l'atmosphere

2006-06-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

WooHoo! Well, you can forget about productivity for the next four weeks. The German institute downstairs at work is showing all the matches and throwing in free Bitburger beer and sausages so as you can imagine, the place is packed with Germans (complete with fog horns and whistles) and practically the entire security and building staff. Nothing like starting your day off with a little beer right?

I'm not the biggest soccer/football fan in the world but I do love the excitement and craziness of the World Cup.

Go USA!!

6-6-06

2006-06-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

What would the day of the beast be without a little Slayer to darken your day? God, reminds me of my youth.....minus the hair of course.

road trippin

2006-05-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

A bit late with this but on a recent road trip to California's central coast to spend a couple days camping out under the stars, there were the usual observations and revelations. Here's some of them as well as a recap:

- Monterey Bay aquarium is definitely a world class aquarium with world class prices. Of course it shows with all their high tech exhibits, with the Otters being the main attraction. Talk about a cash cow....cute=$$$$

- If you ever wanted to know - you will have to be totally loaded to afford a personal jellyfish tank....I asked for you

- Your cell phones will not work in Big Sur, however you can get wi-fi at some of the campsites. Dang those hippies are high tech!

- Note to fellow campers that blasted music from their pickup truck for 8hrs straight: You didn't have bad taste in music but this IS the wilderness and people do come out to enjoy some silence. Perhaps you were using the music to cover up any sounds from you shagging your gf, which may explain why you killed any liking of that Gnarls Barkley song by playing it over and over and over again. thanks

- Instant ramen noodles will take 10 minutes on direct flames to burn so take note next time you're hungry and in a bind, unless you want it sitting in you for an eternity

- Just two days in the wilderness and being back in the city feels so foreign. You see it with a different perspective and want to turn back around and head back.

Si Se Puede

2006-05-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

What an amazing and inspiring day it was.....nothing like walking down Wilshire blvd with half a million strangers.

May 1st flickr page

Wassup Rockers

2006-04-27T01:40:00.000-07:00

EC was nice enough to invite B and I to a screening of the latest Larry Clark (Kids, Bully)film called Wassup Rockers the other night and I swear the film was like a flashback to when we were 15. Going back to a method he used for Kids, Clark befriended a group of latino skateboarders from south central and more or less formed a film around their everyday life. Any one of those kids in the film could have been me or my friends at that age - spending time skating, running from cops, playing and listening to hardcore punk. The kids aren't the greatest of actors but I think part of the charm of the film is its amateur-ness and I think that's why I liked the film. Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic because it was reminicent of the mid 80's punk and skate films I spent alot of time watching.

The audience was very skate friendly as well. Not only were the entire cast and director there, but also Pharell Williams' Ice Cream skate team, Obey artist Shepard Fairey, and Lil Jon (yes....the "Yeeeaaaaaah!" lil jon, who not only showed up in a crazy orange lamborghini but wore sunglasses throughout the film and is literally about 5'5 tall).

ps. and yes, that is Kid from Kid n' Play on the far right minus the 12inch high flat top hair. And for you kids that have no idea who i'm talking about, don't worry bout it. It was a weird era in hip hop......

2006-04-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

Can anyone tell me why feelings of loneliness always seem to creep up after the midnight hour?

I'm not gonna lie to you when I say that its a really shitty feeling. Not only that but in an effort to self medicate yourself, you start making phone calls and writing emails you probably shouldn't be; all in a desperate, delirious state.

But you somehow make it through the night and when you wake the feeling more or less retreats deep back into the cave which it came and you realize how pathetic you were and vow to never let that happen again.

Which of course it does.

Its so easy to see how someone could easily let the loneliness get the better of them and just wallow in despair. Luckily, I'm very aware of this and know that if I just weather the storms and keep moving forward, everything will be just fine.

**********************************************************************

MORNING UPDATE

An ipod can be an amazing friend.

Just when you're tired from the time change, feeling sick from your liquid breakfast, and there's a cloak of general "blahness" over you, it puts a one-two combination of songs into your ears that completely picks you up. This time it was a song from the 2046 soundtrack followed by Maze's slow and groovy "Happy Feelings" (i've been on an old school jams kick lately).

And just like that my mind is back on track, focusing on what it should....

let's all chant

2006-03-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

What do the a hit song from the White Stripes and Italian soccer fans have in common?

Take a listen to this short radio story to find out how a bassline is taking European stadiums by storm. Funny and facinating...

The World: Global Hit

2006-03-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

They tell you Sodom's coming
Soon everyone around us will die
Only a fool believes that he is different
From the birds in the sky

All those birds go chasing
Some better sunny days
You can't hear them singing
Cause they've all gone away

But this one bird didn't leave you
And stayed through the winter time
You can't hear it sing
But you can hear it as it flies

So don't you believe them
They'll destroy you with their lies
They only see the obvious
They see the sun go down,
but they don't see it rise

I've always liked the Flaming Lips but can't say I'm the most hardcore of fans. I do , however have always liked the whimsical lyrics and world they create. Got a chance to preview their upcoming cd and out of all the songs the one above immediately hit a chord with me and thought I'd share it.

2006-02-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

"Learning is a paradox. It is life affirming and often painful because you care about it. Without it you might as well be dead."

That moment of clarity when a situation or scenario suddenly makes sense can come in an instead; triggered by unknown forces, the universe, whatever. Its the moment when you make your first unassisted bike ride or when I assume a man realizes that he wants to make a woman his wife. Its the culmination, the tipping point so to speak, when all the knowledge you've acquired comes together and one can have the ability to look at the world in an all new way.

If you were to poll me only two days ago about the "homeless" girl that was temporarily living in my house I would have told you that I thought I was falling for her. As you might recall, HG was the delightful April fools prankster that I wasn't so sure about when we were seeing each other last year. Fast forward to a couple months ago when we started talking again more than we probably ever did and now to her needing a place to stay for a little while. Who knew that once you get all the sex out of the way you can actually start a meaningful dialogue and really get to know someone? Maybe it is just that my head is in a different place and she now seems like someone I want in my life.

How quickly that can change.

I'd like to think that I do things for people without expecting anything in return but that is pretty unrealistic. Even if all I need is some appreciation and thanks, that is still demanding something - But I don't ask for much.

The lack of a sincere and proper thanks for the accommodations was pretty much the last straw. Suddenly, all of it made sense.....plainly put, the girl is selfish. I adore the girl but when you give and give and give (its my resolution this year as you recall) and they don't give back its very hard to find a reason to keep going. It all just feels so one sided. I can't deny that I don't feel frustrated with flashes of bitterness and hurt....sort of comes with the territory when dealing with people you care for that don't seem to care about you.

She only spent two of the originally scheduled ten days at the house and while I am still very fond of her I'm moving on...

Let's pat ourselves on the back shall we?

2006-01-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

The Hawaiian mafia was in full effect at the Asian Excellence Awards, which is basically just an award show put together to attract ad revenue for the Comcast owned AZN channel. The formula for all these award shows goes like this:

Get a bunch of celebrities in a room + televise it = fans wanting to see famous people and in turn = advertising $$$$

Its funny how all of us transplanted islanders sort of gravitated towards each at the afterparty. Some were more 'famous' than others but its not that large of a city and usually find some common link between each other. But in the mix we had a former Miss Universe, a local tv newscaster/weather girl, an up and coming actress you'll be seeing in multiplexes this summer, a former fly girl, now judge/choreographer on a celebrity dancing show and a couple of entertainment execs.

All in all the night was fun. Got to catch up with people I haven't seen in ages, met Dr. David Ho (and which I was in awe of), a former Time Man of the Year and responsible for the AIDS drug treatment called "the cocktail", and got to mingle with interesting people (missed chatting up Lucy Liu though).

If you get the AZN channel the show airs on Chinese New Year, Sunday Jan. 29 at 8pm. Here's a few pics:

I have no idea why he was there but the ladies always love the hedgehog!

Actors Gang Does it Again

2006-01-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

Tim Robbins' theatre company, The Actor's Gang came through again with a powerful and achingly beautiful piece of docu-drama called THE EXONERATED. It affected me even moreso cause I have been lucky enough to have gotten to know some of the company members and one of them is actually in this play.

The play uses real life stories and words of 6 actual death row inmates who were wrongly incarcerated and eventually set free, but not without its consequences. Needless to say there were very few dry eyes in the house, mine included. I haven't teared up like that in a really, really long time.

Yes, the play takes the stance against capital punishment but it also shines the light on a criminal and judicial system that has its shares of flaws. I'd encourage anyone out there to check it out if its playing in your town...it will be worth it if only to show you how amazing and fulfilling theatre can be.

The EXONERATED will be touring the US for about next three months starting in Minnesota this friday.

1/21, 1/22 College of St. Benedict, MN
1/24, 1/25 Hancher Auditorium, U of Iowa; Iowa City
1/28 Weber St. Univ, Ogden, Utah
1/31 Vanderbilt Unversity, Nashville, TN
2/9, 2/10, 2/11 Stanford University
3/15 Young Auditorium, U of Wis; Whitewater, WI
3/18 SUNY Purchase
3/21, 3/22 Modlin Center, U of Richmond, VA
3/24 George Mason University; Fairfax, VA
3/30, 3/31 Northeastern U; Boston MA
4/20 USCB, Santa Barbara, CA

2006-01-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

Interesting day today was...

Good news is B and I now have a showroom handling the East Coast sales for our clothing line.

Bad news is our housemate voluntarily admitted herself to the psychiatric wing of a nearby hospital on advice of her therapist to make sure the new meds they switched her to didn't have any adverse side effects. She'll be back home tomorrow.

ps. the birds were incorrect. I didn't even hit one number in last night's draw.

2006-01-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

The birds have it in for me. For the second day in a row, I have stepped out of my house and been shat on by birds on the way to my car. It may be that they're trying to send me a message but I'll chalk it up to good luck. hmmm....time to get a lottery ticket?

2006-01-09T22:16:00.000-08:00

Its always been on B's and my general 'To do' list to one day create some sort of pop group and see if we could manufacture a hit single. I am not ashamed to admit that the Spice Girls were a brillant piece of work by whoever created them but the four Korean pop princesses above have B and I completely enraptured.

Meet.....LADY(sorry, only in korean)

Take your average pop girl group, throw in a good dose of sex appeal, then add the small little detail that all of them are post-op transexuals and its......PURE FUCKIN GENIUS! A bunch of hot trannies singing bumpin r&b club hits is something I WISH I had thought of. No, I don't have a fetish for this kind of lifestyle but its just that I've had gender bending people in my life ever since I was a kid and why not give these girls the same options as everyone else....at least it makes things interesting. From the Samoan boy in the neighborhood that used to wear dresses (and eventually became a woman) to the after dinner "spot the trannie hookers" drive thru safari trips in downtown Honolulu that my dad used to take out of town visitors on for entertainment, its never been an issue of not being exposed to that lifestyle for me. Its all about finding what makes you happy, no?

Shinae (29), Sahara (25), Binu (22) and Yoona (21) are causing quite a stir out in usually conservative Asia, especially when they are planning to do a nude photo album in the near future. I must say that their first single is now stuck in my head...the melody is very catchy!

yawn.....stretch.....breathe

2006-01-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Time to dust off this site and come out of my holiday hibernation.

First step for me at the beginning of any new year is a general "cleanse" of all the dirt and debris, physically and mentally I've acquired over the last year.

For the mind this year: A Brazilian Samba club to remind me that we should celebrate life daily - Live and loud samba band + bootys shaking at supersonic speeds is a hell of a sexy combination! For the body: A Korean full body scrub to get a fresh new coat of baby soft skin. Sure it might seem gay to lie butt nekkid (no towel & only in a semi-private area btw)on a massage table while some stocky guy looking like a kamikaze pilot w/ a towel headband (yes, i know kamikaze pilots are japanese not korean, just roll with it) uses what's akin to a pot scrubber to sand and soap every inch of my body, including mi bits and pieces, but trust me when I tell you that I feel like I've shed a lot more than skin. And for the Soul: A beautiful hike in Topanga Canyon on a warm and sunny LA winter day.

