which children's storybook character are you?

i never would have guessed, but i suppose it works.

creative competition

jayville is trying to trick out his blogspot. i've been imming him tips on how to play with photoshop. his design is getting there (and putting this template which i did NOT design to shame). more motivation to do mine for real.

finally getting over my blogging break. i was trying to upload some small pix of my la trip to share about the new places i went to. finally overcame the cranky server problems. it'll be up soon. til then, some new stuff from yesterday...

jumping flea music

sunday i went out to hayward to catch the northern california ukulele festival. wasn't sure if it would be worth my driving all the way out there and paying for admission, but it was a really fun time. i was thinking about getting a decent used uke there, but wasn't feeling impulsive enough.

we were only there for an hour and a half, but the 4 uke acts that we caught were pretty good. we agreed that the second group we saw, a group of four guys (called cous'n nino or something like that) we pretty awesome. imagine kai with a ukelele and guitars. i really liked the first song they played, called drop baby drop.

My heart does the tango, with every little move you make
I love you like a mango, `cause we can make it everyday
I want you to drop baby, drop baby, drop, drop all your love on me
Drop baby, drop baby, drop, drop `cause I'm hungry

these guys harmonized pretty well. suprisingly well. i didn't really have high expectations for them. all you guitar players out there can check out the drop baby drop lyrics and chords. man, i wish i got an avi with my camera of them doing that, but it didn't occur to me to record a movie clip til later. shucks. you can check out the short movie clip i captured of them singing another song tho.

dance of a dream - more mango tango

sun nite i caught the north american premiere of dance of a dream at the sf international film festival. starring andy lau and anita mui. the ending was a little funny, but overall it was a pretty funny, enjoyable movie. especially hillarious was the musical numbers and the techniques that tina shared with kam.

here's the description...
Superstar Andy Lau is Nam Sun, a dance instructor with big dreams but no money, who tangos through the attentions of both a beautiful socialite and a lowly waitress in Hong Kong’s jovial answer to Strictly Ballroom. Lacking the funds to own his own dance studio, Nam meets Tina (Anita Mui, in a long-awaited comeback), a gorgeous new student lonely enough to fall for his charms and rich enough to fund his dreams. Nam’s future as a dancing gigolo gets cloudier, however, when he also catches the eye of Kam (Sandra Ng), a poor waitress who impulsively takes up dancing to be near him. Waltzing from woman to woman, Nam’s monetary melody soon turns into a cacophony, as Tina, Kam and he continue to collide. Light as air and bouncing to its own delirious rhythms, Dance of a Dream is directed with tongue firmly in cheek by a seemingly bemused Andrew Lau (Stormriders). Andy and Anita gleefully send up their own Cantopop images (Lau still fills stadiums with swooning preteen girls, while Mui ruled early ’90s radio waves as Hong Kong’s answer to Madonna), while the scene-stealing Ng here comes into her own with a brilliant,
buoyant performance.

if you missed it at the festival, you can buy the vcd (already) on irving st.

congrats

to cc + af. i knew it was coming soon. i'm sooooo happy for you guys. everyone's growing up and moving on in life.

(i know there will be two more pairs of my friends to announce by the end of next year. it's just the who and when that's still tbd.)

the friday five

1. What are your hobbies?
trying new things and new experiences. comics. drawing and other creative stuff. read the bible. take digital photos.
2. Do you collect anything? If so, what?
comics. (mostly mainstream marvel stuff and artists who i really like.) i also seem to collect a lot of dust on my things.
3. Is there a hobby you're interested in, but just don't have the time/money to do?
i once went kayaking and that was a lot of fun. would like to do try that again. also would love to travel the world. i can't anticipate doing that much too soon unless it were a job that were to take me places. (anyone got a good job like that for me?)
4. Have you ever turned a hobby into a moneymaking opportunity?
i got some small freelance drawing work last year.
5. Besides web-related stuff (burbs, rings, etc.), what clubs do you belong to?
i think that you can consider lumps to be a club (commitment and active involvement to some sort of community).

join the g*dub club

(if you're a recent reader of mine in the past 6 mo, you can catch up on the gw clone saga by reading this and then this.)

yesterday's chat with greg wong #2:

gw: hey did you used to date a rebecca?

othergreg: I dont' think so.
othergreg: no...

gw: hmmm

othergreg: what's her last name?

gw: i got this e-mail from a friend...
gw:
did you have a girlfriend called rebecca? she says she
has an ex-bf called greg wong, who lives in sf, who
graduated from uc berkeley, who has a grandmother, and
who lives in sfo. could that be you!!!? i'm am excited
to know! quick, write back fast on this!

