Please Don't Stop The Music

2015 and still a good system

When we first moved into our new house in Tennessee, I remember getting a 5 speaker surround sound system. It has a 3 CD (Compact Disc) changer, dual cassette tape (what?), Dolby Surround Pro Logic, AM/FM radio, 3 step dynamic bass boost, subwoofer ready, 5 different preset sound configurations (optimal, jazz, rock, techno, classic), 120 watts, alarm clock, and many buttons...

2005-2006

Throughout the past twenty years, it has moved with me seven times. Proving that it was made with quality in mind. I have never had a problem with it. I have never needed to repair or modify it.

The speaker cabinets are not magnetically shielded, it does not have the bells and whistles of today's technology (no optical out/inputs obviously)... but it still works great. It still sounds great.

It was usually always hooked up to my TV/DVD/console entertainment system. But in my current set-up, my flat TV serves as a 2nd monitor for my computers where I use my, also old, Creative Labs 5.1 surround sound system.

I will keep it as long as I can dance and it plays the music loud.

P.S. It is a Philips Magnavox FW754P Mini HiFi System.

McKing Burger

I randomly thought about this the other day.

When I was growing up in Arizona, I remember there use to be a McDonald's near a highway overpass.  In fact, I just took the time to check it on Google Maps and the McDonald's is still there (yes, amazingly, I still remember the address).  I don't remember my exact age, but I was under the age of 9.  I remember going to this particular McDonald's in my youth.  A few years later a Burger King opened up across the street from said McDonald's.  Depending on if we were going to town or going home determined if we ate at McDs or BK because of the median. 

I remember one day asking Mom or Dad, I can't remember who I was with, if I could try a Whopper.  I know I did the same with McDs asking if I could try a Big Mac.  In my teenage years, I remember my parents telling me a story about me asking to try a whopper/big mac.  They said they knew I was growing when I was asking to eat more.

About that Google Map lookup I did... it appears that... since 1996 that particular area has grown.  I just remember a McDs and BK.  Now, there's a wal-mart, Kohl's, KFC, Game Stop, Starbucks, Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel, and several hotels.  It looks like that place has grown up in the past 16 years...

10 Years 4 Cameras

Cameras Over the Decades



Note: I have re-sized all the pictures to 1024; it makes it faster to upload.

Note2: Since photobucket does not provide free hosting any longer, I am re-capturing the photos and re-uploading them. No idea what the quality will be like.

Over the past decade, I have owned four point and shoot cameras.  Along with that, I have learned more about photography and manual camera settings.

I can't remember if this was the first digital camera we had, but we bought it in 2002.  It was a Kodak Easyshare DX4900.  It had a tiny LCD screen, plastic finish, 4.0 megapixels, and a cool self lens cover that moved when you flipped the on switch.  It used CCD as it's image sensor and had an optical viewfinder.

I know we had a camera before this 4900, but I can't remember what we had.  I remember taking the above picture with both cameras and comparing them and felt amazed by its detail.

That's an MP3 player?! It's so huge!

This picture is from 2004 while I was in college.  You can see how dated this picture is from the Creative NomadZen Media Player that is basically a harddrive.

Later on we bought Mom a camera.  It was a Kodak Easyshare DX4530.  It was 5.0MP and it it had more buttons on the back.

In 2007, I replaced my Kodak with a Canon Powershot SD800IS.

So itty bitty

Such a huge screen!

The 800IS had a plastic and metal frame.  I really like the metal feel, but if you drop it, it will get dented and the dents are difficult to...er...um... "undent".  With this camera I could adjust the ISO speed and this marked the beginning of my studies of photography.  Unfortunately, it had very little manual control, therefore my learning was limited.  I had studied about F stops and shutter speed, but I couldn't manually control those on this camera.  I could only control the ISO speed (if I remember correctly).

But I learned about macro shooting and made plenty of macro shots.

I've never learned what these are called

I wonder what's on TV

I missed a spot painting

I was trying to get a pic of the frog

I was obsessed with blurry backgrounds to focus on the subject.

This camera had effects, so I learned how to do that.

Red is my favorite color

In 2010, I replaced the SD800IS (right) with an SD4000IS (left).

800IS has some battle damage

Super W I D E screen!

As you can tell, my old 800IS has some battle scars.  I've dropped it several times but it still worked perfectly.

