Lately I feel like I've been canceling a lot of stuff, whether it's
errands, trade photoshoots, or various meetups. I'll tell myself that
it's because of the weather or because I shouldn't be spending all
this money since I don't have a job, but deep down, I know it's just a
matter of being lazy and social anxiety. It's always been something
I've struggled with... this condition that resembles that of a hermit.
Always secluded away in his cave. It's been my hope for this year to
be around more social events.
 
It's already been a month into the new year, and for the most part,
can only say that I've been hiding at home. Sure there have been a few
instances where I've done something: I've spend the past 4 Saturdays
visiting my grandparents, I attended 2 meetups groups, attended
evening services for Lake Avenue church, and have had a job interview.
But the rest of the month... pretty much nothing to show for it.
 
Get it together... get it together... get it together...
 
This past Friday was my 29th birthday; a birthday I share with my
cousin Patrick. So I managed to persuade him to eat omakase at the
famed Sasabune sushi restaurant in West LA. I had only heard about
this place through a podcast, various reviews, and hearsay from
friends. Don't go there expecting California rolls and large portions.
This place is authentic. But with anything truly authentic, expect to
pay for it financially. I spent over a hundred dollars there, after
tax and tip. The place wasn't packed as I thought it would be at
lunchtime, but the sushi chef said that it was because of the economy.
Now you're probably asking me, "So was it worth it?" Well... The sushi
was all good... tender, soft... I'm uProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
 
ally not into cooked sushi, but this place made all the cooked items
good (like the butterfish). BUT... I'm not a foodie. And I'm cheap.
I'd rather spend the hundred dollars to buy electronics or music. I
ordered their tamago, which I do at every sushi place I go to... and
it was nasty. In the end though, it was a special treat to spend time
with my cousin and celebrate our birthdays together in such a fancy
place.
 
And after lunch, we went back to my cousin's house and played Little
Big Planet for the rest of the day. *haha* Is that how 29-year olds
act? That game's fun.
 
Saturday I went over to the Shay's place for another birthday
luncheon. Regina bought lunch from the Old Spaghetti Factory, and had
chocolate cake afterwards. Then we sat around, watching the Oregon
Ducks (my uncle's alma mater) lose yet another basketball game... and
spent time with the kids. Spent the rest of the day just goofing off
at home.
 
So the passage into becoming 29 ended thusly. These days, it seems
like birthdays are less significant. The big events are weddings,
pregnancies, and such. I hope I can experience life changing events
such as that...
 
Anyways, not much going on this week, but next week I'm seriously
considering on attending WPPI, a wedding photographer convention and
trade show. Now, I don't plan on shooting weddings anymore, but it
seems more and more that perhaps I may have to just to survive this
career path that I've chosen. But attending the convention is more
than just focused on just weddings, but for any type of serious
photographer. You can find vendors, network with others, and attend
lectures. As for me, I just plan on going to the trade show, then
spending the next day or two just chillin' in the city where the
convention is held... Las Vegas. (^_^) Anyone want to go with? It's
from the 16th-18th (Monday to Wednesday), but maybe I'll go from the
15th-17th to entice my cousin Patrick to go for a night.

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Unfortunately, all my blog entries are on my laptop. And I've been
unable to find good wifi locations, so thus the delay in postings. I
guess I'll end up posting everything once I get back to the states a
week from now. People have been asking me for photos. Sorry, they're
on my laptop too. Same problem as my blog entries, so you'll have to
wait. I figure I'll probably post them on my website when I return.
Perhaps it'll finally motivate me to actually construct it.
 
Right now I'm just sitting here waiting for a call. I hate phones.
Makes me nervous. I think it's because I'm so easily afraid of
rejection. So to take my mind off it, I thought I'd blog about random
stuff.
 
There are like a gazillion 24 hour convenience stores here. I could
walk one block and pass by 5 of them easily. Rather convenient. I'd
usually just pop in and buy some drinks... milk tea and green tea.
Super sized of course. I wonder why people aren't dehydrated here. I
barely see people drink during supper, whereas I seem like I'm
constantly parched.
 