othergreg: I'm pretty sure I didn't
othergreg: HAHAHHAHAHAHAH
othergreg: how funny.
othergreg: are you sure her name is Rebecca?

gw: oh my...maybe there's another one of us.

othergreg: maybe there's another Greg Wong in the city. :-)
othergreg: ahhahahahahhaha
othergreg: we should start a club

gw: the g-dub club
gw: :-)

othergreg: Greg Wong who lives in SF and graduated from Cal club
othergreg: you and I are the only two Gregory Wongs who I know that went to Cal

gw: very strange

hmmm...so is it possible? there's a third gw out there from cal and lives in sf? around the same age too? i better track him down.

othergreg: good talking to you...always interesting to see how our lives mesh with total strangers. :-)

gw: yeah i know
gw: we gotta meet some time
gw: still

othergreg: :-)
othergreg: okay
othergreg: sounds good

(maybe i'll have to change this blog spot one day into the sf/cal gw club page.)

the jaybongee photojam premiere

now playing in a browser near you...
Jason and Greg's Fabuloso LA Bon-Adventure

bandwidth or extreme patience is recommended.

pix and stories to come on this blog. in celebration of this event, comments have been added to this blog. (thank you uigui.net). forthcoming...

- eating at j.lo's hot new restaurant (pasadena)
- an egyptian tomb meets the american garage (l.a.)
- locker check-ins at art center (pasadena)
- dining at the hipster hangout Vida (l.a.)
- scoping the sunset standard of LA nite life (hollywood)
- famous taiwanese dumplings (arcadia)
- beach-side blading (santa monica)
- way cool newsong worship (irvine)
- big-time black bear grubbing (gilroy)

looking for new recommendations on a domain name registration service and options to easily host dns. please let me know!

some preview pix from greg and jason's return to so-cal...

photojam and report on the bon-adventure to come.

a late one. been too busy in la. pix and stories soon.

1. What's your favorite TV show and why?
smallville. it's like superman meets eerie indiana and the x-files, with a lot of dawson's creek in there. (not that i've ever watched dawson's.) i really enjoy the story, since i've read a lot of superman comics, movies and shows. (i used to be really into lois&clark.) yeah, i guess lana's cute (and half-chinese), but that's not the driving reason why i like the show.

2. Who is your favorite television star?
kristin kruek, aka lana.

3. What was your favorite TV show as a child?
spider-man and his amazing friends. (since that was during more of my early childhood than transformers.)

4. What show do you think should have been cancelled by now?
survivor. i don't really care anymore.

5. What new show do you hope escapes the axe this season?
making the band. maybe it's been cancelled already. i don't know.

free jamba

after wandering around for a while, i finally made my way to the daly city jamba juice. i got a free coldbuster. i hope i don't get sick. havn't been sleeping too much lately. looks like i won't be sleeping too much the next few days either.

who's your type?

just took this older match-making test. looks like the one for me is a sorority sister. This peppy gal is just your type!You can't resist her upbeat attitude and fresh-faced charm.

i dunno. maybe i'll take it again, to see who could be my back-up girl.

coming soon...

the thrilling sequel to Jason and Greg's Big LA adventure. another so-cal sojourn means more boba, more food adventures, a new play pal, and fun in the sun. is this the life for me come sept? i really don't know. one last time to hopefully find the answer.

great view

finally went back up to the sutro park to check out the view with my digicam. great view. took some time to read on a bench up there. great quiet time. hopefully i can make this a weekly wednesday ritual.

the best cartoon ever

yay! episodes will be rebroadcast soon. this was my favorite childhood tv show. i learned about all sorts of marvel characters from it.

from comicscontinuum...

On Saturday, May 25 through Monday, May 27, ABC Family will stage a "Spider-Man Through the Years" marathon, featuring episodes from various Spider-Man animated shows.

Each block will run from 7-9 a.m. (ET/PT) and will showcase Spider-Man's biggest battles with the most infamous villains -the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus and Mysterio - and teaming with other heroes - the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk - from each version of the animated series. The marathon's interstitial moments will feature trivia about the Spider-Man character.

Episodes from Spider-Man (1967-70), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981-82, 84-86), Spider-Man" (1995-1999) and Spider-Man Unlimited (1999-2001) will air during the marathon.

first pic of ben affleck as daredevil

People.com on Monday unveiled a shot of Affleck as Matt Murdock and Jon Favreau as Foggy Nelson. The photo was shot by People and was not a release from 20th Century Fox.

A source close to the production told The Continuum that Affleck's glasses are a deep red. His hair has been dyed slightly red for the film.