First picture with my 4000IS

I bought this 4000IS camera with a quick review because I was leaving for China the very next week and had to ship it overnight.  This camera attracted me because it was has a wide lens, super slow motion video, and semi-manual control.  I could manually set the shutter speed and the aperture would set automatically OR I could manually control the aperture and the shutter speed would be automatic.  And the lens aperture had a very low (or high? I don't know the terms well enough) value of F2.0.

I took the same picture with both cameras, but I couldn't find the 800IS photo.

The only problem is that the only control was a dial wheel.  You had to be quick to switch settings.  Luckily, I'm pretty good at memorizing system interfaces so I could navigate the settings quickly.  And as you can see, the screen is much wider but there is no optical view finder.  I would often use the optical view finder when my battery was low.

I guess I like poweraid and doorways...

Lost in China

I gave my 800IS to my cousin Reuben.  The camera eventually was lost in China due to a pickpocket; Reuben left the hand strap dangling from his pocket and as we were boarding a bus, a man crowded up against Reuben and then suddenly left.  We sit down on the bus and we realize Reuben's camera is gone.

Fast forward to 2 years later.  The 4000IS had a problem.  Many models had the problem of dust getting into the lens and the lens gears jamming up.  I never had the lens gears jam up on me but dust did get into the lens. 

 

Well that doesn't fit quite right

This camera met its fate when I tried to clean the lens.  I opened it up, got scared, and put it all back together.  I couldn't stand the dust speck that was present in most of my pictures so a few months later I opened it up again.  I had to open the lens housing and get a lens brush in there to clean it.  I put it back together and it worked however the lens gears were all out of whack and it was stuck in the open position.  So, this time I opened it again and adjusted the gears.  Unfortunately, I forgot to remove the battery this time around and when I plugged in the cable for the flash, the flash went off.  I imagined I shorted something out because it wouldn't power on.  I waited a day and it still wouldn't power on.  My mother had just arrived to China and I wanted a camera to take pictures.  I had actually had my eye on a particular camera for a while and was looking for an excuse to buy a new one.  And no, I didn't purposefully break my 4000IS.

So, 2012 and my latest camera was purchased in China but made in Japan.  I bought it alone so it was quite entertaining to buy the new camera.  The sales girl didn't speak any English so I did my best to try to communicate.

That's quite a honker

My newest camera is a Canon (again!) Powershot SX240HS.  It is a compact superzoom.  I've had my eye on this camera for a while but the reviews said there are two problems with it.  One is the white balance seems sub-par and the popup flash is right where I hold the camera.  Other than that, it has full manual control.  As well as Tv and Av settings.  It has some new bells and whistles that I probably won't use but I'll try them out for fun.  The aperture is a little higher (lower?) than my 4000IS, it's at 3.5 compared to 2.0 from my old one.  Instead of a CCD sensor this one uses the (not so) new CMOS image sensor.

This camera has better controls.  The camera is a little bigger than my previous camera but that's okay to me.  I was given a 4GB SDcard and pouch for free, so whenever I 'm not using my camera, I put it in the pouch to keep it as dust free as possible.

I read that the battery life was also sub-par but thankfully the 240HS uses the same battery as the 4000IS so I now have an extra battery and extra SDcard! 厉害！

Dragon fountain

Day 6,7, & 8

Day 6

Monday, Jan 30

We departed my Mom's house after lunch; we took our time getting ready to leave.  We headed to one of Dorothy's favorite shopping stores called H&M (located in Atlanta).  Dorothy commented that the store was much smaller than the one in Hong Kong.

After shopping we ate at Olive Garden.  I love their salads so much!  Dorothy ordered soup and she really enjoyed it.  I had something new there, it was shrimp with cheese ravioli. It was really good, but I ate too much. 

We proceeded to Chattanooga and stayed at my grandpas house for the night.

Day 7

Tuesday, Jan 31

For breakfast we headed to IHOP.  Dorothy ate chicken and potato soup for breakfast.  I had a new combo of Belgian waffle, eggs, and bacon.  Then we headed to Ruby Falls.  Dorothy enjoyed the view and liked the tall castle-like building (picture 1).  We looked at souvenirs before heading down into the cave and Dorothy wanted to look at them again before we left.

Down in the cave, Dorothy commented that this cave looked different from the one in China.  Although, I'm sure the natural formations were similar (ie stalagmites, stalactites, etc).  We had a great tour guide that has worked there for 18 years.  After the tour, we spent a lot of time looking at souvenirs.  Dorothy wants to buy some things, for her family and friends, that are unique and preferably not made in China.