It's hard to find an obese person in this country. I guess it's
because people walk or ride bikes everywhere. It certainly can't be
because of the food, which looks to be filled with cholesterol and
oils. Then again, the term supersized isn't commonplace in this part
of the world either.
 
Oh, happy Thanksgiving. They obviously don't celebrate an American
holiday here in China, so no turkey for me. Sad. My appetite hasn't
yet returned due to my illness, so any talk of food is quickly
dismissed with dizziness and coughing. But along the streets, you do
start to see Christmas decorations. Pictures of Santa and constructed
Christmas trees made of lights. From what I've heard, this is a recent
trend in celebrating this holiday. Few people know of the concept of
the birth of Jesus. It's obviously more commercial for them. At least
they're not trying to make everyone say, "Happy Holidays." Christmas
is Christmas. Hannukah is Hannukah. Let it be what it is.
 
I find myself waking up at 8am daily. Automatically. Even when I want
to sleep more. So I just lie there in bed, turn on the laptop, and
listen to tunes. I feel so tired lately... Not sure if it's the
illness, the fact that I'm eating less than usual, the lack of
exercise, or what.
 
At the house I'm currently staying in, they have this VERY ANNOYING
ringtone. A little girl's voice yells out in Chinese, "Someone's
calling you..." over and over again. It's driving me mad, I tell
you!!!
 
I need to go lie down now. My brain and lungs aren't cooperating with
me at the moment... Still waiting for that phone call... (if you're
wondering, it's because I have a date tonight).

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I don't feel like blogging...
 
Actually I do, but I don't feel like posting them. I suppose there's
always a time when a person feels like he can't share everything with
everyone. So I guess this will be Patrick's "Grey Period" of the trip.
I have at least 4 postings on my computer right now. I'll probably
skip those and resume new postings starting tomorrow. In short, I feel
like crap. Physically (why am I still sick?!?), emotionally,
spiritually. Crap, I say!
 
So I'm hinting to the typical cast of friends to speak with me later,
either through email or when I get back to the states.
 
I'm going to take a shower now. Despite being such a cold climate,
I've been sweating like crazy under so much clothing...
 
After my shower, I'll be here, sitting here depressed, listening to my
music off my laptop. Stupid iPod losing it's charge at such a critical
time in my life. I can't cope well in depression without music. Wow, I
can't even imagine the horror of a life being deaf.
 
 
Patrick

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[This entry was written on November 15 in Shanghai, China]
 
The end of my tour was rather of a sad departing. Here I would part
ways with those that I've become friendly with for the past week. The
last remnants of America are gone... The morning of, I woke up later
than usual (around 8am) to eat breakfast. I saw a few people left from
the tour. We made small talk for a little bit. I gave a few of them
the business cards I made for my class reunion. Perhaps I'll hear from
them again when I return to the states.
 
And thus also begins the next phase of my journey, in which I would
meet family members that I have either known in passing or have never
even known had existed before. Many of which are from my grandfather's
side of the family. Grandaunts and granduncles, as well as uncles and
aunts, and a pair of adorable 10-year old twin [girls] cousins.
 
I was greeted in the airport lobby by my grandfather and a non-related
grandaunt that I'd be staying with for the next few days. Apparently
that evening I'd be introduced to many of the family members in a
dinner party for me. I felt rather honored, being the eldest grandson
bearing the family name. Hopefully I will be able to present myself in
a positive light that will make my family proud.
 
Over the next few days, I hope to be able to figure out what my next
plans are. It's not even noon time yet, and since I have nothing else
to do, I'm using this time to blog, something I haven't really had
much time to do aside from the times I was sitting around at the
airports.
 
There are a few things that have already been planned out for me.
Tomorrow I'll be heading out with an uncle that's going to show me
around. It'll be nice to have a personalized tour now, although I
don't know how much we'll be able to converse with since my
understanding of Mandarin is rather lacking.
 
Supposedly on Monday I'm to be "set up" with a local girl here. Alas
the family has shown their intentions of introducing me to girls. I
laugh to myself at the thought. I find it amusing. Well at least she's
been said to know English.
 
My grandparents took me to the dentist yesterday. I haven't been to
the dentist in 3 years. And what he found was a rather large cavity in
one of my molars. It was rather disgusting to see this giant hole
there... Guess I need to cut out the soda drinking. I'll have to
return on Tuesday morning to get the thing sealed up. The price for
the initial visit was around $23 dollars US.
 
