Untitled

Mickey 3D

Another blog about music... Found this recently, check out the Respire video, I think it's nicely executed, the story's been done before I'm sure, but the animation is wonderful. The lyrics is interesting and I think it's just something to think about... [The English is just a ruff translation.] The song Tu Dis Mais Ne Sais Pas is nice too, a hippy trippy tune, and Ma Grand-Mère is just sweet! 'O those French...

RESPIRE
Approche toi petit écoute moi gamin
je vais te raconter l'histoire de l'être humain
Au début y'avait rien au début c'était bien
la nature avançait y'avait pas de chemin
puis l'homme a débarqué avec ses gros souliers
Les coups de pieds dans la gueule pour se faire respecter
Les routes a sens unique qu'il s'est mis à tracer
Les flèches dans la plaine se sont multipliées
Et tous les éléments se sont vus maitrisés
En deux temps trois mouvements l'histoire était pliée
C'est pas de mal à veille qu'on fera marche arrière
On a même commencé à polluer le désert

Il faut que tu respires
Et ça c'est rien de le dire
Tu vas pas mourir de rire
Et ç'est pas rien de le dire

D'ici quelques années on aura bouffé la feuille
Et tes petits enfants ils n'auront plus qu'un oeil
En plein milieu du front ils te demanderont
Pourquoi toi t'en as deux tu passeras pour un con
Ils te diront comment t'as pu laisser faire ça
T'aura beau te défendre leur expliquer tout bas
C'est pas ma faute à moi c'est la faute aux anciens
Mais y'aura plus personne pour te laver les mains
Tu leur raconteras l'époque où tu pouvais
manger des fruits dans l'herbe allongé dans les prés
Y'avait des animaux partout dans la foret
Au début du printemps les oiseaux revenaient

Il faut que tu respires
Et ça c'est rien de le dire
Tu vas pas mourir de rire
Et ç'est pas rien de le dire

Il faut que tu respires
Et ça c'est rien de le dire
Tu vas pas mourir de rire
Et ç'est pas rien de le dire

Le pire dans cette histoire c'est qu'on est des esclaves
Quelquepart assassins ici bien incapables
De regarder les arbres sans se sentir coupable
A moitie défroqués 100% misérables
Alors voila petit l'histoire de l'être humain
C'est pas joli joli et je connais pas la fin
T'es pas né dans un choux mais plutot dans un trou
Qu'on remplit tous les jours comme une fosse à purin

Il faut que tu respires
Et ça c'est rien de le dire
Tu vas pas mourir de rire
Et ç'est pas rien de le dire

BREATHE
Come here little one and listen to me
I'm going to tell you the story of being human
In the beginning there was nothing and in the beginning everything was good
Nature moved forward without the need for a path
Then man arrived with his big shoes
Giving kicks to the face in order to get respect
The one-way streets that he planned
Arrows multiplied across the plain
And all the elements were controlled
In two or three moments, the story was changed
Tomorrow is not the eve of when we will reverse our direction
We have even begun to foul the deserts

You have to breathe
And that's saying a lot
You aren't going to die from laughing
And that's saying a lot

In a few years, the last leaf will have been gobbled up
And your children will only have one eye in the middle of their foreheads
They will ask you why you have two eyes
And you will be passed off and as a fraud
They will say to you "How could you have let this happen?"
And you will defend yourself, telling them very quietly
"It isn't my fault, it was the fault of people in the past"
But there won't be anyone left to wash your hands
You will tell them about the times when you could eat fruit in the long grass of the meadows
When there were animals everywhere in the forest
And how in the springtime the birds would come back

You have to breathe
And that's saying a lot
You aren't going to die from laughing
And that's saying a lot

You have to breathe
And that's saying a lot
You aren't going to die from laughing
And that's saying a lot

The worst part of the story is that we are slaves
And sometimes we are assassins who cannot look at trees without feeling guilty
Half defrocked and 100 percent miserable
And so there you have the story of being human
It isn't very happy and I don't know what the ending is
You weren't born in a cabbage patch but rather in a hole that one fills up everyday like a pit of manure

You have to breathe
And that's saying a lot
You aren't going to die from laughing
And that's saying a lot

It's tomorrow that everything will worsen

You have to breathe
And that's saying a lot
You aren't going to die from laughing
And that's saying a lot

Men Strike Back

How many men does it take to open a beer?
None. It should be opened by the time she brings it.