Tuesday This Or That

01. Do you eat food if it hits the floor?
yeah...sometimes. only in my house tho.
02. Chinese food or Italian?
mamma mia! italiano for sure! mmmm...love the cheese and all the different sauces.
03. Ice cream or yogurt?
ice cream - coffee, strawberry, vanilla, vanilla bean, or rice.
04. Do you eat breakfast? Yes or no?
yep
05. Have you ever eaten a bug? Yes or no?
not on purpose...i'm sure some have snuck in my system tho. bugs are the one thing that i havn't tried.
06. Soft drink from a can, bottle, or glass?
from a bottle.
07. Do you consume 5 fruits and vegetables a day?
heck no. hmm, that might explain something.
08. Apple or orange?
apples. (altho i like orange is my favorite flavor of candy.)
09. Pork rinds or sardines?
not too particularly fond of either. maybe sardines?
10. Caviar or grits?
caviar.

all look same!

cafe kid chat

definitely, the highlight and most interesting thing of my day today was chatting with ar, a 14 year old kid in my uke class. i learned about his life, which was really interesting. never met anyone like him before. he seems pretty mature and has had to take care of his siblings pretty early on...he was making meals (mac and cheese) for his sibs when he was 10, which blew me away. i can't imagine having to deal with those responsibilities really early on...there were times when he had to walk an hour thru the snow to take his sibs to school...homeschooling also makes for a really different childhood growing up...not having a lot of friends your own age.

as we got to talking, we learned that we're both christian, which was also really cool...i learned how independent and driven he is. in idaho, he'd ride his bike for an hour to get to church. he also told me how he's struggle with sometimes not feeling too into it, but he'd still drive himself to go...while attending one private school in idaho, they had the kids read the entire bible 10 times over a span of three or four years. (now that's really incredible. i read the entire bible just once, and i think i'm in the minority of my friends who have.) he was telling me that the first time they read it, it's to understand the stories and names. second and third times it's to dig deeper and study the word. i couldn't believe it at first, but each time he said it had to be read cover to cover. (man o man. i think that's gonna be motivating me in my QTs and bible reading for the next few months.)

we had some other discussions about faith and what it means to be christian, which was pretty cool. he's a lot more mature than a lot of the older high school kids when i was an ak counselor. he told me that a lot of it's due to his life experiences, which will make one cling to faith and god a lot more. (that's so true. that's the same perspective as some of the christians i met in thailand. when you don't have much else to rely on, you have god.)

he asked me a really random question...if i have a diary. so, i told him about this blog. i think god was definitely at work to bring us together to connect. i know we were both blessed tonite by the conversation and sharing we had.

oh yeah, i think i'm gonna *try* to go to an upcoming festival that ar's performing at. maybe find a uke there too. (anyone wanna go check it out?) ar really puts me to shame at how good he's become. he practices about 2 hours every day. i hadn't touched the uke for the past two weeks (since the last class)!

michelangelo's - pasta basics

sat nite i grabbed dinner with 3 other guys and just one girl. (that seems to be the normal hang-out ratio around here. we had some fun walking the streets surrounding the girl, creating different formations to protect her. however despite our efforts, we failed at one point and she was bumped by a guy.) a lot of the talk for the nite seemed to follow up on the friday five questions. particularly, what would be a restaurant you would take a date to. it was really interesting hearing the guys' different answers, reflecting their personalities. do you have a good date restaurant in sf?

we ended up grubbing in north beach at michelangelo's, based off of a dlrecommendation. it was amazingly crowded, but we got seated quickly. the menu had the essentials. nothing too fancy. decent basics. (although i think niebaum-coppola is much better all around.) service was just ok.

"on top of spaghetti...all covered with cheese..."

one big gripe was that the waiter dumped way too much parmesan on my pasta. wasn't waiting for me to say when. i like cheese, but not that much. the picture is showing it after i spooned some off. after that, the meal was was just ok.

more movie madness

i'm going to get tix at 11am tomorrow. so if you wanna see any of those shows with me, lemme know beforehand and i'll get ya tix.

you can read up on some of the films on sfgate and also try to win some passes.

i'd like to win sfffs passes, but i'd really love to win premeire passes to the spider-man premiere with the stars. it'll be the movie of the year. enter, win, and take me with you!

the rush for the sffs

i was chatting with fl about the sffs and i realized that i better hurry up and get tix. the good shows are selling out fast. this afternoon i'll look into tix for the following shows:

- millenium mambo. 4.22. 9:15pm.
(same cinematographer as in the mood for love and directed by taiwanese master hou hsiao-hsien.)
- i'm going home. 4.26. 4:30 pm.
("surprise crowd pleaser at cannes")
- the princess blade. 4.26 12 mid.
(japanese action movie with donnie yen, the iron monkey dude.)

interested? something else catch your eye? lemme know (today).