At the home where I'm currently staying in... it's probably better to
call it an apartment complex. It looks to be a building of around 13
stories tall. Looks like much of Shanghai looks to be like this.
Though much smaller than Beijing, the population:land ratio is greatly
compacted here.
 
Anyways, back to the home. It's rather quant with a main living
area/dining room. Then there are two bathrooms, one of which serves as
a laundry room. Then there are three bedrooms, a small kitchen, an
enclosed balcony area, and a section for the computer area.
 
In their balcony area, they raise several pets - two turtles, 4
canaries (much like the ones my parents raise), and this odd black
bird. This latter bird looks like a raven but with the capabilities of
speech... Maybe it is a raven (thinking of Edgar Allen Poe's poem
right now). The first time I heard him speak was as I was sitting in
the dining area. Something said, "Ni hao" all of a sudden, and I was
wondering if it was from the TV speakers or something outside. He also
makes sounds similar to that of R2-D2 (whistles and clicks) and cat
meows ("Me-ow?"). Rather amusing creature.
 
The granduncle that I'm staying with, along with the grandaunt and my
grandparents, have all been very warm and inviting. They have a
daily... caretaker which I call auntie, who comes in to looks after
the chores and cooking. The granduncle has a considerable limp on his
right leg. Not sure if it's proper to ask about it.
 
Well, I'm just lounging for a while. Waiting for my mom to call.
Haven't spoke to those at home for about a week. I had hoped I would
have had more internet capabilities during this trip, but I found that
many of the hotels charged for internet service, which I wasn't
willing to pay for. It's probably better this way anyway. Free of the
distractions of home.
 
Hopefully I'll be able to find a Starbucks so that I can upload these
entries soon... Well, time to go lie in bed again. *ugh* I feel blah.

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One of the first things you notice about China are the crazy drivers.
To give you a visual, imagine Grand Theft Auto or some sort of racing
game, except everyone drives that way. See a pedestrian? So what.
Wanna get into a lane? Squeeze yourself in without slowing down or
signaling. See those painted lines on the street? What lines? It's
basically kill or be killed; a free-for-all for those that dare. And
bicycles everywhere, and they ride as crazy as people drive. It's
rather scary to walk along the streets of a city. It'd probably be
scarier to drive in such a place. Not that I would have the chance to,
as you would need a license issued in China. But there are taxis in
abundance here. Rates are rather reasonable too, with prices varying
city by city.

 Prior to coming to China, I had many concerns. Many of which has been
resolved with the recent developments because of the Olympics. One
such concern is that regular toilets are more frequent these days, or
as WIlliam the tour guide called it "the Toilet Revolution". I was
scared to think that I would have to use those squat toilets...
*shivers*

 Another concern I had was the whole plug/voltage issue. First off, I
had heard that the plugs were different and that people should bring
an adaptor. That's not really much of an issue these days, unless if
you're in the countryside, I suppose. I've yet to use the adaptors
that I've brought with me. One thing I wish I did bring is an adaptor
from the grounded three prong into the standard 2 prong. The second
concern I had was that voltage is double that of the US standard. I
had heard stories of fried laptops and various other appliances
bursting into flames. So I brought a converter with me... I've never
used that either. Reason being is that my laptop and other electronic
devices all are able to withstand 220v. Why didn't I realize to check
that before I got here? I still worry about my laptop though, as these
outlets aren't grounded to my knowledge, so it can still get fried if
there's a power surge. So I charge it when I need to, and leave it
unplugged most of the time.

 They say that some people can't take the food here, and get bowel
troubles soon after. So prior to the trip, I bought a lot of Tums and
Alka-Seltzer. Maybe because I regularly eat Chinese food or because my
stomach is pretty good with digestion, but I've yet to use either. But
I've only been here for just about 2 weeks, so hopefully I haven't
jinxed myself.

 I'm still not used to the foreign currency. Probably because I've yet
to buy much of anything. 100 RMB sounds like a lot to me, but it's
about 14 dollars US. Even 7 RMB sounds like a lot, but that's just a
dollar US. And the concept of haggling for stuff doesn't really suit
well with me. I'll need to go with a local to help me. I saw a Mao
pocket watch recently that caught my eye...

