June 2004 Archives

Dav and I went to see Eve Ensler's The Good Body tonight. It was moving, funny, touching, intimate, powerful, and much more. I didn't know she was so good at impersonating such different personalities of women from around the world.

I've read but never seen the Vagina Monologues. I am certainly looking forward to doing so one day. I think the open dialogue she creates about subjects society shuns should be shared and passed on. I'm glad to hear she's working on a new series with teenage girls.

Our seats were so high up, I felt vertigo. Thus how small Eve appears even with my super zoom phone came.

Click to see video.	Click to see video.

Dav and I couldn't choose what to do tonight. There were 3 bands playing at different locations each with their own vibe. We were also quite happy chilling at home.

So, Dav put our choices in alphabetical order:

Bruno's

Home

Odeon Bar

Parkside

He typed a number on the mac to establish his number.

He then asked me to pick a number.

He explained we were going to add our numbers, divide that number by 4 (the number of options). That would make the remainder a zero-based index of "our choice."

Dav chose 6. I chose 2. That totalled to 8 and divided by 4 gave us a remainder of 0, which = Bruno's

So that's where we're going.

Dav says this is a perfectly generic way to figure out where to go.

Whatever happened to Eeny, Meeny, Miny Mo?

I thought it was complicated enough of a method to blog about. He had to re-explain it to me!

Ah, math people.

Me? I'd designate a color to each choice and ask Dav to "feel" the color of his current mood.

Secretly replace them with these...

Via: this website.

Transcription by gen & anonymous:
For the first time our Potrero Hill household is all going out together! We're all so busy that we rarely get to be all together. Yay :)

[Mie] [DAV @ Thee Parkside] [Kunal] [Emerick!] [Nick Yu] [Toni Miboni Roni Honi]

For special nights out, such as tonight!

When we were at the Forgotten Opera Party, there was a professional photographer documenting all the revelry. Dav found some of us and I can't resist sharing.

Click to see video

Just got back from a pretty interesting music/video show. Heard music made from the noise of a piano being dragged along the playa until it broke into pieces. As we watched the video of this, they cycled the noise into various loops that made it all sound like orchestrated music. The next piece started with a hand slapping a butt cheek. They played four videos of that slap, slightly delayed and at different tempos. That too, became funky music. After the show, I tried taking pics of their equipment...stuff I'd be too scared to even touch!

	Click to see video
Click to see video	Click to see video
Click to see video	Click to see video
Click to see video

Oddpost just moved to a new location and had a swanky, kick-ass reception. Iain Lamb is a co-founder and we went to high school together (3rd and 5th pic from last). I am so proud. We haven't seen each other for way too long, but since we're both in the internet business, I heard of Oddpost, and was like, "Iain, hey, I know him!"

I was excited to see him (see how dashing he is??), and the reception was super cool. The food was way more than just yummy and the wine flowed. But the best part was when the freaking Extra Action Marching Band arrived in full swing! To see these guys in a private setting was...dang, I don't have enough vocabulary. 最高 (さいこう) (saiko) (damn awesome) might barely do justice. I pranced a little with 2 escape performers on the upper level. I spied one guy in a pink Oxford shirt getting all dirty dancey right smack in the middle of the drum/trumpet/trombone/tuba/sexy girls circle. He knew where to be!

The office is a beaut. An old fire house (I think). Old bricks, high ceilings, and tastefully decorated. I snapped a few pics of the "details."

Then I got to see Ted Crossman, from my high school too (last photo, with his wife). The last time I bumped into him was on the Yamanote Line at Shibuya in Tokyo. I got to say "hi" and "bye." Nice to meet his wife, and I hope I get to catch up more.

Anyhow, I had a blast.

And, I just signed up for Oddpost!

p.s. sorry for the heavy video files. I'm loving my phone so much that I imagine using video a lot. I'm going to figure a way so you can get to kokochi without having to download the videos unless you choose to click on a link that will take you to them. Sorry!