the steven curtis chapman live out loud tour

friday nite went to the scc concert in san jose (thanks to hook-ups from a good bud). a really great time. i carpoolled down with some buds and it was fun catching up...since i havn't hung out some of them in a while. the concert was at the san jose civic auditorium. we got some pretty decent general admission seats, due to cc's cousin.

nichole nordeman was the opening act. i like her music since seeing her perform at marine world a couple of years ago. (actually i was falling asleep during that marine world concert during her perfomance cuz it was so hot, but she was really good. i liked the songs that i was awake for.) i enjoy how her music really tells a story. she writes her lyrics herself. she sang three songs from her this mystery cd and one from a forthcoming cd (which i really oughta get).

i got her to sign my cd and took a picture with her at intermission. (yay!) when we broke for intermission i made sure to grab my cd and my sharpie, just in case i got a chance for her to sign, and it so happened. my years of autograph hunting at comic book conventions really paid off in preparing me. (as a result of my active fanboy days, i know how to navigate through crowds to get to the front of booths for free stuff, recognize autograph and picture taking opps, know how to schmooze while getting signatures, and can tell you when you should use what types of sharpies for signing. mc has all of these life important skills, too.)

steven curtis chapman was pretty awesome. upbeat and lively. i think i knew about 70% of the songs. i heard some of his newest cd for the first time on the way down. there was some pretty powerful sharing too thru some great multimedia presentations and testimonies. he shared about how he and his wife came to adopt a daughter from china, originally due to some persistant determination by his youngest daughter to have a little sis. finally they lightly knocked on the door for adoption, and god blew the doors open. (it reminds me again that when you're making decision that you're not too sure about...it could be revealed quickly once you just start going thru the motions of asking and seeking.)

scc also shared the beyond the gates story thru some powerful images and narration. it's the story of 5 missionaries (one being jim elliot) who went to the aucas tribe (known as "naked savages") to share a message of hope and love. they were all brutally killed after a few days. a few years later, elliot's widow, elizabeth, went to the people to continue the mission and translated the bible (soon to be known as "god carvings") for them. the story is a great one of irony and love. at the concert we were really privileged to have a couple of special guests - one of the missionary sons who continued his father's work with the people and one of the aucas tribesman. this auca man was originally one of the killers, came to become a "god follower" through the love of the missionary's wife and children, and know was like a part of the family. i'm sure i'm not doing this whole story justice, so read about it yourself.

yep, the concert was good. not just musically...but also in helping to think and reflect about different things.

mini-weekend update

friday i checked out the steven curtis chapman concert in san jose. good stuff. saturday ate at michelangelo's in north beach. more about it all later.

1. What is your favorite restaurant and why?
in sf it's a toss-up between café niebaum~coppola or Q. i like the funky american food and atmosphere at Q. last time i was there was for my bday. at niebaum-coppola, i like the cultural literary events, the good food, and the film connection (the place is owned by francis ford coppola). this year, i've been to the sf one twice and to the palo alto one once.

2. What fast food restaurant are you partial to?
i suppose in-n-out. (animal style of course.) it's the typical road-trip food stop. but actually if i had a choice, i think i'd like to try some random local grease pit off the side of the highway than to opt for franchised fast food.

3. What are your standards and rules for tipping?
double the tax, and it should be good. it goes down from there if i get bad service. (e.g. i have to wait or flag them down for more water or ice tea, they don't do the customary "how is everything?" half-way through your meal.)

4. Do you usually order an appetizer and/or dessert?
oftentimes, if i'm eating out with family or my po po. i like calamari.

5. What do you usually order to drink at a restaurant?
usually ice water or iced tea. if i'm at an italian restaurant, i'll often share a bottle of pellegrino.

new old phat beats

yay. now in the cd player...rmx modern. my retired dj friend hooked me up with this collection of dance mixes of all the good stuff...
- new order "bizarre love triangle"
- the other two "selfish"
- erasure "a little respect"
- kon kan "beg your pardon"

i can probably spin this cd for the next few days continuously until i get sick of it.

the get to know yourself better quiz

it's spreading around. i found this easy-breezy 9 question multiple choice quiz linked on got-rice. for all of you peeps in transition and change (um...90% of you)...maybe this will help offer a hint of clarity, who knows?

my results...

Your view on yourself
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties. (yeah, sounds right.)

The type of girl/boyfriend you are looking for.
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes. (i think so, too. looks are important to me, but it's so much more a complete package deal.)

Your readiness to commit to a relationship.
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person. (possibly.)

The seriousness of your love.
Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates. (ha. i dunno about this. still to be proven.)

Your views on education
Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can. (yeah, but only if the education intersects with your passion.)

The right job for you.You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success. (disagree. i think i can already see my goal in mind.)

