Sunday, January 25, 2009

bowties and the death of a tshirt hookup

take it in blood -nas

after shopping for dress shirts this weekend, and all the thought i was putting into it, it turns out simpler than that. i have a shirt already and all i needed was a simple black bow tie. done. hahaha all good. sometimes you just need to go through a whole drawn out process just to realize you had it all figured out in the beginning (or relatively early in the process). like, when you're faced with a dilemma of some sort- deciding what the best decision should be- sometimes you just need to "vent" or air it out, to hear it outside of your psyche helping confirm the decision.
chinese food, 2 days in a row. then tuesday. im not complaining! school starts tomorrow officially. just physics tomorrow which is online. still waiting for my textbook though. i'm ready nonetheless. then in 3 days, ill be in Hawaii, what i'd called my second home. and coincidentally to drill the point even more, that's B's current residence. perfect.
and joe's finally leaving AA! congratulations. this is good for him. he now gets to go back home to toronto and he'll be getting a better job. no one deserves or should stay there as long as he has been there. nonetheless, a learning experience. consider it also "the death of my tshirt hookup" hahaha

Friday, January 23, 2009

the week before the last week of january

funky funkity funk. we funk.. funkin the funk.

my shoulder still hurts. why. why. it's gotten to the point where i wouldn't mind someone just socking me so hard on it. i'm crazy, i insist on hitting the gym tonight. i'll take it easy on the shoulder.
yesterday was my first day to StephenDayDesign. Pretty dope that i was given this opportunity to work with steve. thanks kate for putting this in motion for me. this is the perfect opportunity at the right time since i'm curious about furniture design and would like to stay abreast my workshop skill set. plus, i'll be going into my midpoint review in about a year so i need to start considering my direction soon. again, if you approach life with a sincere desire for something you think is right/best for you, you will be graced. i remember when i was registering for spring 09 classes i was trying to get in this undergrad furniture design class. but to my dismay because the academy is so strict on what classes you take at a particular time I was not allowed to take that class, after emails back n forth between mark bolick, christi, and other graduate administration. man, mark couldn't even utilize his clout. but look now, internship to the rescue.
let's do this!
i see my B in a week. i'm really looking forward to this trip. i miss her. lately, i'll admit i've been trying so hard to be at ease without her here. (paradox, trying hard to be at ease :) but in the end of it all, like as in right now, i'm good. why, bc i know her value to me and i know my life has been enhanced overall. the future is bright. all my trying is worth it :)
40 mins. into store opening = 1 customer.
i want to go snowboarding badly.
yes, my background is like pumpkin soup. maybe next time i'll intentionally find inspiration from a baked good.

Monday, January 19, 2009

MLK weekend

Cavs vs Lakers

it's MLK jr day. i worked. and it was nice out.
just got home and made some of the chicken i had mixed and been marinating over the weekend. Damn... hits the spot! On top of that, I finally used the microwave rice cooker that daddyoshito gave me. Amazing. I find lately that technology works better for rice, not for phones. hmm. I had lunch with him and Pat at Takara on friday. Quality times. i love it.
Again, I can't express how grateful I am for such gestures. On this topic of B's dad, he's cool.. very good to me. I take experiences and people like this very dearly and in high regard. Thanks Yosh.
Tomorrow is Barack Obama's inauguration. holy shit. what a time we live in. despite this crazy world of present, we still show signs of hope and progress. follow his lead.
Lani and Franz's wedding was this past saturday. big fun, as i got to hang out with old high school and college friends, finding out new babies are on the way, eljay calling me out-again-in front of everyone, tons of food and drink, ... (note to self: don't take a limo with a stocked bar PRE-wedding ceremony.) i think don and i ended up on the same boat, eating mad pastries in the limo before the reception and not really taking advantage of the open bar bc we were done early. check please.
on my way to LA, I couldn't help but wonder, "what if karina shows up by surprise?!" hahaha wishful thinking. i love weddings. I'm a sucker for love. hahaha That's one thing i'll wrestle for. so of course, i couldn't help but think of B the whole day.
Yesterday was mila's bday party at shakeys. pizza, fried chicken, and whaat... mojo potatoes! happy belated 4th bday mila. i'm glad i was able to make it for you.


lani n franz. 14 years? in the making. and all we get, is a peck on the lips for their "you may kiss the bride" kiss. no worries, they're going crazy at home right now, if you know what i mean.