Its a new year and as traditions dictate, let's go over a couple resolutions shall we:

- MORE TO LOVE. The fortune teller I saw last year did tell me I needed to pick up a few pounds if I wanted to have more luck, so let's see if she's on to something. I find gyms to be an utter bore so perhaps there are other means to get beefed up....break dancing, surfing, rock climbing, freestyle walking? hmmm....

- KEEP IN MIND THE "WHAT IFS" BUT FOCUS ON "WHAT IS". I've noticed that a lot of my decisions in life and love are sometimes pre-emptively sabotaged by my assumption of the outcome. Calling it "thinking too much" wouldn't be too far off. I just need to remind myself that favorable end results come from enjoying the journey there and you can never predict the future.

- THE BOTTOM LINE. F-U-N. That's what I'm making my bottom line this year. You can't go wrong doing something you have fun doing and are passionate about.

- GIVE, GIVE, GIVE. Gonna be more generous to others this year cause there is never anything bad that results because someone gives too much. And in any case it will at least make my life more interesting and spawn a positive environment in which great things can thrive. Here's to giving!

2005-11-30T21:32:00.000-08:00

What do you do when there's a million different thoughts, ideas, life moments, and general ponderings going on in your head but none of them seem interesting or developed enough to warrant a post?

Do you just write about none of them?

Perhaps.

But i'm thinking its just a lack of interest and laziness in trying to keep this up. I don't know how others do it consistently and still have a social life.

Maybe things will be clearer after I get back from a long put off trip back to the islands to see family and friends. Yup....time to recharge and reconnect and figure out the game plan for the next year. As I recall, the fortune teller did say next year would be a very fruitful one financially. I'm hoping she's right...

Observations from the past week

2005-11-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

Iman book launch party hosted by Eva Mendes at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel:

- Its probably easier to get into the Pentagon than this current Hollywood "it" spot. There are velvet ropes everywhere and your rank is measured by how many of these ropes and black-clad doormen you can get past.

- its tough enough to even get into the lobby but once inside there are vip-vip areas for people far richer and more famous than you

- free drinks and a possible chance to hang out with David Bowie will bring me and B out of our cave and into the real world any day (he never showed).

- Iman=flawless beauty. I was speechless with mouth agape when she walked by.

- there is no lack of boobage in this town

- Celeb spottings: Matthew Perry looking more like a wall street type with a suit and tie and aussie rockers JET doing the opposite, looking like they stepped out of a time machine from the 70's

Women's Professional Tennis at the Staples center:

- free tickets to see the "hot chick" of tennis, Maria Sharapova play will lure B and I out into the real world

- I hate the faux formalities and civilities of British invented sports. Sporting
events are supposed to be loud and raucous, not quiet and composed.

- I won't be going to any professional tennis tournaments soon unless I need to nap. zzzzzzz.....

- Arenas charging you double what you would pay everywhere else for Mcdonald's should be charged with extortion

a lovely time with the latins

2005-11-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

It was quite a social and varied time last week. With a million things going on in this town there is never any shortage of distractions and activites to see and do. One night you've got your earplugs in and being audio massaged (along with having your organs churned) by ridiculously loud metal bands and the mighty Boris then the next you find yourself attending the Latin Grammys.

Apparently this year's show was scaled back due to declining ratings but I still found it rather entertaining and fun even though it was all in spanish (a first for the show).

The funny thing about these award shows is that although they are supposed to be about the awards, no one wants to sit through three hours of speeches, so they've basically become all star concerts of the past years hits complete with merchandise tables and concession stands serving nachos and hot dogs in the lobby. Worked out great cause since it was being broadcast live, the commercial breaks gave you time to get some food or a beer.

The performances were good as well. Along with the usual pop fare and the currently hot reggaeton action, there were great rock performances (like the popular La Ley's farewell performance, pictured above) as well as some jazz and regional mexican groups (yes, even the "polka" groups sounded stellar!). I did discover a few new acts that I want to add to my music library which is always nice.

After the show we headed to the afterparty. A party that had so much corporate sponsorship presence that there was no escaping it. As soon as you walked in there were young runway models from a major makeup company passing out the exclusive Latin Grammy lip gloss. And if you wanted a drink, the models from the beer and vodka sponsors could have directed you to the nearest open bar. Or, if you had been thinking of getting a new cell phone, the models from one of the wireless sponsors could have let you check out their new phones. I don't really blame them though. Why put up a lot money for these parties when you can get others to pay for it?

Apparently the official party we were at did not compare to Univision party as far as celebrity sightings go but did notice a few familiar faces in the crowd. Some of them were from bands, some just freaks, like the enormous Jose Canseco wearing a very sheer, very tight black shirt. The most interesting sighting of the night though had to be the Mayor of Los Angeles. I can't really explain it well but his whole vibe is very much of a guy that grew up in the streets of LA. I kept watching his body language and he definitely is not your average stiff, vanilla politician. He was giving out street handshakes like a rapper and with his body guards around him and his sharp suit on, you'd swear he was some kind of mafia don. Or as the General so eloquently put it, "the mayor is a PIMP!".

We left the party just as they were shutting it down, incredibly heavy gift bags in hand. In it was more products from sponsors - chocolates, liquers, hair products, magazines, etc., and a curious new mint flavored bottled water. Give it a try if you like the the taste of toothpaste.

2005-11-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

Honolulu Magazine - 40 Things Every Local Must Do

Face it. We're different from the 49 other states. Locals in Hawai'i have their own ideas on everything, from how food should taste to how holidays should be celebrated. We've even got our own way of speaking the English language.

So how local are you? Some say you gotta be born and raised in the Islands. Others say "local" is a state of mind. Either way, we say you can't call yourself a true local until you've done all 40 of the following. Fo' real.

Mum just sent the Oct issue and the cover story on the things every local Hawaiian must do is hilarious and very spot on. I don't know how well this will translate to non-hawaiians but I can honestly say I've done at least 35 of these. My favorite, either number 32....or 34. Shaka (aka the "hang loose" sign)in traffic.

2005-10-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

Went to only my third hockey game last night courtesy of the corporate beast called Ti*ketmast*r. A friend works for them and had an extra ticket for their suite which was on the first level, center ice. I don't even want to know how much money a year it costs to use. Personally, the seats rinkside seem much better to watch the games but the suites offer more space with satellite tvs, bigger, more complete menus, and room service (complete w/ dessert cart).

Every one loves the foam finger!

Plenty of room to stretch out or nap.

The light show was very Ice Capades-like

Beer....check
Spicy Popcorn chicken w/ fries......check
McD's sundae and apple pie (not shown)......check
Post meal heartburn.....check

The motivation of men

2005-10-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

I am no different than them.

I'll admit that.

There is no blind pride - no false notion that I am somehow above the primal lusts that are born into men. The lusts that destroy rational thought.

The lusts that cause one to reschedule a meet and greet with your company's CEO so you can have lunch with a beautiful production assistant 10 years your junior. A PA that you realize is mentally years apart from you and has bad grammar - a trait that, while not a deal breaker, usually signals deeper issues.

It is this Achilles Heel of men that has caused kingdoms to crumple and brothers to kill brothers. It has served as the catalyst for tragedy and brought great men to their knees.

But whether a prince or a pauper, it is what connects us all to this fraternity.

Of which I am a proud member of.

random musings

2005-10-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think that talking is overrated.

If scientists have said that the majority of human communication is done non-verbally, why do we place such importance on words? I suspect its because its convenient and easy. There's no subtle moves or signs that you have to detect and decipher. But I suppose its benefit is that you can broadcast words in songs, poems, books, etc. while doing so with body language might be difficult if not impossible.

Even language fails us in some ways though. B and I were discussing the shortcomings of the English language and came to the conclusion that it is insufficient in certain cases for describing specific things. Take the word LOVE for example. Why are there not a million words for all the different types and degrees of Love? I for one do not think its fair to group someone's love for ice cream with that of a child or spouse.

It deserves a word more special than that don't you think?

"When the lights go down in the city..."

2005-10-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

"....ooh, I want to be thereeeee in myyy ci-ty..."

I was having childhood flashbacks as I sat in the dark atop the Hollywood hills high above the Greek theatre listening to the 80's power balladeers, Journey, roll through their hits of yesteryear. It was all on a partially cheezy whim that we all we trekked up the dirt hiking trail to sneak a free concert in. Luckily, a friend just happens to live a short walk away from the venue and was having a little get together. Well, one thing led to another and the next thing you know, a bunch of us are caravaning up the street, drinks in hand acting like a bunch of kids and jumping over the bushes of million dollar mansions before trying to traverse a dirt mountain in the dark. By the time we made it up, there were at least 7 other rather "interesting" (read:weird) people up in the trees, rocking and swaying in time. I swear it looked like a scene on the discovery channel - like I was watching chimps in the wild.

Of course we had to (painfully) sit through some of their newer tunes but it was all worth it when they delivered the three punch combination of Open Arms, followed by Faithfully, and topped with Don't Stop Believin'. I would have held up a lighter if I had one. All I could think of was those days of listening to my older sister playing those songs over and over in the late 70's/early 80's. I may not know the names of the songs but amazingly I found myself instinctually knowing a lot of the lyrics and singing along.

"Sooo here I am, with Ooo-pen arms. Ho-ping you'll see, what your love means to me..........Open arms"

2005-10-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Its official. Credit card companies are completely and utterly EVIL.

My longtime friend Mo is having to file for personal bankruptcy because those greedy bastards are more or less forcing her to do so. Sure she shouldn't have racked up 40,000 between three cards (not even counting her school loans that made her two masters degrees possible) but a lot of that went to school expenses and tuition. And so, here she was scraping by and shelling out about $1500/month to pay the minimum (just the interest really and again this isn't even counting her school loan, rent, car, etc); on time I may add, and all of a sudden the companies do their six month review and decide she is a 'financial risk' and bump her interest rate to a whopping 23%! Aren't you guys making enough money on her? geez....

She tried to work it out with them but they told her if she objects to it then just don't pay it and deal with the consequences. What's even more disturbing is that her rate would have remained unchanged if she would have had just one late payment. Guess they don't believe in being responsible and punctual. Its a f-ed up situation either way so she's had to get a lawyer and is declaring bankruptcy to get rid of the debt.

And the kicker....

The lawyer says that right outside the bankruptcy court doors are a ton of creditors waiting to give you a brand new credit card.

God, isn't America great?

2005-09-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

My housemate is a quarter century old today.

Ahhh....youth is a beautiful thing, but am I ever glad I will never be 25 again.

Haven't know the housemate for too long; about two months to be exact. B and I found her through craigslist when we were looking for a roommate. We get along well although the gap in years and thinking between us becomes very obvious on occasion. Its not a bad thing, just that we're at different points in our lives. She's still figuring out what she wants to do with her life and I've more or less put that internal discussion to rest a long time ago.

For the most part though she's been good. She's clean, pays her bills on time, and keeps to herself a lot of the time. Everything I could ask for. The "bad" stuff's kind of irritating at times but nothing to stress out about. Like the fact that:

- the girl has more hair and bath products than a family of 6
- buys groceries she never eats
- only talks about boy problems
- is a hypochondriac, neurotic and slightly paranoid (she recently thinks she's having hallucinations at night as well)
- needs a lot of self assurance (I'm not gonna knock someone for putting their faith in power crystals but I do find it funny)

But whatever....as long as the checks don't bounce and I don't have to babysit her she can pray to golden calves if it helps her self esteem and makes her feel better.

Happy Birthday

2005-09-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Two days of decent sleep and I still have bags and dark circles under my eyes.

