North Pole

Did anyone else catch the fascinating Fresh Air interview about the North Pole? A NY Times reporter Andrew Revkin talked with Terry Gross about his recent trip to the North Pole.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5484338

Apparently there are companies who've bought the rights to certain commerce channels from Russia to Europe. This is for the future when the ice melts enough to allow that passage.

Great.

Jack

Apparently a highly territorial and declawed Tabby chased this bear up not one--but two trees. Jack the Cat hissed at this bear, sending it straight to the top.

I had no idea New Jersey felines were that gutsy, it must be something in the water?

I know exactly how our Tubular One would react to a black bear. In her cheeky way, she'd skip up to it--tail wagging in her friendly play bow pose. She really doesn't believe any creature is immune to her charms.

Aqua

Cappy and I celebrated our 4-year anniversary with a 2.5 hour culinary love fest at Laurent Manrique's Aqua in the Financial District of San Francisco. I say love fest because we were killed with culinary passion. We indulged ourselves with the Chef's Tasting Menu which included 7-courses of pure ecstasy.

Overall, it was a wonderful night. Each dish topped the last, service was impeccable, and we couldn't stop smiling before/during/after each dish. We walked out feeling the warmth from the waitstaff with their knowing smiles--they deliver food heroin and they know it.

We were killed with love. It felt like being on a roller-coaster. With each dish delivered, it seemed as if we were constantly climbing up the track incline with giddy anticipation, and screaming on each descent--enjoying every tiny bite. And just when we thought the thrills were over, we'd turn a corner and start climbing upwards again...

The chef's tasting menu featured a 7-course barrage of soul satisfying bliss. Here are some of the highlights:

Smoked Sturgeon Cannoli with American Caviar, and Chives
Parmesan-Black Pepper Soufflé with Dungeness Crab, Sea Urchin, and Chive Butter
Gazpacho with Trout, Grapes, and Herbs
Sea Bass with Porcini Mushrooms
Beef with Veal Jus and Potato Gnocci
Yogurt mint lime granita

I may have forgotten a dish or two. Each tasting dish was small, completely satisfying. The wine and champagne menu resembled that of a Thai beach bungalow restaurant. Pages and pages--about 25 to be exact.

The aforementioned service was impeccable. The waitstaff was intuitive and very friendly. I could imagine their employee handbook was borrowed a bit from Disneyland, slightly modified..."treat each guest as if they are a good friend, but keep enthusiasm from being over the top..."

We left the restaurant feeling as if we were ending a short sojourn on a tropical island. We were greeted with half a dozen thank you's, handshakes and French accented greets like, "we hope to see you again soon!" Though I know all that hoopla is part of waitstaff logistics, and totally a part of the 4-star experience, it still felt warm and natural.

If you've ever enjoyed a dinner at Aqua, you know what I'm talking about. If not, I highly recommend it, especially for a romantic anniversary!

Next up for our 5-year: Gary Danko

Yolanda

Here's a windy path upwards on the backside of Mount Tamalpais. This was not taken by me at a section of the Yolanda trail, at Phoenix Lake. This reservoir park is located between the towns of Ross and Kentfield in the Marin.

Cappy, Lorrie, and I did the 4.4 mile loop this past Sunday in the height of sunshine. We met up with some cool mountain breezes, wild strawberries, baby pink roses, and a tree leaf that resembles bay leaves. To me, this leaf in particular smells like a dental office.

There was a slightly terrifying moment. At one point during the hike, we were on a narrow path under low hanging trees. Something huge was flying directly over our heads, expertly making its way through the branches with its 3-foot wingspan. Or at least that's what it seemed like to me. "It's a vulture!" Lorrie cried out. I had this sudden feeling of terror, like we might be crossing paths very soon with a carcass of some sort. It flew over our heads again. Cappy thought she saw another vulture! At a closer look, it seemed that the vulture's head and neck were red. Eewww. I decided that it was a slim flying turkey--which assuaged my fears. Thankfully we didn't see it/them again.

Next weekend we're heading out to the Palace of Fine Arts for San Francisco's 28th Annual Ethnic Dance Festival. We'll be cheering on my friends who will be dancing the P'ungmul, a Korean folk dance. Apparently, it is a dance that is associated with student activism. The only thing I've associated with Korean student activism is tear gas. I've walked through it three times on various occasions near Seoul National University. It will be good to replace this association with one less toxic.

Remote

Thoughts from working from home today:

-A Bose sound dock with ipod blasting throughout is great end of the week therapy
-1001 distractions (not sure actually, if this is a benefit)
-We really need to re-organise our shoe closet
-The Tubular One sleeps/snores a LOT
-I need to put an end to this procrastination

Recently purchased/frequently played songs on i-tunes:

Energy Is You-The Hitman
Reflects an energy and spirit that I must get in touch with very soon. This song reminds me of early 90's techno.