Then we headed to Hamilton Place Mall just to have a look around.  After that we headed to my hometown.  We headed there earlier than I expected so I stopped by my neighbors house for a visit.  Then we visited a teacher from my high school.

We met some of my friends for dinner at 8pm at a mexican restaurant.  I wanted Dorothy to try a stuffed poblano pepper.  She liked it.  While sitting there for some reason, I kept listening for Chinese.  One of the waiters came and said "24" in Spanish (that was Dorothy's order), but I didn't hear it because I was listening for Chinese. 

I forget to plan a place to stay for the night but thankfully my hometown neighbors offered a place to sleep.  Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. P!

 

Day 8

Wednesday, Feb 1

We met some more of my friends for lunch and they enjoyed listening to some Chinese culture that I shared with them.

I gave Dorothy a tour of my hometown.  For those of you who know me personally, you know that the town doesn't seem that impressive.  But Dorothy enjoys seeing the countryside.  We stopped by a few shops looking for unique gifts but didn't find any that Dorothy liked.

We headed up to my Uncle and Aunt's house and Dorothy caught a nap on the way up there.  My relatives have a small poodle and Dorothy played with Max (the poodle) for most of the afternoon before dinner.  There was also three cats that entertained Dorothy (picture 2).  We waiting for my Uncle and cousin's to show up for dinner.  

We had a wonderful dinner!  We ate honey baked ham, fried okra, mashed potatoes, pinto beans, deviled eggs, mac and cheese, and cornbread.  My Aunt made me my favorite cake for my birthday, red velvet.  Then Dorothy gave out the gifts that we bought for everyone. 

Day 4 and 5

Day 4
Saturday, Jan 28

We went to a nearby mall about an hour away (is that really nearby?) and went shopping. I took her to an outdoor mall and thankfully the weather was pleasant. She really wanted Chinese soup for lunch so I punched in Chinese food in my GPS and it took me to one nearby. The lady at the Chinese restaurant was born in Hong Kong but grew up somewhere else.

Dorothy likes a certain style of clothes. She doesn't like mature clothes; she prefers the style that young people wear. So, I took her to Rue21 and Gap. I took her to other places like Dillards and JC Penny, but she thinks those are too expensive. There are no Gap stores in mainland China, but one just (or soon to be) opened up in Hong Kong. At the Gap, Dorothy found some clothes that she really liked and they were on sale; 2.99 (plus Tax)! She bought 4 tops.

We stopped by Best Buy to buy mom a new camera. I found a decent inexpensive camera that came with a bundle (case, sdcard, and extra battery). It was a Saturday, so it was somewhat busy. I had to wait for about 10 minutes before they ran and got the camera for me.

We headed home and I can't remember what we did for the rest of the evening, I think I was quite tired from running around for most of the day. I don't even remember what we ate, but I know that I passed out after dinner. Oh yes, I was still so full from lunch that I didn't eat dinner. Mom cooked onion soup, ham, and fried squash. Dorothy really like the fried squash. Also, Dorothy learned how to use the washing machine.

Day 5
Sunday, Jan 29

I guess we're finally recovered from jet lag. I have somewhat normal sleeping hours. I usually get tired around 9pm and wake up at 5am.

This Sunday, I took Dorothy to a Dollar Store. Dorothy said that it looks similar to the store near her house in China. Then I washed my car at one of the public car washing places. Then we bought some groceries for lunch.

I cooked Native American Frybread for lunch. I taught Dorothy how to shape it for me and she made some silly shapes and faces. She also used some leftover dough to make Chinese New Year bread. Along with the frybread, we had pinto beans, roast chicken, and mashed potatoes.

Then we went over to Aunt Pam's and Uncle Jim's house. Some of my stuff was still in Uncle Jim's closet, so I went over there to clean it out. While I was cleaning it out, Dorothy looked at pictures with Aunt Pam.

Finally back at home about 9pm. I was tired and tried to stay away another hour but I fell asleep and woke up at 5am.

This week, we're off to TN to visit some family and friends and to show Dorothy my hometown!

Day 3

Day 3
Friday, Jan 27

We rested all day at home. I wanted to take Dorothy to a mall about an hour away, but she took a long nap after lunch, so we didn't go.

Dorothy made a Chinese dessert called double skin milk. It has somewhat of a custard consistency. She sad it was her first time making it.

I saw a squirrel in the yard and Dorothy was excited to watch it jump around; Dorothy really wants to see the squirrels nest.