New York went well but was very exhausting. Women's clothing buyers are really just glorified shoppers buying in bulk instead of only for personal reasons. In fact, I think a lot of them are just picking up stuff for themselves. Coupled with the fact that everything is at wholesale prices and you don't have to pay for it right away and the shows become a feeding frenzy at times.

The building the show was at also housed the Martha Stewart offices and I hear the new Apprentice loft as well but the closest to a sighting we got was a bunch of drivers and paparazzi out front of the building and talking with one of the fashion editors of her magazine.

All in all the trip was fun. I still find NY to be cool but not some place I would want to live in.

Oh, and while I was happy that I wasn't on that JetBlue flight that had to make that emergency landing, discovering and watching it midflight on another Jetblue plane coming the opposite direction was weird to say the least. The passengers on my flight broke out in applause after it touched down. But...is it just me or are people making the whole event seem more amazing than it actually was/is? I mean all the experts called it the way it went down yet the broadcasters all seemed to want to speculate on worst case scenarios. Gotta love American entertainment.....uh, I mean news.

2005-09-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

P was nice enough to send a few copies of the magazine B and I are in, and while I think the picture they used for the article has me looking very stern and serious, B looks just the opposite. See pg. 188 if you can find the issue. The most frightening part of it all isn't seeing myself in print but that the magazine has full page ads (with detailed pictures) in it for full body shaving creams aimed at young men. yikes!

In other related clothing news, we're doing the traveling salesman thing and heading to New York for a few days to attend a trade show. Will be our first time doing an east coast show so we are gearing up to go into the fashion fortress that is Manhattan. We're optimistic that it will go well for us because we are increasingly finding the whole apparel thing to be something of waning appeal and want to get out of it. We've discussed it and realized that the mass manufacturing of clothing is a very wasteful process. Wasteful of materials, of resources, and not to mention the environmental impact from all those chemicals they use to get your clothes all nicely 'worn-in'. And does clothing or fashion have any real positive or lasting impact on the world? Sure, I suppose it provides jobs and makes one feel better about oneself, but has any fashion designer ever made any major difference in the lives of people? I don't believe there has been one.

It all just seems so trivial to B and I. I have always joked and said I was "cursed with a conscience". But how can you not feel guilty when surrounded by $100 tshirts and $300 jeans like we will be next week when that is more than a lot of people make in a month.

When it comes down to it though I don't have anything against people that like to buy clothes, I just don't want to contribute to the clutter.

beards, beards, and more beards

2005-09-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

Arthurfest was an absolute blast! So many great performances in a great setting with beautiful weather. Yes, there were some minor hiccups but I was able to live with it given the extreme difficulties in organizing a festival.

I did discover that I think I may be allergic or something to eastside retro hipster/rocker types. I swear.....first I contracted strange bug-like bites after Sunset Junction (i'm determined to prove it was fleas or mites, haha) then I started sneezing at Arthurfest and now have what feels like a slight cold. I have deduced that its probably due to a) bad hygeine of said rocker types or b) those dusty old thrift store clothes all those kids wear. Some of those people literally looked like they stepped out of a time machine. However it did make for some interesting people watching and beard sightings. I literally felt facially naked with all the bearded ones I was surrounded with.

There were cleaner, urban ones....

just woke up and on holiday ones....

Punky cowboy ones...

Even the band members had them...

There were also european flamenco dancer ones...

Wooly, Teen-Wolf like/bigfoot ones...

Intelectual, scholarly ones...

and Jesus ones (wait...that's the guy from Black Crowes (aka Mr. Kate Hudson)!! for reals!!!

And of course, Lord of the Rings ones. I didn't know wizards take vacations?!

2005-09-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't mentioned or commented on any Katrina related things cause frankly I haven't been following it all that closely (yes, its bad of me) and there seems to be far more informed and articulate people in the blogsphere doing it better than I ever could. But, from what I am hearing, good ol' GW is again giving his enemies more fuel to run with. As much as I'd like to get a few jabs in myself on who I view as the worst president we've probably ever had, I don't really know enough of what is going on to make any kind of judgement on his recent job performance - I can't watch him for more than a minute before pure disgust sets in. Its so easy to want to lay blame on someone or something when things go wrong and I do not want to be included in any of that nonsense. The should haves and could haves don't really matter now. I do however have to point out the serious socio-political divide in this country that was alarmingly exposed because of this tragedy. It is not a great sign of the state of America when a majority of those stranded and in need of help are poor minorities.

However, my company is doing their part by doing another matching fund for any employee contributions like they did for the tsunami funds. I'm also going to try and see if they need any clothing donations as B and I have extra inventory we could donate.

Click on the picture or here to donate

Arthurfest!!

2005-09-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

No bbq's scheduled for this holiday weekend but will be attending the two day fringe rock/folk festival, Arthurfest on Sunday and Monday. Barring any Hades-like temperatures that could make things unpleasant, the fest will be a great way to see and witness the current darlings of underground rock.

2005-09-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

I've been doing informal polling of my friends to give me some perspective on myself. Its always great when assessing one's own life in its current state (kind of like a annual check-up), to have some outside input so you can do a little checks and balances with how you see things and how others do. So here's the consensus:

a) I run hot and cold. Meaning sometimes I show geniune interest in people and other times seem aloof.

b) Because of a) I tend frustrate friends

c) Whether I like it or not, I may be something I always dreaded becoming - a hipster

d) I am seeking a mate that does not exist. You mean there aren't any girls that are beautiful, cool, issue-free and will not cause any issues, and will not expect anything from me including a commited relationship? Hmmmm.....lol

e) I need to learn how to compliment people more often

thats it for now but there may be further polling done.

la scavenger hunt!

2005-08-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

The LA Scavenger Hunt is the creation of that kid that puts together the Fuck Yeah fest that happened a little while ago. This is the inaugural hunt scheduled for Sept 3rd. Only 20 bucks a team to enter and the winning team gets a ton of prizes and bragging rights. The cool thing is that some of the items on the list are things that will be donated to a homeless shelter downtown.

I have a fond memory of scavenger hunts. Seems like they were a lot more popular in the late 70s/early 80s when I was growing up so maybe thats were the nostalgia comes from. I heard the kid talking about some of the things that will be on the list and it seems like it will be a fun deal.....hair cornrolls for the entire team gets you 50pts!

Grizzly Man and Babs

2005-08-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

Went to see Grizzly Man last night and ended up standing next to Barbara Streisand and her husband in the the lobby after the show. I had seen her walk past me earlier and did think that she looked awfully like "Babs", but hell, half the affluent older jewish women in this town look exactly like her so I didn't think it could actually be her. But her husband being there confirmed the sighting. They didn't look all that special - both with sunglasses on (at night, btw), her with loose drapey dress and shawl, he with t shirt and jeans. I can't say I was disappointed at their 'normal' appearance but I guess I expected to see light rays being emitted from her A-list star power and not the run-of-the-mill Malibu resident look.

Grizzly Man was good also. An interesting look at a very interesting man and questioning of the human to nature relationship.

2005-08-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how a little lighting and medium format film can turn an ordinary photo into something grander than it is.

B and I were interviewed the other day for a Japanese magazine article on this little clothing line we run and I swear, if the test shots were any indication, the photos may be some of the best I have ever seen of myself. Hands down, we look ten times cooler than we actually are and I suppose thats great for the public image but I still do not feel all that comfortable being photographed or interviewed nor did I ask for it.

This all came down quite suddenly when some guy saw someone wearing one of our shirts, inquired where they got it, tracked down the store, then our website, and happened to have a friend looking to do a story on "cool" companies. The mag's demographic is pretty young, like high school boys young, and focused on streetwear and sneakers (which isn't really our thing) but any press is good I suppose. We basically talked out of our asses for the entire interview, trying to sound like we knew what we were doing. And B is now determined to amass a legion of Japanese fans because of it. lol

summer and the under 30 set

2005-08-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

I think B stated it best when he commented that the party was more like a nightclub than a company summer function. I told him that's what is to be expected when the median age here is 25 and there is an open bar all night sponsored by a major beer company.

Maybe it was the alcohol that made the young ones tolerate the short "phoned-in" performance by Kanye. Kanye.....it was fun and all, but you barely played a half hour set, part of it was you rolling through classic soul songs trying to fill time, and you didn't sound all that great vocally. Dude, I know you're more of a producer than performer but try to at least dispel the overrated rumors. You do want people to think you earned those Grammys don't you? I have to tell you that LL Cool J ripped sh*t last year and you did not even come close this year. If you needed to stretch out the set you could have let DJ A-trak (looking like a country club b-boy circa licensed to ill era, ha!) work some of his turntable wizardary in a solo. He is a former world champion you know - you should take advantage of that. He looked kinda bored just pushing the play button on the board.

But hey, I'm not going to bust on you too much. Playing a company party, no matter what company, is akin to being asked to play a wedding. Even if it was being taped for broadcast. We'll just say it was a nice topping for an evening spent with drunken coworkers. And besides, the under 30 hot girls that roam these halls everyday loved it.

And that's all that matters sometimes, no?

Family Mart Launches Assault!

2005-08-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Something is definitely wrong with me when I get excited over the opening of a convenience store.

The first US location of the Japan-based convenience store chain Family Mart opened its doors two weeks ago right here in West Hollywood and I can't to pay it a visit. If you ask me, Japanese convenience stores are the best in the world and definitely make a mockery of the American ones. For one, the food available is actually edible, healthy, tasty and the selection quite large. Second, you can find just about anything you would need in them, from magazines, photocopies, and banking needs to stationary, and beauty products. Its really the quality of the products that make it all work. The only strange thing is that they're using some weird Japanese shorthand for the name of the stores - Famima as in "Family" and "Mart".

Link

2005-07-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

I've never been interested in any of the programming the company I work for produces but as an employer, they're not so bad. I don't know many other companies that would rent out the Cinerama Dome (arguably the best theatre in LA, poss. the country) for the annual State of the Company meeting, try to at least make it interesting by setting it up like a hollywood awards ceremony complete with presenters, bad jokes, and parody video sketches based on our shows, then show an as-yet-to-be-released film. Sure it was that horrible new Jessica Alba film coming out in Sept which my boss said is only about watching her ass for 90 minutes, but it did give me and M a couple hours to have a two hour lunch before heading back to the office.

And to top it off, our company summer party here at the office in a week or so will be another open bar bonanza, this year with Mr. "Jesus Walks" himself, Kanye West. Looks like I'll have to dig my Polo shirt and blazer out of the wash...

2005-07-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy for my friend Rabbit Legs!

Everytime I check in on him he always seems to have something good brewing and this time is no exception. He has some of his music in the soundtrack of Drawing Restraint 9, the latest art film/piece by Matthew Barney (Cremaster series). Barney collaborated with wife Bjork on this one and she laid down vocals over RL's track. It looks like more otherworldly strangeness that I've come to expect from Barney but that's what is so interesting about him. This one takes place all on a Japanese whaling ship and has the both of them wearing traditional wedding garb made of fur. Don't know when its screening stateside but I figure it'll be here at some point in the future.

da kine pidgin

2005-07-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

In case you've ever had any inclination to hear or need an explaination about Hawaiian Pidgin English, this radio story might just do the trick. Not a bad introduction to it. Its too bad I don't often get to speak it out here in LA - I sometimes miss it.

NPR : Proud to Speak Pidgin, Brah

China Attacks!

2005-07-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

If I were working for the US government, I'd really be more concerned with North Korea and China than terrorists. This interesting editorial in today's LA Times makes some interesting points on China's interests in the world and their speculative 'war' they are waging on America. Funny thing is, the strategy is not really that different than one that the US employs on a regular basis.

China's stealth war on the U.S.

Maj. Gen. Zhu Chenghu of the Chinese People's Liberation Army caused quite a stir last week when he threatened to nuke "hundreds" of American cities if the U.S. dared to interfere with a Chinese attempt to conquer Taiwan.