Why is a laundromat a really bad place to pick up a woman?
Because a woman who can't even afford a washing machine will probably never be able to support you.

Why do women have smaller feet than men?
It's one of those "evolutionary things" that allows them to stand closer to the kitchen sink.

How do you know when a woman is about to say something smart?
When she starts her sentence with "A man once told me..."

How do you fix a woman's watch?
You don't. There is a clock on the oven.

Why do men break wind more than women?
Because women can't shut up long enough to build up the required pressure.

If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling at the front door, who do you let in first?
The dog, of course. He'll shut up once you let him in.

What's worse than a Male Chauvinist Pig?
A woman who won't do what she's told.

I married Miss Right.
I just didn't know her first name was Always.

Scientists have discovered a food that diminishes a woman's sex drive by 90%.
It's called a Wedding Cake.

Why do men die before their wives?
They want to.

In the beginning, God created the earth and rested.
Then God created Man and rested.
Then God created Woman.
Since then, neither God nor Man has rested.

--

Hahaha... ha... uh, wait... am I gonna get hate mail for this? But my defense is that, a WOMAN sent it to me! hee! Thanks Gina.

Missing Miss Modular

I thought of this song today by Stereolab, must have something to do with last night's blog entry... mp3 [4.1mb]

THE INCREDIBLE HE-WOMAN
Month one Mary grows a mustache
In the second she grows a beard
In the third month her breasts fall off
The fourth month testicles appear
The fifth her penis shows its face
In the sixth month grows a foreskin
It took nine months made evident
Experience, she gave it hands
In the seventh month, Christ's sandals grow on her
In the eighth month, her chest becomes transparent
In the ninth wounds appear as Christ is apparent
And then she was Christ
And Mary disappeared

But their own Mary did disappear. Mary Hansen from the band past away December 10th of last year. I know she's not Kurt Cobain or Janis Joplin [drug overdosed? Ugh, never liked their music anyway!], she was just... Mary, the Miss Modular from Stereolab. Last year I found the following writing on the web by Joanne Huffa from Chart Attack.com... It made me sad, we were the same age.

Ten Reasons Why Mary Hansen Was Cool
It is with great sadness that we report the death of Stereolab’s Mary Hansen. Ms. Hansen, who joined the band as a singer in its early years and, along with Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier, became a core member, was in a cycling accident on Monday, Dec. 10th.

When I interviewed Hansen in 1996, during the tour for Emperor Tomato Ketchup, she was about as funny and generous as an interview subject could be. As much as it was part of her job, she gave the impression that she’d just as soon sit down and have a chat with a stranger than anything else she could possibly do. Plus she was wearing great orange sneakers with brown cords.

And so, in the spirit of orange sneakers, we bring you 10 reasons why Mary Hansen should be remembered fondly.

1. She provided all those excellent counter-points to Laetitia’s lead vocals on songs like "Ping-Pong," "Cybele’s Reverie" and "Pinball".

2. She joined Stereolab as a backing singer, occasionally playing keyboards and tambourine, but it wasn’t long before her guitar was adding to the layers of sound on ‘lab recordings.

3. She had a lovely Australian/English accent cuz she was from Brisbane, but lived in London.

4. When she died, she was riding a bike, not making noise pollution with a motorcycle or taking up too much space with an S.U.V.

5. She added her confident vocals to recordings by Brokeback, The High Llamas, Moonshake and Mouse On Mars. Plus, she engineered Brokeback’s Field Recordings from Cook County.

6. She was 36-years old and made her living making challenging and beautiful music that never pandered to popular taste.

7. "John Cage Bubblegum": Hansen’s first appearance in the ‘lab and a record that made hundreds of indie rock fans look up experimental composer Cage and re-consider their opinions of pop music.

8. Many Stereolab singles and other releases on their label, Duophonic, are huge collectors items and their shows always sell out, in spite never being heard on North American commercial radio.

9. She had red hair and freckles.

10. Nobody sang "ba ba bap ba" quite the same way she did. And no one ever will.

How Are Your Dreams?

Right now, I’m at work, just staring at a blank wall… Thinking: You wake up, you go on with your day [or night; even if you're bedridden], you rest, and you wake up the next day if you’re lucky, or unlucky, however you want to view it. Why are the things the way they are? I happened to asked myself today: What is the driving force of my existence? Family? Friends? Any particular thing[s]? Our so-called 'God'? …and there are many 'Gods' according to him, or her, and him, and her and them... Who/what do you believe?