Turn It Around-4 Strings
I love all of their songs. Gorgeous voice. I love soul in non-soul music.

Justified and Ancient-KLF
Everyone has certain songs that immediately bring back vivid memories. This song brings back a very powerful time in my life. A trip to L.A. in the spring of '92 that changed my life...

Close to My Roots-DJ Moule (The Cure/Beastie Boys mashup)
This song puts me in an instant good mood.


OK, no more procrastination....back to writing, editing, and uploading...

Reviews

The Da Vinci Code

I expected that perhaps some of the critics in Cannes might have gone overboard. You know, passing on their love for the American "novelist" who allegedly plagiarized Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh's Holy Blood Holy Grail. Well, I've discovered with my own eyes that the critics were right on target. Here's how I knew: I slept through about 40% of the film. The worst part of the film: Every scene involving Tom Hanks. The best part of the film: Some of the camera work in a few scenes. I can sum it up in two words: major snoozefest. I'd rather endure a three hour animated film or back to back episodes of Dr. Phil. Seriously.

X-Men The Last Stand (spoilers...)

Apparently Halle Berry demanded a bigger and tougher role since Catwoman completely flopped. OK, but did they have to kill Xavier to make that happen? (Do i really care--am not much of an X-Men fan really...) Anyway, lately it seems that the recent trendy equation for film/TV is this: Kill for Credibility! I guess Brett Ratner took that equation one, no, two steps higher. I wish there could be a Hogwartian film just about life at the mutant school. Or a serious mockumentary about mutant life and the various powers they possess. Like, how would one be able to mentally transcribe? Would that be because that mutant had a lot of teachers in the family? As I said, I'm not big X-Men fan, but for the two hours or so that I spent in the theater, I forgot about cube farms, office politics, and the fact that time was carrying me through Memorial weekend at breakneck speed.

Here are a few tidbits from recent Netflix brain candy rentals. Great films for when I don't want to think, which is generally after 6 p.m. these days... If I'm still watching beyond the first ten minutes, it's generally a good sign.

Last Holiday

Queen Latifah needs to come out already! It's getting pretty painful watching her pretend to be smitten with rapper-actors. That said, it was a fun film except for the very unnecessary subplot involving Timothy Hutton's character. Queen Latifah and Gerard Depardieu worked like walnuts and brie--great pairing and therefore the most sincere relationship of the whole film. I've always liked Queen Latifah--she has a whole lot of that Piscean charisma. That said, can someone tell her agent to stop getting her Wal-Mart commercials?

The Family Stone

Hated this film in the first 10 minutes. Why is it that in a Blockbuster film the gay people, people of color, and people with disabilities are all embodied in one or two characters? One gay man is short, white, and deaf. His partner is black and was permanently fixated in the kitchen. Everyone else is "pretty" and "normal." So annoying. Another distracting point--I love Sex in the City, when I saw Sarah JP playing an uptight character, all I saw was "Carrie" having a bad day because of too small Manolo Blanicks. I applaud anyone who actually made it through this film.

Rumor Has It

I expected to actually detest this film as well, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. Don't ask why because it seemed to have everything going against it, namely: Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner. Shirley MacLaine's was doing her "I'll put on a pot of bourbon," thing and killed (i mean this in a good way) her lines with her rough and tumble grace. Kevin Costner wasn't as insufferable as I thought he'd be--his character was, so that was enough. Mark Ruffalo's character was appropriate, sincere, and realistic. Generally, the story was interesting for a cheesy premise...it was OK for me. Read: it kept me awake for the whole film.

Race

Cappy and I were corralled by our friends to not only get up at 6.45 a.m. on a Sunday, but also get on the bart and get ready to run by 8 a.m. This is no small feat! For the first time in the six years I've lived in the Bay Area, I participated in San Francisco's traditional Bay to Breakers Race.

I've realised that running on a treadmill four times a week does not afford you the fitness to run concrete streets with inclines and dips a plenty! I was generally the last person of my crew to jog into our frequent pit stops, but it was hard to concentrate on running when there was so much to see.

The Fandangers (pictured above) were my 2nd favorite costumes of the day. (Thanks Chronicle, I couldn't be asked to bring any electronic gadgets with me.) We caught up with these people at mile 6 or 7. My first favorite were four guys dressed all in red with frizzy blue wigs. They had tags on them that said, "Thing #1, "Thing #2, and so on..." We saw them downtown, but not after!

We crossed the finish line at around 10.30 a.m. We skipped the festivities at the Polo fields, and hopped on the extremely packed N-Line. We headed to our favorite breakfast restaurant around 9th and Irving. Egg scrambles, hash browns, and toast never tasted so wonderful. Cappy's NY steak and eggs was well-deserved. This girl ran like there was no tomorrow.

