Seattle

Here's a photo of sunny Seattle, Washington taken from the front deck of my parent's house. You can see the gorgeous zigzag of the Cascade mountains, Lake Washington, Mercer Island... and if you look closely, my high school.

The point of this photo today is to show that our weather has indeed gone north. Apparently we've swapped out our blue skies and sunshine for Seattle clouds and rain!

The grey skies are no match for the upcoming Moon in Cancer, however. This will be coming to us at 06.15 GMT. Get some kleenex, call your mother, snuggle up with your pets, and cook up your favorite comfort food....

In the next two weeks, (and beyond) you can find Penny and Cappy here. We've signed up for a club membership to go along with my indoor soccer season. Incredibly, this place is about five minutes away. There's a rollerblade hockey rink, two indoor soccer fields, a climbing wall, exercise machines, basketball, two rooms for aerobics classes, a proper boxing ring, and a restaurant/bar! All in a re-developed airplane hangar in Alameda! Who knew?

Cappy and I will be here--climbing, jogging, and chasing balls on synthetic grass until the sun comes out. And by the way, if you're in the Bay Area and would like a guest pass, give me a call!

Bones

So I was looking for easily digestible no-brainer reading material for early morning bart rides. I recently came across a book called Secrets of the Tomb Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power. Perfect bart reading material. It's totally Star Magazine in book form--it reads like a news article, and no surprise as its author was a former NY Times reporter. Why the hell would i care though? Why can't I just finish Animals in Translation before skipping to another book? What is wrong with me?

Like many people (probably none who read this blog...) I am fascinated with secret societies. Not because I feel I'm missing out, but more for the sociological/psychological aspect. Some of the things I've read in this book reminded me of certain aspects of a quasi-secret "society" I was involved with a long time ago. And when I say quasi-secret, I'm referring to secrets told under oath that aren't worth guarding for life, nor repeating. And it led nowhere near paths of power, paths of homosexuality and other debauchery, but not power. And when I say a long time ago, I mean ancient Penny history. Don't even ask me about this.

About the book: Skull and Bones is the ultimate old boy's club at Yale. It started in the early 1830's by a Yale student who studied in Germany for a year. This student befriended the leader of a secret society that used a skull as it's logo. Apparently this group was an outgrowth of the 18th century Illuminati, but that's another story. So the American student then returns to the States and starts up Skull and Bones at Yale.

A few grisly facts about Skull and Bones:

-Some of the artifacts of the Bones tomb include: Nazi memorabilia, Hitler's silverware, the skull of Geronimo and Pancho Villa, more skulls, coffins, and skeletons

-Members are guaranteed financial security for life and have access to an exclusive island retreat complete with a luxurious mansion and women at their disposal

-Many "Bonesman" have been Supreme Court justices and Presidents (George Sr. and Jr., and John Kerry among others )

-Skull and Bones created the American Psychological Association, the American Historical Association, and the American Economic Association and place their own members as presidents

-They didn't admit women until 1990

-Skull and Bones provided financial backing to Adolf Hitler

-Members founded the law firm that represents the NY Times and control the wealth of the Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Ford families

-Initiation involves mud wrestling and lascivious acts in coffins

I guess one could ask, which American institution is not controlled or influenced by Skull and Bones? It's like the question of Britain, name one country they haven't colonized? They're not so secret are they? And who are the others? I think I may have met a member back in '96 but that's another story...

To find out who may be a Bones member around you, simply call out, "Skull and Bones." Members take oaths to immediately excuse themselves whenever and wherever they hear this.

The Catholic church and the Bones have a lot in common. Both bring few into the inner circle, need to control and possess, have extensive influence, need lavish costumes, and a lifetime of security. Both are completely deluded and equally reprehensible. Gross.

Who are you, recent reader? I can hear your mouse clicking through the blog... What are you thinking of this blog so far? Silent judgement, amusement, disgust, boredom, indifference? And i know what you're thinking, who writes "bulgari" as one of her interests? There's a long story with that one, mate, je te jure!

Anyway, my next possible forage into despicability: Scientology.

Clutter

In general, I hate clutter. When I look around and see mounds of things stacked, piled, and crammed together it makes me feel nauseous. Seriously--when I'm around it, I can be near short of breath. A deep unsettled feeling overtakes me. I don't suffer from OCD, it's more of a phobia. I'm clutterphobic. What's up with that?

Somehow, somewhere along the way I developed a fear of acquisition. Some people are afraid of cockroaches or spiders. With the exception of tiny rodents, the only other thing that frightens me is clutter. Stuff. Lots of it. Mounds of disorganised clutter. Quite frankly, I'd rather see a spider on the wall. Or a cockroach. Really. Well, only if it were very small and wingless.

A major clutter offender was my homestay mother in Japan. The mayor of the town I lived in felt that the town English teacher should spend one month in a homestay before living independently. Since it was the first time I had lived in another country on my own, the idea didn't really bother me. It was actually a wonderful experience. Wonderful, except for the clutter.