I've heard about some people who got into going to church and religion at a later time in their lives, and I've also heard about other people who fell out of their religion for whatever reasons. I've gone to a Catholic school when I was young, one simply named St. Anthony's School back in Hong Kong. Every week we had our bible study, having our own church and everything, and it was massive… We sang in church, though I don’t quite remember what we sang about! In our bible classes, I vividly remember cutting out different biblical characters from paper and glueing them onto the appropriate spots in the book... and most characters having their brightly yellow nimbuses. I didn't quite know what I was doing, I was just very crafty.

After my family moved to the US, I enrolled in a public school. No more association with churches and bible study again. ...I feel fine. I was also exposed to Buddhism around the same time actually, since my family [my grandmother especially] was, and still, into it. I learned how to bow down and pray like a good little boy, to our 'gods' and 'goddesses'. It was just the thing to do, and nowadays, I still do it whenever there's a Chinese holiday, festivity, etc. To me, it has more to do with respecting my grandmother, and my family... yeah, always being respectful to the 'Gods', but never fully understood the meaning behind it. Why not? I just don't like being ‘one-sided’. I believe all religions should be treated equally. No one religion is better than another, and why should it be?

Some people were probably born and raised without any exposure to any religious beliefs at all... but they could be just as happy and content like everyone else who is happy and content. I don't know if I'm an atheist or not, or whatever that I am, but every now and then, I do ask the sky sometimes to give my family and friends and everybody else on the planet good health, and some hope... I do believe that there's something more powerful than us, something pure & ultimately, something good…

May your thoughts be different than mine - If there were a ‘God’, I’ve always believed that particular ‘God’ is in me, maybe just a figment of ‘it’, and in you and in all others. Every one thing on this planet has a ‘life’, if you will. This is how I strictly relate to ‘God’. May it be a book that I’ve read long ago, a graffiti that I saw on the subway, a fly on the table, a baby’s cry… And us - If I haven’t met you, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. You have the power to influence me, and I have the power to change. I also believe that ‘God’ doesn’t necessary have to grant anybody the love, the courage, the warmth, and the understanding that one seeks. 'God' certainly isn't obligated to. People believe what they want to believe, and it can be a very powerful, and a dangerous thing. I believe [yes, I do believe in some things, too!] in myself, your words and your actions and your love… But this is just my opinion. Life has a tricky equation...

I know that I'm a very fortunate person and I try to remember that daily. I can walk, I have my arms and hands and legs. One might think that’s silly, but I’m just very grateful for what I have today, because I might not have my tomorrows. I have nothing to meditate on, just my daily happiness, little bits & pieces, and they add up to a lot. I think my everyday life is quietly normal, if not mundane, but I do look forward to it, every little thing that it has to offer me... even staring at a blank wall!

So what gets me going in the morning? Hmm… that’s a trick question for me indeed cuz I really love to sleep in, but I think my answer will have to be – you and I [and every thing else in between, of course]!

--

As I mentioned, I wrote the above during work today. When I got home, I found out that yesterday Xinjiang, China was hit with an earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale...

Hong Kong, 1976

If you can read it, I think it's one of the most heartfelt songs ever written in Chinese! If you've actually heard it and understood its meaning, then you'll never be able to forget it... mp3 [2.8mb]

Tinies for Dessert

Did you know that Stressed spelled backwards is... Desserts!!!! Who knew? Alec and I were having breakfast today at Astro's and he pointed out the printed sign on the spinning dessert carousel... hah-hah, we laughed!

From The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey

Music: This Mortal Coil - Acid, Bitter & Sad

The Time Continuum

It's late and my head hurts from the coke and the [gas] heater... Friday I get to take a day off from work and take my grandma out to town... we'll be spending the day together and I'm so excited... Not the excitement that you get from hanging out with friends, or getting birthday presents or anything like that... [now maybe if they wrap my grandma up in X'mas wrapping... kidding!]