Bay to Breakers was a lot of fun. I had one of those, "I love San Francisco and all the funny people," days. I've not had one of those days in a long while. It was perfect running weather--sunny, yet overcast. Everyone seemed to be in a jovial mood, including myself. Despite Sandra's near fatal tortilla incident, we were thankfully all injury free.

And speaking of all those tortillas, I couldn't help thinking that it was a pigeon dream come true. Whole streets blanketed with mushy maize! There must have been a binge increase of ounces of each pigeon in San Francisco.

So anyway, with the help of something little, orange, and different, I was feeling no pain by the afternoon. One of us had the great idea in the late morning to make reservations at Piedmont Springs. At four o'clock that afternoon, we were happily soaking in an outdoor hot tub.

Favorite announcement of the day, shouted out at the hill section of the race: "All racers please stop to party! Fail to do so, you will be cited!"

Notes to self:

1. Eat more than a banana before attempting to get through a 12K
2. When you're up and moving at 6.45 on a Sunday--3 p.m. can feel like 8 or 9 o'clock at night!
3. Try to wake up earlier on Sundays to get more out of the day
4. Try to remember point #3 in the future
5. Post-race hot tubs greatly reduce muscle cramps
6. Bands shouldn't play songs by the Killers. A bad cover version can interrupt running flow...
7. Remember to use wrist wallet for next year's race! (We'll be back...)

Cuisine

This is not an entry about sushi, just thought this photo was particularly appetizing and colorful. Do you ever have times where you're hungry but really have no idea what you want to eat? I've been in this phase for about a month now. I'm not sure what it is about.

When I lived in Japan, I didn't eat much sushi. Teppanyaki, yes. Curry rice, yes. Tendon, chicken katsu, okonomiyaki, and niku jaga, yes. 7-11 oden and Lawson's spicy chicken nuggets, yes. Dango, Mos Burger (!!), and corn miso ramen, yes. But I can count on my hands the amount of times I ate sushi. Or maybe I've just forgotten.

Here are my top 5 cuisines:

1. Japanese
2. Korean
3. French
4. Thai
5. Algerian/Mexican/North African

You notice that Italian and Chinese didn't make it. Why not Italian? I'm too overwhelmed by the excess of cheese and tomatoes. Though I love pizza and pasta, I'm not in love with the rest. Why not Chinese? Two words: duck and pork. Can't do either--but I do love hot dogs.

And the mention of Algerian? When Cappy and I were in Paris, my ex-took us to the most amazing restaurant near the Oberkampf metro. I think it is called "Les Trois Freres," the three brothers. It was not my first Algerian dining experience, but certainly the best. I love North African/Jewish cuisine. I love couscous as much as kim chee.

But why don't I have much of a specific appetite these days? Perhaps if I had Japanese okazu delivered a few times a week (I'm thinking of my friend Erika in San Diego) I might not worry about this problem.

Well, I'm actually craving something specific right now! Thankfully, Cappy and I have some fun dinner plans tonight. It might involve coconut curry, steamed fish, and garlic green beans. At least, that's what I want to order!

Lately

As of late:

1. Gregoire's take out on Piedmont Avenue. Take-out taken to a brilliant new level.

2. Keren Ann's new CD La Biographie de Luka Philipsen. A lighter version of Carla Bruni, a bit of Dido. Very soothing, and just great music to work to.

3. Oxygen--my indoor soccer team. We surprised ourselves with a 12-4 win last week only to be humbled this week with a devastating 6-0 loss. Winning is so much more fun.

What went wrong? I blame it on the music. Usually the Bladium plays upbeat and energizing music during games. Last night, at the beginning of the second half, Paul Young's "Everytime you go...away..." totally slowed us down. Later, I blamed a missed scoring opportunity on the agonizing guitar solo of a Van Halen song. We played against a team called "The Latinas." They were tough and highly skilled. At minute 35, we actually reverted back to a 3rd grade version of kick and run soccer. Brilliant. Thankfully, this was our last match up with them.

4. Clinique Bonus Time! Recently I spent a few hours at a swanky outdoor shopping mall in Walnut Creek. It's clearly an adult Disneyland--second to the Venetian at Las Vegas. Imagine faux European façades showing off Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma. Lest you be not taken by the McArchitecture, Godfather lite music fills the air. Happy blonde families stroll hand-in-hand. The captain of the local high school lacrosse team snuggled with his cheer bunny near a fountain. Whew. I had flashbacks of the city I grew up in, but thankfully the Italian music reminded me that I'm indeed in the throngs of Nor-Cal. And did i have a good shopping day? You bet. It was a glorious retail experience.