Mom has some clothes to give away. So, I had Dorothy try on some coats. They were really old, but good quality coats. They don't make clothes like that anymore.

We used Facetime to talk to Reuben and Lala and let Papaw talk to them.

Dorothy made fried rice for lunch. For dinner Mom cooked taco casserole and Dorothy tried some jalapenos. She wants to take some to her dad to try, but I know it won't get through cutsoms, so I'll have to find it in Hong Kong.

Before bedtime, Mom showed Dorothy some pictures from the past. Mostly random pictures from the late 80s to early 90s of our family.

Day 2

Day 2
Thursday Jan 26

Dorothy tried some snacks that we bought at the grocery store. I had her try a MoonPie and Oatmeal Cream Pie. She said they were both really good.

For breakfast, we had bacon, eggs, biscuits, and gravy. Dorothy enjoyed those as well.

I taught Dorothy how to use the washer and dryer. She was amazed at watching the clothes spin in the washer.

We took a trip to the Atlanta Aquarium. I had never been there before. Reuben told me that there was whale sharks there and I really wanted to see one. We saw some albino alligators, piranhas, penguins, and many many more. We ate lunch there and had a HUGE slice of pizza. Then we watched the dolphin show. Dorothy really enjoyed that and commented that her mother would enjoy the dolphin show too.

On the way home, Dorothy really wanted Chinese, so we stopped by Panda Express. Dorothy wanted to ask the server lady if she spoke Chinese; but she asked in English. The lady was from Guangdong. She spoke Chinese to me too. She said it tasted just like the Chinese food from China; but I don't agree.

Day 1

Day 1
Wednesday Jan 25

We bought some gifts for some family and a few friends. I wanted to buy a special gift for my Mom's and Grandpa's caretaker, so Dorothy helped me choose a beautiful gift (photo 1 and 2). It is Jade and called 如意 ruyi; it means 'may all your wishes come true'.

Aunt Pam came over for a quick visit and we gave her a necklace (photo 3). It's called BaGua or Eight Trigrams.

Mom said that they first thing Benny did was check to see if Dorothy and I were still at the house; the was running around looking for us.

We ate the leftover dinner for breakfast.

We relaxed most of the day. Dorothy and I went for a walk on the property. I posted some pictures on Weibo (China's version of Twitter) and her siblings enjoyed the countryside view (photo 4).

I went though some boxes to find some clothes. I also scanned some old letters that my Dad wrote to his folks.

We went grocery shopping and Dorothy was amazed at everything (photo 5 and 6). Mom made roast for dinner and Dorothy ate two plates for dinner. It was delicious!

After dinner we were really tired and went to bed at about 8:30pm. And I woke up at 1:30am. We're still recovering from jet lag.

Musings

Musings
--
Finally potential converted into kinetic energy.  For after such a long time and broken machinery, time, not maintenance, has repaired his ticker.  But not the physical ticker as you might think.  For such a maiden has pulled his heartstrings and has brought life to him again.  I am so cheery to see him alive.  To see him put forth his energy for another after a hiatus of sequester. 

And as for I, her best friend is mine.  Also am I a cheery one.  Yet apprehensive if I am forced to deviate from my current formula.  Must remind oneself to reside in this point of time.  To not to worry about the time greater than the current.  Better for the electron to gain and lose, than never to have gained an electron at all.

--
Hesitant to your credentials.  Say what you hear with no regard to the veracity.  Perhaps my mind, my method, based on research of various sources, accustomed to my mindset.
--
Unexpectedly.  Come. 
--
I had a dream of you, my caretaker, frolicking with a beautiful dog. Happy as can be.
--
Domino effect of disappointment.  Hard work put off for something fun.  Rather satisfy the ones I do not know than to fail them.  More satisfaction to know that quality was given than to have fun with those I know.
--
Now, I know I could've saved you.  When I am able to travel back in time, I will save you.  But depending on the way time works, if I save you, I may never arrive to the knowledge that I now know.  Therefore, I won't be able to save you.  So, I will leave time as it is and cherish the time I had with you.
--
Priorities out of order. Rationalization ensues.  Selfish; but not you know shielded in your bubble.
--
Today, we find out who you really are.  You won't give credit when credit is due.  You won't even say thank you.  You aren't who we thought you were.  Instead we find the true you. Arrogant. Too staid to have some fun. Then you are vituperative, unwilling to be conciliatory. We don't mean to disparage you, you may think I am mendacious, but this is from our views.  Perhaps I embellish, but so does he. Nevertheless, we exonerate you.