Anyway, my grandmother [from my mom side] is 91, 91 I tell you, I'm 36 and I don't even know if I want to live that long... it's crazy to even imagine or to think about it. She raised me up when I was very young [my mom and dad had to work during that time] and looked after me 'til my teenage years. She dedicated half her life with my mother/family... She's originally from Tai Shan in China, a not-so remote area of China, but the part where she grew up was quite the rural area... She got married [arranged] when she was 16, and had 3 girls, sadly my grandfather died about 9 years later of cancer, she was left with some money, the 3 girls, and her bare hands... From then on, she fought and worked very hard to make ends meet [like working for the Japanese at the time, and having to sell vegetables to the locals, etc]... She just worked and worked, all her life was nothing but work... All her possession now can fit into one little suit case, all 91 years in a box... I just think, what does one think about when you're 91, to simply stay alive, to sustain one's life?

So many stories, like the story of my mom and I visiting Tai Shan about 7 years ago, taking the 3hr van ride [unpaved road, of course] to the village, seeing my grandparents' old vacant house... My mother grew up there, and the neighbors that she once remembered, most of them were still there, greeted us with warm hearts and with tears in their eyes... They had the keys to the vacant house, so we had lunch at the house [everyone brought over chairs and tables] and people just started chatting and just talked and talked and talked [like any normal Chinese person would do! heehee!]... I walked upstairs to my mother's old room, just looked around, and looked around some more, and started crying... uncontrollably... Imagine seeing your mother, as the little girl that you never knew, playing in her room... the little dreams that she once had when she was young, the little treasures she made, and the games she used to play... all happened here, at the old house... And you're just standing there, seeing it all... The feeling was quite unbearable, it was so surreal... It was one of the most sadest and joyest moments I've felt in my life...

Anyway, this is getting way too long... I ain't no Amy Tan [oh yeah, Joy Luck Club, great flick!]. So tomorrow I'll definitely have a grand time with my grandmama... take her shopping a bit, dim sum for lunch, and just listen to her... I did that last time, just sitting alone with her and simply asking her a buncha questions about her past, she remembered everything from her youth... so amazing! A picture that I took of us together that day...

Her name is Tam Lin. I even recorded a little .mov video when I 'interviewed' her with the questions! It was so much fun. That was simply a wonderful day for the both of us... A side of my grandmother that I didn't know before... I realised that we won't have that many days like this to come, so I'm making the best of it now whenever I can.

We all have big dreams, maybe a high-end job with a good salary and a nice retirement package, a modern home to keep warm and to show a little style of our own, etc., but I believe for some, all their dreams are about taking care of people, their family, giving love and providing warmth by just working, working, working, unconditionally... It's such a noble thing for anyone to do, and to them, they don't think that's one bit noble, and that's what makes it all genuine about them... the simple truth.

In the end, whoever they are, your family is all you truly have... and we all grow old, so choose your purpose before it's destined...

Music: Sam Hui - [His oldies but very goodies]

Don't Make Her Cry!!!

Yeah, this is cute and it's in Korean... Takes a bit to load but well worth it, and turn up the sound! Thx to cousin Mike! 'nough said!

Music: The Flying Lizards - The Flood

2 Many Dj's

K, listening to 2 Many Dj's in the car while driving home from work, I figured I'm missing Part 3, so I decided to take a trip to Hollywood's Amoeba Music... Rather then finding Part 3, I ended up getting Part 4 & 5... Geez, I remember just like yesterday, when Part 2 came out [that actually was conceived prior to Part 1], now there are 5 discs. Hey, they're just kool, gotta admit... The mixes, well, check out the listing from 1 & 2.

Oh yeah, Part 2 has a hidden No. 0 track prior to Track 1, it's a hard/garage concoction of Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head. Unfortunately, it only works on certain CD players, and you'll have to start at the beginning of Track 1, and press and hold the Rewind button, NOT the Track Rewind button.

Music: 2 Many Dj's - As Heard On Radio Soulwax Part 4

...But They Will Feel It In The End!

Rilkean heart
I looked for you to give me transcendent experiences
To transport me out of self and aloneness and alienation
Into a sense of oneness and connection ecstatic and magical
I became a junkie for it
I came looking for the next high
And I'm sorry I've been putting the search on the wrong place

I understand that you're confused, feeling overwhelmed
Well that's a feeling state from then, the reality

With cleaning up my emotional life
And getting in touch with myself
I'm beginning to ground myself
In my own sense of being as an entity
One entity on the planet,
Becoming truly self-reliant
And become connected with something beyond me
That is where I have to go
I'm so sorry I've been putting the search on the wrong place

You're lost and don't know what to do
But that's not all of you
That's your reality today
And that is all okay

I understand that you're confused, feeling overwhelmed
Well that's a feeling state from then, the reality

Text: Cocteau Twins - Rilkean Heart

Happiness

The Beatles once said: Happiness Is A Warm Gun... hmm... and among other things, too... Spent the long weekend with Alec, nothing too special, nothing out of the ordinary. This coming March we'll be together for 4 years, though I think not counting the year prior to we actually started dating... everything's a bit blurred, so's my life!