 I feel weird leaving a restaurant without tipping. Supposedly that's a
cultural thing, but with the country adopting many western ideals, I
wonder if some of those stares are thinking about getting tips... I
mean, I still have to tip the bellboy and tour guides.

 One thing that I wished I had brought along was a bar of soap. What's
the deal with this liquid bath soap? I miss that. I did manage to
bring a razor with me, which I've heard could also be considered a
good welcoming gift for relatives. American razors are top notch,
along with many other things.

 I was bothered that many eyeglass vendors typically sell their frames
as unisex, so I was very hesitant in getting one for myself. I managed
to get this thin framed glasses that feel like steel or aluminum for
about a $100 US, which includes the exam, frame, and lenses. Not bad.
I plan on getting another pair of glasses back in the states. I'd
rather pay extra for a more fashionable pair there.

 Everything's measured differently here, which is more to blame on the
states, because much of the world uses the metric system. Roadways,
temperature, food. So that's as foreign to me as the Mandarin that's
posted everywhere as well.

 The typography around this country is drastically changing. Old
buildings and farmland are quickly being destroyed into condos and
apartment complexes. And yet there's still this feeling of old and
grime that still remains. The colors, at least outside the main
cityscape, are rather muted and faded.

 You're not supposed to drink from the tap. Much like the unpurified
water system in Mexico, as you're running water into the tub, you'll
see a nice golden color. Mmm... all your assorted minerals.

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The schedule begins with a wakeup call at 7:30 am, early to my
standards. Noontime would work better for me, especially with the day
I had before. It pretty much took the rest of this day to recover from
the dreadful airplane flights. Since I woke up rather late, i only got
a short preview of the continental breakfast that they served. Not
that I would eat much anyway considering how my stomach was
responding...
 
As I was eating, a familiar figure came up to my rather lonely table.
It's ERIC FONG! Eric is an old high school friend. Apparently he just
graduated from law school in New York and was taking a trip with his
mom. Doesn't God do miraculous things? I think so. So now I have a
companion for the next week. But I will admit that within the first
few days in Beijing, I got to know a lot of the people on the tour,
many of which spoke fluent English. Most of the folks were seniors
though, but there are several young guys my age. Apparently I'm not
the only one that's in a "transition" phase.
 
Our first stop was the Forbidden City. It isn't the same as it once
was, as the Communist movement had brought about the removal of the
city walls. All that remains are the city gates. The tour guide,
William, is very... persistent. He's usually just zooooooming ahead of
the group, so most of our trips tend to just zip by without us doing
stuff, unless we're in one of the "promotional areas", in which he'll
say, "Okay, stay here for an hour or more on your own." But more on
that later.
 
[After the passing of a few days... "It's become apparent that
blogging daily is not possible, whether it's the long days or rigorous
activities. Finding an internet connection has been difficult too
considering my illness pretty much locking in the house. I've managed
to have forgotten most of my initial thoughts of the trip anyways, so
I'll have to end up summarizing events (though my definition of
"summarizing" is probably still rather lengthy)."]
 
Our Beijing tour guide, English name William, comes out to appear very
punctual. He's usually zooming through each location, with the rest of
the group just trying to catch up to a green flag that he holds to
stand out amongst the sea of tourists and locals. His speech is very
passionate and direct, sometimes rather blunt. So if he is a
compassionate person, it was hard to tell as he seemed rather
impatient.
 
That evening we were taken to see an acrobatic show, in which many
members of our group didn't want to see. I'll be honest in thinking
the very same thing. But turns out, the performance was surprisingly
good. The show was called "Fly", in which the the theme was about
acrobatic flight. There were a few times in which the troupe messed up
on things, but they continued on without missing a beat. Balancing
acts, jumping through rings, contortions, everybody jumping on a
bicycle... The sets were fairly elaborate too. It was a sight to
behold.
 