The Usuki's had a lovely two story house in the Japanese countryside. It was similar to the house pictured above. Mr. and Mrs. Usuki were in their late 40's, and had one one child called Chess, an 8-year old Shiba Inu. Inside, it was a lovely disaster. I stopped count at 5 calendars in or around the living room area. The room next to the kitchen was stacked high with books and boxes. There were two dish cabinets on the wall. There was actually a leather sofa in the living room area, but it was buried under books, magazines, and small boxes. Despite the heavy clutter however, it wasn't messy. There's a difference between organised clutter and a real mess. After a month, the clutter became invisible. By that point, I was on my way out to my own apartment.

Maybe this clutterphobia started when I was young. There was a clutter disaster in the home I grew up in. Between the kitchen and living room, there was a long counter. My brother and I sat at this counter whenever we had people over and there wasn't room at the big dining room table. This was probably the only time the counter was clear.

Whenever we didn't have company, the counter was a repository for anything and everything: my mom's calendar, packets of pictures from the previous summer, recipes, papers, mail.... I can't even remember what exactly cluttered this counter!? A whole lot of nothing, really. When I tried to clean it, I invariably tossed out something out of importance. It was an endless cycle of frustration.

I've contemplated hiring an interior designer who would create a space that is "masculine in design yet feminine in atmosphere," like this place. Ha! But seriously, I'd love to get some swanky interior designers to "minimalize" our space here, but what I'd really be doing is paying them a shitload of money to throw away our stuff!

Blog topics on the horizon:

-The "PF Chang-ification" of Bay Area restaurants
I've been writing down my thoughts on this. A curious experience in a Mountain View Shanghai restaurant convinced me of this phenomenon. I'm convinced that it is sweeping Chinese-American restaurants in the South Bay. Maybe it's not a new phenomenon, maybe it's completely obvious. Regardless, I must give voice to it once and for all!

-My thoughts on The Obake Files Ghostly Encounters in Supernatural Hawai'i
I picked this up in the Hilo Airport back in January. It was meant for light reading on the plane, but lately I've been reading a story here and there before going to bed. This might explain all the strange dreams I've been having recently...

-Back to School?
Am contemplating a return of a life of quiet hours in libraries, talking to people face-to-face in real time, no more business casual attire, etc. Pros: great reading lists, opportunity, rejuvenation, access to a swimming pool, new communities. Cons: endless reading lists, peanut butter and jelly lunches, and the inevitability of being caught talking to myself in libraries. Current status on this undertaking: Undecided and unsure, yet inspired.

Offline

So I've been MIA in the blogosphere for most of the month of March. I'm still enthusiastic about my little cyber vanity piece, but I can't find the time these days. I'd love to say that I've not posted because i've been stuck in the sand at Anse de Source de l'Argent, but the reality is not that spectacular. Lately, I can't be asked to be online much outside of work.

Currently Reading:
Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin, PhD

Recent film seen:
V for Vendetta

New undertaking:
Indoor Soccer at the Bladium in Alameda

Latest i-tunes purchase:
Anything Box "Worth"

Favorite Mash Ups:
Bizarre Light Triangle by New Donna
Mustang Intergalactic DJ Moule

I'm recovering from the drain my intensive 2-day read-a-thon of Dan "It was a dark and stormy night..." Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Have jumped into Angels and Demons against my will, though the cliffhanging chapters are really getting on my nerves. Angels et al is is great bart reading, if i ever get up early enough to take it. With all the track fires and bomb threats, I'm feeling a bit safer navigating ma petite poubelle over the Bay Bridge.

So i've turned instead to Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation. Ever since I finished the chapter called "How Animals Perceive the World," i've been finding myself identifying contrasts that animals and autistics would notice....shadows, shiny glaring puddles on the sidewalk, and yellow signs...

Shrimp

We recently saw Hustle and Flow on DVD. I thought Terrence Howard was brilliant and could understand why he was nominated for best actor. For a week after the film, that Three 6 Mafia song re-played in my head, over and over. So, I've written up some alternate lyrics. For those of you who know me well, you know very well my propensity for the absurd. I'll share those here and now, though they don't translate too well in the written form. I'd have to sing it for the full effect:

It's hard out here for a pimp
No money to get my hair curled and crimped

It's hard out here for a pimp
No money for juice box and shrimp

It's hard out here for a shrimp
All the big sharks think that I'm a wimp

Am nearly 15 pages from finishing The DaVinci Code, a.k.a. adult Harry Potter. Since the whole world has read the book, i thought i'd buckle down and get it over with. And that i've done, in record time. It's McLiterature crack-- i can't put it down. I woke up in the middle of the night to read about 20 pages, it's dire. In any case, it has been a welcome diversion from language acquisition theory and my work in Beijing. All I can say thus far--it's a surprise that Jesus was a mortal man??

Have you seen Google Earth? Last Friday at work, I was able to drop in on most of the places I've lived. I was even able to spy on the rooftop of my parents' home in Bellevue, Washington. Intriguing and frightening. Is it just me or can Google Earth further enable any stalker or would-be terrorist? If you were one who wanted to inflict mass harm, couldn't you just Google Earth your whole plan? However useful, all I can say is that this new tool left me a bit seasick.

What's next Google? The ability to hear anyone's voice? We'll just type in a phone number and download an audio sample of anyone's 2-minute greeting? Want to know what people are eating? We'll be able to type in a random name and get a live feed of the contents of their refrigerator. How high is your thread-count? Simply type in a number in the 150-1000 range and Google will pinpoint those who slumber with the same amount of softness as you.

