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2009: The Recap

2009 was too good to be true! It's really the easiest way to put it. La Shy Girl and I were blessed with so much this year, it actually feels  a bit unreal. And on a personal level, this is was just a fucking happy year. I was able to achieve so much for myself emotionally that it really feels like 2009 was the first year I actually "got" it. And it feels so, so good.

2009 was the year I got my gall bladder taken out, actually enjoyed baseball, lost my childhood idol, reinforced adult friendships, FINALLY learned to mind my own business, and developed an on-the-road-to-healthy relationship with Brother #1. It was the year I learned that my quiet friends are the ones with a bit of a wild side to them. Most importantly, though, I learned that as long as I allow myself to retain control of any given situation, life can be relatively drama-free. Who knew? 

This year has left me feeling pretty damn good. I look forward to the new year so much. Thank you for stopping by this little site as often or not as you do. I wish you all absolutely nothing but your best for 2010.

  Happy New Year!

2009: The Year In Pictures

                                                   
 

The Five:Best Of 2009 Edition-Movies

Granted, we didn't get out to the movies as much as this year. It just didn't seem like there were enough good movies we wanted to see, so why waste our money? I did, however, truly enjoy the following five movies...

#1 I Love You, Man

Ahh, I just really love this movie. Everyone was really into The Hangover this year, which I thought was hilarious as well. But what that movie lacked for me was heart. And I Love You, Man is nothing if not all heart.  I'm a big fan of Paul Rudd since Clueless and I love Jason Segal, so this movie was right up my alley. This will probably go down as one of my favorites of all time. 

#2 Revolutionary Road

Okay, so technically, this came out late 2008. But we didn't watch it until January...so it's making my list. God, what a heartbreaking movie. Each time I've watched it since, it just lingers in my mind. The thought of watching all your dreams fall apart is just a sucky one. This movie has two of my favorite actors in it and they don't disappoint. Yes, it kinda makes you want to slit your wrists but it's a fantastic film.  

#3 Away We Go

I love this quirky little movie! The cast is perfect...the story is close to my heart. I just love the idea of going in search of "home". This was a really touching movie that I looked forward to for a while and I'm glad it lived up to my expectations.  

#4 Up

Up! Who knew that a Pixar movie could pack so much emotional punch? Poor little Mr. Fredrickson...such a heartbreaking story. Russell's adorable, and Kevin and Dug...you just can't help but to love it! 

#5 Paranormal Activity

Yes, all the movie snobs hated. But I don't give a shit! This movie scared the living crap out of me. And when a movie invades your mind and doesn't let you sleep well for four nights...guess what? It's good! This is one that I will never watch again as I want to preserve the memory of that blissful fear I felt while watching it the first time. Pinche movie, I still get goosebumps just thinking about it! 

Awesome!

The ending is a little weird...but I found this to be quite amusing...

The Five: Best of 2009 Edition-Music

2009 was a good year for music. So many of my favorites brought some of their best shit. Jay-Z finally came out with a good album since coming out of retirement and Maxwell came back in a big way. John Mayer delivered another excellent album as well. On a personal note, this was also the year that produced quite a few songs that La Shy Girl and I actually shared a liking in. This is a rare thing, so to have even like five or six is quite the big deal. Anyway, here are my five favorite songs of the year...

#1. Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys

This one really should've been a given. Yes, it's my favorite rapper and one of my favorite female artists on the same track...but it's more than just that. This whole year was all about New York for me. The disappointment of not going for my 30th birthday. And then the balls-out decision to just go, followed by the planning and the fucking incredible experience of actually experiencing the city for myself. This song will forever hold a special meaning to me. The lyrics...the hook...brilliant. 

