gotta love mexican parties. last nite i went to one of my student's birthday parties at his house. as usual, it was outdoors with lotsa tables and chairs. they got the music up loud, spongebob everything (tablecloths, napkins, cake, the pinata, balloons), and PLENTY of food. dad is a construction worker and he built a cement pit bbq grill in the ground. and they have a deep fryer, and a brick oven out back! i had two whole plates of half a gaming hen, spanish rice, beans, and macaroni salad. two full plates dood. then i had to have a huge slice of cake (yum!). and then they broke the pinatas and i got all this candy too, as well as candy goodie bags at the end. =p so full.. yet so much fun! i didn't even realize how long i was there for... over 3 hours. i love my kids and their families. =)

speaking of partying... methodology last nite was a great success! it has been the past two months, but last nite's party was an all-around feel-good vibe with lotsa happy conscious folks. different kinda crowd than last time, which was a whole bunch of young 20-somethings getting drunk up the wazoo because birthday boy just turned 21. that was the most we ever made at the bar. last nite was a crowd of organizing folks, from KIWA (korean immigrant workers advocates), Bus Riders Union (Labor/Strategy Center), MIWON (multicultural immigrant workers organizing network), SEACA (southeast asian community alliance), grad students in urban schooling, women studies, etc. and more. these folks know how to party hard, as this was the only time that the place was packed until the very end at 2am. usually folks go home between 1:30-1:45, and the last 20 minutes or so will just be us folks from chinatown collective and close friends. i myself was playing host to many first-timers to methodology, giving them the VIP treatment and buying drinks left and right. rang up a pretty hefty tab, but it was worth it! i just had two drinks and i was GOOD. korean soju, man.... =p

anyway, everyone said the music kicked ass so for all y'all that haven't made it out yet to methodology better try to get yourselves out to the next one! every third saturdays at chow fun restaurant in chinatown. and all the funds go to the youth programming for the chinatown collective for community action! help us help the kids. =) if u want me to email u a flyer with details, just hit me up. and lemme know if you're interested in volunteering for the youth programs which are once a month on a saturday, from 2-5pm. next one up is this saturday. we always need extra help. peace. =)