Leaving Her House

I exit the wet humid air into a box of artificially cooled and created wind.  I brace myself with my back against the railing.  I pay my fair.  Sudden acceleration challenges my dexterity as I stumble to a seat.  Adjacent to me is a young girl, holding a damp purse.  She stares sadly though the window at the night lit street.  Her emotions infect me.  I stare blindly at the floor.  My wet footprints look like a drunk man had staggered in.  I watch the light and shadows play as this vessel moves throughout the city.  Or maybe the city is moving around us and the vessel is standing still.  I look out to see people holding shields pointing towards the sky.  I see people on bicycles, scooters, and electric bicycles trying to escape the attack from the clouds.  Small rain splatters on the front window but the sides windows are still clear.  An abrupt stop forces me to brace myself against the cold metal poles.  I feel a little nostalgic yet I somehow think about the future. Of what will be.  I've been on this road plenty of times but I'm always amazed at it's constant evolution. 

I hope that the ones I love are okay.  I yearn for the past, but if I had a choice, I would continue to the future.  Life is full of the constant search for the unknown.  I want to know what that unknown is.  Going back won't help to find the unknown. 

I reach my destination.  I dare not rise from my seat and I choose so wisely.  The driver stops abruptly.  If the driver were to deliver ceramic pots, he would be delivering fragments of clay. I let the sad girl in front of me.  She smiles at me.  Her melancholy face vanishes for a moment.  She is beautiful.  The cold air disappears and a warm glow radiates from behind her.  A warm feeling feels the air.  It feels like winter turning into spring.  I hear birds chirping as the winter snow melts. I feel the bright sunshine warming my face.  But then it fades when her smile returns to her solemn face.  When a girl smiles, I truly see her outer beauty.

 I'm back in the cold air conditioned air.  She exits as I also step off of the platform.  Back into the hot and humid air.  My glasses fog up due to the high temperature difference.  No need to deploy the shield for the sky; the rain has subsided.  I walk to a small shop known throughout the world, but to me in an unusual place of which the difference is negative three (-3).  I enter and hear the chime to indicate that someone has entered to the workers.  I look for my favorite treat; a small coconut pie.  I see two fresh ones and I make haste to grab them.  But then I remember there is a special spot for discounted items.  I see two pies.  I return the fresh ones and grab the two-for-one discount.  In addition, I grab some other items. The cute faced cashier recognizes me and smiles.  She utters to me a question in her country's official language.  I nod my head yes.  She puts my items in a bag and recites the price to me.  I always glance at the display to make sure I understand correctly.  As I search for exact change, she utters something to me.  I don't understand her but I do understand 'water'.  I usually buy two big bottles of water.  Perhaps she asked me if I wanted to buy water.  But I just give her the money and smile.

I walk down a long road.  Very quiet at night.  Very busy during the day.  It always looks different at night.  I pass a restaurant that is always busy late at night.  I continue down the road and see a few fruit stands selling a few more pieces of fruit before closing up.  I hear the barks of dogs at the kennel.  I smell the putrid smell of the sewer near the grates in the road.  I pass by a small snack shop that I often visit.  The man can speak a little bit of English and I've never seen him wear a shirt.  Perhaps that will change when the weather gets cooler.  His wife, I assume, always suggests to me things to eat.  Usually, I like what she suggests to me to buy, but sometimes I don't like them.  Western and Eastern tastes vary greatly.

I walk under my building. Many cars with blinking lights of their alarm system.  I pull out my pass card to open the gate.  The doorman watches me.  I wouldn't like to be on the night shift as a doorman.  I would be very bored.  I often want to offer them a cool drink on a hot day and a hot beverage on a cold day.  Now that my language skills have improved a little bit, I think I can actually try to do that.  But then again, it's not that difficult to offer a drink to someone; you don't really need to use verbal language. Nevertheless.  I walk through the gate to enter my building.  The door to my building is often left open even though there is a sign to close the door.  I pull the door shut as I enter.  The elevator is on the top floor.  I would've taken the steps up but my legs are fatigued from riding my bicycle everyday.  As I wait for the elevator to come  down, a man has trouble opening the door.  I see him struggle with his pass card.  Either it doesn't work or he doesn't know where to put it to open the door.  I open the door for him.  He says 'thank you' in his native language.  By then the elevator as arrived and is waiting for passengers to enter.  We enter and I ask him "go where?".  He says the second floor.  He could've taken the stairs.