Oh, and a co-worker told me that she saw a full recipe for crystal meth in a paper much like the Bay Area's Guardian. It didn't just list the ingredients, it spelled out the exact amounts of each ingredient, as well as why Sudafed was key to the whole recipe. Brilliant!

Happy Near End of the week....

Raves

Lately:

1. Newly discovered Windows Movie Maker on my work computer. I've had this computer for a little over two years and had no idea of this program. Two and a half minute documentaries now fill up my desk top. Good times.

2. Fort Minor's "The Rising Tied"

3. "Tortilla a la Espanola" from Alegria's

4. Great blog, new to me (friend of a friend): http://metropolitician.blogs.com/
Check out his entry about Daniel Henney (!!) and Hines Ward

5. Lonely Planet's The Travel Book

6. Lococo's on Piedmont. Their "Spaghetti with Meatballs and Peas" is a soulful experience.

7. Cooper, the neighborhood Daschund. He no longer resembles garden vermin and has developed the warmest and most endearing personality. He has a major crush on our T.O. but she can't be asked to bother with stubby excitable pups. She's all about opposites--she wants someone heartier, fluffier, taller, and calmer.

Apparently, "the Sun is presently in the most harmonious alignment with revolutionary Uranus. This powerful conjunction has the ability to "dissolve old images and allow a larger, freer self to emerge." Woo Hoo. If you're a Piscean, it says that we must pick up things we began in 1999. I know what that is for me--how about you, my fellow Pisces pals?

Doves

So let me explain what happened the other day...

First i should preface this with an earlier incident:

It was March 1999 when my beloved grandmother passed away. We were very close and I absolutely adored her. She passed away kind of unexpectedly and I've never really gotten over it. So in March, we all flew to Hawai'i. We were pulling out of the driveway to go to her funeral.

All of a sudden and out of nowhere, a beautiful white pigeon appeared. Now, in all the years i spent in Hilo, i NEVER saw this kind of bird, not ever close to the house, actually, not anywhere. This bird stood behind the car as we were reversing out of the driveway. The bird took a few steps back, the car reversed a bit, then it took a few steps back again... As we began our descent down the small hill, this mysterious white bird remained standing at the top. She watched our car go all the way down the hill. I immediately knew it was my grandmother. We all knew.

Fast forward to my birthday, March 2nd 2006. My grandparents were always great about my birthday, they never forgot, even when they got really sick. Lately i've been thinking a lot about them. On this day, I wore a special ring--my grandmother's most treasured piece of jewelry.

So anyway, i'm at work and it's about 3.30 in the afternoon. Cappy calls me in distress. "There are two DOVES that somehow got in!" At first, i thought she said "two ducks." Great, I thought, a field day for the Tubular One--her food source yapping and flapping all over the place. Then I realised she was saying "doves." Me: "Oh my god, open the windows!" Cappy: "I can't they're dive bombing me! They're perched up really high!" Now here's the weird thing, we only had one window open slightly. We've NEVER had birds enter the space in the four years we've been here!

Apparently these two grey doves, one male and one female were flying all over the place, perching here and there. Thankfully, a very freaked out Cappy was able to find a helpful neighbor. She helped her put out some bread and open up the windows.

The male bird was the first to fly out, yet the female bird took her time. She seemed to perch from various places: the track lighting rail, and nearly each exposed pipe and vent. The female bird finally did fly out, but not before having a long lingering look at Cappy.

Later, Cappy realized that the doves weren't really dive bombing, just checking out the space. She said, in retrospect, that they seemed protective and curious. I laughed to myself imagining my grandparents' mischievious year of the monkey spirits. After all the ruckus, some parts of the floors looked like a bridge underpass and the table tops looked like the night after a 70's drag show. Tiny feathers everywhere.

And I absolultely felt that I had a visit that day. It was a wonderful gift.

Decathlon

This is a picture I took at the University of Oregon Art Museum. I have vague memories of hiding out here... reading poetry by Shelley and sipping dark coffee. Ms. Sharmaine swears that she took some black/white photographs of me here for a project, but I can hardly remember that... On this day however, my experience was less than peaceful.

Cappy and i wandered into the Art Museum around noon on Sunday morning. After about twenty minutes or so, we walked upstairs to see the Asian Art collection on the 2nd floor. This featured artifacts from Korea and China. We walked into a large room with Chinese scrolls and paintings on the walls. There were miniature models of pagodas on wooden stands. At the end of the room there were costumes encased in glass, as well as jackets, helmets, robes, etc. Suddenly, we both felt intense waves of energy. It was like invisible ribbons of dark grey clouds were swerving in the room. At least, that's what I could visualise from the feeling I got. Immediately, we both acknowledged that we had quickly leave that room.

Cappy felt intense energies emanating from the artwork--a feeling of outrage and anger. She said the energy she picked up felt extremely draining. For me, i felt fear because i am always afraid of rage. I also felt severe sorrow and pain. It felt like something had a grip on my heart and was yanking it from my body. This might sound odd, but it made me think of the dementors in Harry Potter. A dark spirit that zapped out positive energy...