5. Girls weekend in the Pacific Northwest! Cappy and I spent this past weekend kicking it with mom up north. On the agenda for the weekend: dinner at a Caribbean restaurant near SeaTac airport, movies, dim sum, an art/craft fair, iced vanilla lattes, reminiscing, laughing. Bellevue Square and its environs is turning into a mini-Beverly Center. Seriously. I felt like I was in L.A. at times. My high school (Newport) is getting a major facelift. I guess that's what happens when you make a Newsweek list.

6. Personal Training at the Bladium! It's time for Penny to move beyond Pilates, Samba Beat classes, and indoor soccer... Stay tuned for the new adventures of Penny and her new trainer Billy W.

7. Bay to Breakers on May 21st Penny et al. will be starting off early on Sunday morning. Costumes TBA--read: we have no idea what we're wearing. You hear "Go!" then after 15 minutes, the crowds allow you a steady walking shuffle. Now that's a pace I can keep.

And lastly, we're happy to report that the Tubular One has fully recovered from the injuries she sustained last weekend. The T.O.'s usual dogsitter was in Mexico, so we took our little camper to San Francisco's Pet Camp. The vet says she may have hyper extended her knee and shoulder muscles. We attribute this to her overly rambunctious small dog play group. Oops. Next time, it's the Older Gentler Dog playgroup.

Corporate

So i've clearly fallen off the posting wagon--though not for lack of material. I've got tons of content in my head, but have been reluctant to spend more time online than necessary. Unfortunately, that has left little time for posting in the blogosphere.

I've got a bunch of postings in a half-baked state, that have been sitting around since mid-April. I'm cleaning up a bunch of them and putting them out there. Here's the first of them...

For those of you who know me well, you know that my working life up until 2004 was marked by the beginnings and endings of classes.

Though I could have probably made more money bartending or zookeeping rather than teaching, I was rich with perspective. I taught children and adults here in the States and in Asia. And this is a strangely true fact--because of my previous job, I can say that there are photos of me posing w/various students from every city/country in the world including: Oman, Cape Verde, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Jakarta, Sakahlin, and Macau.

When teaching, I remember coming home at the end of the day, completely exhausted from talking. There was actually a point when students would ask me, "What's your dream job?" And being completely honest, I'd sometimes answer, "This!"

As you may know, for the past two years, my days have been spent in a high tech cube farm.

I have absolutely no regrets, but have been thinking about how different my working life is now, compared to the past 13 years.

For the past two years, I've been talking much less. I have IM conversations with people who sit on the other side of a wall. I overhear engineers speaking in a jargon that I can hardly understand. I recently had an hour long conversation about the differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. And, now, rather than running from class to class, I sit in a cubicle. A great benefit is looking over my shoulder and seeing the nearby Cow Palace, downtown Oakland across the water, and planes continually landing and taking off from SFO.

...Oh and I don't have to pay for coffee every day.

Here are my top 8 corporate truisms that I've observed and heard about in the past two years:

1. Never Underestimate Anyone
At any random company meeting, you could look to the person to the left of you, and to the person to the right of you. Realistically, one of these people could become your manager within one week, one month, or one year.

2. Fairness is an Illusion
There will always be someone in your company who does much less than you, has less education than you, does not have knowledge or skills appropriate to their task--yet makes more money than you.

3. The Bottom Line
You thought this was just a positive all-company mantra. Then before you know it, a corporate brushfire clears out entire sections of cube farms. "The Bottom Line"--believe it, there is no other God.

4. Watch Survivor
This show reflects the very principles that one encounters in the corporate world. Women of color are either ridiculously suspect or exploited for their diligence and reliability. White men protect each other--only if they see themselves reflected or align with someone they hope to be, or hoped to be. Alliances are very real, but ultimately flimsy and worthless. The only immunity idol is a strong tolerance for ambiguity and the ability to walk the walk on a daily basis.

5. War and Poker
Some men really do use these unforgivable themes when discussing business and computer engineering! "We're not holdin' aces, but we're not ready to fold just yet..." Or the abominable, "This gives ammunition to the theory...." Yuck.

6. Indirectly Direct
All important communication is indirectly direct. Read between the lines. The energies you feel through the walls tell you all you need to know.

7. It is About Who You Know, and Who Likes You
Sometimes executives are executive for a reason beyond their qualifications!

8. It's Not Unusual: People in their 30's and 40's Can and Do Act Like Junior High School Kids
When I was young, I thought people over 30's were adult, reasonable, wise, and mature. I still think that, but for a much smaller minority.

In my mind, unleashing yourself in a cube farm on a daily basis means that you accept the known terrors. It's kind of like owning property on or near a major fault line. You know the potential risks, but get in the elevator everyday.

That's all I dare to spill for the moment.

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.