I finally reach my floor and enter the empty apartment. Home. Though not my home.  My dad said "Home is where you hang your hat".  We had a sign that said "Home is where you hang your heart".  Some say, "Home is where you lay your head." Whatever your definition of home is, I am home.  It's a mess as I left it.  But the next day is cleaning day so I will take care of it then.  I take a quick shower in my unusually large bathroom.  I hop on the computer to instant message my girlfriend that I'm safely home.  We chat for a while but then say goodnight.  It was cool enough to sleep without the air conditioner but not cool enough to sleep without a fan.  So I switched on the fan and pointed it towards me.  Comfortable, I fell asleep on the couch for the night.

Cheers to the future!

I knew it was inevitable, but I didn't think it would happen this soon.  We're growing up.  Although, to me, we never grow up, we just have more responsibilities. 

My best friend, my roommate, my cousin is moving out and moving in with his fiancee.  I have mixed feelings.  So proud to see him with his happiness. So sad to be alone for awhile.  I don't mean to sound arrogant, but in a strange way, I helped him find his happiness.  It was my purpose to help him along the way.

I ran into this random guy at a random restaurant who knew a not so random guy who was looking for teachers.  Unfortunately, they only needed one.  I let him, my cousin, have the position because I knew he has obligations back home.  

I, maybe not so randomly, met this guy who knew this girl looking for a teacher who had a neighbor moving out.  We were looking for an apartment. Tada, we found a great apartment. 

Directly beneath that apartment, a training centre opened up.  I finally got the courage to go in and talk to the owner.  Soon she held an event where I met many people.  My cousin and I attended.  That there is where the magic happened.  Our future forever changed (or perhaps it was forever changed when we stepped foot on that jet plane).  The love of my life was there and the love of my cousin's life was there, but of course, we didn't know that at the time.

The train rolled on and a close gathering of friends started hanging out.  Things reminiscent of high school occurred and D and I are together as well as L and L.

Giddy to see him on the day of his proposal.  It felt great to be part of a life changing experience.

A little bit exasperated he has been with the culture difference, but in the end it has worked out just fine.

Only I worry about the financial difficulties that he will face.  Several times, I've offered to help with his budget since I was treasurer of my fraternity, but he neglected to respond.  Ist it my business to remind him of his duties. Or is it none of my business.

He follows his heart.

Logic will always break my heart.

Nevertheless, I digress to say, onward journey for the rest of your life.  To you, much I wish you two happiness! You deserve it for it has been long awaited.

Valentine's Days

Feb 14
I made shrimp scampi for Dorothy.  However, the fire alarm sounded so I had to abandon cooking for a moment.   I went outside with a few other tenants.  The guard spoke on the radio and some tenants from my building went back inside so I followed.  I guess it was an accident or malfunction.

I bought three gifts for Dorothy and gave them to her one at a time. First I sat the bunny basket on the table prior to her arrival.

The bunny, roses, and candle

We ate the shrimp scampi but I put much pasta in it. However, we ended up eating it all.

Then I gave her the chocolates. The kisses chocolate wtih almonds was the first candy I ever gave her.

almonds encased in a teardrop shape of chocolate

She washed the dishes, although I told her not to but she insisted.   I helped a little but before she was done I snuck off to get her third gift.   A necklace.  Two hearts, a large heart containing a smaller heart with a diamond cubic zirconia in the middle.

Shiny

She liked them all

March 14
In Asia, March 14 is a response to Valentine's Day. I'm not sure if it has a name, but this time the women give gifts to the men.

Waiting for the bus

I wanted to go to Cafe Flore, a somewhat romantically lit cafe. It has red walls, dim lighting, and really good food.  Including an unusual but delicious dish that is garlic bread topped with mashed potatoes and ham. Best. Thing. Ever.

After dinner, we ordered the ice cream for two. It was actually very sweet and very huge. It had four cookie straws, whip cream, chocolate ice cream, four Oreos (real Oreos not fake ones), more whip cream, six squares of chocolate wafers, and more chocolate ice cream. It will cure any sweet tooth as well as rot one.

Chocolate overload

She gave me a unique hybrid of the superman symbol and spider-man . I think it's pretty cool.

Super-Spider-Man-Symbiote

And then a duck.  You are probably wondering why she gave me a rubber ducky.  And no, I don't have a bath tub.

