things to be annoyed by: a week in review

In the spirit of one of my favorite blogs, Hater Tuesday, today let's go over some things that are seriously wack, played out, and quite frankly annoying as of this week:
-Christmas before Halloween
-Christmas catalogs
-Christmas e-blasts
-The color red
-Christmas design tasks for work: red web banners with snow flakes, staff holiday cards
-Broken glass from car windows on every street corner
-"San Franciscans" that just moved from the mid-west to become a graphic designer but really want to be an artist even though they don't know what they would make, all the while talking about how San Francisco is changing so much. Uh...
-People who almost crash into your car while on their cell phones doing stupid things like not signaling while turning right from the inside lane on a 2-lane road--and then blame it on you
-People doing big things to feed their ego and to obtain status, rather than to fulfill a passion

All in all, there is much to be interpreted with the above bullet points. You can easily say I have a chip on my shoulder and that I too can be on this list for obsessing over these things, rather than letting them be and moving on. Hey, I think I did a pretty good job of letting these things go as they've come--and while there are no Pringles on my shoulder pads, there sure are some muscles than need relaxing. It's as simple as that. While I am not looking forward to embracing another season of massive consumption to distract us all from current events, I am in fact looking forward to a vacation and time off of work.

fall back

It's that time of year again; the turning leaves, the light of day, the cool of the night.

Fall is one of the most important seasons--to any agro-based culture, it is a major time of harvest--to which change is inevitable (and largely celebrated). Every year I find myself more and more intrigued by this notion, and well whaddya know, everyone I talk to lately seems to be going through it in one way or another--feeling down, feeling funky (no, i do not mean stank), getting sick. All in all it seems folks--myself included--are feeling a little off-center, off-balance.

Now I am not one to get super meta-philo-anthro-sophical in fuzzy words and spirit goddesses, but ya best believe I DO believe in that shit and will partake in a few of those conversations when I'm in "place". And to be honest, right about now I feel the need to burn some effin sage and exorcise this "place"!

Ya know, sumpin just don't feel right...

closing thoughts (courtesy of vanessa)

recuerde

october day 2. so far, so good.

Before I move full speed ahead, I have to take a moment to remember some unfinished business (which I have plenty of), give it it's moment, and move on. Last night I up-dated my out-dated splash page on my website, with plans to finally finish it this month. Also, still I have TONS of photos to upload, scan, and develop. Tis always an ongoing task, though remedial, it is rewarding. Here at work today, I found some photos that I took at work last year for Dia de los Muertos. Glad I found them.

...and then there was libra

Tis officially Octubre today...

This is my favorite time of year, and yes, the magical month of my birthday and many other balanced beings that I know. And what more could a gal ask for than a nice 'ol overcast day--nuttin' but grey skies and coffee to make me giddy. Now if only I could be in the comfort of my own home, sitting next to the window, reading some Boondocks classics. Add a quick little bike ride to Ocean beach, or a trip inbound on the N, and you've got yourself a classic grey-day (knockin old greyboy on the headphones while I'm at it). Take me back three years ago before I quit smoking cigarettes and throw one of them mugs in my mouf and you've got yourself a scene out of Reality Bites.

Rather, I am 40 or so miles from home--sitting at my desk, reading html code and the like--far from any access to a coastal breeze. Tis what it tis. This libra ain't complainin, gots me a nice view of the sky from my basement window and a wonderful month ahead of me.

In other news, brother-from-another-mother Erik Otto won the Cut&Paste competition last night. It was fun to be standing in the crowd cheering him on while listening to other voices in the audience complimenting his work. Pretty crazy seeing as how this time last year it was he and I standing in the audience complimenting the winning contestant's work(flow). It is truly fascinating to see how time unfolds our futures.

Stay tuned for what should be a creative and balanced month.

dapper / lagger

i am a lagger. let it be known.
no, i am not saying that i am lazy, rather, i am saying that i often find myself having more on my list at the end of the day than the list i started with. i SHOULD be updating my laptop right now, i've spent the last few hours cleaning up my hard drive and backing up all my files in an attempt to get my hardware up to par with all these damn new apple user shmoozers out there. but alas, it's breaktime and rather than just finish the damn process i've started, here i am surfing the web and found myself on my own half-assed attempt of a blog.

but, to take a step back (away from the negative), i am moving in the right direction, just not warp speed. i don't mind that, i get to stop and smell the curry powder and all, but i just gotta make sure i do what i wanna do in a timely fashion. all the more so that i can get one step ahead of myself.

ah, what a nice goal. to get ahead of myself. there ya go, my goal for the month.
while on the topic of lagging, this image comes to mind. a classic view of my old house and the party aftermath that exploded many a times in the kitchen. to some extent, i feel like this is what my mind looks like right now. scary huh?

incommunicado

This is a damn shame. A constant reminder that as much as time may pass, progress is moving at turtle speed, while history continues to repeat itself.