alyssa or kiera... theyre both super cute and truly happy souls. they were so friendly and full of excitement at the reception. hooray erwin.

he hates flowers.


the valley.


they had a game in which all the tables had a particular type of dance written on their table cards. and when eljay called out let's say in this case, "booty shake," each table that had "booty shake" on theirs had to get up and do it. of course, evan had this one. and he did not hold back. he was chosen to represent his table on the dance floor, and boy did he represent.
now, notice... why are they all guys on the floor? hahahah



sunday morning walk to chipotle. shelby cobra spotting/hearing. hot damn.



maxine. melissa's #2. cries incessantly. not my goddaughter hahaha


mila's party goers


myspace. done.


hatsy operating on a kid's bday cake.



cake parade!


aye, dose pilipinos ...


barong show.


it's their fault.


friends

Thursday, January 15, 2009

city nights and day time lights

my daily schedule as of late has been pretty... open. going to the gym late, reveling in unworldly self time at GG park at 2pm, ... thanks God. But i'm psyched to get school started again too!

I finished chapter 3 in my book, Inspiration, at the park and it was enlightening or rather, refreshing. Being in solitude among the natural surroundings of this GG park knoll was appropriate for understanding what Dr. Dyer speaks of in spirit and inspiration.
Dr. Dyer adapted a list of messages- ego-driven vs. Spirit-driven- from a book called The Disappearance of the Universe. One excerpt (though needless to say the others were just as significant to me) which resonated with me, which reminded me to be at peace is...

"Ego is constantly telling us to be fearful about losing what we have and warning us of greedy others who'll take what's ours- but God doesn't take away from us. As we learn to think this way, we attract more of what's missing in our life. The reason for this is simple: We become what we think about. If we think about giving, like God does, the Universe will provide. If we think about things being taken away, then that's what we'll attract."

I think it's so perfect that all I have experienced from events, spiritual engagements, philosophical lessons, etc. in the past several years is all coming together in my spiritual locker to help me understand value; what's important and what things/matters of this world shall I not let inundate my sense of what's real. Reading this chapter also reminded me of how everything i've learned and realized regarding drive/direction/etc. is founded on the same principle- positive thinking attracts positive circumstances, simply put.
But i know this is just the beginning. Life is constantly a work in progress, like B and I have talked about several instances. Life ain't easy, but if we are at least aware of such reality and the fact that each of us is grounded on a Source preceding this world then we can only be confident to progress each day.

Yay ya!


...love this

stairway to eerie. forest hills station.



man, if this doesn't capture the essence of today...




and my shoulder still pains me. go figure.
but i just made another batch of banana oatmeal cookies. this time with a tbsp of honey. sweetness. i'm going to draw now. peace.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Japantown

lay your head on my pillow -tony!toni!tone!

dude, where have i been? it's my new "thing" in San Francisco. Japantown. or more specifically, Kinokuniya. i could live there.





january 10, a late day.

live it up -john i am legend

it's my sister's birthday today, january 10. she's 32 now. wow. i watched some tv and found some gems, such as the pics below illustrate. then roger and soojin get back from there trip around the world.. well, NY, HK, and Korea. he asks if i want to go to dinner with them, and it's 10pm mind you. we have cheap yummy sushi and friends. fill up by 11pm then decide to hit up Joe's homemade ice cream on geary. holy moly that was sultry. then, we go to walgreens. i had never spent that much time in a walgreens type store ever in my life. roger was right.."we've proven that if you stay long enough in a store you'll end up buying something."
i got some memory foam footbeds. that's valuable.



poor panda.



Hisako's house. happy new year.


got to give it up -marvin the gaye

Saturday, January 10, 2009

school, is that you?

danger -erykah badu

can school start already?

quote of the moment:

"don't let up. never."