When we finally skipped down to the last step on the first floor, Cappy looked intently at something and sighed heavily, "Oh, no wonder." I looked at what she was pointing to. There was a sign that identified the exhibit that we escaped from--it was called "Life and Death in China." Things like this don't scare me. What was amazing was that it took about 30 minutes for me to feel as if i had my heart back.

Have you ever had an experience like this? I've had similar experiences at the Native American Museum at the University of British Columbia and also at an African store next to the Piedmont Theater in Oakland. I might write more about this kind of thing later. Maybe not.

But anyway---

It was a wonderful roadtrip. Unbelievably, we reached Ashland, Oregon quite late Friday night. At one point of the drive, we were driving 20 miles an hour through an intense snowstorm near Mt. Shasta. Good times.

Highlights of our trip:

-"The Decathlon" at Track Town Pizza in Eugene, Oregon. Though I've been all over the world, there are only two pizzas that are most memorable to me. The first is the pizza in Napoli, and the second is Track Town. Seriously. I love everything about Track Town. The honey wheat crispy crust. The photos of Steve Prefontaine on the walls. The wooden bench seats.

-Walking around the campus on a quiet Sunday morning. I walked Cappy through the amazing Triple A building (Allied Arts and Archictecture), the Erb Memorial Union, Willamette Hall, through the Art Museum, and the Knight Library.

-Courteous and considerate drivers who let you pass with a wave and a smile. This is a Pacific NW thing--when taken to the extreme, it can be just as dangerous as any Bay Area driver.

-Dropping in on the Hillcrest Winery, a small family operation in Roseburg, Oregon.

-Drinking "Rubinator" at the High Street Cafe. The High Street Cafe is a small pub that serves comfort food and the one of the only kinds of beer that I actually enjoy drinking. "Rubinator" is part Ruby, which is a raspberry beer, and Terminator, which is closest to the Irish Guinness. I'm not a beer person, but drinking Rubinator is as easy as it was sipping Smithwicks in Dublin.

-Attending the closing night of Eugene's first Asian-American film festival. We saw "The Grace Lee Project." The one Grace Lee that I know was actually featured in the film. She was the pixelated blob walking around Seoul.

I was reminded of a few things:

1. I never want to live in Korea again (seeing Grace Lee in Seoul...)
2. Eugene loves Steve Prefontaine
3. I actually do enjoy beer sometimes
4. Oregon is predominantly white
5. I am still shocked that I'm a Californian

Road Trip

Tomorrow (Friday) we embark on our first roadtrip of the year. This might imply that there are more to come, but quite frankly, I can't be asked to do more than a few roadtrips per year. Something about sitting in a car forever, seeing signs like "My Destination 300 miles" kills me. And we're bringing the Tubular One. That should be interesting.

We're leaving tomorrow afternoon with the goal of reaching Ashland, Oregon. We should make that in 5-6 hours. However, I've read that there's a 30% chance for snow on our way up. Great. We'll definitely be carrying chains with us. For those unfamiliar with Ashland, it's a quaint little town 15 miles north of the California border. It's home to the annual Oregon Shakespeare festival, polenta pancakes with warm marionberry sauce, mountain biking, skiing, music, and Victorian B&B's. And us, for one night.

I've been there once a long time ago. I saw "A Winter's Tale," and "The Tempest" at the outdoor theater in the middle of summer. Unfortunately, we won't be staying there too long though. After breakfast with friends, we'll continue our trip north to Eugene, Oregon. Home of the Ducks, the Bijou theater, Excelsior, Track Town Pizza, and my home for five years a long time ago.

It's been about thirteen years since I left Eugene in the beginning of July in 1993. A lot of things were going on at that time--graduation, coming out, packing, my first Gay Pride (San Francisco), preparing to leave for Japan that August for two years... All of my grandparents flew over from Hawai'i. My parents and brother were there too. I was getting back together with someone and breaking up with someone else at the same time, the same week. Oh, and I wasn't out to my family just yet. Total chaos.

I've decided to take this trip with Cappy as kind of a pre-birthday getaway. My birthday is not too far off, and not too welcome, i might add. Eugene is not only where i went to school, it's also the first city i landed in when i flew over from Korea at 9 months. In the freezing winter of 1970, my parents drove down from Seattle, Washington to pick me up at the Eugene Airport.

One year while in school at the U of O, a good friend of mine kidnapped me for my 20th birthday. She made me cover my eyes and she drove me to some "secret location." When i finally was able to see, i opened my eyes to an incredible sight. A flood of blue lights flashed before me, running up and down. My friend was able to somehow drive us to a spot that is near dead center of the runway at the Eugene Airport. She had no idea what it meant, by bringing me there. I think I told her, but not for a few weeks. It really didn't dawn on me until then...

So i have this nagging thing in me. I don't know what it's called. I'll re-watch films, re-read favorite books, re-read journal entries, and order the same thing over and over again in restaurants. Lately, i've felt more desire to revisit places I've been to, rather than discover new places. Or maybe, and i think this is what that's all about--I'm trying to re-trace my steps with Cappy. Next, but in no particular order--we'll visit her school, my favorite places in Japan, Ko Tao, Thailand, and eventually Korea.

