"In the Rear View"

Years spent in each others’ arms,
cold cold days,
socks covering feet, hands covering thighs,
becoming warm nights,
then sharing morning drives,
grazes on the lips
goodbye,
and loving glances
in the rear view.

From a blind spot
emerges irrational
fear
that takes us by surprise.
A split
decision, a misguided resolve,
illogical,
irreversible,
irredeemable,
changes it all.

Time pushes forward and takes
its toll.
We lean on others for much,
too much,
and pretend it is all
right.

And then,
surrounded by weary winter snow banks,
languid streaks
of the midday sun cast upon
a chance encounter.
Inch by inch rolling by,
sand and slush enmesh with wheels,
dirt and stained memories
turning.

From a distance,
through a rear view mirror, we glance
at each other
once more,
searching for a past that stretches
farther and farther away.

Or are things closer
than they appear?
Is the mind playing tricks, ignoring
what the eyes see?
What can be trusted?

Yet the road ahead
is clear,
and free,
even if the rear view is hazy.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Google Turns Red

"Google is making what one executive described as a ``targeted entry,'' offering Internet search but not e-mail, blogging, video or messaging services. As of Tuesday, some Chinese Internet users were able to access the www.google.cn Web site.

They were not, however, able to search for information on the ``three T's'': Taiwan independence, Tibet independence and Tiananmen Square, which are all forbidden topics in China. And Google is not yet offering its e-mail service, called GMail."

http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/13708107.htm

So the moral of the story is...we should all thank our lucky stars for GMail. I for one, am glad I can search anything and everything on Taiwanese pop stars, blog about how communism sucks, and berate China for being a big bully on AIM. You see, we actually exercise our civil liberties everytime we Google naughty words like "Tibet."

I love Google's hypocrisy in exercising free speech when it suits them. In other words, keep the porn in the U.S. for 12 year-old viewing but limit the spread of ideas on Taiwanese independence in China.

Google created a lot of buzz when they put the phrase "don't be evil" in the prospectus for their public filing, indeed they were hailed as a new and visionary kind of company. In the end "don't be evil" is pure bullshit, steamy stinking crap that you have to scrape off the bottom of your shoe. - Jeff Nolan

Evil empire building activity doesn't go unnoticed. This Google decision, while it is a capitulating money-grubbing corporate move, hopefully will have positive long term effects for capitalism. We ain't gonna change China unless we get in first. Maybe, over time capitalism will permeate throughout China in all these innocuous ways until it wins over.... Or maybe I'm too wide-eyed and hopeful for change. The cultural revolution and Mao worshipping was not that long ago. But hey, don't estimate the power of Silicon Valley innovation and China's desperation to hold on to the Olympics.

Jacktracker

My goodness...people have waaaay too much time on their hands. Case in point, check out the Jacktracker:

http://www.wayfaring.com/maps/show/4698

At least I discovered a cool little tool. So many darn Internet tools out there! From Writely, wikis, and wayfaring to wikipedia. Everything starts with a "w"...people need to be more creative!

Beer Soup and Shampoo

It seems like these days, they are adding beer to everything! Two efforts I applaud are Rockbottom's French Onion Beer Soup and Lush's Cynthia Stout shampoo. The beer soup could be better because the cheese is not entirely covering the entire rim of the soup cup (trust me, I know French onion soup). But the addition of a creamy dark stout to the beef soup stock adds quite a bit of depth to the soup. Many times, the stock tends to be overly salty and uncharacteristic but this concoction makes perfect sense. Try it, you won't be disappointed. Rockbottom also features several beer-enhanced desserts -- such as chocolate cheesecake with stout, carrot cake with pale ale, and a sundae with stout. Next time, next time...my tummy can only take so much! =) As for my shampoo, they've always said beer is good for your hair. Well, my shampoo certainly smells like beer but with a twist of lemon. (It's not as disgusting as it sounds.) It's interesting and cleans hair pretty well but I think it could be more moisturizing. Hey, Lush is all about experimenting with weird products in strange form factors...but as long as they work well, that's what matters.

Indoctrinated Into "Initial D"

So I finally caught that Initial D movie with Jay in it. Now I can see why they cast a Chinese mega-star to play the lead part -- so people like me will actually watch a movie based on an anime about cars. Ok, I guess I liked it...coming of age story and all. But gee, did they have to have that storyline with the girl and her "patron"? I know anime is not for kids and it's Japan we're talkin' about but still...that subplot threw me off. But the rest of it was enjoyable enough and Jay is aloof and mumbly to begin with so it was not a stretch for him to play himself. Oh, but that Edison Chen is hot! I could not place him for a long time...but I knew I had seen him before. Apparently, he starred in Internal Affairs, playing the role of Andy Lau's "Ming" as a teenager in the police academy. Anyways, so the highlight of this film? Well, for me it wasn't the drifting or the rare cars. Certainly it had to be the many gratuitous shots of tender shaking tofu. I've never seen a movie where tofu was so given so much screen time. ;) But hey, tofu drifting is cool and even I'd like to have a spin on Mt. Akina! Now I can't wait to have an Initial D anime marathon. =)

24 Fans Only

"Jack Bauer doesn't urinate or deficate. He secretes waste through his pores as two chemicals which can be combined to create napalm. "

"Jack Bauer would have gotten the ring to Mordor in 24 hours. "
"Tony, get a chopper ready. Michelle, call Gondor and tell them to set up a perimeter. Chloe, I need satellite coverage on Mount Doom."