The weekend went by quickly... He skiied, I drove around town, met up late afternoon, had dinner, went back to the hotel room, watched some TV, sleepy time... that was Friday and Saturday night... Though Saturday night we did manage to make it to see the historic Mormon Church right before dark, walked around inside the Temple Square and exposed to their history quite a bit. Sunday morning we flew back and I decided to stayed down at Signal Hill with Alec, saw The Hours, had dinner at Coco's, watched The Simpsons, went to bed early at around 10:30pm. Both got up at 5am, he left for work, then I went back home...

Remember Lisa Germano's song Happiness: "Happiness, it's like a TV, on or off, it's up to me... happiness..." Anyway, about Happiness, I can't explain it... I'm no writer! Exactly who CAN explain it? The same question, yet different answers every time. I know if I even try to explain it, my words will end up incongruent. Though I do believe that when you let yourself, you'll know it when you feel it... Yet sadly, not everyone's that fortunate... Some might not feel it then, some might not feel it now, and some might not even feel it in their lifetimes to come...

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

Don't really know what to blog about this morning... Took today and tomorrow off from work cuz Alec and I are heading out to Salt Lake City to ski. Well, I won't be doing any skiing, but maybe to snowboard, but dunno yet... too lazy! Flying out early this evening... and I get this Monday off as well [President's Day], woohooo!

Well I did mentioned that I was a photo major way back when, when egg-xactly? Back in '90 or '91 I reckon, maybe earlier... prior to my relationship with my ex, Gary the Insane Boyfriend, him for sure I'll elaborate furthermore. Anyway, I still have many of the shots that I took, all buried someplace in my apartment...

I was really, really into photography back then... going up to the mountains late at night, to the cemetery, driving out to nowhere land, it's really scary when I think back on it now, but back then, I didn't know any better... There's this one shooting of just 'trees' taken at night, I think those are my favourites... Need to dig those up too, and scan them and send them into the digital heaven...

All this was actually prior to being exposed to the artwork really, prior to Cindy and the like. As far as photographers, she sticks out the most... I was and still am, actually into modern / surreal / sculptural / installation pieces... there's the most egg-citing and fun to 'be' in... Dunno why, it just is for me. But heck, what's art anyway, right? I just see something I like, and just let it be.

I miss having my manual Minolta X-700 [schitt, and just how old is that dinosaur?], have only a digital cam now, but it'll do for the moment... I'll certainly take some pictures on this trip and post them here. Stay tune...

Oh and in case I don't make it back from my trip [yikes], goodbye cruel/kool world.. goodbye...

Music: Hanayo - Joe Le Taxi

Her Name Is Cindy

Oh yeah, Cindy Sherman that is, heard of her name way back in the late 80's when I was attending art school... she's always been a trip and always been one of my fave photographers... She different to me than most contemporary photographers. Can't pinpoint it, I just liked her ever since the beginning... Have seen a few solo exhibits of hers in gallery showings and also in museums, she just gets better and better.

Here are just a few of my favourites: Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3.

So I just thought of her today and now she ended up in my blog. Dunno why, just cuz. I've always had a passion for 'art' and I just love seeing new things, fresh ideas, etc. Every ordinary thing never ceases to amaze me, really... I was once myself a photor major, but that's another story.

Music: Tok Tok vs Soffy O - Miss Queen's Gonna Die [Märtini Brös]

A Speck of Dust?

A fun-knee thing happened today, well actually, that came later. Today at work, my boss and I were talking about just 'how small one feels...' Y'know, the feeling that you get every now and then, not too often, that when you look at the "whole picture", you just feel... well... small. For me, like looking at pictures of different parts of the world, pictures of planets and star clusters [especially pictures like the 'birth' of a star, etc.], the ultimate universe... Well, to sum it up short, I often feel like I'm just a speck of dust in this vast 'place' we live in, and I'm sure that there's something even bigger than our so-called universe itself, no doubt!