Click to see video	Click to see video

My nephew Tyler recently asked a question. A good one, I thought. So when Dav and I went to the Odeon bar last Wednesday to listen to a band he liked (1st video), and see Dr. Hal's show, I submitted the question on behalf of Tyler. It's hard to read, but I did write, "on behalf of my nephew Tyler. Very impt. to him."

And his question was chosen. I was so excited! I had Dav video cam it because I had to go up to the stage as the question submitter to receive a shot of strong-tasting whatever that was, and remind them that the explanation had to be for a kid, not the complicated and somewhat convoluted story Dr. Hal initially launched into.

It's hard to hear, but the 2nd video is his answer. Something about we having to live with the laws of light and perception, and how things getting smaller is the only way for us to measure distance. Hmm. I am not doing good with the summary. Dav, any input?

(I'm still mastering the video cam on my phone so I wasn't able to moblog that evening; thus the delay here.)

Came here to listen to Sistersound. Now watching SubArachnoid Space set up. I am fascinated by all that is involved...So many wires! And I am thrilled to have discovered night mode on my phone cam...I could not have taken these pics w/o it. Very cool. I am really liking this phone! or er, Silvetta, that is.

Jean-Yves made a comment on his blog, challenging my cute little post about ドラえもん / Doraemon. I couldn't just let that go, could I?

It's not about size, JY, it's about what you can do. My Doraemon can fly, ride a bicycle, make magic, sell chocolate snackies, is a master at attending Japanese festivals, and has a sister, Dorami (who has a fourth dimensional pocket).

So there!

The picture of Doraemon I took a few days ago is actually of a tiny plastic replica no more than 2-3 cm. I found it hard to get my camera to focus. Then Tracey let me know about a zoom function so I tried it out. Still not perfect, but better.

And she tells me I can get a flash attachment! I'm so excited to get to know my phone!

Rumor has it, according to close sources of mine, that an entire city in southern France is preparing to become the first city where all citizens, all 60,000 of them, will have a blog. Already, everyone has been given ultra-wide broadband connection (100 mb for each person no less), an effort sponsored by the French government. They are currently training folks so they can teach newbies how to use their blogs. I guess they'll have corner store shops where you can pick up milk and blog tips.

I think they get it, don't you? Although can you imagine trying to keep a secret?

Transcription by Anonymous:
This is what happens when 3 gals get together with a bottle of wine and no opener. Eme put a screw in the cork and we tried pulling. Didn't quite work. Cheu rescued us by taking the bottle to the corner store to have them open it. [Wow this is so cool!] [Pallou.]

From the window behind my desk at work.

I like experimenting with Silvetta and her phone capabilities...

My other favorite cat, Doraemon.

I guess my camera isn't good for close-ups. But I wanted to capture his infectious smile!

Click to see video	Click to see video
Click to see video	Click to see video

Dav and I went to the most beautiful party last night. It was sort of like a

benefit for the San Francisco Opera. It was costume ball party with DJs and

several dance floors, but using SF Opera sets to make the place gorgeous and

ethereal. We met our friend Alex (2nd picture) and Eric (last picture), whose

face was covered in feathers and we'd never have recognized him if we hadn't

overheard his signature laughter.

People just went all out with the most fantastic costumes. We'd walk around and

feel like we were at THE 19th century Venetian party. I just stared at

all the characters that were part of this scene. Traditional ball gown outfits

with hairdos to match, gents in aristocratic suits with those stocking socks and

buffoonish white wigs, lots of furry goat-like creatures with horns. We spotted

a cute black and white beaver couple as they carried around their huge flat

tails, bumped into a cat man, a giant bearded trucker type wearing the daintiest

Hello Kitty custom-made shirt with a pink tutu (and big black biker boots), a

forest creature with some netting concoction encasing him, a guy dancing ever so

gently in the corner with a delicate arched basket on his head so when you saw

his shadow against the wall it made you want to cry at the beauty of the shape

it created (first video).