Day two took us to a section of the Great Wall of China. Did you know
that the majority of the wall is actually in ruins? So it's not
possible to walk from end-to-end. We went to a spot in Beijing that
was made famous by Nixon. He was well beloved in this country. We were
lead to the middle of a section, and was given a choice to go the easy
route or the steep route. Being a guy, I naturally chose the steep
one... and I was out of breathe about 1/3 of the way through. Now mind
you that I don't exercise regularly. I took a breather for a bit and
eventually finished the steep path under 2 hours.
 
I'm in a promotional tour. In order to lower travel costs and live in
better accommodations, this is the compromise that was made to do so.
This was something my parents had already warned me about, so I had no
problems with this, although several of the group was starkly
surprised that such activities existed. Almost on a daily basis, we
would go to a certain location where they would sell some sort of
textile export, such as jade jewelry, pearls, pottery, silk, or
whatnot. The tour guide would encourage us to use hotel services,
whether it was to exchange money or to eat in. It's because of this
that I was somewhat weary of the tour guides as to what I could trust,
due to their ulterior motives.
 
I went out to eat once during the tour. By myself. It was to a noodle
place that the tour bus had passed by on our way to our hotel in
Beijing. This was probably the evening of the second full day in that
city. I figure this would be the one place that I could order
something. I mean, how hard is it to order beef noodle soup when
that's pretty much the only dish that I know to order in Chinese. It's
nice doing stuff on my own. I enjoy it.
 
After dinner, I decided to wander around the city of Beijing. It was
rather empty at around... 9pm. Nothing was really going on. I did
manage to wander to a fairly rich outdoor mall. I think it was called
"The Place." There was a projected overhang, much like that of the Old
Town Las Vegas. It played soft classical music while projecting a CG
rendition of planetary and cosmic wonders. The stores in the area were
that of rich and western, much like that of what you would see in
Rodeo Drive. There was several brand name fashion stores. Very
upscale. Since I'm not much for those things, I watched the projection
for a bit, and moved on.
 
I finally managed to find myself in a small bakery that was still
open. I ordered some egg tarts, as I was rather cold. I think it was
that night that was the cause of me getting sick [but I'll let my
family elders think it was because I was during my climb up the Great
Wall]. I think it would cause more worry if they knew I was wondering
around alone in a foreign place in the middle of the night. So don't
be blabbing this to them, okay? Though to be honest, I was probably
bound to get sick sometime during this trip. I'm often prone to
illness, as my employers and family can testify to.
 
Throughout my trip in China, I've seen many western fast food
locations. Starbucks (Xing Ba Ke). McDonald's (My Don Lo). Subway. KFC
(Ken Tu Ge). Pizza Hut. Those seem very prominent, and are often the
marks of a richer, more dense area. Burger King. Papa John's.
7-Eleven. An uncle brought me into a McDonald's. I got a hamburger. It
doesn't look like these people microwave their meat. Then there's the
difference in the condiments: dressing instead of ketchup, cucumbers
instead of pickles. Very amusing. They also have mango pies instead of
apple pies, though I didn't dare to try it. I took a picture of what
looked like a purple apple pie. Perhaps someone can fill me in on what
that was.
 
Day three took us back to familiar areas. I blame this on poor
planning on part of the tour agency, or because many within the tour
group complained that William was speeding along through these
locations that we basically didn't see anything. We started by
visiting the Temple of Heaven. Then revisited the Summer Palace that
we went to the day before. I'm sure this place looks fantastic in the
summertime, but it's early winter now, and I'll be honest to say that
it was rather drab. We then went onto the Opera House, but turns out
that we weren't able to go see the performance. So we end up back
along the outskirts of the Forbidden City to go shopping.
 
Day four took us out of Beijing back to Shanghai, where we would
travel by tour bus to Suzhou and Wuti. Day five took us to Huangzhou.
I'll be honest in saying that the rest of the tour didn't really spark
much of an interest for me. More architecture that looked similar.
Went through a rock sculpture garden. Rode on a boat in a lake...
Fairly mundane. We did get to go to a Buddhist temple though, which
was fairly interesting to see. I wanted to get a picture of a monk
using a cell phone, but missed it... It just looked funny.
 