So here's the [kinda] fun-knee part! I got home tonight and I was flipping thru magazines, I found this article about an artist in Australia named Stephanie Valentin, simply amazing... and here's a photo to prove it:

So a pollen isn't all THAT small, but compare to us, it's small enough. The point of the story is? Hmm... Buy her prints? Yes and No... I guess it's: No matter how small you feel, there's always something bigger [durr] and smaller than you. I know that even on my skin right this minute, there's a whooole world of living creatures dwelling in it as a habitat... K, this is getting dumb, so just go look at Stephanie's page... At times, even the smallest thing can be made bigger than life itself...

Music: Lush - I Have The Moon

True / False : Part II

Paper is marble cut so thin that it has become soft. [Make marble out of toilet paper.]

Plastic is a portion of sky cut out in solid form. [Collect many pieces of plastic and look through them to see if they look blue.]

If you wear a clothes long enough it becomes part of you and you will suffer from serious physical maladjustment when you take if off. A princess died from taking off vines that had covered her for ten years. A prince, when his encircling vines were removed, was found to be non-existent.

When you leave things, you leave your spirit behind, too. But if you don't lave them, you age.

Your brother is the man you killed in the past world. He was born in your family because he wanted to be near you.

There is a wish man in the corner of the world whose daily task is to send good-will waves to the world to clear the air.

Men used to walk on hands upside down, but they changed to the present form because it was considered less obscene.

99 per cent of the world is dead bodies and tombs. We are the remaining 1 per cent... [or are we?].

There are one thousand suns arising every day. We only see one of them because of our fixation on monistic thinking.

Piano keys are flower-petals turned hard.

People who bought Ono's "bagwear" invariably encountered fantastic good luck and fortune. -ad.

A cloud consists of the following substances: colour, music, smell, sleep and water. Sometimes it rains substances other than water, but very few people notice it.

Text: Grapefruit - Yoko Ono

Lazy Day

Woke up late this morning... Then when I was finally ready, Alec and I went shopping at Office Depot to get ourselves a decent office chair... Our chair right now is giving us a pain in the ass [literally], so we're just gonna toss that sucker out. It was a nice chair when I first got it... one of those all chrome, restaurant style chair...

Also rented the first season of Six Feet Under, everyone was raving about it when it first came out... I don't have cable, never did, still have my rabbit ears... I don't watch that much TV myself unless Alec is home.

Off to another subject, been reading this book called Earth From Above: 365 Days, here's an excerpt image and the description that goes with it:

Iceland. Reykjanes Peninsula. Blue Lagoon, near Grindavik.
The volcanic Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland contains many hot springs. The Blue Lagoon (or Blaá Lònidh) is an artificial lake fed by surplus hot water from the geothermal power station at Svartsengi. The water is tapped 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) underground where magma has heated it to 240°C (460°F), and then is brought to the surface. Here at a temperature of 70°C (160°F), it is used to provide heat to towns in the area. The lagoon's milky colour is due to a blend of rock powder, combined with decomposing algae in the water. Rich in mineral salts and organic matter, the Blue Lagoon is well known for its therapeutic properties in treating skin diseases. Geothermal energy has only recently been tapped as a renewable resource, but is used increasingly: in Iceland, 85% of the population uses it for heating.

K, so how do I get there? I think I have a few vacation days left...

Music: Dance With Me - Peter Brown featuring Betty Wright

When I Was Young...

Well, this subject can really go on forever, though I don't quite remember my teen years, but it was always so tame, nothing ever really happened... But overall, I was a good kid... just average, no thrills... Remembering now ditching school though when I was in 5th grade [my second year in America], hmm... I got busted big time. Caught and lectured! I was 11 and I just thought: "What's the big deal!?!" At the time, it was really rough for my family, but I turned out to be an okay kid, or at least I'd like to think that!

Today I came across this blog *PL(ay)+, and to me, the kid behind it is quite amazing. I reckon that he's a spunky little kid, just barely turning 14... and that got me thinking: What the hell was I doing when I was his age? Junior high school and I don't remember a thing. Oh yeah, remember failing classes here and there... I think one time in high school I had a 1.2 GPA, but I think I was taking only 2 classes, and obviously failing both. Tragic!

Now when I look at myself, I don't think I'm all that bright yet I ain't all that dim either. I still don't quite know what I'm really good at, but I do know what I like when I see it. Like this kid I mentioned above, so brilliant... Right now I'm catching myself thinking: Why couldn't I be like him when I was young... be as bright and worldly as he is now? But that thought just came and went... I'm just so glad for him that he has the internet to play with, and has his own blog, all the adventures that life has to offer him and everything else in between...