Away from the topic itself, I am reminded of an ongoing conversation between Vanessa and I. It all started one day when we came home from a rally pretty disappointed. Reflecting on the organizers and the content of the rally, it all felt outdated, or rather, as if activism was also moving at turtle speed. What worked 40 years ago will not necessarily move the world today. In fact, in this age of "Information", there is an abundance of information at our disposal, and even better, millions of ways that we can disperse this information. The problem we face today is the scarcity of attention spans, and perhaps, TOO many options to connect and contact. How can we infiltrate modern man's digital and analog vices and devices to bring the urgency of today to their attention?

This morning I received two new emails: a flavorpill eblast/update - which caught me up to date with the off-the-beaten-path hoopla art and culture from across the nation, and the above video via link/friend referral. Within seconds, I am up to date, informed. I wonder to myself if the Jena6 will benefit from the web coverage and discussions. Can portals like YouTube be utilized for causes. I try to imagine what would be of the LA Riots if Rodney King happened only yesterday. The coverage of him being beaten down by LAPD would be streaming throughout the globe. Would the LA Riots become a World Riot? Would there be some sort of uproar in some far remote country? I am exaggerating, but still there is a point. I am simply reminded of ways to maintain dialog in a "web 2.0" world, and am reminding myself to be an active member of this so-called (digital) community.

so, where do we begin?

new

I am slowly adjusting to all things new from my move:
New roommate(s). New commute. New thoughts. New faces.

All in all, it is exciting and new, and am finding delight in spending an hour on the train to and fro work, and all the many things I can accomplish while gazing out the sometimes-tinted windows:
-peep new burners/murals/graffiti (some great stuff between here and SF)
-read one of the many books I've recently purchased for just such the occasion on amazon (at the rate i'm reading, i'll be reading a book a week)
-catch up with life: eat breakfast, sketch, compile to-do lists, organize my laptop, download digital photos from memory cards, sleep...
-take photographs
-return emails (on the phone - my poor thumbs)
-and when all else fails, resort to the ever so plentiful iPod

It's just great. By the time I get home, I have nothing to worry about, no lingering thoughts from the day, no unfinished business haunting me. I can simply just enjoy life. Now don't get me wrong, give me a good few years of this shit and I'd say fuck the commute, but it ain't tomorrow just yet.


An ode to the wonderful home I left behind.

In other news, my weekend in Vegas was definitely one of those weekends in Vegas. Very little can and will be shared on a public blog about the bachelorette festivities without breaking the code of Vegas. But I can say that it was an awesome trip with great friends. Here's to growing up...

patience and patrice

Finally the day has come.
Tasha and I officially got approved for the ultimate apartment. I spent the whole weekend moving in and was blessed with good old friends and great new friends helping me pack, load, and un-pack. It's very exciting, and it took me so long to get to this point (i started looking for the perfect joint before I left for Singapore in May), that I truly feel I've gained a sh*tload of patience. What's more, I've been packed up for some time now, living on a bare minimum, and as a result my photography has suffered as memory cards and rolls of film are packed away awaiting their new home. This blog feels so boring without some photos.

In other news, saw Patrice Rushen last night, playing the keys alongside Christian McBride at Yoshi's. It was an incredible show/set, the entire performance was improvised with a DJ on percussion (sans-drummer). At one point they produced a jazz interpretation of So Fresh, So Clean by Outkast, followed by Michael Jackson and everything in between. The night was enjoyed with the best cast and crew to match the music. Good friends, good music, good food - ya can't ask for much more.

raspberry seeds

i've slowly come to the realization that no matter how much I love the taste of raspberries, I cannot stand the seeds. They seem to be the perfect size to get stuck all up in my teeth. In private, I'll just spit those bad boys right back out, but I have yet to craft an inconspicuous variation of this for public practice.

this is a pretty lame entry. i should make myself a rule to never blog before i drink my coffee.

back and forth

ho hum. its been a little while. i guess there's been so much to post since i got back from singapore that i just don't know where to start. i'll start just right here, today...

i'm all over the map right now, but yet very contained. tasha and i ALMOST have a home in SF. the house-hunting process has been very nerve-wracking - it's damn hard to get a decent 2 bedroom apartment, there are so many contenders that you almost feel like you need to throw down. anyway, i'll find out today if we got the place, so hopefully i can rest easy tonight. sigh...

long story short, things aren't too exciting JUST YET. i need a home so i can get situated and have an uploading/scanning marathon to get up to date with all my photography. i cracked down on my procrastination and set a launch date for my website for September 1st, and there is so much i would like to get done for that date. i figure with all that time geeking out, i'll probably get back into updating this here blog.

see you soon...

its raining today.
i woke up in a sort of a daze - a mixture of grey skies and grey goose from the night before. after many snooze breaks, i find myself at work, still not awake. take a solo stroll on over to Peet's for a fix, my usual coffee bud casey has a department meeting. on the corner of santa clara and market, i came across an altar full of flowers, doggy dishes, peet's coffee cups, newspaper clippings, and letters. i wonder in thy ugly downtown nightlife fashion, perhaps there was a drunk driver the night before? sigh, even worse, downtown's beloved Cornelius and his best friend Boo-Boo were no longer sitting on their normal corner...