This saber-rattling comes while China is building a lot of sabers. Although its defense budget, estimated to be as much as $90 billion, remains a fraction of the United States', it is enough to make China the world's third-biggest weapons buyer (behind Russia) and the biggest in Asia. Moreover, China's spending has been increasing rapidly, and it is investing in the kind of systems — especially missiles and submarines — needed to challenge U.S. naval power in the Pacific.

The Pentagon on Tuesday released a study of Chinese military capabilities. In a preview, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a Singapore audience last month that China's arms buildup was an "area of concern." It should be. But we shouldn't get overly fixated on such traditional indices of military power as ships and bombs — not even atomic bombs. Chinese strategists, in the best tradition of Sun Tzu, are working on craftier schemes to topple the American hegemon.

In 1998, an official People's Liberation Army publishing house brought out a treatise called "Unrestricted Warfare," written by two senior army colonels, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui. This book, which is available in English translation, is well known to the U.S. national security establishment but remains practically unheard of among the general public.

"Unrestricted Warfare" recognizes that it is practically impossible to challenge the U.S. on its own terms. No one else can afford to build mega-expensive weapons systems like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which will cost more than $200 billion to develop. "The way to extricate oneself from this predicament," the authors write, "is to develop a different approach."

Their different approaches include financial warfare (subverting banking systems and stock markets), drug warfare (attacking the fabric of society by flooding it with illicit drugs), psychological and media warfare (manipulating perceptions to break down enemy will), international law warfare (blocking enemy actions using multinational organizations), resource warfare (seizing control of vital natural resources), even ecological warfare (creating man-made earthquakes or other natural disasters).

Cols. Qiao and Wang write approvingly of Al Qaeda, Colombian drug lords and computer hackers who operate outside the "bandwidths understood by the American military." They envision a scenario in which a "network attack against the enemy" — clearly a red, white and blue enemy — would be carried out "so that the civilian electricity network, traffic dispatching network, financial transaction network, telephone communications network and mass media network are completely paralyzed," leading to "social panic, street riots and a political crisis." Only then would conventional military force be deployed "until the enemy is forced to sign a dishonorable peace treaty."

This isn't just loose talk. There are signs of this strategy being implemented. The anti-Japanese riots that swept China in April? That would be psychological warfare against a major Asian rival. The stage-managed protests in 1999, after the U.S. accidentally bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, fall into the same category.

The bid by the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Co., to acquire Unocal? Resource warfare. Attempts by China's spy apparatus to infiltrate U.S. high-tech firms and defense contractors? Technological warfare. China siding against the U.S. in the U.N. Security Council over the invasion of Iraq? International law warfare. Gen. Zhu's threat to nuke the U.S.? Media warfare.

And so on. Once you know what to look for, the pieces fall into place with disturbing ease. Of course, most of these events have alternative, more benign explanations: Maybe Gen. Zhu is an eccentric old coot who's seen "Dr. Strangelove" a few too many times.

The deliberate ambiguity makes it hard to craft a response to "unrestricted warfare." If Beijing sticks to building nuclear weapons, we know how to deal with that — use the deterrence doctrine that worked against the Soviets. But how do we respond to what may or may not be indirect aggression by a major trading partner? Battling terrorist groups like Al Qaeda seems like a cinch by comparison.

This is not a challenge the Pentagon is set up to address, but it's an urgent issue for the years ahead.

Max Boot is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

2005-07-20T00:11:00.000-07:00

cardboard moto

2005-07-20T00:10:00.000-07:00

its raining buffalo!

2005-07-20T00:06:00.000-07:00

egyptian dog days

memory's loss

2005-07-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Part of the appeal of reading blogs for me is that I get a small glimpse into the minds and lives of people I do not know. I've found that strangers, in just being who they are, can sometimes shed a great deal of light and insight onto one's own life and say things that you've thought but always had a difficult time finding the words to express.

K's post just may be one of those that taps into what many can relate to.
Fragments of a Dream, Shards of Memory....: Of a loss

2005-07-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

Forget the King Tut exhibit.

The Tim Hawkinson retrospective at LACMA is amazing and the real attraction to see. Quite possibly the art show of the year if you ask me. Every piece in the huge show is fantastic and any one of them is worth the price of admission alone. Even took home a little souvenir from this piece. He rigged up a machine to this old school desk to do nothing but write his signature in ball point pen on pieces of paper then cut and drop it in a pile.

absolutely brilliant...

2005-07-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Received an email from HG that went like this:

there is a lot that has been running through my mind.

I don't know how to explain all of it.
But I do know that I don't always like who I am when I'm with you.
And it's all my fault.

I don't know what else to say just yet.
So I won't say much.

I do care about you and think that I owe you in some way to be a
better person than I have been to you. I just haven't been fair and
the thing that saddens me the most about it is that all this time has
passed and I haven't let you see who I really am. Or worse, who I used
to be and whom I need to get back to being.

I'll be in touch...

I haven't seen the girl in a while as she's been cavorting with millionaire wall street types - eating at the top restaurants and riding around in 300K luxury cars - in NY and the Hamptons with her girlfriends, but did talk to her and didn't sense that anything was wrong with her. Perhaps she was sitting in a hammock sipping a mint julep somewhere contemplating life when all this hit her. Its amazing what comes into the mind when all the noise and chatter in your head quiets down and you actually have a chance to take a look at your life.

But if you want my honest opinion, the email smells oddly like the beginnings of an exit strategy.

eh, whatev...

2005-07-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

This will probably be one of the only times I recommend AOL for anything but it was because of them that I was able to watch the Live 8 concerts today at work. Yup, work was s-l-o-w so I more or less spent the entire day watching performances from the multi-continental concert online. Most of the short sets were good, with Stevie Wonder's funky performance as one of my favs, but Brian Wilson's however was a bit sad. The guy doesn't really have the voice anymore for those Beach Boys tunes and he forgot some lyrics on one of the songs - its almost like this great young backing band he's got is propping up the old guy like a puppet.

Watching the shows did make me feel better about the world and some of the people in it though. It did strike me as sad that Africa has some of the greatest natural resources in the world (oil, diamonds, etc.) yet has some of the poorest conditions. Centuries of foreigners taking the wealth out of there will do that.

After the holiday weekend of bbqs and socializing I was feeling like I wasn't doing enough to make the world a better place. Yeah, I was groggy and grumpy from the lack of rest and that may have contributed to it but towards the end of the weekend I began thinking that these people I was talking to really put importance on trivial things. Really, its not tragic that you cannot find this one particular cashmere top anywhere or that Tom Cruise is in some faux relationship, when there are serious, fixable problems in the world. I'm not saying these people are bad; on the contrary, they are very wonderful people but I would only hope that they would be more conscious of less self-centered issues.

I could go on but I'm tired and not clear headed enough to put together any decent line of discussion.

Live 8

AOL streams the concert

another curious LA moment...

2005-07-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

In Hollywood, even the Messiah gets a star.

2005-06-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Xeni and Boing Boing beat me to this but I will just say that the show was a spectacular start to the Hollywood Bowl's summer season. Mel has already vowed to spend every weekend taking in concerts at the venue. She, Syb and I were in awe of the entire combination of good weather, a couple nice bottles of wine, some food, interesting conversation, and superb music. I even have to admit to really enjoying the Arcade Fire's set. I had heard the cd and didn't understand what all the hype was about, but they proved to be good live - at least last night anyways (maybe b/c of the Tosca string section accompanying them?). And how can you not like Byrne doing Talking Head's classics like "Burning down the house" w/ a string section and Psycho Killer with a crazy 25 piece marching band complete with scantily clad cheerleaders, then closing with now 30+ people on stage doing a cover of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love".

Amazing.

Boing Boing: David Byrne mops up the world.

Trona and the new Jew review

2005-06-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

Went to a screening of Trona last night as part of the LA film fest and upon an invitation by the Momimomi guys. It was their housemate's film and they were trying to get people out to support it. The film was pretty good - more about the atmosphere and feeling of being in small desert towns than actual plot, which I very much like. The whole crew of friends that came out all seemed like creative types with a good portion of them young, east coast jewish kids. Not that its all that unusual in LA but the afterparty at the Kibitz room was sponsored by Heeb Magazine which describes itself as the "New Jew Review". They basically cover all the more fringe subjects of Jewish culture - like a jewish Giant Robot mixed with Vice Magazine. The afterparty also included an art-damaged, raucous performance (art) by one of the actors in the film. It was probably the most out of tuned, slapped together, noisey, weird, lo-fi thing ever but it was done with such conviction that I absolutely loved it. Had it seemed like an act I probably would have hated it but the guy really does seem that strange and you have to applaude honest self expression.

2005-06-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

The Kids are Alright - Another night with the cool kids...

2005-06-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here in the office, behind an unassuming door marked "Private", is the newly created lactating room. I'm not surprised the company converted a room into this given all the young pregnant girls around here but it does seem a rather progressive thing for a corporation to do. Unbeknownst to me, lactating mothers have to 'relieve' the pressure or else you 'spring a leak' so to speak. I'm told the room has been painted a pleasant shade of blue w/ soothing pictures on the wall and furnished with rocking chairs, pumping equipment, and a refrigerator to store the goods. The whole concept seems like some milk factory to me but let's just hope they clearly mark their bottles - you know how things can sometimes disappear from communal refridgerators in offices.

2005-06-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

The few hours spent volunteering at the home for abused, neglected, or displaced girls turned out to be a bit strange. According to the info HG and I got beforehand, we were supposed to either do an arts & craft project or athletic activity with the kids. Sounded like little kids to me but turned out to be a bunch of high school aged teens. Most of the girls seemed more or less like any other teens - curious about turning 18 and going clubbing, in love with 2pac or Snoop, falling in love with a bad boy - but all of them were there for one reason or another. There are about 30 or so girls living at the house at any one time but we only spent time with about 13 of them. HG and I spent most of the 2 hrs making sidewalk chalk murals on the patio while the others either painted or played basketball. We both felt a little weird just being plopped down in the middle of all this. I can't imagine high schoolers jumping at the chance to spend a couple of their weekend hours doing watercolors with a bunch of strangers, even if it is just once a month. In the end it just felt like we didn't do much to help these girls out. Two hours is not enough, especially only once a month, to develop any repoire or lasting relationship.

suburban booty shakin

2005-06-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

It can be mildly frightening when you realize that young kids today are hyper-sexed and not as innocent as you thought you were at that age.

Its the only thing that really struck me - as I tried to take in the splendor that is Orange County family living - at my nephew's elementary school's carnival over the weekend. There's nothing quite as scary as seeing 11 year old kids doing karaoke versions of r&b pop songs and professing of their lust for "a freak in da bed" and to "bend over and touch your toes". I by no means consider myself a prude but B and I both looked at each other while another group of girls booty shook like a bunch of hip hop honeys and wondered if any other adults felt as akward as we did.

If they did, they didn't show it.

one taste and its gone

2005-06-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Fried Chicken isn't exactly on the top of my list of foods when I get hungry but Honeys Kettle Fried Chicken in downtown Culver City serves up a mighty tasty bird! We stumbled on to the very nice and sparklingly clean restaurant before the cinema across the street, and were made instant fans of the super crispy chicken (with their tangy dipping sauce) and soft biscuits. It may very well be in a tie for my favorite chicken in the fried category with Campero's. Only possible drawback is the longer than expected wait times for the food . Its not great but at least its due to them cooking up your order right there and not just plopping some premade pieces on your plate.

But alas, a few friends tried to go there the day after because of our excitement and found a sign on the closed door saying they had a fire and directing them to their orginal location in Compton. They say the inside didn't look burnt out so I'm hoping they'll be up and running again soon.