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

nawlins style

terry literally had just arrived at his house from new orleans a half hour or something before i got to his house. he served up pounds and pounds of crawfish and gumbo, plus other food. oh my was it good eats. bunch of volleyball peeps and relatives for a lil new year gathering.
after eating, played rockband and finished up by watching Hancock. good times.

damnit sophia, you're killin me.

daddy n sophia

witness the crawfish carnage

Sunday, January 4, 2009

my sf Christmas...

the way you love me -karyn white

Christmas night i flew back into San Francisco. what i call home now. eagerly awaited the arrival as i was looking fwd to getting in the arms of my B. we get home and exchanged gifts, gifts that we agreed prior not to give each other hahaha. but of course, you can't help it!
and how appropriate, we both gave each other compilations of pictures (of moments between us) from our recent history. i thought it was so dope that we both did that for each other in our own crafty ways :) man, i love her. and on top of that, her dad and sister even gave me a Christmas present! wow. i love them too hahaha yosh, dinner's on me next time.
then of course, the week following was just more icing on the cake.... guitar hero, tahoe, NYE, NY's day with her family and friends, hanging with her dad, meeting (seeing, rather, eye to eye hahah) Maynard!, D, communicating, loving, ....
thank you God for wrapping up my 08 like this and giving me more to look forward to for 09.


mountain steez. that's hot

aww shit... that's my girl ;)


lake tahoe tried to get in the pic behind us.



sorry Trooper, this is not a drive thru restaurant.
off 19th


Ike's place is giving Rinaldi's a run for it's infamacy.
sofa king good!



behind this brown paper curtain resides one of the greatest rock/metal singers of ALL time. yeah, i saw him. what, you don't believe me? next time you see me, look into my eyes.



40-some degree coldness, in line for about an hour. so worth it.



one of many reasons why she does it for me...



....and another :)

three more weeks! and then three more after that... and then.... so good. so good.


quote of the day:
"....go towards the white area!..."
-girl hollering at her friend as our lift chair hovered above them at Homewood.


Lola Mommy.

Sweet Love -Anita Baker

On our way to the Vickers residence for Christmas day fun times, we had to stop at Northridge hospital to visit lola. For some reason the day prior she had to be brought in.
She's 90 something i believe and she had already experienced a stroke(s) several years ago. As much as i hate to say such things are natural in the course of late age, it was still pretty despairing to see her condition.
But i think what was more melancholic about this visit was the interaction between my auntie cory and my dad. Since my lola moved out of her own apartment in Hollywood while i was in college, tita cory took it upon herself to house and look after my lola. A tremendous task for sure.
anyway, it briefly went like this... my tita asks my dad if he could stay at the hospital with lola to accompany her during the day, since he is retired already, he really has nothing else on his plate o' obligations. (well, get that garage door fixed already will ya! hahah) instead of just saying, "ok" he insists on being timid on doing such a thing, making lil excuses like he won't be able to attend to her needs since she can't really talk, worried and all, why can't you (tita cory) stay with me too, blah blah.... so he played the futile card. but tita cory kept insisting back that you don't have to worry about that stuff; there are nurses for crying out loud that you can beckon! this conversation kept going intermittently for 30 mins or so, that eventually my tita broke down in tears in awe and despair towards my dad's lack of initiative for their mom. as my sister, cousin, and mom walked out of the room, i remained inside the room with my niece. (but i was the only observer of all this as hannah was on her ipod the whole time.) when i saw my aunt let her tears go trying to shed light for my dad i was about to cry as well. "tony, this is your mom... even though i know she favored you more and at times could care less about me, i know that she is still my mother... unconditional love... even though this is inevitable (death), it still hurts to see her like this.... i can't force you to do this.. fine, so be it... i don't need you.... etc etc..." i knew what she was pleading, i knew what my dad was feeling, and most of all as the "third guy" in the room I understood the spark that was misfiring in the synapse between their two brains. sorry daddy o, but i'm going to have to say the misconnection was primarily bc of you. first of all, i understand what's going on in my dad's head. i know how he is. it's not that he doesnt love his mom. God bless him. but the grit of the matter is that it is my grandma's final moments. do what you gotta do.
jane and i had food in the car so we left before my parents did to marissa's. i left with a very pensive, and of course.. of course, more life experience, more perspective.
my mom gets to marissa's house about an hour later than us, but no dad. "where's dad?"
"oh, he decided to stay at the hospital."




on a lighter note, the blue phone was novel.

Christmas in So Cal '08

Baby Come to Me -James Ingram


security checkpoint line behind me at SFO 12/23. shat.



at mia's office at SAG. famous actors dealt with on the daily for her. neato.

country home mag vibe at marissa's.

luchia (sp?) and Quirina.

ananaaanaak ko, mila. hahahah


san buenaventura, posadas, vickers



yes, she was singing "all i want for Christmas is my two front teeth."



hams.