Our duck faces

Years ago, a random yellow rubber ducky showed up in the back of my dad's pickup truck.  We don't know where it came from nor who put it there, but it stayed there and traveled with him wherever he went.  So, this duck is for me, to go wherever I travel.

A note Dorothy wrote to me on the gift box

Other Gifts
I can't remember the exact day, but it was well after March 14. Dorothy showed up with a random gift. There's a picture from the Burnt Fortune Cookie blog of a gift that Dorothy gave me. Well, she slapped that picture on a shirt and gave it to me. My dad used to do that; pick pictures or phrases and put them on a t-shirt; it was fun.

So, this a picture of me wearing a shirt, that Dorothy gave to me, with a picture that I took of a gift that Dorothy gave me, Superbunny.  [confused]

More Musings

Chasing Bugs
Never chase a butterfly. It will fly away. When I'm not looking, or too tired, the butterfly will come to me. It will land in my hand. It will stay until I move. But I move so slow and gentle that it stays with me. She. She is. She is love. She is my love.

Hope
She spilled her heart out to me. Her hopes and dreams. Began with saying that she could be a model. Asking if she could make it alone. Truly a good guy my friend says of me to her. Two years wait and maybe a common language we will speak. Hope and dreams she said to me, to make a plan. When we go, when we go, when we go. For her, my friend translates, "I know you don't understand me, but just listen to the tone in my voice". When we go, when we go, when we go. When we go to America. I wish I could save her. I wish I could make her dreams come true. But I can't even save myself.

Glass Walls
She winked at me; but not at me. In the background, the other walks in. I know what she asked him because he told me what she asked. Lucky cover for the other two. But the other doesn't know. The other one leaves soon but the other will stay. Should I stay, or should I go. You should not judge a book by it's cover. Because in the end, you know what counts the most.

Superman
Too bad that she was all alone. I wanted to go but I was already committed. Torn between two, but one is not free. Not free to do what they want. The other, an eagle, that soars in the sky. I want to rescue both. But I can only rescue one. I can only rescue me.

Sailing Away
I knew it would come to this. I didn't want it to happen. But this is the way it is. Dependent on. But not so much anymore. Best friends formally, but just friends now. Used to do things together all the time. But now just occasionally. I always enjoy the time we have together.

Two Lions
Not a race to a finish line. Not a race but if it was, I'm ahead in the game. Try you, but blocked. Then a bird of prey bought me back to the starting line. But back, eventually, to where I was. Happy.

Cautious
She knows that I know that she knows. I know that she knows that I know. Told each other we have. Next to her I sit. I calculate. I process. I render. I chose to. Around her my arm envelopes. How endearing. Later do I place my mitt on her gam. Removes it, she does, still and all detaining my paw. Frolicsome she is as she caresses my hand. The first time in a long time to feel.

Jan 4, 2011

Cold and rainy day today. Stayed indoors as much as possible. Went with Ruben to pick up a package from the post office. Amber helped us locate the post office. Opened it up and shared some of the candy and snacks. Went to class tonight. Invited Dorothy, Lala, and Symon to try some of the American snacks. I bet Dorothy would eat it all if she could. Reuben and I talked to my our moms via Skype. It is always pleasant to talk to them and see a little bit of home.

January 3, 2011

Woke up early this morning. Went to class. Went back home. Cold, windy, and rainy today. Took a short nap. Ate spaghetti in the kitchen because it was the warmest place in this concrete fortress of solitude. Headed out back in the cold to hang out with a friend and teach her English. Picked up a tiramisu cheesecake and a walnut cheesecake. She ate them both. I actually wanted the walnut one, but I let her choose. She chose both. Baby sat two kids for a bit. They were so cute but I had to be stern when they pulled on my 围巾. They didn't believe I am American so they just called me an Extraterrestrial. Ate dinner, talked to more friends at the music shop via proxy Aya. Left the music shop and took an adventure back home in the cold wind and rain; I went a new route. Got home watched a movie and chatted with Dorothy via internet chat client. Off to bed and dreams of never never land.

Jan 2, 2011

Woke up at NOON today. Stayed up too late last night. I worked on some things for class. Then went to meet Brandy and Yutta at a local music shop. The owner [of the music shop] is also manager of a nearby bar who recently renovated it. They added a stage so bands can play music. We hung out at the music shop for a while. Mostly because we were waiting for a cab to drive by. The cab drivers are getting new cars. They used to have old green rugged ones and now they are crusin' in shiny blue ones. Mmm, toxic car smell. They are still issuing new cars so every now and then you can see old rugged green ones crawling along. We go to the bar to practice some music. Then we went out to eat. 好吃! Then back to the bar where I played drums, Brandy sung, and two other Chinese played bass and guitar. Then Reuben met up with us and soon after we went for a massage. Our regular masseuses were not present, so it was random masseuse night. I prefer to get new people every now and then. You get to meet new people, practice some Chinese, and each masseuse has their own technique. Back to home to sleep soon after this posting.