2005-05-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

I don't what it is about irresponsible people that irks the hell out of me. It really isn't any of my business that people don't have any discipline so I don't know why it affects me so much. HG is a prime example of this. She finally got a bank account after three years of not being able to get one due to her being reckless with her money, owing the bank a ton of money, and having a bad credit record. She's pretty much broke but I guess had a bit of money to put into the account to pay for expenses and such. That sounds all great but what does she do? She goes out and blows $2500 on clothes and now can't pay her rent. Makes me crazy to hear that. Of course I told her she should return some of the stuff but she just whined and told me she couldn't. And today she called saying that she went out to her car and found that the tire had been booted by the parking police for unpaid tickets she had gotten. She didn't have the money or time before the office closed to pay to get it removed and with the holiday on Monday she won't be able to take care of this until Tuesday. On top of this they are towing the car away on Monday (which means another huge bill) and all this is after she just threw down $1600 last week to fix the damn thing. I'm not her parent so I just held back my scoldings and tried to offer solutions. What goes around comes around...

2005-05-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have found my Thursday night happy hour spot for the summer.

Just by chance I happened to be grabbing dinner at the Gumbo Pot last night at the Farmers Market on Fairfax and 3rd and stumbled on to their summer concert series. Thursday nights from 7-9pm is jazz night with free concerts every week until Sept. There's also bands on Friday nights as well. The jazz/blues group last night were amazing. They played a little jazz then had a woman that reminded me of older Tina Turner come up and do a set of straight up blues and soul. The stage sits right in front of the bar but there were a few people that brought their own bottles of wine. Its so nice to be sitting outside with the cool night breeze and my hot gumbo and warm beignet donuts listening to boogie down r&b and Ray Charles tunes. Made me feel like I was in New Oreans.

2005-05-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

With the weather being so nice and hot here in LA, it has been increasingly difficult to keep up the posting since there are just so many distractions outside. I did manage to spend a day last weekend in Malibu among other things but I have to say that despite what most people think and say about California beaches, they are pretty gross. Granted I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to beaches due to my home state being Hawai'i, but I've never been to a beach that had so many flys buzzing around. Plus, the water's always so chilly and polluted.

Thanks Cali, but I'll save my swimming for my next trip home.

I am really excited though that summer officially starts this weekend cause that means that taco season starts for me. Whether its a taco truck in the wee morning hours after a night out or a tiny roadside stand, there's nothing quite like a couple of savory street tacos on a summer's day. Its one of my favorite experiences this city has to offer.

2005-05-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Its been ages since I've been to a baseball game, but when did Dodgers games get so rough? Only in LA would you have a constant barrage of Ice Cube and Snoop tracks coming out of every 4x4 truck in the parking lot, baldy gangster thugs in jerseys cheering and cussing the opposing team out, and fights breaking out that leave security guards with bloody noses. I thought this was supposed to be a family atmosphere? haha And on top of that they hand you one of these convienient pocket sized behavior guides upon entry just in case you forget that you're not supposed to make obscene gestures or wear "indecent" clothes at games.

God, I love this town.

2005-05-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am a C student when it comes to 'relationships' (read: women).

Is that awful? Maybe.

It certainly doesn't help your situation when you are dealing with a perfectly beautiful woman that only asks to spend time with you and I put my foot in my mouth as I idiotically do on occasion by saying something I don't realize may be hurtful. HG was just frustrated that I wasn't putting enough effort into our mutually agreed upon "its-not-a-relationship" relationship, so we had a little talk about things.

Rule number 1: No matter what type of relationship you have with a woman, be it longterm or one night stand, they all need attention and to be made to feel special.

A perfectly sound rule that I should have tattooed on me but I failed to follow. And it seems this kind of thing always seems to come up. I'm beginning to think its because I'm just not as interested in coupling up with someone as most people.

In the end, we downgraded ourselves to "friends" status (which just means we hang out but no nookie; a point she pouted at), and she joked and told me I just need to find a girl that doesn't need any attention (yeah...like that exists!).

Its been ok so far and we'll see how things turn out. We agreed to watch Hitch together so we, or rather I could pick up a few pointers. I find the idea of getting tips from a Will Smith movie cheezy but it should be fun nonetheless. And we're doing some volunteer work together for LA Works being play buddies for neglected and abused kids. She also took me to Matteo's for a belated birthday dinner where we ate old school Italian fare in the 60's dining room while Joe Pesci chowed in the booth next to us and I've been finding out more things about her like how she dated a famous actor a few years ago and now can't watch any of his films. I don't know what I'm more amazed at - that relationships can be better in some ways once the sex thing is out of the way or that I've been in territory where the famous have.

nerds on parade!

2005-05-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

As the climax of fanatic (read:nerd) anticipation for the last Star Wars film comes to an end tonight, anyone wanting to see a spectacle should head over to the Arclight cinema tonight. Not only will there be hourly light saber battles staged and two days of round the clock showings but they are closing Sunset blvd. for a parade of sorts. A bunch of stormtroopers will be led by Darth himself along with what I've heard will be the people that have been camped out in line. Expect lots of cloaked, light saber wielding fan boys and their kindred...

2005-05-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last night's Boredoms show at the Knitting Factory provided closure for me in some small way. It has been close to 15yrs since I purchased that incredibly strange, alien, wild, and noisy cassette that was their first album but last night was my first live performance.

B had seen them create havoc years ago on one of the first Lolapalooza tours when they were a 'proper' noise band, but the great thing about the Boredoms is that they are always evolving and changing and you never know what incarnation you will see. The current version is nothing but three drum kits in a circle facing each other and lead vocalist Eye playing syths. Sounding sonically huge, they at times sounded like a psychedelic trance version of a Polynesian dance party during their nonstop 90min set. So hard to describe it but the whole affair had touches of spiritual drumming and chanting as well.

I'm just hoping I don't have to wait another decade to see them again.

the groom with the snakeskin sneakers

2005-05-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

E's wedding was b-a-n-a-n-a-s, bananas!

I arrived at the very posh resort, after a 2 1/2hr drive south of Puerto Vallarta, travel weary and bonded with my new car mates who were there from the east coast to also attend the wedding. The drive had quickly given all of us more than enough to discuss and laugh about. Through the dry coastal landscape and winding roads we dodged cows in the middle of the road, avoided roadside brushfires, got to know the huge Mexican speed bumps that you never see coming, and listened to a myriad of bands that sounded like Spanish language versions of famous English language bands(Mexican Cher, Mexican Journey, The Mexican Police).

The resort was literally in the middle of nowhere and very, very beautiful. Lush grass and mango trees lined the cobblestone driveway and all the rooms faced the bay with which it sits at. Its the kind of place that celebrities like Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets married at(which she supposedly did) and glamorous travel mags do stories on. The big news during my stay was the Seal/Heidi Klum sightings at the hotel. They were getting married in a house near the one E's wedding was at and would come to the hotel to workout at the gym or jumprope poolside every morning.

The great thing about the wedding was that it felt more like a group of friends on vacation than just a bunch of people going to a wedding. There wasn't any where to go so all 50 guests just laid around the beach or ate and talked or kayaked or fished and drank every flavored margarita known to humankind for 4 days.

The wedding and reception took place in an incredible home, just up the hill from the hotel, that sat on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean and had an insane infiniti pool that wrapped almost completely around the house like a moat. Guests were greeted at the entrance by a full mariachi band and more margaritas (a cocktail hour before the ceremony? guess they know their crowd haha). The sneaker obsessed groom wore a rare pair of Adidas snakeskin high tops that were crazy but not in the least out of place with his cream colored suit. The ceremony was good and short and peppered with laughter and jokes brought on by the "shaman's" spanish accented english. Anyone in their right mind would find it hard not to bust out laughing when "repeat after me....take my vows" comes out sounding like "take my balls" and the groom is laughing and trying to have him repeat himself for clarification. Pure comedy...

The rest of the night at the house will be one I will probably never forget. Not only did the speeches inspire, touch, and warm my heart but they were the most sincere I have heard in eons. It was a total love fest and there were very few dry eyes in the place even after this went on for what seemed like an hour. But it seemed all natural and honest which made it all seem right.

The party and dancing and drinking went on til the early morn. They served another round of food around 130am and then came the pool party. Nothing like a late night swim to burn off the alcohol you know?

I made my way to the shuttle vans around 3am - just about the time someone threw the wedding planner into the pool - very tired but beaming at the thought of what a special event I was a part of.

2005-05-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

I don't want to sound ungrateful but I have a difficult time with people doing what I feel is too much when it comes to my birthday. I don't feel completely comfortable being the center of attention so when a particular 'friend' of B and I organized a surprise dinner last night, you can bet we weren't exactly thrilled. For me, a good birthday is a nice dinner with a few close friends or little getaway, not some raging all-night pub crawl. I mean, I'm completely honored that this person put the effort and time into organizing the event but she's not exactly one of our closest friends and, as long as i'm gonna be laying it all out here, she's mostly doing it cause she's obsessed w/ B (who, btw, has already given her the "let's be friends" talk).

I had caught wind of the event beforehand but just couldn't figure out a way to get out of it. Even me returning from Mexico in the late afternoon didn't prove to provide enough reason for her not to have it that night.

We ended up going anyway, feigning surprise. It was great to have a few friends around but at the end of the night I was feeling even more uncomfortable and maybe even a tad bit pissed. Not only did the organizer girl give B and I gifts that were WAY overdone (c'mon! matching ipod minis?) but all my friends ended up having to pay an outrageous amount for dinner given that it was really only normal Mexican food and drinks. Seriously, I would have been overjoyed if it was just a bbq as was previously planned.

In the end, I found out that a few of my friends tried to stop the girl from the ipod plans but that she just wasn't having it. At least my friends know us well enough to foresee the problems it caused. Only thing now is trying to figure out how to return one of these damn ipods to her without upsetting her.

Mexico report coming soon....

2005-05-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Saw Play Without Words last night at the Ahmanson with B and we both agreed it's nice to change things up every once in a while and see something different. Its always great to see a band or go to a concert but sometimes you want to see a performance piece that took a long time to develop and produce.

The dance-drama set in 60's London is hard to describe (a dialogue-free play using only dance and music) but was like watching a stylized live action movie. Think a less campy Austin Powers meets Blow Up. The slinky, sexy, cool, and groovy jazz score is amazing and perfectly compliments the slim mod suits and flight attendant like costumes. My favorite scene is probably the kitchen seduction as the choreography is so imaginative yet captured all the tension and sensuality. Who knew you could do that with just a couple of intertwining people and a kitchen table?

The show's running until the end of the month but for another week you can get ridiculously cheap ($12) tickets if you just show up and pick up rush seats. If they're available (only on weekdays) you'll have to sit in the vertigo-inducing balcony but there were plenty of empty seats in the lower level so we moved to them for the second half. Best deal EVER!

****
Heading (and somewhat dreading!) on a trip to southern Mexico this weekend for E's "destination" wedding. Its not the trip that worries me so much as I never feel comfortable at weddings. I'm looking forward to Mexico - driving two hours down the coastline to the resort, stopping at every roadside stand, relaxing - but not looking forward to the reception chit chat I will have to do. I never know how to act at weddings if that makes any sense (could it be because I don't fully believe in the institution myself?). Frankly I feel more comfortable at funerals than weddings as I've been to more of them and at least there's no one faking emotions there. But seeing as she is one of my closest friends, this will be different and I will be genuinely happy for her.

2005-04-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

Getting back into the public activities this weekend.

Going to see a play at Actors Gang tonight with my brother (who's stopping through town) and ms.universe. The only theatre I ever see in this predominantly film town is at the Actors Gang. They certainly are one of the more prominent companies in LA due to its celebrity founder/benefactor (Tim Robbins), but they do good work and their actors are pretty damn good. The play's supposed to funny. HG has already seen it twice and told me if I am not entertained then I must be 'hitler' or not human.

Its one of those times when it seems there are way to many films screening around town. Personally I am going to see Hou Hsiao-hsien's Cafe Lumiere at UCLA tomorrow. I do generally prefer the pace and feel of Taiwanese films over the commercial Hong Kong ones. Plus, its not too often that these films even get shown here, even ones by internationally recognized directors like Hsiao-hsien.