Oil

Post-Syriana thoughts:

Tyranny is tyranny wherever you go. Every battling country elicits the newly immigrated or disenfranchised to do their dirty work.

P.Diddy and the character Prince Nasir Al-Subaai have much in common. Precisely shaved, not into giving back to their communities, greedy, and highly ostentatious. Also, more sadly, in order to keep their current administration's game plan, they need to continue to be just as they are.

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.
-John Steinbeck, novelist, Nobel laureate (1902-1968)

All for now. I'm sick because of the above, and also physiologically.

Soccer

Another season with the ladies in green and white striped jerseys has begun. Eclipse is the name of the team we played against tonight. Final score: Eclipse 2- Poppers 2. I'm in no better shape this season, but enjoy it much more. The games are a welcome change from the hours i spend in a cube farm.

On my way down 880 last night, I was thinking of the names of soccer teams I've been on:

The Golden Eagles--2nd grade-4th grade
The Rebels-- 5th grade-6th grade, same team as above, with more attitude
The Cobras--High school, State select team. Very competitive. Hated it.
One Last Time--High school, Fun team. We all wore #10 jerseys. Loved it.
Diablitas--2000-2001 The infamous team of Dolores Park and the World Cup Indoor League
Circus Animals--2005 Outdoor co-ed. Never again.

The other day my mom and i were reminiscing about all the soccer teams i've played on. We brought up a few names i hadn't thought of in ages. One of them was Kris H. She was a teammate of mine on the "Cobras." She had hair like the guy from the Flock of Seagulls, but it was dark brown. Spiky bangs covered most of her face. She hated high school and i wonder if she hated soccer too? She seemed perpetually enraged, but in a quiet way. To me, she was the sweetest person you could ever meet. She smoked clove cigarettes minutes before walking on the field--and then proceed to run like lighting all over the field for two 40 minute halves. Incredible.

Cassettes

I recently started taking inventory of old cassette tapes that have been sitting in an old leather case since 1995 or so. I'm either throwing them away or replacing them digitally, via i-tunes. I've found a few sentimental favorites though.

First cassette bought: Xanadu the Soundtrack
Most loved in 5th or 6th grade: Pat Benetar "Crimes of Passion"
Most worn out cassette: U2 "The Unforgettable Fire"
Totally forgotten but loved : The Sugarcubes "Life's Good"
Most played in 1988: Depeche Mode "Black Celebration"
Gift tape that I never listened to: Dirty Dancing Soundtrack
All Time Best Mixed Tape: The one by the girl from Geneva

Mixed Tapes. i've kept a few of the best recorded cassettes with clever or romantic titles. It's funny to look at the cracked plastic cases encased in dust and think that at one time, they were my life. Rather, the makers of the tapes were. Or so i led myself to believe.

Of all the mixed tapes i've received in my life, some of the best were from a boyfriend in college. Presently, he's a junior high school English/drama teacher in a Portland, Oregon. Last i heard, he's married with two or three kids. Thankfully i completely escaped that fate... living in that overgrown town, driving a minivan, being bored out of my mind... but i still love the music.

A few of the best selections:

Swingin' Party--The Replacements
The Only Thing that Shines--Shriekback
My Bag-- Lloyd Cole
Uncertain Smile--The The
It's Only Life--The Feelies
Beyond Belief--Elvis Costello
Hearbreak a Stranger--Bob Mould
The Other Way of Stopping--the Police
Soon--My Bloody Valentine
Good Good Things--Descendents
Train in Vain--The Clash
Ana Ng--They Might Be Giants
Just Like Honey--Jesus and Mary Chain
Head On--Pixies
Carolyn's Fingers--Cocteau Twins
Deep Ocean, Vast Sea--Peter Murphy

Remember the "rules" of mixed tapes? Side A was usually the warm up for the hard hitting Side B. When i say hard hitting, i'm referring to the songs that implied, "Hey i like you, you could be my next big thing..." when you felt it, but couldn't say it. You never put a song by the same artist on one side, nor right after the other by that same artist. For the exciting surprise factor you didn't list the song titles. You decorated the cover by carefully pasting images on the paper jacket thing. Mixed tapes were given within the first month of dating, not first week.

Then came the ability to create CDs. The best part of that was being able to be precise about the times of songs, to not overflow the CD, nor fall short of the space available. In the world of mixed tapes, there was always that problem of finishing Side B, but seeing that smidgen of space left on the cassette, and the horror of beginning to record a song that cuts off.

Now one can created a mixed CD in less than 3 minutes. Great, but a lot is lost because of it. In my mind, it was a relaxing and structured way of pining. All these things: searching for the perfect opening song for Side A, rewinding/forwarding, carefully printing on the cassette jacket so the ink didn't run, the joy of handing it over and receiving it, analysing lyrics, playing and re-playing...