Flying out of Beijing also changed tour guides, this one by the name
of Hartly. What an odd name, though I must admit, there are some
rather strange English names in China. There's a female singer named
Fish. I know of a person named Pinky. But I suppose it's not really a
name made for the States. More like a nickname. We also had a local
half-day tour guide by the name of Vicky. Anyways, both Hartly and
Vicky, while the tour was somewhat with an impressive scenes, they
were pleasant and rather understanding, especially compared to that of
William...
 
Day six finally brought us back to Shanghai, where we would spend half
the day looking at the Bund landscape and visit the marketplace. Then
it was dinnertime, then back to the hotel. It would be the final night
of the tour, so several of the guys wanted to go out clubbing. Now,
being not much of a socialite nor that of a drinker/smoker, I've not
really done any of such things, but I was rather curious, so I tagged
along. We went to three clubs: Bar Rouge, Club BMW, and MUSE. Bar
Rouge has a specular view of the same Bund landscape we had seen
earlier, but along the rooftop of a building in a brilliant night
setting. 100 RMB was the entrance fee. Artists using spray cans on
giant canvas showed off their skills as a DJ would play in the
background. Club BMW was themed with images of the car brand. Laser
lights and neon panels flashed as dancers performed on the bartops. A
particularly female bartender was showing Eric how to play this game
involving a cup and several dice. The last location (for me, as my
chest wasn't getting enough oxygen) was MUSE. There were lots of
dancing about in this location as well. One of our guys, John, even
managed to get a girl to come sit by our table. He was trying really
hard.
 
By the end of this tour, the members of this tour group had become
like family. Since many of the group were elders, I saw them like
aunts and uncles, or grandparents. I could feel their concern when I
was sick, and they each showed it in a different way. I really hope I
hear from them again. It was a great experience meeting each of them.

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[This was written a few days ago, but I just never got around to
posting it up. So I'll be posting the next few progressively.]

I suppose before I begin my entry for my month long journey to China,
I should probably acknowledge that we have a new president-elect,
Barack Obama. With any new incoming President, there are uncertainties
as to how he will initiate policies. Will he try for bi-partisan
efforts, or merely go ahead with the Democratic agenda? How will he
lead domestic and international policies? How will he handle the
immense role as Commander-in-Chief; will he withdraw troops within the
next year and a half, or will he have to judge based on circumstances?
And then there's the economy... though to be honest, financial
policies aren't necessarily the responsibility of the President. Don't
you wish we had Alan Greenspan leading our finances?

Enough politics. I leave that to greater men to handle. I will be the
first to admit that I'm not the most brilliant when it comes to
argumentative talks.

On Thursday, November 6, I left the house to LAX with my brother as my
cheuffer. The day had finally come. It still really hasn't hit me. Am
I excited? Am I scared? I dunno. Thus far, I've been in the airport
the whole time. I write this in the Shanghai Pudong airport's waiting
area for my flight to Beijing. My laptop says the time is 4:25am right
now, but here in Shanghai it's around 8:25pm. Outside the airport, the
skies are pouring rain. Is that what I'm to expect on my vacation? On
a brighter note, my late night sleeping habits have adjusted perfectly
with this time zone!

The flight was around 18 hours from LAX to Shanghai. And if you add
the additional 16 hour time difference between Eastern China and Los
Angeles, you can say that I jumped into the future. The flight had
it's share of ups and downs... literally. Most of the flight went
rather smoothly, until the last third of the flight when we
experienced "turbulence", a term I dread, as my stomach and head can
testify towards. They served two meals on the initial flight, though I
wasn't able to eat much due to my stomach.

Watched several movies, as I was unable to sleep (I can't sleep in a
vertical position). There was Spider-Man 3, The Spitfire Grill,
America's Sweethearts, Eight Below, Herbie Fully Loaded, and part of a
chinese film called "Invincible Target"... I wished they had shown the
latter film first, though I will admit that "The Spitfire Grill" was
very moving (about a kind stranger with a dark past that goes to a
small town). "Eight Below" is a Disney live-action film about how a
bunch of huskies were left in Antarctica on their own for over half a
year. The dog scenes were cool, though I felt that the human actors
dragged the movie down. It was "inspired based on a true story",
though that doesn't mean much in Disney terms.

[Once I reached Beijing...]