How do you view success?
You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying. (pretty true, since i'm driving forward towards creative goals, but i still get my occasional doubts.)

What are you most afraid of?
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you. (don't agree...i think i have support.)

Who is your true self?
You are full of energy and confidence. You are unpredictable, with moods changing as quickly as an ocean. You might occasionally be calm and still, but never for long. (yeah i think this fits me. but i don't think i'm that unpredictable or moody. i think that i can be predictably spontaneous.)

i think this test was pretty accurate for me. i liked it so much that i took the time to fill out the questions differently to find out the other answers, to see if i agreed. if you want me to e-mail you the compilation of the analysis results, e-mail me.

shirt shopping

today i picked up my po po from her brush painting class then went over to union street before grabbing dinner. we stopped in at a store which i had some credit at and picked up a shirt. she gave me some pretty good advice and tips in picking one that looks good. she said that it oughta look different, and not like it came from any other store. (exactly how i look at things when i'm shopping.) i was considering getting something more plain-jane or conservative (i can't imagine this shirt on too many of my friends...not that it's super funky), but she liked the one that i originally picked out. i'm sure that it's rare to have a grandma with similar tastes to a guy my age. :)

rocco's - san francisco style seafood

since we were running short on time after our union street excursion, we ended up eating at rocco's. it's a cool place. nice atmosphere. old style music and interior decor with paintings. we shared crabcakes and prime rib. good stuff.

i learned that my grandparents used to be season ticket members for the theater shows here for many years. they saw westside story, south pacific, and so on. i think that's pretty cool. didn't realize that about them. they were pretty on top of the cool cultural events. i think i'll try to see a show or something with po po.

no grand new adventures to share, so here's something else...

Tuesday This Or That

1. Do you answer the phone on the first ring? Yes or no?
yes, if it's the home phone. no, if it's my cell phone. and that's if my cell rings at all!
2. Which is worse: door-to-door salesmen or telemarketers?
for now, telemarketers...since we rarely get door-to-door salesmen.
3. Which is worse: the phone company or the oil company?
i'd definitely have to say that it's a particular phone company...the stupid reseller of crappy cingular service that i'm on. paying extra for bad service. i need to get a new phone and plan this week. i've been lazy. if anyone in sf is looking for a new phone/plan deal, lemme know.
4. Cordless phone, cellular phone, or corded phone?
i prefer the home corded phone, cuz i'm a little nervous about the radiation from my cell. i talk more on the cell tho.
5. Phone number: write it down or remember it?
definitely need to write it down. usually i record it in my cell or else in my palm.
6. When you tell a date, "I'll call you", do you mean it? Yes or no?
yep. i don't really pass off fake lines. i don't think i often say this one tho.
7. Do you own one phone? Two? Three? More?
three at home, but only really use two.
8. Have you purchased anything by phone? Yes or no?
yes, but that was b/c something was wrong with the website.
9. Have you ever called someone and then hung up before you spoke? Yes or no?
yep. usually if i called the wrong number. sometimes it's from my cell phone in my pocket. but if i know they picked up i'll talk to them.
10. Do you own an answering machine?
yep. don't really get many messages on it tho. maybe from professional contacts or appointments. nothing too exciting. i don't get too many calls.

changing lanes

just saw an sfbg preview screening tonite. pretty good movie. more than just action, a real story. nice commentary on corporate ethics and morality in general. the characters sink lower and lower than you can imagine. pretty good development. thought provoking. this movie will turn people off from being lawyers.

civic center hang out

yesterday afternoon i hung out with some lumps to pass out some packs filled with hygeine products with homeless people at civic center. we had made them about a month ago as a way of sharing god's love with them. we talked with a few of them and found out their stories...why they're out here, what they do from day to day, thoughts on life. it was really good to really get another look at life from another perspective. it really puts your own personal issues in the proper perspective, particularly when you contrast it to someone's day-to-day survival.

the rhumba rump-shaker

sunday i went with my parents to their weekly dance class. i didn't bring any friends. i knew it would be an interesting social experience to be the young guy with a room full of people all in their 40s and 50s. i know i got some looks of surprise and interest when i walked into the room. most of these people were old enough to be my parents. there were several couples who i knew from church. a bunch of other people who i never met, but whom i had heard of since my parents talk about their ballroom dancing circle all the time, every day.

people asked me if i came on my own free will or if my parents forced me to come. my parents had highly encouraged me to go, but i decided on my own...mostly cuz i felt that i'll give learning to dance a shot and for the strange social experiment to hang out with people born two decades before me.

at first, i definitely did feel weird and out of place. i'm so sure that i stuck out like a sore thumb. a lot of people were probably wondering...who's kid is that? some of the church people smiled at me and thought that it was pretty cool (or courageous) of me to come out.