Encore

More Lists of 3's:

Foods you’d think I love but don’t:
-Peking Duck
-Unagi Donburi (unagi anything)
-Avocado

Hidden Talents:
-Flipping a Fried Egg with smooth wrist/pan action
-Pen Twirling (ambidextrously, to boot)
-Dig Dug High Scorer

Recently purchased itunes songs:
-Happy When it Rains-- Jesus and Mary Chain
-Come Dancing-- The Kinks
-Near You Always-- Jewel

Hobbies/Interests that are SO not me:
-Gardening
-Arts and Crafts
-Antiques

Things you’d think I can’t stand but actually like:
-Vacuuming
-Hot Dogs
-Eminem

Movies you'd think i like but don't:
-Gia
-Moulin Rouge
-Bound

Matrix-like Skills I’d like to download:
-Complete Fluency in Mandarin and Spanish
-Instant and Lifelong Physical Conditioning appropriate for triathlons and soccer games
-Magic (I’d be the first Korean-Lesbian Street Magician)

Tomfoolery

So we brought the petulant Tubular One to a local dog park this past weekend. All week, she had been pouting and whining--something along the lines of "you guys never take me to the dog park anymore! It is the year of the dog now.... he-LLO!?" She then herded us into Cappy's car, and took her place... Two front paws on the middle arm rest and face forward like a captain off to sea. Cappy turned the keys to the ignition, and we were off.

We finally pull into the overflowing parking lot. At this point, the Tubular One was panting at the window and ready to jump out. The sight of all the burly Rottweilers, black labs, and Australian Sheep dogs was enough to make my eyes water and nose run. As we approached the fenced area, I tightened my grip on T.O.'s cheetah leash--could she hold her own with the big dogs?

Thankfully, we spotted a separate fenced in partition for those dogs under 30 pounds. Phew. Although our T.O. loves to flirt with big fluffy boy dogs, we thought it more appropriate for her to romp with other short-legged creatures. Less chance for an "incident." Ha.

The small dog section was awash with white fluffy puffies in pink sweaters, chihuahuas with snarls and growls, and a score of mini Yorkies playing street basketball sans street and ball. They were a tough group. I soon realised we shouldn't be be fooled by their canine duds and fashionable grooming.

Instinctively, Cappy picked up the T.O. as we surveyed the lot. Thinking it was OK, we finally placed the T.O. on the ground. We might as well have been lowering her into a shark pool. Within two seconds, she was surrounded by a collective mass of yelping fur. The T.O., on her best behavior started out with her usual play bows. Seeing that the other fluffie toughies were all about rough and tumble tomfoolery, we scooped her up again. We placed her down on a grassier patch, but no sooner, the fur gang was at her heels again.

Moral of the story: The Napoleonic syndrome is not restricted to humans. And to the Tubular One, be careful of what you wish for--you may get it...and then some!


3's here, shamelessly copied from the folks at Lunamania (1.28.06 entry). Somehow the list is limited the list to threes, so off i go...

Three books I can read over and over:
-The Material World: A Global Family Portrait
-The Journals of Dan Eldon: The Journey is the Destination
-Lonely Planet: France

Three Places I've lived:
-Near Seoul National University, Seoul Korea
-Nishi-Aizu, Japan
-Market/Guerrero S.F.

Three TV shows I love:
-6 Feet Under
-VH1's Behind the Music
-Iron Chef

Three highly regarded and recommended TV shows that I've never watched a single minute of:
-Curb Your Enthusiasm
-Weeds
-Xena the Warrior Princess

Three places I've (recently) vacationed:
-Mendocino, California
-Hilo, Hawai'i
-Lake Tahoe

Three of my favorite dishes:
-my late grandmother's nishime and chicken long rice
-chop chae
-lomi salmon, poi, and lau lau

Three sites I visit daily:
-nytimes.com
-jonathancainer.com
-imdb.com

Three places I'd rather be right now:
-Asleep and wrapped up in our 1000 thread count sheets
-Mukaitaki, Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan
-Disneyland (in the midst of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride)

Gibberish

i'm in love with a new group. New to me that is. They're called Sigur Rós which comes from the very common girl's name Sigurrós in Iceland.

Their music is esoteric and heavenly. It's like moody Icelandic Enya meets arctic Deathcab/electronic Cowboy Junkies. Is it Canadian? Is it trip hop Bjork? Hard to pin this down. But the result is lovely.

What i find compelling about this group is that they have an unusual approach to lyrics. Apparently most of their songs are sung in Icelandic, but some are sung in an invented language called "Hopelandic." This is a kind of a "gibberish lyric that fits the music and acts as another instrument." Jónsi the singer, sings in Hopelandic to fit the melody before there are vocals.

At some point they must have decided to go with the perfectly fitting gibberish, rather than figuring out lyrics. Brilliant. And would i or anyone non-Icelandic be able to distinguish the difference of Hopelandic and Icelandic? i can't tell if Hopelandic is absurd or genius. i just think it sounds pretty wonderful.

By the way, I wonder if Elizabeth Frazier of the Cocteau Twins used some sort of Scottish gibberish--could anyone figure out what she was saying?

Cities

My Year in Cities for 2005:

Apparently someone has a blog or site where people list the cities they've been to? You're supposed to list cities you've stayed in, drive by cities don't count.

Starting point:
Oakland, California

San Francisco, California
Monterrey, California
St. Helena, California
Yountville, California
Mendocino, California
Truckee, California
Reno, Nevada
Bellevue, Washington
Hilo, Hawai'i
Beijing, China
Paris, France
Reims, France

2006 Projected:

Tokyo, Japan
Koriyama, Japan
Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan
Niigata, Japan
Beijing, China
Hilo/Kona, Hawai'i
Seattle/Bellevue, Washington
Eugene, Oregon
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Livingston, New Jersey
Long Island, New York
New York City, New York

....by the way, i'm not yet sure what i think of the "My Year of Cities" blog. What do you think?