#2. Pretty Wings by Maxwell

 

Yo! Some things are worth the wait, indeed. It took this fool seven years to come back with some stuff and to have it been this absolutely beautiful ode to a lost lover allowed fans to forgive and forget that long ass absence. For me it was the return of my favorite artists...truth be told he could've burped his way through a song and I would've loved it just out of sheer happiness to have him back. But this song represented so much more than that. It gave me closure on a relationship that wasn't even mine. It allowed me to give up false hope and just move on. Man, this is one gorgeous song. And because it go so little airplay, it also felt very mine. 

#3. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

  

Admittedly, I had a love/hate relationship with Lady Gaga this year. Her talent is completely undeniable. She is bringing shit to the game that we've never seen or heard. And the songs are good. But I can't get over how over the top she is. However, this song is just absolutely, undeniably, freakin' awesome. From the opening oh oh oh oh's to the impromptu French lesson. I don't even think this was the best song, technically, that she released this year...I guess it's just the one I truly allowed myself to like. I'm afraid there might not be any going back...crazy bitch made me a fan. 

#4. Please Don't Leave Me by Pink

 

I am a long-time Pink fan. I have found her music to be brutally honest and courageous throughout the years. But her last album was written after her split from her husband...and there's nothing I love more than a good break up song. This album was full of them. None though, I loved as much as I love "Please Don't Leave Me." No song has ever described a crazy, out of control, dysfunctional relationship as beautifully as Pink manages to do so. Oh, the pleading tone in her voice just gets me. Such vulnerability. I love it. 

#5. Just Breathe by Pearl Jam

 

I am a complete sucker for a good love song. I would've never expected such a breathtakingly  (no pun intended) awesome one from Pearl Jam. From the minute I heard this song...I had no doubt that somehow Eddie Vedder had gotten into my head and extracted this song. If I had been blessed with song-writing talents, this is the type of song I could only hope to have written. The lyrics are splendid. You hear the music, you hear the words...but you feel LOVE. Simply put...Eddie Vedder has written MY song. 

The Five: Best of 2009 Edition-TV

2009 was the year I let go of so many television shows. I was watching TV just to watch. However, that doesn't mean that I didn't continue to watch some of my favorites. Some of those were better than others. And as much as I tried to hold on to some of my old favorites like The Office, I just found myself losing interest. Anyway, here are my favorite five shows of the year...

#1. Dexter

For real...this show just keeps getting better. Season 4 was a complete nail biter the whole way through. The addition of John Lithgow as The Trinity Killer was absolutely genius. That motherfucker was creepy. So creepy that he made Dexter seem like a fucking innocent little man. Week after week, this show kept me on the edge of my seat. And the final episode of the season...my God, it doesn't get any better than that!! Best writers on any freakin' show, I tell you. I just about shit myself during that final scene. I cannot wait until the next season! 

#2. Glee

Ahh Glee, how I love thee! Yes, this is probably THE cheesiest show on TV...but it has so much heart. Even though each of the characters represents the epitome of every high school character cliche (the jock, the nerd, the overachiever, etc.) they still manage to give them each unique story lines. Obviously, what makes the show is the music. It's fun to see which songs they throw in to help move each episode's story along. I absolutely love this show. 

#3. Weeds

Weeds just keeps getting more and more silly and urealistic...and that's the beauty of it. This season Nancy got married to a Mexican drug lord, gave birth to his child, narrowly escaped death and watched her teenage son kill some crazy bitch with a croquet mallet. And that was just Nancy's shit!  Every episode of season 5 left you needing to pick up your jaw off the floor. There were so many crazy turns throughout. And it's so fun to see some great Mexican actors thrown in the mix. Good shit. 

#4. How I Met Your Mother

This is still my sentimental favorite. Just when the whole Ted finding the mom thing was getting a bit tedious, the writers allowed Barney to take center stage. And it has paid off. The show has gotten a breath of fresh air and my favorite characters on TV are starting to get more comfortable with their "adult" lives. Yes, the show has seen better days...but you can't help but to love the characters. 