sort of like the berkeley class, partners rotate around the room, so it doesn't matter if you come on your own or with someone. most of the people are married, but there are some who come on their own without their spouse. the numbers were pretty even. one difference with this class (besides the average amount of life experience in the room) was that people had to wear nametags. i must say that it made it a little more pleasant to interact with people and to have them call you by your name. the weekly fee is $5 for an hour lesson plus some bonus and free time afterwards. in the class they concentrate on one dance for an entire month to try to help people get better at it. (unlike some places, where you try a little of a lot of stuff for a relatively short period of time.

it just so happened that there were a couple of other young people close to my age in the class. some guy's son, ryan, had decided to come out (with his girlfriend). it's so funny...when the guys were rotating around the room, he was following right after me in the circle. all the older women met me first and assumed that this guy was my friend. auntie s didn't believe me when i told her that i didn't know him. finally when we were half-way around the circle, we introduced ourselves to each other briefly.

a few times, some people told me that they should bring their children out to dance. i think three people told me of their daughters. so funny. who knows, maybe this will be the beginning of the new generation of this class? (i think they're pretty hungry for younger blood.) it doesn't matter too much to me if i'm the only guy there who wasn't alive for the vietnam war. i'll go back at least a few more times to learn (not really to meet people). altho maybe if i got to know people, they could give me some good job leads or something.

at the end of the lesson, the instructors (who are my parents' friends) taught us some line dance stuff. yeah it sounds hokey and like a country thing, but it was pretty fun. it's sorta like an oldies ddr game. (the music sounded sorta like ddr tunes too....the sugary sweet, euro-dance pop stuff.) a lot of mirroring the dude, following his steps to the beat, moving all around. it took me a while to figure out that when i'm turned around, i should not look behind me to follow the instructor. it's better to look straight ahead at whoever's in front of you.

by the end of the lesson, i think i got the rhumba down and improved a lot. i'll probably give the class at least a few more tries. people were friendly enough. i think i could probably learn faster with older people, too. some of them know what they're doing and are pretty helpful. hopefully i can learn to lead well.

the sub test

this was a pretty mellow weekend for me. friday nite i stayed home in hopes to get to sleep early. i had to be at washington high school for the cbest exam to possibly be a substitute teacher. hecka early, too. 8:30am. it felt sorta like taking the SAT all over again. i had to bring ID and a bunch of number 2 pencils for the four hour exam.

i got done in three hours. i guess i was the fastest one in my class (we were preassigned to different classrooms). i found some slight pleasure in letting the other people in the room know how far i was into the exam, when it came to flipping the pages and scribbling my essay answers in pencil. i wonder if some people got nervous when they heard me flipping the booklet pages when i was rechecking my answers. (the test was cake...but it still took a while.)

the 2 essay questions were sorta interesting...

1) do you think agree/disagree with the idea of computers replacing human teachers?

computers can handle and recall information better, yet something can be said for quality and critical processes to be gained from humans. i really can't imagine a single person trying to argue for computers. maybe i should have tried to argue for completely computerized classrooms instead of writing the common response. there isn't a right or wrong answer as long as you can support it and argue it.

2) do you agree/disagree with the saying "it's better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all?" share a personal experience as evidence.

well, i do believe in this adage. it falls a lot in line with my philosophy of the worth in trying new experiences. it was easy for me to expound upon that, but i also tried to make my answer relate to children's education somewhat. in the end of the essay i commented on life in general. i think that's my general approach with essays. to try to elevate my argument and proposition to some larger societal principle or global idea.

my personal illustration recalled my experiences with my 7th grade science experiment. i tried something that was a little tricky, faced a lot of failures, observed and learned from them, evolved my experiment and thinking to another level, and ended up with an award winning science project. perhaps it's a shame that i couldn't think of anything more recent than that experience which was directly relatable to education. some other points i brought up were my experiences going to other countries and checking out different activity groups by myself.

i think along the way of writing my essay, i further convinced myself and internalized the wisdom in "trying with the possibility of failure." i think i said something about the true value and lesson being in the journey and learning from failures. i think when you expect to encounter failures, it can be actually easier to try things. i think you can gain confidence and comfort in seeing it from the macro level and seeing that journey of personal growth.

if you're not afraid to get shot down, to find closed doors, to feel your way through the maze and around the dead ends...then eventually you will make it to the end and find success. for a lot of different areas in life i'm still in that exploration stage. some paths i havn't explored so much, but now after writing this essay, i feel more motivated to act for the pure sake of trying.

hair model clone

"there's a poster in front of a hair salon on irving between 22nd and 23rd, does that poster not look like someone on core? "
~ the millbrae files

decisions...decisions...

take the shorter, easily-trodden, wider path in familiar pastures (and into a valley)
or the potentially longer, adventurous, narrower, harder path over the mountains (and into a very deep pit)?

doors all the way open and half-way open?
or could there be another door still to be found?