Seems everything musical is revolving around the Coachella festival this weekend. I've never been to it although every year there are a few bands playing that make me fancy the thought of going. Then it hits me that its such an effort to deal with the whole festival thing. The heat and/or rain, the crowds, the sound (so hard to make outdoor shows sound good), accommodations, etc. Y and I were discussing current bands, some of which are on the bill, and both agreed that we haven't heard anything new and inspiring in a while. This doesn't mean that no one is good, cause some of them are, but there are no new bands that just blow your mind with something fresh and exciting. The current crop of british bands being exported here all sound like british bands from 15 years ago. I chalk it up to listening to too much music. When you're so into discovering new bands that eventually it kills your love. You overdose on it.

tastes like treasure!

2005-04-25T01:01:00.000-07:00

The pirate restaurant turned out to be semi-disappointing. While there were some great things about the interior that I liked - the faux ship you sit in, the giant mast hanging from the ceiling, and lifesize pirate statues - they failed to fully commit to the pirate theme. If you're going to do a theme restaurant/bar you should get all the details right, no? The staff could at least wear a little bit of pirate gear like a skull and bones scarf on their heads and they could at least play pirate music instead of blaring hip hop and rnb. It all just came off as a gimmicky sports bar. The potential of this place is enormous...just make it more like Pirates of the Carribean is all I'm saying. The barrels of beer are a nice start though.

If you want to check for yourself, Crazy Hook is located on Wilshire blvd. just 2 blocks west of Vermont. Look for the neon sign.

2005-04-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

Slowly decompressing from the whirlwind that was the past two weeks. Feels like everything was moving past me at light speed then suddenly slowed to a crawl upon my return home.

The good news is there are a ton of great shows and films coming up in the next few weeks including a new Matthew Bourne production at the Ahmanson theatre I'm dying to see. And I'm curious to check out a pirate themed restaurant in k-town that HP discovered recently. Aaarrggh, maties!

nippon roundup

2005-04-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

Since I am just too tired to write at length about the past 10 days I will try and summarize it best I can in bullet form.

EXPO Japan 2005

- If you are headed there be wary that it can be frustrating for the non-Japanese visitor. Its tailored for the Japanese and therefore most things are in that language.

- Be prepared for some long queues.

- Curry seems to be the international food of choice as it was everywhere. African, Sri Lankan, Indian, South American, and everywhere in between.

- You'd expect higher than normal food prices but $4 dollar cups of tea and $10 bowls of ramen?

- While there are a lot of things to see and learn, a good bunch of the countries just tried to show you their culture by trying to sell you something.

- There was a noticeable lack of native citizens running the pavilions. I know Japan is expensive and far away but its just not the same when there is not a single Saudi working the pavilion, just a bunch of Japanese dressed like them.

- To Robert Wilson: I know you're some hot shot theatre director but your giant snow monkey show sucked...haha.

- You know people don't like you when the only pavilion with metal detectors and x-ray machines is the American one.

- You'd think Che Guevara was the president of Cuba as they had his picture up everywhere in the Cuban pavilion and not a single one of Castro.

- Only go to the Japan Railway pavilion if you are a trainspotter and want to see train porn or need a nap. Fifteen minutes of watching a train whiz by in 3-d set to music is not my idea of fun.

- To the Japanese Expo committee: No offense but, I realize this you tried your best to follow the ecological theme but I have to tell you it felt fake. I don't think your citizen's cared as much as you hoped for and the 12 different trash bins at each station took eons to figure out. It really did feel like you guys were pretending to be eco-conscious with all your doomsday music and anime storylines telling of a bleak future if we don't change our ways.

I know it sounds like I hated the expo but I didn't. I actually had a great time there. Even if I didn't get to see the robots due to the enormous queues.

*****

GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS

- Chasing geishas down in Kyoto like little white rabbits. You'd see them out the corner of your eye then try to follow them down some dark tiny alley only for them to disappear into an unmarked door.

- Checking out the I.M. Pei designed Miho Museum which is beautiful despite the fact that the museum is owned by what may or may not be a cult.

- Seeing mum's delight in spending a night of luxury high above Osaka with a corner view of the city.

- Mobile phone etiquette is tops here. Nearly everyone has a phone but I swear I only heard maybe 3 phones ring and only a couple people talking on them in all the time I was there.

- J-girls are like cute little animals. They can be attractive without being naturally so to begin with just by the hair, make-up, and dress.

- I am already missing the service oriented society that Japan is.

- Seeing old friends I haven't seen in a while. They are all asking when I am moving to Japan.

- Having everything you want and need available at a convienient distance.

- Checking out the micro bar district in Shinjuku. There were little alleyways packed with bars the size of closets; most of them only big enough for six people.

- Taking Mum to a costumed fantasy cafe where the waitresses dress up like comic book French maid characters. She didn't know what the hell to make of the whole scene but tried her best to try to understand it.

- Sitting in an outdoor hot spring looking up at Mt. Fuji.

- The Japanese have an uncanny knack for predicting the weather. When it rains, everyone has an umbrella but when it doesn't you don't see anyone carrying one even if it looks cloudy or has been forecasted to rain. I learned the hard way to just follow the people and not the forecasts.

See the photo gallery

2005-04-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

While I can appreciate all the stereotypical things people imagine when they think of Japan - the temples, scenery, the history, traditions - its really the small, seemingly ordinary things that I take joy and interest in. Take for example these two girls above. Sure you could just have two girls waving at people trying to get them to stop at their strawberry farm. But here in Japan why not have them put on tiger head caps, one giant glove, and have them do a little dance holding giant stuffed strawberries? lol.

It would take a couple of days recounting what I've seen this past week. Just today N took us around her hometown where we checked out tea and strawberry farms and ate some killer tuna. All things this town is known for.

The craziest thing though are these multi-media net cafes at which I am posting from now but I've seen in all the cities we've visited. They are basically entertainment libraries where you can do just about anything. You get either a room or cubicle for about 3 bucks an hour that has a couch, tv with cable, dvd player, computer, and playstation and there are walls filled with manga comics and the latest magazines. There's also an all you can drink beverage bar and they even serve food if you need it. Some of the deluxe ones even have tanning salons or saunas as well. And they're all 24hrs. to boot! As you can imagine people tend to camp out here like its a second home and N says in the daytime there are salary men sleeping or watching tv. Its all so nutty. I already played some games, watched some cable, and am going to check out a dvd from the front desk all while N is focused in on her comics.

God bless those Japanese...

2005-04-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

KYOTO

The cherry blossoms are absolutely gorgeous.

****

I find it hilarious that Mum's first impression of Japan was that the kids are a lot fatter than she expected them to be. I told her she can blame American fast foods for that one.

As many times as I've been here its still baffling how little english is spoken by its residents. I'm pretty used to it but Mum has gotten a bit frustrated not knowing what exactly she's eating a few times. It doesn't really matter to me as I've just been stuffing myself with french pastries though{the J's really make great ones}. I swear I've been eating like a cow here cause of all the walking. I'm literally hungry every 90 min. and wanting to stop anywhere there's some picture menu in a window.

comings and goings

2005-04-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

I can't wait:

...for breakfast at Mister Donut(aka Misdo)

...for spending time examining every product and food item in the best convenience stores in the world.

...to visit the flagship store of my favorite minimalist chic lifestyle store Muji

...for the third degree burns caused by magma-temperature hot springs

...to eat roadside roasted fish on a sticks

...to put my Charades skill to use trying to communicate

...to come back speaking broken Engrish

...to gorge myself on train station lunch boxes(aka Ekiben)

...for a healthy dosage of fetishes, obsessions, weirdness, cuteness, and sameness.

sayonara for now

2005-04-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

As if to make amends for the April Fools prank she pulled on me, it was extremely nice of HG to surprise me with a sleepover at the very posh Le Merigot hotel and spa in Santa Monica the other night. She had the whole night/morning planned with side by side massages and breakfast in bed but unfortunately none of that happened as I got out of a meeting late and didn't get over there until 11. If only I knew I would have hurried along the meeting faster. Apparently she likes to spend a night in a hotel eating room service and watching movies at least a few times a year and was trying this hotel out.

The room was as expected - ocean sounds coming in through the balcony, lush carpets, baby kiwis sitting on fine china plates, luxurious bedding. Its amazing how fine linen sheets can seriously change your outlook on life. haha. For you sheet fetish people, they were Frette sheets, if that means anything, and must have been some super high thread count and made with rare Egyptian cotton as they felt like silk on the skin. I slept like a baby.

As much as I enjoyed the evening, I did wonder how she got the money to pay for it all. The girl is broke yet she paid for the room in cash. All very mysterious...but I will follow the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy on this one...

2005-04-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

I can't decide whether HG is just being a girl or is unusually sensitive as she says people have told her. She had been at the French photog's place again but had to leave as the Frenchman's ex, a former pop waif named Fi*na Apple (yes, the real one), unexpectedly arrived and is fiercely jealous and just plain crazy when it comes to any girls hanging about as commonly happens. She came over afterwards and looked at my new haircut and said it made me look mean. It was a weird thing to say about a haircut but then her eyes started swelling with tears. She said that I looked like someone that could break her heart and thats why she was crying. I was so confused over that statement and told her so, only for her to reply that I give her fair warning if I'm going to do or say anything mean in the future.

I don't know what she was like before she started taking anti-depressant drugs but I just don't know if i'm ready to deal with all of this. I'm feeling guilty that I may have to be the bearer of bad news one day soon. And I know she's not the type to take any bad news well.

2005-04-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

I am utterly fascinated by all the Pope coverage currently in the media. Although I'm a non-practicing catholic, I went through it all as a child - the baptisms, the first communions, the sunday school sessions, the confessions, the confirmations. Its was all my mother's doing actually. I fought it at times but went along with it for the most part cause it made her happy.

More than anything its really the history, traditions and rituals of Catholicism that I'm interested in which is why the current events have me enraptured. I spent a good hour the other day reading just about the selection process for a new Pope which has all these rules and timelines that must be followed. I'm hoping they do something really courageous and elect this African cardinal that was supposedly in the running at one point. A black pope would send shockwaves but how great of a statement would that be? I could deal with another Italian but please, please, please just not an American. The last thing we need is another reason for people to hate us even more. haha

Robots, Robots, Robots!

2005-04-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

While the world is on the Pope's deathwatch, I'm gearing up and getting excited for my trip next week to the WORLD EXPO 2005 in Aichi, Japan.

It wasn't really my first choice to go on another trip to Japan but Mum's never been but has always wanted to, so B and I are playing tour guides this time around. Personally, I would have liked to have gone to South America or Iceland or somewhere else I've never been but the idea of going to another World Expo was something I just couldn't turn down. I attended the last expo in Hanover, Germany in 2000 and it was amazing so I'm looking forward to this one. If you've never been before I would characterize it as similar to Disney's Epcot Center only a hundred times better and without the "Disney-fied" fakeness.

From what I've been reading the big attraction is all the crazy robots they have walking around and talking. They also have built a full size replica of the house in Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro" in the forest which should be cool as well. Expos have always been about showcasing the world's latest innovations and this year is no exception but I find the country pavillions to be almost more interesting. It can be like travelling around the world in a day. Each country brings their own food, craftspeople, musicians, dancers, etc. and so I find myself fascinated by discovering things about different countries and talking with people from there.

I'm going to try and update from the road but we'll see how it goes. It'll be good to be out of the US for a bit and see some friends I haven't seen in a while. I'm trying to get J in Osaka to arrange a tour of her company's factory (Glico, large snack co. and creators of Pocky, the chocolate dipped pretzel stick snack) just for the hell of it and of course I'm hitting a hot spring and possible tea farm in N's hometown near Mt. Fuji.

The expo runs until Sept. 25 2005 but if you miss it there is always the next expo in Shanghai in 2010. I'm already planning to be there.

2005-04-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

4:45pm

"We need to talk asap"

This was the second such message she had sent in as many minutes and they arrived after an already serious-toned voicemail.