The second flight to Beijing was only 2 hours, but it made my motion
sickness worse. I was so ready to blow chunks... And after that, there
was a 40 minute bus drive. I could taste the vomit... But I was able
to maintain myself all the way to the 5 star hotel.

My room was very nice. I had to pay a few hundred more for a single
[for the entire tour] because I was traveling alone. But the room was
nice, and any time you can have a queen-sized bed to yourself is
always a nice thing. The bathroom was nice as well, with a tub and a
shower that flowed from the ceiling, so it was nice to try those out.
I'll be in this same room for the next few days of the tour. Not
really sure what to expect, but I'm keeping an open mind about things.

I'm sleep deprived, hungry yet nauscous, and bored... It begins tomorrow.

Welcome to China.

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So I've been doing some soul searching lately. And what have I come up with? I'm a bum.

I fit in with one of those moody creative types; inspired and motivated one moment, dreadfully depressed and uninterested the next. Mostly the latter. I've said this for years now, but I guess I needed to be reminded again. It seems to me that without a set dream or aspiration before me, I find myself in a free fall. Perhaps it is times like these that I most need a routined schedule; something to keep me on autopilot until I know where I'm headed.

Since I've quit my job 3 weeks ago, I've pretty much lost all motivation to do much of anything. Sure, I can surf the internet to buy stuff, watch an unhealthy share of Taiwanese love-comedy dramas, and blog on a fairly regular basis, but it's somewhat sad to know that I'm currently just taking up space rather than producing anything of worth.

I really must get things together. For starters, I should start exercising again. I've thought about joining a gym again, but since I'm without a regular income, that's out of the question. So I can schedule that in in the morning, but that means that I'll have to once again join with the regular world out there... and wake up before noon! *gasp* And perhaps even... eat breakfast!!!

I have just about a week before my high school reunion, and I've yet to do any of the tasks that I planned: business cards and a proper website. So for the next week, I'll need to start carrying around a sketchbook and my laptop. I don't think I'll get much work done at home...

I'd also like to relearn some Chinese before I head off on my trip. I attempted doing so 2 weeks ago, but ended up just taking a nap in the library... ah yes, I remember doing that back in high school... and college. I don't know if watching Chinese dramas count as learning... I'm typically just reading subtitles. I'm pretty much brain dead whenever I watch television, and I tend to forget plot points and names of characters. It's rather sad. In one ear, and out the other. Darn ADD. I blame the media for this!

Today I made some effort to clean the house. It's been a while, and the layers of dust on the furniture is proof enough. My room needs a good cleaning. A few weeks ago, my dad said I should rearrange my room. Perhaps I should. I've been thinking about painting my room for a while now... Some crazy bold color. Like a rich navy blue, a neon green, or a dark red. And paint the ceiling black, to rest my eyes from the burning colors.

So I bought my portable folding keyboard and it came in earlier this weeko, and for the most part, it works out fine. I like the tension of the keys and the size when folded up. It doesn't feel flimsy. I'll need to get used to some of the placement of the keys, but that's to be expected. The function key replaces where the caps lock key usually is. I've never really used the fn key before, but I expect that with enough time, I'll begin to wish that all keyboards would have so.

Well, its time to head off to bed now.

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There's a slight revision to iTunes 8 out now. I must say, the new visualizer is quite entertaining to watch, as it matches to the song. Very psychedelic and hypnotizing. I don't really use Genius as a playlist maker, but it's a neat concept. I did manage to find a new Lifehouse song, "If This Is Goodbye", which looks like a iTunes exclusive from the "Who We Are" album.

Within the past few weeks, I've bought 3 BoA albums off eBay. I'd love to get albums of less known artists, like Dew (J-pop) or Guang Liang (Mandopop). I logged into Japanese iTunes store, which probably has songs I'd be interested in. But I'll have to order some prepaid cards in their currency in order to purchase that way. I've also thought about just waiting till I'm in China. I'm sure it's easier to get Asian music in Asia... But you know how I am. I'm an impulsive buyer. One reason why my room is in it's current state.