I had my lemur handbag, Millie, that I got at Duke University's Primate Center.

She *always* gets all the attention when I have her. Sure enough, so many people

wanted to touch her and say how cute she was. I then found a man with an equally

cute pony handbag. I ran up to him and we let Millie and the Pony pose for a

picture.

We took videos of a woman opera singer who did a beautiful solo where she

sounded like a magnificent peacock-like bird chirping gently yet forcefully, as

if to show off with a playful wink. Brought goose bumps to me and we cheered

like crazy. Following was what they called Modern Opera and it floored Dav and I.

He was a powerful magician-like king who had a mesmerizing presence. Next to him

was his 'conductor' dressed in a mechanic suit prancing around as if he were an

evil seducer controlling this powerful seductive voice to hypnotize us. The

singing was sad, yet hopeful. Made you want to hug the people you love and

travel around the world.

Quite different from when Dav and I saw La Boheme. I cried but it was an opera

show. We sat quietly in our seats and appreciated the 'art.' Here, we could sway

and feel the audience's emotions and the singer inspired us to feel our heart.

Now that's what Opera should be. You feel alive and it makes you go wild.

But the best part was being with Dav. It's so much fun to love partying the same

way together. We dance, hug, whisper thoughts, kiss, and completely enjoy being

so close. What more can I ask?

At the very cute French bistro near South Park - The Butler and the Chef. I used to eat here all the time when I worked just around the corner. I love that you can always hear snippets of French while sipping on a cafe-au-lait.

With good friends on a Friday...Celebrating and hanging out...

新しい仲間 = atarashii nakama = a new member of my

circle (the Japanese words match what I mean more accurately)

I bought my first camera phone in October 2002. It was an AU cell phone. I had

never been picky before, but with Dav's encouragement, I bought the fanciest

phone that had a camera, video, email, and GPS. And it was in a gentle pink

color and I could type in English and in Japanese. Mind you, this is back in

2002, which is eons ago in mobile phone history. So my phone was the meanest

phone around, as Dav once described.

Her name was Miss Pink and I loved her. I loved the way I could put a picture of

Dav on the cover panel, they way she yelped, "you got mail" in English whenever

Dav sent me emails, the way it folded so nicely with a satisfying click and was

a pleasure to hold in my hand. Her keypad was perfect for my fingers and I could

type without looking. But when I moved to San Francisco, I had to put her

lovingly to rest.

Then I got Nokia's 3650 in September 2003 because it was the only phone that had

video capability, a must for me. Plus it had bluetooth which was mighty cool

indeed. However, it was bulky and the round keypad was a pain. It didn't fit

well in my hand, and after being so spoiled by Miss Pink, it was quite an

adjustment. We made peace, however, and I continued moblogging. Later,

David

and Anil introduced me to

Panda Love

and I began liking my phone more. But if my first phone was a sweet

delicate princess, this phone was an overweight panda chomping on bamboo as it

sat upright with its belly hanging out. It would say, "what? you complaining

that I'm slow? I do what you want me to, right? I'll get to it...I'm just busy

now so leave me alone." And keeping its battery juiced up was an art. Well,

Panda Love is going on permanent vacation to chomp on all the bamboo he wants.

Because Silvetta just arrived. She's sleek, silver, and from Singapore (or at

least that's where Nokia kindly gave me the phone after my presentation). She's

a Nokia 7610 and is good with pictures. She knows it too. I've made her screen

background a swirly pink and she has a hook where I can attach a decoration - a

minor thing for sure, but I miss being able to personalize my phone in this way.

Strangely though, now that I'm on my third phone, I feel the need to say I do

like both my old phones and I'll never forget the fun they gave me. Thank you

Miss Pink and Panda! Now let's see what Silvetta will do...

