Basketball

Leina played some b-ball on Sunday. They were at a park in Foster City for a picnic, and there were three boys playing around on the court. Somehow, Charles got her to play some pick-up ball while waiting for more people to show up. It was Leina and Charles against the three little boys. She was happy with herself because she made her layups.

Miki's wedding pic

Here is the best photo available from Miki's wedding. Leina is the one with the black hair (pre-haircut) and a black dress.














(since she's the maid of honor, she's the one to the left of the flower)

More visitors

This afternoon Liane and Dom are coming to visit Leina and the family. Leina will have the opportunity to ooh and aah over the rapidly growing little one. But not as much as she'd like, since she has a full time job. Leina is also on call on Friday, meaning that she has to stay within the limits of San Francisco, or so she believes. At least she needs to be able to get to a site "ASAP." Whether it is easier to get to Candlestick from Burlinghame or from Inner Sunset is up for grabs, though.

And Ricca will be back! There is a wedding or something. Plus, it was Ernesto's birthday yesterday, so of course the two of them will be coming up here. Last weekend, it was for work, but this weekend, it is for play. But due to wedding festivities (that she is shockingly not a bridesmaid at, nor even invited), Leina might not see much of them. Liane is taking a redeye home on Saturday night, so perhaps Leina will get out to see them after she leaves. And she is leaving open the possibility of brunch.

Ricca

Ricca was in town this weekend from LA. Leina and she hung out. Ricca left on Saturday night, though, so her flight would be cheaper. After dropping off Rica at the airport, Leina immediately drove down to Foster City to go to the birthday party of a friend of Charles. They went to a Korean restaurant. She promised Tony she'd call because she was pretending that she'd be able to meet him and Erica at Joe's party in Alamo Square later that night, but then she didn't call because who knew that you could spend four hours in a Korean restaurant celebrating someone's birthday?

Haircut

Leina's look has changed! She got a new, short haircut, from her usual Chinese barber who is cheap. Her hair is also dyed! She says her new 'do makes her look like a middle-aged Asian woman... or a Russian. Perhaps she will be photographically captured and this new, bold look will be visible for all readers.

Miki's Wedding

The other day Leina realized that she's been to nine weddings in her life, and of those nine, she participated in seven: She has been a maid of honor thrice, hulaed in one, and baked a wedding cake for one.

The day that Leina had been eagerly but nervously anticipating came and went on Saturday, and after all the preparations and excitement and cookie baking, it was somewhat anticlimactic. Leina organized it so that she and the rest of the bridesmaids would stay with Miki in a hotel the night before, except for the one bridesmaid who volunteered to be the one who didn't. The next day, they got all fancily dressed and went to the wedding. It goes without saying that Leina drove. When the ceremony started, she looked great in her curled hair and long, tight, scrunched velvet dress (only $10 at Jessica McClintock outlet in South San Francisco!). The dress is similar to one Nicole Dare wore to a dance once in high school. She didn't spend hours preparing her speech, and quoted extensively from Khalil Gibran on marriage. Okay, she didn't, but she might have had she thought of it. Perhaps some photos of the event will emerge at a later date.

She has today off, it being Indigeneous Persons' Day, or Italian-American Rememberance of Accidental Genocide or something like that. This morning she was paying bills, and buying X-mas gifts. She also found the time to write Khalil a note about how excited she is about his engagement, and how she is looking forward to attending his wedding and not be in it. He responded that he hoped she would be their flower girl.

Angel Island bidding

Leina, due to the generosity of Mrs. Turner, attended a fancy Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation charity dinner on Friday. She had to wear her glasses because her eyes are irritated and her optometrist said to. She felt like she should give a donation because it was a $175 a plate Chinese banquet feast. Mrs. Turner gave her a wonderful opportunity to donate and gamble at the same time! Leina purchased $60 of raffle tickets, with the potential of winning two Southwest round trip tickets or half price on an Alaska cruise. She didn't.

There was also a silent auction, and Tony made the minimum bid of $100, in Leina's name, on a pair of pretty framed paper kimonos for her bedroom. Expectations were that this bid would be quickly trumped, but ten minutes passed and Leina was still on the hook. She started getting anxious, then ran over scratched out her name, to Tony's dismay, which of course was unnecessary because moments later someone else bid $150.

She enjoyed listening to Leon Panetta, as well as this old Chinese woman Li Keng Wong who wrote a book about passing through the station 70 years ago, and the food, which was served over a looong time, and even didn't mind the sea cucumber which came as the second to last course.