"The only reason terrorists keep attacking LA is so they can meet Jack Bauer. "

"The ancient Chinese built the Great Wall of China not to repel the Mongols, but rather to repel Jack Bauer. It failed when he attacked over the Himalayas. "

"Jack Bauer creates an "airtight perimeter" by yelling at the air and calling it a pussy until it gets its shit together and falls in line. "

"CTU stands for Jack Fucking Bauer. "

"God rested on the 7th day. Jack Bauer will be spending his 7th day working his usual triple shift without sleep. Lazy ass God."

"Once a year, Jack Bauer kills and eats an entire blue whale. This is why he is never seen having lunch. "

Gotta Love the French!

1) Go to Google.

2) Enter:
"French military victories"

3) Hit "I'm Feeling Lucky"

Haha!

Fun in the Sun...It's All Relative

This past weekend, I played beach volleyball on Redondo Beach in L.A. and then proceeded to go for a 3 mile run along the boardwalk. Ok, so I maybe only ran for a mile but playing v-ball in the sand with the wind gusting is hard! As the sun was setting, I was thinking..."wow, this is the life." Going to the beach in January and frolicking on the beach with your friends. I wish everyday were like that. Oh, but it is for some people! Only they don't know how great they have it. They become softies...case in point--as I walked into our Palo Alto offices today, a lady behind me walked up to the receptionist and said, "Whoa, it's cold out there! I'm glad I came in to warm up!" Mind you, it's like 50 degrees on a sunny day in the Bay Area. I'm thinkin', I can't believe I'll be couped up in an office all day!

I also enjoyed some comedy acts this weekend at the Laugh Factory. This one comedian was like, "Yes, people complain all the time about L.A. and say 'I like having seasons too much, I could never live in L.A.' Well, I like seasons too -- I just choose to live in a place where we skip all the shitty ones." Amen!

From High Above and Down Below

Kong's Saving Grace

I saw "King Kong" this weekend. My friend was completely put off by the racist depiction of the nutty natives, the nasty bugs, lack of lines, and the fact that it was basically Jurassic Park IV. After three hours of actors emoting to a fake Kong, I had a couple of laughs at the ridiculousness of the assorted creatures. Well, you take it for what it's worth, a fun ride I suppose. Like I've always said, as long as it transports me into another world for a few hours and is mildly entertaining, that's fine by me.

Yet, there was one part of the movie I did appreciate. It was when Adrian Brody's character remarked on Jack Black's Dedham, "One thing you learn about Dedham is that he has an uncanny ability to destroy the very thing that he loves." I think we all have that in us, when trying to appreciate, celebrate or share something we love, we may go overboard. Or when picking and finding fault with something or someone you love simply because you don't know how to properly appreciate it. It's a distinctly human quality, for better or worse.

Heroes of the World

Leehom Wang's new album, entitled "Heroes of the World" just came out last week. Ok, so I waited anxiously for it and while there are a few gems on the album, the rest really takes some getting used to (as much as I love Leehom). This album follows his "Shangri-la" record in his self-dubbed, "chinked-out" style blend of Western R&B and Chinese influences. Using traditional Chinese instruments, he tries to push the boundaries of current Chinese pop music with varying degrees of success. I feel like this newest album is much more experimental. He borrows from Chinese opera this time, which is significantly more challenging.

This album was inspired by the film, "Farewell My Concubine" which is about Chinese opera singers and their lives spanning the Cultural Revolution. It was a very interesting, gender-bending type of film which deserves its own separate review. Anyway, a line in the movie about how the would-be opera singers must not just sing opera but must aspire to act out the old fables -- that they must take on the persona of "Heroes of the World," in order to be convincing in their parts -- gave way to the title of the album.

So what does Chinese opera and rap sound like co-mingled? I gotta say, it's a bit peculiar to hear the high-pitched falsettos in the background and the symbals going as someone's rapping. But, I have to hand it to Leehom for trying new things and taking the unique, under-appreciated qualities of Chinese music - much of which is thought to be passe, and making it current again through a new lens.

The best song on the album is the single, "Hua Tian Cuo" which is the name of an opera. I think it is Leehom's most successful project; blending Chinese opera and R&B where he coincidentally rocks out on his erhu. (So hot! ;)) (See video below). It's not as overt as the other songs -- which makes it flow better. What I like about it is that certain verses of the song sound totally R&B but the intonations flow like a typical opera verse. You wouldn't notice it unless you listened for it.

Interestingly enough, Leehom also collaborates with rap star, Jin on this album. I'm not sure where Jin disappeared to or whether he's still in the Ruff Ryder family or what but he sounds pretty good on this song. He's also rapping in Cantonese. I think it's nice that these artists are all collaborating; they really need to band together to push Asian-influenced music, whatever language it happens to be in. But all in all, I admire Leehom for his unsurpassed talent in producing, writing, singing, and also pushing the envelope to give Chinese pop music it's own sonic identity.

Sharing the Spotlight With Leehom!!! =)

...and the answer is "no," I'm not embarrassed! Hehe.

"Otherwise"

A wonderfully simple and beautiful poem about the everyday joys of life. At least I begin the same everyday and end the same sleeping with paintings in my room. =)


Otherwise

I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birchwood.
All morning I did
the work I love.

At noon I laid down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.

- Jane Kenyon

Me and Lynnie

Things that Tickled Me =)...