In a way, it makes me think of how much I don't explore my immediate surroundings. Not referring to the Bay Area, but i've been to more cities in Europe/Asia than in the U.S. Hopefully we'll get to the cities on the East Coast mentioned above. It's about time i see where my Cappy grew up and went to school.

Time

C.S. Lewis wrote about the mystery of time in a letter to a friend of his on December 23, 1950:

"Do fish complain of the sea for being wet? Or if they did, would that fact itself not strongly suggest that they had not always, or would not always be, purely aquatic creatures? Notice how we are perpetually surprised at Time. (`How time flies! Fancy John being grown-up and married! I can hardly believe it!') In heaven's name, why? Unless, indeed, there is something about us that is not temporal."

Fish are clearly at home in their environment. Perhaps our uneasinesss with time suggests that humans were not created to live in this world. In any case, we're obsessed with time. I've got book called "A Sideways Look at Time" and i've not had time to read it yet. Go figure.

But it's true--we act as if we're surprised with the passing of time. Sadly, i can say that i don't know Hilo all that well now. You know you don't know a small town when you can't suggest a good restaurant anymore. When my mom asked me where i wanted to eat, i named restaurants that had either closed or changed hands. Sad. It made me think of the Hilo that existed when i was young. The Wendy's that was a chiropractic clinic is now a Starbuck's. Roy's Gourmet became Kay's Lunch Center, but is now, "Kalbi Express."

I was reminiscing and feeling nostalgic about things i no longer see in Hilo. Reading the above bit from C.S. Lewis was reassuring--why should i be so awestruck that a town has changed much in 10-15 years since i spent so much time there?

So, rather than listing and lamenting on things gone by in Hilo, i'll list 3 semi-new things to me that i noticed:

1. The Poke Truck with their motto, "We make em' like you like 'em" (See picture above) If you're not local, or have no idea what poke is, here's a clue. We didn't stop to pick up some poke here--my dad's recipe is better than any chef in Honolulu. Actually buying poke is like the equivalent of a Baskin and Robbins employee paying for a scoop of Jamocha Almond Fudge. Dad was actually offended when i brought home some ahi poke from KTA supermarket one day. Well not totally offended, but his first comment was, "no mo enough chili pepper..."

2. On the corner near the airport, there's a drive inn that has been home to many fast food restaurants. When i was young it was Dairy Queen, then it changed to many short lived local plate lunch houses. The former DQ has finally found a well-liked resident, "Verna's." Unless you've heard about the food there, you might miss it if they didn't have their great sign that greets people at a busy four-way stop: "If no can, no can. If can, Verna's!" We got Dad an extra large grey Verna's t-shirt (with the aforementioned logo of course!) and we all recited "If No Can, No Can, If Can VERNA'S!" at various points throughout the trip. Extra points if you can decipher what their slogan means. We came up with a few variations...

3. De la Cruz ice shave truck. They stop in at the parking lot of Onekahakaha beach on weekends to serve the hungry kids tired of drinking saltwater. They sell anything from manapua, gravy burgers, rainbow ice shave, li hing mui, to hostess ding dongs. i've not seen the old Filipino couple who operate the truck in years. i was happy that we happened to be at the beach that day.

And no, i'm still not out of vacation mode. i'm still thinking about the lifeguard thing.

Waipi'o

For those of you unfamiliar with Waipi'o Valley on the Big Island of Hawai'i, it was the home of to the kings of old Hawai'i. Most of the taro that is cultivated for poi is grown in the lush valley. It takes about 2 hours to drive there from Hilo, via the small town of Honoka'a.

For all the summers i spent on the Big Island, i had never been near Waipi'o Valley. Unbelievable right? It's kind of like local people here in the Bay Area who've never been to Alcatraz. Or not. You know what i mean.

Over the holiday, we spent an entire day on horses from the Waipi'o Ridge Stables. It was my surprise treat for Cappy on her birthday. i opted for the 5-6 hour "Hidden Waterfall" ride. i know what you're thinking--5-6 hours can be dire for those unaccustomed to long hours in a leather saddle. And would Cappy thank me or hate me for such a surprise? Thankfully, we weren't on horseback for the entire time. And though we were a bit sore, it was totally worth it.

The brochure promised a wonderful "...journey along the rim of Waipi'o Valley to the top of Hi'ilawe, one of Hawaii's highest and most beautiful waterfalls." The extra special Hidden Waterfall ride promised even more wonderment: "As we ride deeper and deeper into the rainforest we encounter a series of smaller, beautiful waterfalls and secret pools. Soon it's time to tie up your horse and hike down to a very private waterfall spilling into a pristine ginger lined pool."

Cappy was assigned to the shortest horse of the bunch, Kaleo. She later described this horse as an "ornery donkey" because he failed to respond to her constant tugs on his rein. He didn't give up a single opportunity to graze on the green grass, ferns, and anything else in his path. It was basically a constant "drive through" for Kaleo.

