacci dei briganti with hen polpettini and puntarelle

light little cones of pasta served with hen meatballs and mushrooms. a solid, simple dish. 

1601 Kitchen & Bar

sooo you're looking for a nice place to take someone to dinner but are tired of all of the 'californian' cuisine that has taken over San Francisco? need something a little different? how about Sri Lankan? now thaaat's different, right? but i can't actually promise that you'll feel it's strayed away from the whole 'californian' thing too much. they still present dishes with that certain type of plating of which i just can't pinpoint what exaaaaactly makes it look 'californian,' but it's there. and also, to my knowledge they use pretty local and fresh ingredients with the farm to table concept. still, how many times can you say you've had Sri Lankan? i know i've never had it prior to the other day. i made reservations without really looking into the restaurant very much aside from the high rating they have on yelp. when i realized it was Sri Lankan i was unsure about how i'd receive it because i feel like embarking in a Sri Lankan meal requires a certain mood. the spices are bold and the flavors distinct so you almost have to be prepared for it. i'm happy to report that i was oh so very pleasantly surprised with my experience. the food was delicious and the spices weren't too overpowering. the ambiance was nice and the service was well paced (though they did come to refill our water a few too many times. like, it's cool if my glass is only 3/4 full, guys.). definitely find your way there if you're looking for something a little more unique! 

poached octopus with iced tomato chutney and amaranth 

yum! they prepared the octopus just right with just enough bite and no excessive chew. this was served extra cold with the tomato granita. refreshing and tasty.

halibut "ceviche". coconut milk and serrano chilies.

this seemed like it was salt cured. matched with the cool creamy coconut milk and heat from the serrano chilies, this was a well balanced dish. i loooooved this! 

egg hopper, Jidori egg. sambols.

this was suuuper different! it's like a crisp crepe with an egg baked (medium) inside. you mix up the sambols (carmelized onion, coconut and red chili flakes) to place on top. we cut it into three servings and sort of folded it over to make quesadilla triangles. there was something homey about this dish but also very unique and different. a definite must for something new!

lamb and pork meatballs. Sri Lankan cinnamon, cilantro-almond relish and Straus yogurt

holy yum these were good! there was just enough gamy lambness so that you knew it was a significant component to the dish but it wasn't overpowering. the almonds added another dimension to the dish with some very welcomed texture. 

sturgeon. black curry. crispy maitake mushroom. red basmati rice

cooked well and pretty tasty. this dish sort of had the least amount of "pow" but provided for a nice change in pace with all of the heavily spiced dishes. 

bavette steak with coriander and roasted shallots

a simply well cooked, flavorful steak dish. 

chocolate custard with toasted curry and coconut lace cookie

decadent and smooth. you can only really have a couple of bites. the lace cookie was a bit too crystallized for my liking but it provided for a nice end to the meal.