Finished my presentation! Now I can relax a bit. Here's my faithful laptop all ready to go beforehand, and of course I couldn't resist blogging the audience. For members of the audience who are stopping by Kokochi, thank you and I hope you enjoyed the presentation. If you'd like to try blogging, and would like something easy to use, check out TypePad, one of my company's products which we host and allows you to get started within minutes.

	Quicktime 6.5 Movie (.3gp) Download free player.

Was yummy! I spent a good half hour poking around the various buffet tables. I wish I remembered the details of what there was, but it was good. The most interesting was some parsley, basil, brown suger and ginger concoction served in a test tube. I drank it mainly cuz I wanted to drink out of that thing.

There were also various 'beings' walking around, magicians to make us want to twist our brains, white statuettes who didn't move all night long, and a contortionist in a mirror suit. Great for blogging for sure!

I also did my share of yapping about how blogging was cool. I'm still amazed when I meet people who don't know about blogs. Once they tell me that, then I open my eyes wide and say, "well, let me tell you what it is..." until they run away cuz I won't stop talking. Ha :)

Quicktime 6.5 Movie (.3gp) Download free player.	Quicktime 6.5 Movie (.3gp) Download free player.

After the first day of the conference, there was a dinner party at Singapore's famous Command House, built in the 1930s and owned by the British Far East Army until 1971 (!!). When the bus I was in drove up the hill towards it, I couldn't help but notice the powerful colonialist aura it gave. Magestic but historical indeed. (Note to self: learn more about Singapore's history.)

I was alone so I had some time to amuse myself with with my shadow on the grand entrance.

But what perked my interest most (so much that I ducked out of a conversation to get photos) were these, ah, creatures. Yeah, they were suffering stilt performers who must have been sweating barrels while in those 'suits' having to bend down until their performance, but they were very cool.

The 5th photo is my favorite - showing staff peering at the podium because when they tried adjusting the microphone, sparks flew...then a fire sprung. It was OK in the end, but one of the staff turned out to be a magician who blew my mind away later as he made coins appear in my very own hand, so who knows. Maybe it was his trick!

Remember those wacky colored designer cows London placed around the city a few years ago? Well, not to be outdone, Singapore has let the lions come out in all their fancy outfits! (At the fancy Raffles Hotel no less.)

I *love* these guys! Can you tell?

Just a few pics, but this is the most beautiful hotel ever. Absolutely amazing.

I met up with Woon who invited me to the conference and she took me out to a local noodle shop nearby. Yummy, but with spicy hot noodles and the heat, I was not a pretty sight. Then we went to Raffles Hotel to have the famous original Singapore Sling. Yum yum yum!

There are a lot of people and a lot of gadgets here. I got one of my phone pics printed for me (using bluetooth) and saw a mob of people trying to take pics of something being presented (I couldn't even see).

It sure is hot, but tropically beautiful. Walked around a bit yesterday and visited Litte India, Arab Street, a mosque, and a flea market. Went to the famous zoo at night time for a "safari" ride. It was too dark to take pictures, but I got to see my favorite elephants, rhinos (which are just out of this world), grunting hippos, bearded pigs (yes! I didn't know they existed), and sleeping tigers up close. I was jet-lagged so walking around was hard, but definitely worth it!

Transcription by Stef:
Leaving in a hour to go to Singapore for a short biz trip. Going to present TokyoTitbits.com and Kokochi.com. It's going to be HOT and HUMID but I like that!

I'm gonna miss Dav & my cats though.

Quicktime 6.5 Movie (.3gp) Download free player.	Quicktime 6.5 Movie (.3gp) Download free player.
Quicktime 6.5 Movie (.3gp) Download free player.	Quicktime 6.5 Movie (.3gp) Download free player.

We got 2 new office members. They dance, walk, and pick things up. And they are way smaller than me!