Jan 1, 2011

Welcome to what was the future. 2011.

Woke up rather early to clean the apartment before company arrived in the afternoon. Talked to Dorothy over internet instant messenger. She's the one who took me to a western restaurant the night prior. We met for lunch today and we went to a Chinese Restaurant that she has never been to. It was good eating. I don't know how they [the Chinese] can eat so much and stay so thin. Must be the pure natural whole foods. Most people have the day off on New Years day. It was so crowded. More so than usual. Dorothy had some jewelry cleaned and I got lost amongst the crowd. She told me not to move so she wouldn't have to hunt me down in the sea of people. Met up with Rube and Lala. We went to the apartment. Listened to music on the internet and viewed pictures from the previous weekend. We went to market. I was hypnotized by a goat face. It's eyes still intact. Staring just staring. Dorothy had to pull me away. Watched a chicken get chopped up. My Dad told me how his grandmother would catch a chicken and begin processing it into food. At least I did't have to see it alive. I stared at the goat face again. Went back home and the girls made us dinner. Brandy showed up later. We have no plates and only two bowls. So, we ate with food saver containers. Whatever works. Then we played a board game. Brandy left and we watched a movie. Probably too scary for the girls. Sorry. All we have are action movies and kung fu movies. Need to get the box so I can connect my computer to the Television. We walked them to get a taxi cab. Met up with Brandy. Rube went home. And Brandy and I went out for 4th meal. Awesome garlic bread, with mashed potatoes and bacon. Walked home through the newly discovered shortcut; saves me 20 minutes.

December 31, 2010

Some what of a wasted day. Woke up late.  Worked on a few things that I need to be working on.  Went to eat at Pizza Hut with Reuben.  Shopped around Wal-Mart, Jusco, and near the fancy hotel looking for 围巾.  I found the one I liked on the street near the apartment.  A friend took me to a western restaurant that I have never been to before.  Met up with Reuben and his friend at our "Central Perk" (for you Friends fans, or "Monk's" for you Seinfeld fans. If you don't know what those are, then you are too young.)  Played a board game, talked to friends, played some music, and said Happy New Year to my dear friends here in China and back at home.

Goodbye 2010, hello 2011.  Another year in an odd numbered year. 哈哈

Musings

[first entry]
I walk past the gate. I hear the sound of footsteps pitter patter behind me. I use my access card. I turn to see my attacker. Nope, just another resident of my building. I hold the door open for her. "Thank you" she says in Cantonese. We enter the elevator where she asks me something in Chinese. The only word I understood was "floor" or "story". I reply "qi lou". Should I have not understood anything, I would still assume she asked me "which floor". She got off the 2nd floor. Too lazy to go up a flight of steps.
[/first entry]


[second entry]
The elevator doors open and a little kid stands there gazing at me. He walks out of the elevator as I walk in. I ask him to come back in "guo lai" but he resisted; he began to cry. The doors shut. The doors open back up on the 2nd floor with a girl standing there with a surprised look. She says something to me but I don't understand. I simply say 'qi lou, qi lou' while making the hand gesture for seven. She runs up the stairs and everything was okay.
[/second entry]


[third entry]
I lean to the side to put my book of Chinese phrases in my cargo pocket. A million images flow past my mind that I've dreamt prior. "Deja vu" I utter. I see the yellow towel, flowered ironing board, white cold tile floor; I feel my hand grasping my book in my pocket. I see the alley way, the gate, and the building. I have dreamt this before I saw this. I knew you before I met you. I've already done this before. But this time, this time it will be different than the last.
[/third entry]

Untitled Poem

Walking down the street with a sweet sweet innocent girl. I'm walking her home from work at 2am. We walk past a club. I see some expats that I know, but I turn my head and go incognito. A boy and girl fighting. She is angry and the boy grabs her arm but she jerks her arm free. Another boy dragging his, I assume, girlfriend, helping her walk; she is probably drunk. I want to tell my friend that's the reason why I don't drink. But the language barrier is too great.