For you young techy parents out there: http://4momsonline.com/stroller.php

Apparently video and low-light is the latest rage, as Canon will be releasing the Canon 5D MarkII. Unfortunately it's coming out in November (for those that preorder), but check out what this independent reviewer, Vincent Laforet, did with this DSLR camera! It's utterly amazing!!! (Of course this guy is amazingly talented, but shows off the potential of this camera/camcorder hybrid) http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/09/22/without-further-ado-reverie/

I think I'm overthinking my website. I just can't seem to commit to one design, and I just end up never even starting... I need something that identifies me, so I need to figure out a logo concept and website interface. Someone once said that my strength was my humor, but that's not really true. What does my photography style say about me? One photographer once described it as, "technically sound." Wasn't ever sure if I was to take that as a compliment or insult. My style really isn't too bold. Perhaps it is just that... "technically sound." Perhaps that just screams catalog and stock photography. Hmmm...

Sorry if this is shorter than usual. It's 3:20am right now. I need to get to bed soon. Here are my Sunday plans: get lunch, head to church, then go to my anime meetup. Perhaps do some scouting around the USC area. Head home and write some emails. Eat dinner.

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So my original post was going to be about things I hated about the new Facebook... but then it just got pretty depressing. And it's not like I'm going to give up on FB yet. I'm sure given enough time, the developers will "see the light" and bring back some of the original features that made it great (app focused, collapsible boxes, etc...). One can only hope, at least. If not, I foresee a fallout similar to that of other social community sites.

Some random videos that I love:

(Michael Wong plays this awkward juicer that confesses his love to this girl, never realizing she likes him back. My favorite song of his.)


(Now I cannot go shoe shopping without thinking of this commercial.)


(It starts off rather mundane, but as the video progresses, it becomes techno goodness like no other!)

My eye exam at Walmart has been postponed by my parents... *sigh* They just had to find out. (Darn sibling.) But they'll see things my way soon enough. I'll be like the endless ocean against the rocks of a cliff, slowly eroding away given enough time. Or maybe I'm more like a small pond surrounded by land all around, awaiting rain or facing evaporation... Well, we'll see.

Sunday evening, I met up with Jerry, his bride-to-be Shirly, and his brother James, at this Italian place around Fullerton. The ambience of the place was nice. The walls were painted with landscapes of Italian farmland. The booths were enclosed under these wooden overheads, with [plastic] grapevines growing along the sides. There wasn't many people around, which is usually a plus for me. The food was good. Spent the evening just talking about their wedding, Oktoberfest, the iPhone, Macs and PCs, his antique collections, and my upcoming trip to China. Good times.

Jerry loves to drink vodka... Feel free to give that as a wedding gift. (^_^)

Monday I went shopping with Rayson and my cousin Patrick at Ontario Mills. Not that I really needed to go, but I do need to get some more long sleeve shirts for what looks to be a cold time in Shanghai. I just wanted an excuse to hang out with my cousin, who works in the area. So we met up for dinner at Fuddrucker's, as the one that was around my local vicinity was replaced by a CVS. Our loss. Ate a 2/3 lbs. burger. Good stuff. My shopping day ended with me buying a long sleeve Florida Gators shirt (Steve & Barry's, $7) and a dress shirt at the GAP ($23). I'll probably drop by the local mall tomorrow to look for a jacket.

Speaking of meetups, it's been a while since I've attended my monthly anime meeting. I think the last one I went to was... June? This Sunday they're going to meet at a Cosplay Maid Cafe. *haha* How awesome is that?!

Ironman is out on DVD and Blu-Ray. Nice. Need to get that movie. Great film. Looking forward to a sequel.

I hear that last year's reunion had a problem with social cliques. *sigh* Will it just be a repeat of old high school days? I'm really hoping to connect with people I never had a chance to 10 years ago, and to reconnect with people I had not seen in years. There are friends of mine that have given me reasons as to why they aren't going: bad location to get dressed up for, cost too much, they already talk to their high school friends... And those could all be valid points. But we have to give it a chance, right? I for one, don't really talk with my old alumni friends, and have never thought that price was an issue (if they were charging $250 for admission, it would be a different story. I'd rather buy an XBox instead.).

Well, that's all for today. It's burning hot in my room. Going to water the lawn for a bit, and just enjoy the outdoors. Till next time!

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