No matter which road we take, we're all destined to be only but ourselves!

Music: Cocteau Twins - Sugar Hiccup

Girls & Boys

Driving home from work, listening to PSB's version of Blur's Girls & Boys, BITCHIN'!!

Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love

The tune reminded me, years back, Festish Ball [when it was really good way back when!] in Los Angeles, I was still young and free...

Music: Pet Shop Boys - Girls & Boys [Live]

DESTROY ALL MANKIND

Ever since I was young, I wanted to make my own designs for tee shirts. Whenever I see something that I like, I used to xerox the design, enlarge it & trace it & make a stencil, adhere to a plain tee shirt and paint away with my air gun [with synthetic fabric paint, of course], and that was a lot of fun. 10-15 years ago at least, I don't do that anymore, too much hassle.

Tee Shirts That Suck has a lot of good designs, haven't ordered any though, these are still a bit generic for me. I want to make one that reads: DESTROY ALL MANKIND, but I don't think that people would appreciate it much, but who cares. I remember one time, I was maybe 17, wore my [almost genuine] HARD COCK CAFE, SAN FRANCISCO tee to Music Plus [remember that chain?], and the [girl] cashier gave me a hard time. I just thot: "She's not my mother!!!!!!!!! Bitch!" I was young then. Oh yeah, and at another time, about 8 years back, my Jeep had a license plate that read: BILZBUB. One night after school I found this note on my windscreen: "Repent, tonight could be your last night!" Okay, whatever!! I just laughed! Hmm... today's my sis Vivien's birthday, been forgetting to get her a card. Tomorrow... it's never too late!

DESTROY ALL MANKIND - I like it! heeheehee!

Know Who You Are At Every Age

Listening to MP3s and surfing the net most of the afternoon, what more can a boy ask for? Actually, a lot of things, but I'm pretty happy at the moment. Was listening to some Cocteau Twins' old material, for they still have a very special place in my heart... I can honestly say, they have shaped my life in more ways than one. Remembering 21 years ago, buying my first CT's import 12" - Aikea-Guinea, and seeing them live at The Palace in Los Angeles... Ah youth, can't get that back anymore, but the memories of such still linger...

So my motto for the day: "You're only young once... so... go do some 'young' things!"

Music: Cocteau Twins - Dials; Love's Easy Tears

True / False : Part I

The sixth finger is usually not used because its existence is not physically perceivable.

There is a transparent peace tower in New York City which casts no shadow and, therefore, very rarely recognized.

Blood is not red unless exposed, and blue when it's imagined.

The structure of the American jury system is taken from the chance music operation by John Cage. [The noted Judge Connolly is said to have said "all verdicts are beautiful".]

Mt. Fuji, whose colour is blue and white from the distance and volcano red when you go near, is a carefully planned modern Japanese project built to attract American tourists.

The East Side is not a word to define its location but was originally a name of the town "The Wise East on the Wrong Side." Later it was shortened to the presently known "The East Side".

Your weight is twice mine, and height 5 inches shorter.

Grapefruit is a hybrid of lemon and orange. Snow is a hybrid of wish and lament.

All fruits are related species of banana, which was the first fruit in existence. The Bible lied about the apple because they felt mentioning the word banana too undignified.

Roaches are moving forms of flowers, though visually they seem unconnected.

Happenings were first invented by Greek gods.

The word "manila envelope" comes from a deeply-rooted racial prejudice.

Coughing is a form of love.

All streets are invisible. The visible ones are fake ones, though some visible ones are the end parts of the invisible ones.

Teeth and bones are solid form of cloud.

Text: Grapefruit - Yoko Ono

What Do You See?

The 7 astronauts on the Space Shuttle Columbia that crashed, they will no doubt go down in our history books, being the patriots and heroes of America... I am sadden by their deaths, for they represented America and all Americans. My heart goes out to their families and friends.

But the media sure is something... I was just thinking: What if, at the same time, there was an accident of, let's say, a passenger van of 7 side-swiped by a drunk driver, somewhere in Arkansas late last night - 8 fatalities. Where would that fit into our news, right now, right this minute?

Remember the time when Princess Diana and Mother Theresa died back in 1997, both within 10-days time? Yeah, I would imagine it would be something like that!

Music: Enya - Song of the Sandman