24 days left to take a step through the first door...

1. What are the first things that you do in the morning to start your day?
- wake up a little too late.
- brush teeth.
- get dressed.
- put on sunblock. (no more freckles, please!)
- gel hair in about half-a-minute. (that's why the short, tossled, slightly sloppy-spikey look is good.)
- read and reflect one chapter in psalms for quiet times.
- eat & check e-mail.
- read the newspaper.
(sometime the general order might vary...but no QT, no e-mail!)

2. What are the last things that you do at night before going to bed?
- turn off my computer a little too late.
- shower.
- floss and brush teeth. read (sometimes). pray.

3. What daily routine have you recently added to your day?
i'm again taking daily pictures now that my beloved s30 has returned to me. now i'm trying to post one pic with my blog posts.

4. What routine do you wish you get rid of?
- long chats on IM. it's unproductive and a time waster. calling is better.
- wasting time on the net instead of doing the different projects on my plate.
- staying up to the wee hours and not getting enough sleep.

5. What's the one thing that makes you feel like something is missing if you don't do it some point within your day?
getting on the net to e-mail, blog, and chat. i'm definitely a kid of the digital age. other things have become a regular routine, but getting on the net is at often at random times of the day.

overcast lazy day

yesterday kl and i helped lw with a video project. our creative brains didn't come up with too many great ideas. we ended up just driving around town, looking for a place to go. talked about random interesting things. we finally found our way to kelly's mission rock. a club at nite. by day it's a cool scenic restaurant/bar. nice patio view. too bad the day was sort of overcast.

supposedly the view looks entirely different in the day and in the nite. in the day you see all the cargo ships and the nearby industrial buildings. at nite it's too dark to see that stuff. instead you just see the lights on the other side of the bay across the water. this was the first time i really hung out there. i walked in there once sometime last year, just to check out the place. i really like checking out scenic outdoor lounging spots offering bay views. there are about 5 or 6 more left on my list.

follow the leader

after many months of heavy encouragement from my family and realizing on various occasions my limited abilities...i think i'm finally going to try to pick up some of the social dance stuff again. i went back to cal for the uc berkeley ballroom dance class.

it's a real bargain for $3 drop-in. two hours of instruction. two different dances, changing each week. started off with cha cha. finished off with nightclub two-step. (my parents are always talking about the nightclub two-step and doing it in the living room.) does anyone know of anyplace on this side of the bay that's as good a deal as this? if so, please lemme know.

i went by myself too. (altho i did saw ap there who'd been going weekly.) i used to go occasionally to this class my junior and senior years in college. but i never went enough to really go beyond the introductory steps. i always have the beginner steps down with no problem. but when it comes to remembering the multiple ways of turning...i get really confused.

like most classes, it's set-up to rotate partners every few minutes. but what's kinda funny is when the numbers aren't balanced. this time there were too many guys (i wonder if that's normal.) so extra guys were evenly placed in between the couples to balance the wait out. it wasn't too bad...but when it got to learning the complex turns for the nightclub two-step, i had to try to learn all by myself. when i finally rotated to having a partner, i was sorta mixed up.

it's interesting rotating with different partners. they come in all ages, shapes, and sizes. you can totally see a difference in people's abilities and personalities. a few introduce themselves. most don't. i think one person remembered my name.

one time i had to be the model follower for the guy leader. boy, that was fun.

i was sorta pooped out by the end of the two hours. didn't really wanna stick around for the free dance thing.

it was interesting being back in berkeley. i still find street parking really easy on the street that i used to live on. after parking it's just a 5 minute walk up telegraph and there i am. walking in berkeley brings a flood load of memories. i'll probably document some places with my camera soon. i wonder if the night time chaos drummers are still around.

dreaming with open eyes

jc and i went on our art history field trip to the legion of honor. we went on a guided docent tour of the current exhibition - dreaming with open eyes: dada and surrealist art.

at the beginning of the 20th century, the dada movement began to subvert the tradtional artistic way of "order," refashioning it opting for "adventure." surrealism called for a change in values. both paved the way for modernism. some of the artists represented are marcel duchamp, man ray, max ernst, and salvador dali.

the docent told us a bunch of stories about the pieces of art and the artists. one of the most interesting to me was the story about this piece...