In a quivering voice she said, "I'm moving back to Michigan for a while". "How come?" I asked. And that's when she started frantically crying.

"I went to the doctor and, well.....they just called, and..."

"What's wrong?..."

"I just don't know what to do."

"What do you mean? Is everything ok?"

"...I'm pregnant"

(Stunned Silence)

My future life immediately flashed in front of my face. How would this change things? What does this mean? The panic had yet to set in as I was calming myself by going into problem solving mode. In my head I kept telling myself this can be worked out, that I can handle this. I accepted that as careful as you are, things aren't foolproof.

She hung up frantic and telling me she was going to a friends and didn't want to see me yet.

I hit the phones immediately. E first. Left a stern message for her to call me asap. Then to Curly to cancel on her going away afterwork party. Told her an emergency came up.

An hour or so later, and on my way home she called again telling me she was leaving for New York in a couple hours to stay with a friend. I begged her to let me see her but she refused. In a sniffing, weak voice she brokedown and said:

"What day is it again?

"April 1st"

"and what is it people do on that day?"

Ladies and Gents....

I WAS PUNKED.

"OOOh, you biatch!" I exclaimed in between a good hearty laugh.

I was more relieved than pissed. I actually have a deep respect for a good prank so the embarrassment I could deal with. But thank god she didn't keep it up until midnight as she had planned. She was going to call a few hours later and pretend she was in a Chicago airport.

Happy April Fools Day.

2005-04-01T00:48:00.000-08:00

Just found out that the USC Springfest 2005 concert goes down this saturday. The festivities start at 2pm and feature local bands like Future Pigeon, Go Betty Go, Mia Doi Todd, and Tre Hardson (formally of the Pharcyde) but the real draw will be the headlining Roots. The Roots are always a guaranteed great show. Best of all is the show is free. I'll be catching the early sets from Future Pigeon and Mia Doi but will be heading over to the Soundtrack of our Lives show later that night. That might have worked out for the best as I don't know how long I could stand being around those college kids...

2005-03-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a man needs a woman to tell him what he should be doing.

I took the time out to sincerely thank HG for telling me I should plan a small get together for KZ's bday last night. B and I were already taking her to a friend's pottery party (which btw was very fun...pics to come) earlier in the evening but hadn't thought of getting a few of her friends together afterwards for a drink. KZ is a funny bird in that she is rather lonely with very few close friends. And since no one else was planning anything for her, HG suggested that B and I should be nice and organize something. She has afterall been super essential to our business.

I feel bad for the girl. Its obvious that she so badly wants to find love and friendship and is just devastated when its absent. You know its bad when a last minute, mellow get together with a few friends is touted by her as 'her best birthday ever'. Made me feel even worse for not putting together something grander.

All in all she was genuinely happy. And it was all due to a woman reminding a man that the littlest things are sometimes all you need to make a woman feel special.

Smithsonian Global Sound

2005-03-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

I'm really digging the Smithsonian Global Sound website lately. Run by the Smithsonian Institute, it has their entire library of folk music from around the world available for download for 99cents. Some of the stuff is pretty rare and old and the best part is that they pay royalties to the musicians wherever they may be. I can't decided what I want first....Alan Lomax's early blues recordings from the south or bamboo fiddle music from Botswana. hmmm...decisions, decisions.

2005-03-27T15:02:00.000-08:00

Easter Greetings!

Not a whole lot of interesting things worth mentioning at this time although it could be the 10 pounds of Haribo gummi bears currently sitting in my stomach causing the writing block.

I'm feeling a bit embarassed discussing the past week's activities cause I was being the total film nerd. Almost averaged a film a day. Saw the korean film Old Boy (excellent hallway fight scene), a creepy Roman Polanski film called the Tenant, and Palindromes (the new one from the Welcome to the Dollhouse guy). Palindromes was alright; not my favorite from that director but there was some good stuff in it. He was there after the screening for a q&a session that was utterly painful. Actually, ALL director q&a's are equally unbearable. They are always the same with the same questions and the same comments said by the same kinds of people. Nothing ever changes and I always say I will never go to one again but yet find myself at them on occasion. Didn't help that Solondz is also a bad interview who stammers and stutters in a nasally voice, making it very difficult to follow what he's saying.

On a random note, Curly is slowing coming out of the closet. Seems she can only muster up the courage to tell anyone about her lesbian leanings when she's had a few drinks in her. Its how I found out and also how she told her coworker Koop last week. I must say that she is the straightest lesbian I have ever met which is so confusing. The thing I don't get is that she always makes fun of lesbians. She'll go to the L-word (Showtime's lesbian drama series) screening and q&a but come back saying there were way too many lesbians there. Uh...hello....what did you expect? haha. I suspect the whole gay bashing thing is a defense mechanism she's developed and used to cover up her orientation. Just my theory anyway...

My verdict on HG is still out. She is a perfectly wonderful and sweet girl but I'm finding that we just don't gel together like I would have hoped. It seems to be a mattter of attraction with this one. Yes, we share somewhat similar interests, but somehow I'm just not attracted to her as much as I feel I should be. Call it shallow but as cute as she may be, its just not doing it for me. It may sound all great that she's this wild child that's into the kink and has equal interest in girls as well as guys but it really doesn't mean anything if your head isn't into it. We've had the 'talk' already that cleared up the picture a little but we dare not use the D-word (aka Dating) to describe what we're doing. I'm not going to stress over this but I'm taking it day by day and seeing if anything changes. I may just have to run out and get that boat steering wheel like the psychic told me to.

2005-03-23T23:26:00.000-08:00

Mum and I were talking on the phone today about she and my dad's 7 month separation when I was 2. I had briefly heard about it at one time, as I was too young to remember it, but I had totally forgotten about it until today. Not that I didn't want to remember it but it was just something no one ever talked about. A part of me wanted to ask the reasoning behind it but that's not something I wanted to get into over the phone , and especially at work. In the end they decided to work things out for the sake of the five of us and I'm glad they did. It did make me wonder if a child can ever really know everything about their parents. That the person you think they are is different from who their peers know and see.

2005-03-21T17:17:00.000-08:00

She arrived at the house a bit late and a bit drunk from a dinner with two French friends, playfully cursing their high tolerance for drinks of the alcoholic variety.

"I just don't know how they do it?! We went through three bottles and they weren't even buzzed!"

"Its because they've probably been drinking the stuff since they were 10. Hell, they were probably weaned on Merlots!" I replied.

The house was chilly, as it always is this time of year, and so she quickly stripped down and jumped under the covers, inviting me to keep her company. I laid there as she recalled the evening's events - the subjects discussed over dinner, the stories told. One in particular told of a past encounter with one of the frenchies and an unusual game of chicken, aka "who-can-pee-on-who".

And that's when she said it with a slight smirk on her face.

"You know, I'd let you pee on me if you wanted. You should try it, it can be kinda fun sometimes."

[momentary pause for reality check]

"um........uh.........thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

I'm taking it as a backhanded compliment. Like I've somehow passed through to a higher level of trust (and perversion). Frankly, the idea doesn't do anything for me but I am never one to say never. I'm already hearing jokes from Curly and Degrassi Mel about this and will have to be prepared to be reminded of it for a very, very long time should they find out I went through with it. lol

2005-03-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

Checked out the French film Fear and Trembling last night. It was quite funny and dare I say charming, but spoke in a very subtle way about culture clashes and xenophobia.

It was based on an autobiographical book a Belgian woman (who was born in Japan but left when she was 5) wrote about her 1 yr working for a large Japanese corporation in Tokyo where she was the only foreigner. She enters with such high hopes for her 'translating' job but is soon demoted to lower and lower jobs and eventually ends up cleaning bathrooms for the last 7 months. Its fair to say its similar to Office Space but more twisted and poetic. The film does capture the sometimes questionable Japanese office culture of male domination and face saving well although it may seem exagerated to some.

I'm off to see Degrassi Mel this afternoon so she can get me into the epic Italian film Best of Youth. So good to have friends that work at the cinema...

2005-03-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

Just for curiosity's sake I met up with the General and Flipflop at a fortune teller's home in the OC whom the General's been to a couple of times. This is the woman that told the General he needed to have a woman in his newly bought Silverlake home within two years or else he will turn gay.

After their readings, I sat in front of the desk in her office with the General as my translator, picked out a couple of cards (one with each hand, King of spades and Ace of spades), shuffled the deck seven times, and as she laid it out, it began.

Here's what I learned:

- I need to watch out for stomach problems. (I think maybe she picked up the rumbling of my stomach due to the super spicy salsa I had on the taco I ate at 3am the night b4)

- I have two girlfriends and one of them has a mole on their face (could she mean HG and R? HG does have some moles...)

- The main gf (HG) I'm not completely sure of yet. Is it THAT obvious?

- I need to drink more water and gain some weight if I want more luck.

- There are lots of good people, both living and dead, around me protecting me (my dad and grandma and my mom's catholic spells/prayers)

- I need to watch out for the months of Jan, July, Sept., and Dec.

- Someone other than my family loved me when I left the islands for Cali. Hmmm...

- I shouldn't change my job unless I want to learn something new. Not this year anyway.

- 2006 will be a good year for money

- The fortune teller either didn't have manners or had indigestion as she kept burping throughout the reading. The General says that may be how she gets her 'powers' as she expels all the evil energy she takes in. That theory seems suspect.

- I should find a girlfriend born in the year of the Pig. That would mean someone either 33 or 21 but she specifically said someone ten years younger than me. God...I really don't know what the hell I would even say to a newly legal young lass!

And to top it all off....

- If I want to find a great wife I need to get a boat steering wheel (after asking where I get one of those, she quickly replied that I could obtain it at Target of all places!), tie a red envelope with $8 in it, and hang it above and behind my head over the toliet. You heard me right. I told a few friends my mom this and they are all saying I should do it for the hell of it. So I guess I'll be stopping at the nearest Target on the way home.

2005-03-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

Isn't it funny how every year you tell yourself you're going to be more organized with keeping track of your finances but you still end up digging through every pile of receipts and bank statements laying about trying to find out where all your money went?

Yup, its tax time. The time of year when I realize what the hell I do with my money, how much the government takes from me, and how to deduct the 3 grand I spent on eating out last year. At least it wasn't as bad as year's past since I actually started using personal finance software. Makes things a lot easier but somehow I always think that its not completely accurate. The last thing I need is to be audited (never been so far , knock of wood).

***

Coming soon: First encounters of the psychic kind! (aka my first fortune teller meeting)

2005-03-10T00:28:00.000-08:00

If there's one weakness I'll admit to its that I'm a bad shopper.

B-A-D, BAD.

I can never make any decisions when it comes to shopping. You should see me at Christmas - I peruse aisles over and over thinking something will jump out at me and scream "I'm the perfect present for whatshername!". And what usually happens is I scrap the whole thing and walk out empty handed after spending a half hour in the store.

So you can imagine what happened when I was put in a challenge from HG to surprise her with a sex toy from Pleasure Chest in WeHo. She was back visiting her folks in Michigan when we talked and somehow the subject turned to her collection of toys, potions, and random paraphernalia. She then issued the challenge for me to find something at the well known sex store and we'd test it out when she got back into town.

The store is great - not grimy at all - but I was a little overwhelmed by it all. Too many options can be a bit daunting sometimes and you could seriously spend a month's salary in no time there. The problem was that I had to find something just right. Nothing underwhelming but I also didn't want to run the risk of going overboard and getting something crazy like a love swing. Plus, I'm really not completely tuned in to her likes and dislikes yet which makes it a little trickier. So there I was staring and scanning a wall of toys, lubes, cuffs, clips, and whips hoping something would jump out at me and scream "I'm the perfect gift for whatshername!".

I ended up with a couple of things I think she might enjoy but I'm thinking I may have to do a quick return trip to pick up a back up. Always be prepared I always say.

What were you thinking vol. 1

2005-03-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

As seen at a club last night: This girl was wearing one of those awful tourist t-shirts that makes it look like you're wearing a bikini.