My horse was called Roddo. He was a 20-year old horse derived from the Spanish stock of horses that first occupied Hawai'i. He was thankfully not as voracious as Kaleo. And for some reason, he decided that he would listen to me. My only complaint was that he loved to trot spontaneously which was brilliant, though painful.

The Hidden Waterfall was exactly that. We rode up the mountain and our horses waded through shallow rivers to get to it. You didn't have to dip a toe into the water to know the water was freezing. Still, there was no way we were killing ourselves for 2 hours to not swim in the "pristine ginger lined pool." Not to sound cheesy, but it was that. Though the water was arctic, it was completely refreshing. We had a picnic lunch of sub sandwiches from Blane's Drive Inn in nearby Honoka'a.

After a brief dip into the aforementioned arctic waters, we got dressed and got back on the saddle, literally. The prospect of another 2 hours back to the stables seemed fun, yet painful to my increasingly strained back.

It's funny. The whole experience seemed so cheesy and unreal, both from the brochure and the actual experience. In the moment however,it felt so normal--as if we ride through tropical forests on horseback every morning. It's odd how things feel nearly ordinary in the moment, yet totally glossy afterwards. I can easily recall the sound of the breeze weaving through the eucalyptus trees, the sound of horse hooves trudging over rocks, and the silence except for the steady footsteps of 10 horses in single file through the jungle.

Match Point

My favorite Woody Allen films are: Annie Hall, Alice, Mighty Aphrodite and Small Time Crooks. Though i wouldn't say i'm a serious fan, i appreciate his sense of humor a great deal. As far as his personal life, i can't be asked to analyze that. There has been so much buzz around "Match Point," i thought i'd check it out.

If you've not seen this film yet and/or intend to, be aware that there are some spoilers in the paragraphs below...

In my mind, the main reason that this film is being heralded so is because it offers his fans a much needed break from the usual Woody Allen experience. We're spared the whining, self-indulgent casting, and plots that are a bit too clever (e.g. Melinda and Melinda).

Frankly, the plot line is really tired. Working class guy marries into wealthy family, has an affair, but refuses to give up the life he has become accustomed to, and someone ends up dead. The conclusion is hokey yet cynical. You've seen this film before. Though, even though you recognise the story and could predict where it was going, it was still pretty riveting.

The casting was natural and fitting, especially with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. He does a wonderful job disguising his strong Irish accent--you get the feeling he's been trying to do that his whole life. Woody Allen made London seem more appealing than it actually is, from indoors that is. Chris'apartment with Chloe was amazing, but i wondered if it was actually an office building they used as their loft just for the film.

The editing was flawless. i'm a big fan of editing that doesn't give too much away, nor leads you on too much. It's a lot like the pace of a good waiter in a fine restaurant....the perfect amount of space from the time you sit, to when you order your drinks, when the plates are brought out and cleared...

I left the film thinking about things in life that have happened out of sheer luck. Things that have seemed too outrageous to be real. And though i'd love to finish this thought, i can't seem to at the moment.

Year of the Dog

Hawai'i was wonderful...

Am putting some thoughts together--i am still wistfully processing the whole experience. Currently i feel like leaving the corporate world and becoming a lifeguard at my favorite beach in Hilo. i liked encountering pleasant and friendly drivers who would smile and wave from their cars for me to pull ahead. i liked that i could go places and people would ask my last name, and they'd know my family. i liked going to the beach every day and having the biggest decision be what kind of shave ice i was going to have that day. i'm clearly not over my vacation. More to come on that.

i can tell you about the horrendous flight over, however:

Apparently, we flew to Hawai'i on a day of a huge tropical storm. This storm was tracked across the Pacific stirring up 25 foot waves. A normal 4 hour flight turned into a 5.5 hour nightmare.

Usually turbulence has been a rough patch of clouds or wind. i grip the armrests and it's over. This time, the turbulence was intense and long-lasting. It lasted for over twenty minutes two different times. The "fasten your seatbelt" light was on for most of the flight. There was at times that eerie silence that comes when people are too scared to move. Some people screamed when the plane dipped for about five seconds, then tipped heavily to the left. i found myself wishing and praying that it would stop, and thinking at certain moments that i'd never see my family again.

At one point, the plane was silent except for a boy in the back who was talking loudly, "Dad, if the we crash will the plane protect us?" Comforting and exactly what you want to hear at 20,000 feet above the Pacific!! At one point, i realised that the experience of turbulence was quickly surpassing my fear of dentists.

We landed horribly wibbly wobbly at the Honolulu International Airport. After a comforting plate lunch, we headed to the airport bar for a much needed drink before our inter-island flight later that afternoon. Enough about this.

We have stumbled into 2006 the Year of the Dog. We're all about the dog here at pennylane productions--i am a dog and i live with a dog. Am i a dog person? If you've always associated being close to fur with not being able to breathe, i think it's difficult. i can say that i'm a dog person by fate, as those i'm close to love dogs.

Apparently, one born in the year of the dog is:

-loyal
-honest
-selfish
-stubborn
-eccentric
-trustworthy
-a good leader
-reliable
-compassionate
-anxious

We get along best with Horses, Tigers, and Rabbits.
We worry a lot.
We're good listeners.

And guess what, we're going to have a very good year.