We were playing around with them until we had to go to a meeting. When we picked them up by their hands to take them with us, they yelped 'ouch' all the way down the hallway. And after they gave us another dance performance on the conference room table, and were ignored by us when the meeting began, they streched their arms up and loudly yawned. Then they snored a bit before finally settling down.

Now if I could only train them to do filing for me...

Update: We actually went last night but my phone refused to send the pictures until this morning. Sigh. I'm adding in a picture and video from inside of the opera house . I didn't want to distract anyone so this is all I got. The production was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes. Very dramatic!

Quicktime 6.5 Movie (.3gp) Download free player.

After visiting Diane, Rachel and I headed to another studio showcasing jewelry. I fell in love with a magical metal choker type necklace. I tried it on and it felt warm and comforting around my neck. I bought it and haven't taken it off since.

But next door was Kimono My House, a hidden roof-top space full of Japanes anime related toys. Oh, it was so-much-fun! Rachel found a very cute Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no Takkyuubin) apron/dress. I can't wait for her to wear it as an outfit!

My mother met Diane (shown in picture with me) in Japan at a traditional calligraphy class. I love my mom's work and when Diane said she was having a show in Berkeley to show her work, I was excited to go. I went with Rachel. Sure enough, Diane's work is beautiful. I miss seeing Japanese characters. I really liked the one shown in the 4th picture: it's "haha" which means mother. Bold yet graceful. She also does watercolor paintings of the most heart-warming scenes of Tokyo neighborhood life.

I have various plants that I water in the morning, such as this bunch (see Wakame perched on her favorite spot behind?). Well, this morning I found one lone shroom hidden underneath. Wonder if it is edible. I'll keep it there since I'm curious to see how big it will get. Also, here's a bonus close-up of Katsuo that I took while typing on this phone and he sat right next to me. Now he's asleep and gently snoring. Me? I gotta get to work!

Especially when working late at night/morning at the office. But he should get recognized for it.

Transcription by Anonymous:
At Dav's brother, Marcus's place. A BBQ in the backyard. He's a punk rocker and poster designer. He once drew an awesome pic using this very digital pen (I'll link later). His house is the Martha Stewart of punk rockers. Awesome deco with attention to detail. Seriously, this place should be showcased!

p.s. I just thought I should add that the pic with the mound of white stuff and big gun is actually powered sugar and a toy. Didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, if you know what I mean. It was displayed as sort of a art installation for decor.

My housemate mentioned he was going to see a Japanese psychedelic rock band at Bottom of the Hill last night. I'd never heard of that genre, but my interest was perked, so Dav and I joined them for the Acid Mothers Temple show.

It was like when I heard Reggae for the first time. I hadn't known what it was, but it instantly made sense to me.

I was mesmerrized by the Acid Mothers Temple. They would start a song so gently with an addictive toe-tapping beat. And I'd relax and allow myself to get sucked in. Then ever so gradually, they would increase the volume, add an extra chord, and eventually get to the point where I realized it was way too loud. But by then my brain was already tangled in the grip of the music. I felt my hands and legs matching the base beat, but inside my head, the psychedelic dream noises were taking me farther away. I even felt as if my body and head were pulling apart...each following different aspects of the music. And if I really let myself go - ie. stopped worrying how I was going to go deaf and allowed each note painfully hit my eardrum - then I could almost feel the music massage my brain.

I'm sure this sounds all wild. But I'm just trying to explain what the music felt like. I was blown away.

I guess I'm moving on from Reggae to psychedelic rock. I want more!

	Quicktime 6.5 Movie (.3gp) Download free player.

Transcription by Dav:
I love modern dance. We're at "through, middle, air" by the Taproot dance project to see a performance. Sponsored by ArtSF. I'll have to provide the link later, but we're in this cool loft space. I'll take pics of the dancers and send'em on to you.

Happy Weekend!

No joke. Remember that giant bumblebee Dav and I got at Ikea? Well, Kats can't keep his paws off of it/he/she!