Ironically cool or just plain wrong? You decide...

2005-03-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Went to my one of my favorite theatres, REDCAT, to check out a show that was a part of Moca's latest Visual Music exhibition. It was what I refer to as 'museum techno' because it was basically techno taken out of its nightclub context and put in a more art/gallery/theatre setting. The two Germans performing sat at the desk twiddling away at their Powerbooks while projected geometric visuals moved in sync with the music. I must say that I always feel so smart whenever I see shows here cause everyone looks so arty and intelligent. There's the eclectic older art patrons with their berets on and colorful pants and black attire - like the art teacher you had in college. But at least there were the random free thinking younger folk as well, especially the guy that started free form dancing in the front of the theatre to the cold, repetitive music in between make out sessions with some random girl who he convinced to dance. Who knew laptop techno could be so sexy?

2005-03-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how I love a good culinary adventure, I tagged along with the General to the suburbs seeking a woman that he said sells the best chinese dumplings out of her generic but new-ish million dollar home.

I couldn't pass up an offer like that, so we showed up at the house unannounced and proceeded to ring the doorbell. I did think it strange that this door had a metal gate on it not unlike the ones seen in poorer neighborhoods but figured they were just trying to be cautious. A voice from behind the door directed us to the garage door (everything was in chinese at this point so the General was doing the talking) and this is when everthing started to turn into what felt like a drug deal.

Apparently the home also doubles as a mahjong gambling parlour so three strange men coming to the door to them either meant we were cops or trying to pull off a home invasion robbery. The woman was sketched out at first, yelling at her son to lock the doors behind her and guard it but after some explaining the General eased her nervousness and we placed our orders. So, there we were standing in the driveway waiting and listening to the faint sounds of mahjong tiles coming through the walls while she went inside and brought out the bags of frozen dumplings.

There were varieties for boiling, frying, and steaming all packed 50 to a bag. We ended up walking away with at least four bags of the pale white meat packets and I have been eating them for three days since.

I have to say that they are fantastic and well worth the distance travelled but how we're ever gonna get them again is the big question. I may just have to get the General to go out there again to get me a 'fix' once my supply is gone.

The dumpling story did prove useful as a nice ice breaker when B and I went to a lunch meeting with one of the largest ad agencies in the world the other day. It made for a nice jumping off point for our conversation as we sat in their crazy spaceship looking building talking about what they do and what we do. Nice people although I still have no clue what exactly they do even after they showed us what they were working on. But they do handle some of the biggest household named brands on the planet which is a good or a bad thing depending on where you're coming from. I don't know what will come of any of this but they seem interested in doing something together although what that is has yet to be determined. One of the ladies did however invite us out to her place in Joshua Tree for a party in a couple weeks so I suppose the dialogue will continue there plus it will give us an excuse to go camping out there again.

2005-02-27T22:30:00.000-08:00

Met up with Curly, her gf J and the rest of their crew at the Project gallery for a reception in conjunction with Swiss artist Nic Hess' show there. It was packed with what seemed like other artists or maybe just art related people.

The artist even performed with a tongue in cheek lounge act in the gallery called Frankie & Tony. They were a bunch of Swiss guys dressed like cheezy Vegas lounge singers, accompanied only by an organ and archaic drum machine and singing all the classic tunes like Girl from Ipenema and Quando, Quando, Quando. Hess himself transformed into a Mexican crooner named Hermento. Twas pretty entertaining and had people swaying after a few cans of the gallery opening standard Tecate beer. I was waiting for a mini conga line to form but unfortunately it never happened.

The art work consisted of various corporate logos used in collage, all making for a sometimes humorous take on the branding concept. The piece below was my favorite and had me laughing upon first sight.

2005-02-26T23:51:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to say that I will probably not be back to Geisha House any time soon.

What a mess that place is.

Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. I'm sure its fine if you like that sort of thing - the place does have all the prerequisite requirements for "what's hot now" status. Celebrity investors....check. Trendy Hollywood kids...check. Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan sightings....check.

I'll admit the interior design was good. The geisha theme worked for the most part although it was a little overdone. I mean, theme restaurants are good if you're medieval times or Disneyland but shouldn't good restaurant design just be good and not try to be gimmicky?

I also found the place too noisy for my taste - for dinner anyway. Music was pumped up on top of the usual bar noise. I found it all very confusing. Is it a bar or a nightclub or restaurant? Seems like they just combined all three and it made it just too difficult to have any kind of conversation with my fellow dining companions. And isn't conversation the purpose of having a dinner party?

I purposely haven't mentioned anything about the food cause frankly it wasn't very good. Looked and sounded great on paper and even presented on a plate but just tasted 'bleh' to me. You would think it would have been better given the intense looking Japanese guys dressed like ninjas making it. And I should expect better food given the prices and pedigree of their chef (ex-Nobu).

But Flipflop seemed to enjoy everyone coming out to wish her well on her bday.

So my advice.....go for drinks, check the scene and do your celeb sighting, then bolt for some food elsewhere.

2005-02-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

With the sun out today, I guess its ok for me to come out of my self-imposed exile.

The constant rain provided a wonderful excuse to catch up on my movie watching and so I averaged about 2 films a day.

Finally checked out Nobody Knows which was deceptively complex despite its seemingly simple story. I found it absolutely amazing and inspirational.

Also checked out MG's film that was screening at the Pan African film fest. I'm not a big fan of his films but went out of curiosity and to show support. Plus, he was kind enough to hook B and I up with tickets - which is a double edged sword (meaning you can't walk out on it no matter how bad the film). The film itself wasn't the worst film I've ever seen but it seemed to make at least half of the audience happy, entertained and laughing. My thinking is, regardless on how you judge a film, if an audience enjoys it then it at least deserves some respect.

Inside Deep Throat, the documentary on the groundbreaking early 70s adult(porn) film, was a bit too slick for me with all the VH-1 looking graphics and music cues but provided a nice glimpse at a time in America when sexual attitudes underwent a big change and how that still influences cultural values today.

****

I'm trying to post more pictures and interesting things soon but frankly I haven't been out too much lately due to being busy. Yeah...yeah, excuses, excuses. So yes...you get me boring you with my love life instead. Somethings better than nothing right?

I was hoping to see Joanna Newsom at the Troubadour tomorrow night but its sold out (crap!). There is however a Keren Ann show going on at Tangier in Silverlake on friday nite and Flipflop's 30th bday party at the ultra trendy Geisha House that very same night. Also opening this week is a German film retelling the last days of Hitler as he is holed up in an underground bunker in Berlin called Downfall. The trailer had me sold after a few seconds.

Looks like the weekend is showing some promise.

2005-02-18T14:53:00.000-08:00

B and I have decided that this holiday weekend, we are going to be recluses and only talk to/see people we need to. Essential personnel only.

After a week of having to bs with every stranger in sight, I want to take a break from being sociable for a few days. I don't want to see FW, his crew, KZ, Flipflop, or anyone else from Vegas. I'm even leaving a message on my machine informing everyone I will be unreachable all weekend.

Even putting the new girl, HG, on that list as well. In all honesty, the girl scares me. The girl has been through a lot and has a lot of emotional baggage she carries with her and it feels like it could pull me down into it a very dark place or leave me in tatters. But on the other hand, there are moments when I catch, sometimes just for a slight moment, glimpses cutting through the confused and complicated fascade of this wonderful, sweet girl just trying to find her way through life.

And thats the girl that I'm attracted to.

2005-02-18T00:04:00.000-08:00

Damn I'm tired.

I don't know how anyone gets any work done in Vegas. Last night was the most sleep I've had in a week. Its tiring enough working all day at a trade show but then there's the parties, more parties, the gambling, etc. You finally catch a few hours of sleep before you have to get back up to be back to work at 830a. Now try that three nights in a row and you get the picture.

At least I wasn't as bad as FW and his crew who by day 3 all looked and smelled like a bunch of winos - showing up unshowered and hungover at noon after drinking til 6a.

But it was fun overall, just exhausting. Here are some highlights:

- Running into a couple of Coke dealers on the bridge from NY, NY to MGM on V-day at 230a who were literally shouting that they were selling drugs. What ever happened to the "psst...hey kid, wanna buy...." discreet drug dealers?

- Buffets seriously make you rethink your relationship with food.

- ABC Stores are the best convenience stores in the country. So glad they have them in LV now.

- Entertainment comes in questionable forms in LV. Looks like "Superhero the Musical" or something.

- Party report: LRG clothing party w/ Wu-tang's Raekwon was just like being in a music video. Guys all geared out carrying about little glasses of Hennesey and texting on Sidekicks. Music was superb as well. Our new Scottish friend whom we had just met loved it as it was his first 'proper' hip-hop club experience. They don't get that in Edinburgh you know. Best moment of the night had to be watching him and some rapper dude try to talk to each other. Both of them couldn't understand a word the other was saying due to their accents. lol

2005-02-11T14:48:00.000-08:00

Just found out that one of my favorite directors has a new film opening today in a couple of theatres in LA and I'm itching to check it out. Its called Nobody Knows and its about four young siblings that are abandoned and forced to take care of themselves in their Tokyo apartment.

I've been waiting for this guy to put out something for years. His last film, Distance, was kinda crappy but his Afterlife is one of my favorite (if not the most favored) films ever.

Its too bad I'm heading out to Vegas for a few days on a business/pleasure trip or else I'd be checking it out tonight.

2005-02-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

Duuude....(why I've found myself talking like some cali surf rat lately I don't know)

I think something is wrong with me.

Yes, there's a new girl hanging around my life space. A lovely, smart, tall (a notch above me at 5'9 or so), and well read girl. Makes her living as a model and actress, and seems to appreciate a good foreign film. Sounds perfect, no?

Then why am I not more excited? Most men would kill to date a working model.

It is still early on though...we've only been talking for a little over a week. I know its a crude generalization but I made a rule years ago that I wouldn't date any actresses. Too many crazy ones you see. But of course there's always exceptions.

I dunno....guess I'll feel this one out. As of right now though, I'm not seeing the sparks although I do find her interesting.

2005-02-08T11:08:00.000-08:00

People should have more dinner parties
They can be very enlightening
and inspirational
Given that the company is stellar of course

Twas my big bro's last night in LA
and his girl whipped up a nice little meal
a little salmon, fresh veggies, soup...the works

Flipflop and hapa girl came over to partake,
the numerous bottles of vino were flowing
and the deep conversations shortly followed.

All made for a very "French-like" meal
which only means the discussions went on well into the night.
I sincerely believe the Frogs put something in the wine
that is a catalyst for conversation.
In between bites and sips we sparred;
about life, adventure, culture, the arts, the future
All very enlightening stuff
All leaving you buzzed
All making you realize how interesting people can be

2005-02-06T22:03:00.000-08:00

Football, Football, Football

I understand the appeal but frankly find it utterly boring.

B-O-R-I-N-G, BORING

I think its just a backlash from my childhood. Back then the Dallas Cowboys reigned as America's team and I was a young disciple of the house that Landry built. He was one stylish coach that never was without the cool fedora hat and suit; like a door to door vaccuum salesman. Naturally I wanted to play the game and begged my parents to sign me up for Pee Wee Football. But my dreams of being the next star running back were crushed when we were told that I was too little and didn't meet some weight requirement. My interest in football slowly waned after that.

However, Superbowl sundays are great for going out and doing stuff, and I would have had I not had some business matters to tend to. Roads are clear, public spaces less crowded than usual....hell, even Costco was manageable which truly is a miracle.

But I did turn on the tv in time to see the halftime show with an aging Beatle singing the hits and leading a sing along to Hey Jude.

That McCartney kid's got the potential to make it I think....lol

2005-02-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

Copy, Right?, a mp3 blog specializing in cover songs, has a great rnb version of The Darkness' "I believe in a thing called love" up for the next week. Never heard of the singer but its a cool version. Highly recommended!