#5. Modern Family

Way to bring back the family comedy! Holy shit this show is funny. Dysfunction has never made you laugh so much. I tell you, I have enjoyed this show so much. The characters, although sometimes a bit caricature-like, are so lovable. And kudos to the producers for finally finding the perfect project for Sofia Vergara.   

Chino And The City: Farewell

Got up on our last half-day in the City to discover the most beautiful day. The sun was shining, the snow had melted...it wasn't fair! 

We did some last minute souvenir shopping and then began our journey back to JFK.

You know, it wasn't the sights...I've seen Times Square, Rockefeller Plaza, etc. God knows how many times on TV. It was just the City itself. There is such an incredible energy there. This was hands down, without a doubt, the best experience of my life. I had built up so many expectations in my head. I was afraid that New York could not live up to them...she only exceeded them.  What a magnificent place! On the real. This will go down as one of the most defining moments in my life. 

I left with this drive to do even the impossible to assure that we go back regularly. Words alone cannot describe how much I loved New York. 

A major Big-Up's to La Shy Girl for making this happen. Big Up's to The Brothers for driving us to and from LAX. And Big-Up's to all of you who put up with me talking about the trip prior to. 

Chino And The City: Day 5

Day 5 weather was not kind to us. It poured ALL day. We began our day with re-visiting the world's largest Macy's. It was much less crowded today so were able to move around more. But the damn place was still quite overwhelming. Where do you start? Where do you look? Once we had our fill, we again braved the elements. Despite the weather, we were still pretty determined to go out with a bang, so we held tight to our umbrellas, hopped on a subway and headed to Chelsea. La Shy Girl had seen a restaurant called the Shake Shack on the Food Network a while back and she really wanted to check it out. We found it and enjoyed some seriously good cheeseburgers and some of the absolute best french fries I've ever had. All seating is outdoors so it was quite complicated to eat while trying to hold on to your umbrella. The Shake Shack is located right in Madison Square Park, which is inhabited by a shit-load of squirrels, which have overcome any fear of humans. They come pretty damn close to you trying to get at your food. 

So after lunch we try and find the 40/40 club. I figured it's happy hour somewhere and it was never too early to enjoy a drink. Fail. The joint was closed. And the hours weren't posted anywhere, so we had no indication of when to come back. Plus, it was cold, rainy, and windy. At this point our feet were soaked and the idea of waiting around was not  a realistic one. 

We walked around a bit more, allowed ourselves to get lost and then finally had to go and get out of our wet clothes. Once we were nice and dry, we crossed the street and went into a bar called "Social." Bars in New York are not much different than those in L.A. Except everyone's hair is a bit darker. Still, I finally got to hang out in a New York bar. 

So, Day 5 was kind of a bummer because of the weather. Thank God we had already seen everything we wanted. Otherwise, it really would have sucked. 

Here are some pictures from Day 5:

Check out the escalators at Macy's...

 

Seriously, 9 floors...

Madison Square Garden...

The wet City...

 T

The Shake Shack...

 

The pinche 40/40 Club...

The Wifey...

Unsuccessfully tried to convince La Shy Girl to let me stay for this...

Chino And The City: Day 4

Hello Everyone! Hope you all had a nice Christmas. I have to say that I had by far, way far, the best Christmas I’ve had my entire life. Christmas in New York has just been the most incredible experience for me. We allowed ourselves to sleep in, which was quite nice. We didn’t want to rush today…we took it nice and easy. Took a subway to China Town and Little Italy. China Town is just like every other mini China you see in every other city. You got the ducks hanging from the windows, fish swimming in tanks and people hocking loogies left and right. So gross. China Town was not my favorite.

But I fell in love with Little Italy. What a sweet little place! We found a little dessert place called Caffe Palermo who claimed to have the best Cannoli on Planet Earth. Now, I’ve never had Cannoli before, so I have nothing to compare it to…but HOLY SHIT! I have never had anything more delicious! That was some of the best shit I’ve ever eaten. Trust me…I know sweets.