In 1919, Marcel Duchamp came back from New York to Paris. In the U.S., his work "Nude descending a staircase" was celebrated and made him famous. Back in Paris, he drew a moustache and goatee with a pencil on a reproduction of Leonardo's Mona Lisa, and named his work "L.H.O.O.Q." This, when read aloud in French, gives "Elle a chaud au cul", which means something like "She's got hot pants" or "She has a hot ass." He used an image, reproduced so often that it had become trite and mocked one of the most famous works in the history of painting.

Duchamp's work fell into an art movement that arose in Europe during World War I, known as Dada. This period came into being as a reaction against the unprecedented carnage of war. Artists felt that any civilization that could tolerate such brutality must be swept away, and all of its institutions, including traditional art, along with it. Dada, therefore, was against everything. Duchamp's L.H.O.O.Q. is rather typical for Dadaism, a rebellion against traditional and no more reflected habits and values.

i know i didn't fully appreciate all of the exhibition or the artwork, since we only spent just over an hour there...but it was great to see something new and different.

herbed chicken

the other day i had to cook dinner for the parents, so i made an herbed chicken using basil, marjoram, onion, worchestshire sauce, butter, and other good stuff. the organic chicken came from whole foods. i'm a betty crocker smart cook.

the quarterly introspection reflection

i'm about 1/4 the way through 2002 now. i'm getting mighty reflective now...thinking about what i've done and what i need to do. why's that? i can potentially just have 5 months left in the bay area. i've been also talking to some other people who are getting ready for change. one very tall friend just showed me a list of things he wants to accomplish in life before he turns 26.

i'm looking back now on my list of new year's resolutions. so far i've been a little better at getting to know and chatting with new people...but i still have a ways to go to be natural schmoozer. i have been doing the daily photo thing, except for the month of being sans camera. graduated off of blogspot. been having consistent QTs going thru a psalm a day.

made some attempts at other stuff...but not enough to check it off my list. i think over the next two months i'll be tackling the ballroom/swing thing again with encouragement from my family. definitely need to finish the family research project...especially if the clock can be ticking down on my time with family up here. need to finish the various personal projects...hopefully in the next week. i will be pushing myself to do some drastically different things. i've gotten a little settled and lazy somewhat.

i'm also going to be making a list of all the places i want to go to in the bay area. (e.g. the pez museum in burlingame, the clift hotel, sno-drift, and some of the cool scenic places in sausalito.) i need to update the list that i carry in my palm and also will make an online page listing it. (maybe a secondary linked blog, not sure.) it might be cool to list out and document these different places that i go to. i figure this could be helpful for other people who are potentially leaving the bay area...at least a half-dozen peeps. also, i think i'm gonna try to renew my efforts to make the most of opportunities with people. family and friends. i'm gonna have to try to be productive with my time to do all of this stuff. if i'm good i'll stay away from extensive chats on im. if the chat goes on for longer than 5 minutes, i really ought to call instead.

if anyone wants to do things in the city that i have not done before, you can probably find a willing partner in me. (maybe just one-time tho, and esp if it's free or inexpensive.) if you have ideas or suggestions, i'm open to it again, too. you must have some ideas for me, right?

free moma and yerba buena

since it was the first wednesday of the month, i hung out with ec and her cuz p to check out the moma, which had the eva hesse show going on now. there's a really impressive collection of all of her work. amazing how much she did. interesting stuff done with latex. some of her latex works naturally deteriorate with time, which was part of the story she was trying to tell. interesting how many mediums she was capable of using.

we walked over to yerba buena too. that was just ok. wasn't too into the work. there was one sorta interesting video installation of a reenacted parking lot fight. the fight was shot from three different perspectives using different cameras and run simultaneously. they used an industrial camera (like a tv reporter), a camcorder (like a tourist), and a still digital camera. it was pretty interesting how they were telling the story.

left at alberqurque - leave behind chevy's

whenever i hang out on union st, i often pass by left at albuquerque. it looked like a cool restaurant and would often be hopping with people on weekends or during happy hour. so when i had to meet my dad for lunch around that area yesterday, i knew exactly where i wanted to try. it's a pretty cool southwestern joint. a lot cooler than chevy's that's for sure. the food seems pretty good and fresh too. i think the prices are ok too. chips and salsa there was awesome.

the interior is decorated with a lot of authentic items that can be found off of route 66. i really enjoyed the cool authentic southwestern antiques and road signs. each of the menus had authentic license plates of cars which traveled along 66 also.

i think it would be pretty cool to come here for happy hour. appetizers are half off from 4pm-close on m-th. the open bar area seems like a cool place to mingle and hang out. there's also some sidewalk seating, which would be fun to hang out there and people watch on a sunny day. if i have to arrange a bday party or going away party for someone, i think this place would be pretty cool. (hmmm...the website says that there are locations also in burlingame and in palo alto.)