After Little Italy, we got back on a Subway and headed back to Central Park to do some ice skating…except the wait was like two hours long and we had tickets for In The Heights for later that night. So we trekked over to Rockefeller Plaza to see if we could get in there. What the fuck , though? It was like everyone on the island of Manhattan decided to be at the same place at the same time. You couldn’t even move, there were so many people there. Of course, we beat it out of there as soon as we could. We decided, we’d give it another shot tomorrow.

After feeling slightly defeated, we headed back to the hotel, and started getting ready for our nice night out. When we tried leaving the hotel, we realized that the rain had started coming down. La Shy Girl was in a dress and heels. We borrowed umbrellas from the front desk and walked to dinner at a little Vietnamese place called Saigon. Once again, the food was amazing.

After dinner, we walked over to the Richard Rodgers theatre to watch In The Heights. What a great show that was! It certainly wasn’t the best I’ve ever seen, but it was quite good, nonetheless. After the show, we had some drinks at our hotel bar. (Most of the bars in our area were closed because of the holiday. Plus, we didn’t want to keep walking around in the rain.)

Tonight was the night, I realized New York is just on another level. This city is just fucking amazing. Many people say they love it here but could never actually live here. I could. I would live here in a heartbeat. This was the night where a fire was lit under me. I realize I have to take care of some business in order to keep coming back here. The closer I get to Sunday (and leaving) the more I realize I don’t want to leave. I love it TOO much.

Anyway, here are some pictures from day 4:

China Town...

Little Italy...

This is the cannoli place...
 

And the best thing I've ever eaten...

Waiting for the train...

By the "Friends" fountain. I think...

Back in Central Park...

Ha! Someone actually let Ashlee Simpson on Broadway...

On our way out to dinner and a show...

The theatre...

My poor, freezing wife...

Day 4 was too good to be true. I don't want this to end!

Chino And The City: Day 3

Day three and the lack of sleep, the time change and the running around finally caught up with us! We were very, very tired. We got up, got on the subway and headed to the Bronx. Yup, we rode the 6 train. We had found this restaurant online called Brisas Del Caribe, which is supposed to be in Jennifer Lopez's old neighborhood and according to the website, she still visits frequently. I don't know if it's true, but it was some good shit. The waitresses were quite entertaining and kept us laughing the whole time. We then got on another subway train and went to see Yankee Stadium. I only wish we could've gone in...oh, well. We then found a Target nearby and I was kinda excited to check it out. I tell you...it's Target that unites East Coast and West Coast. It was just like being home. We walked around the Bronx for a while longer. I have to say...Manhattan gives you a sense of fantasy...it is really beautiful. But the Bronx is pretty dope too. So much culture! And the people speak awesome Spanish.

After the Bronx, we got on yet another train and got to the Brooklyn Bridge. We walked across and explored Brooklyn Heights. Officially decided that we will live there one day. I loved Brooklyn. We got a little lost trying to find Grimaldi's pizza. Everyone kept telling us to look for the line. Indeed, we had read that you usually have to wait in line for like 2 hours to finally get in. Thank God we went on Christmas Eve because we walked right in. Seriously...the pizza was incredible. Good stuff. And I felt like I was in the company of the Godfather...seriously. The owner is this big Italian guy that greets from the back of the restaurant and yells out where you should sit. And he never leaves his table. I kinda felt like I should kiss his hand before leaving...I felt very safe in his presence.

We got back on  a train and got to SoHo. La Shy Girl had a good time. We kinda went into Little China until we decided we had had enough. We were tired. So we got on the final train of the night and got back to the hotel where I proceeded to knock the fuck out.

Here are some pics from Day 3:

On the subway on route to the Bronx...

At one point, we were the only ones on the train...

Enjoying some Puerto Rican food...

Yankee Stadium...

The Bronx...

 They  really love their Yankees...

Getting to Brooklyn...

Our future building...

Grimaldi's...

 
  Yeah, we took care of  business...

Yup, day three was a good day!