I just recently came to know Cornelius and Boo-Boo while walking to Peet's one morning. There was Cornelius, with an American flag poking out of his sly, tilted cap. He sat on the concrete ledge, hugging his dog Boo-Boo with a small grin, staring out into the day. I was taken away at the gesture, as he just sat there and let the day pass with his chum in his grasp. I remember how badly i wanted to capture the moment with my camera, but worried that it might ruin the moment. Cornelius was considered "homeless"- his van as his home - but he showered quite regularly and was both polite and a conversationalist. Many people looked forward to starting their day with a friendly exchange with Cornelius and Boo-Boo - or at the very least, expected to see them at the turn of the corner.

But just before noon on Monday, Cornelius was put to rest, after a scuffle with another homeless man turned into a brutal attack. I saw him and Boo-Boo around 9:30 that morning, not knowing what was about to happen. Now, all that is left of Cornelius is his surviving Boo-Boo, in an animal shelter off of Monterey Road, and a large altar on the corner of Market and Santa Clara, made by all those he touched. I am left with a memory of a man, happy as can be with his basic necessities - a best friend, and a place to rest and watch the day pass.

http://www.mercurynews.com/columns/ci_5788212

emotions

"emotions keep me motionless" -esoin

Mom, Malaysia '05

It rained about half the time during our 4 day visit to Pulau Besar, a small remote island off the east coast of Malaysia that we pretty much had all to ourselves. The smell of tropical rain hitting the palm leave roof brought my mom back to it all, as she reflected on growing up in her family's atap-chu (thatch hut home).

darn

cluttered

just one day shy of being 20 days in on no blogging, i stop for a moment to re-cap and re-flect.

Miss Mary Dee asked me the other day how the month of March has been. See, this is why I love my folks - real talk, real thoughts. It's funny cause I found myself with little to say beyond the filler talk: "same 'ol", "working/keeping busy", etc. Only now it hits me and I find that though many things have stayed in forward momentum for the month of March (namely photography), the rest of it all feels as if it's been cluttered. Just feeling like I've been all over the map in all aspects. A little bit of healthiness, a little bit of future planning, a little bit of contact with friends, a little bit of diggin (music, art, thoughts, spirit), a little bit of production. Just enough to get by, but not enough to stay constant and move forward. It's really not a productive space to be in. I need momentum – I need syncopation.

In realizing all of this, I've drafted a very strict list of rules for myself for the month of April, for all 30 days – call it a CLUTTER DETOX if you will since detoxes are "soooo right now". It's kinda lame that I made myself rules, since I don't typically like to follow them. I should hope that I do not require this list to stay on track, but if so, then so be it.

So if you are reading this and I haven't called you back, answered an email, gotten back to you on that one thing; I am only human, sometimes. My apologies.

its been a while

wow, it feels like its been so long since i posted a blog. the last time i wrote, i saw introversion coming in my near future. and whaddya know, i haven't really gone out since. okay that's not the total truth, but its definitely cut down to even out time spent locked up in my room till the wee hours of the morn. i'm back to finishing up my website, preparing photos for some upcoming projects, and preparing some screens for new prints. speaking of photos, i've gone back to my flickr ways and have begun building up my photographic empire. so many new photos that i can't decide which to post on this blog. my suggestion is that you go here for now: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lady_lychee, and next time around i'll chose the money shot.

until then, please stay tuned to either watch me fall off, or get on board.

slowing down now

it's been a non-stop party these past two weeks or so. i have had little time to slow down.

i think it was the 3-day weekend that got me going on party mode. i got to see Osunlade spin, went to the beach, bar-hopped, karaoke-d, tap danced, and reunited with the family from Sundance at a dinner party. it's so funny being in a room with so many SF filmmakers, they all think i'm some hot shot filmmaker since i was at sundance with the film crew for Strange Culture. little do they know, i'm just a roadie!

Here I am at my desk now, i only slept for 4 hours since i went to oakland to enjoy a rainy evening at Luka's. I had to come in early to meet with NBC11. they are currently setting up in the galleries as we speak, preparing to film some live footage of the Op Art exhibition. I wish I could say that I'm looking forward to this weekend so that I can slow down, but unfortunately I have to work all weekend for this event.


i feel like someone needs to lock me up in a straight jacket in a small enclosed room. must hash out thoughts. must finish website. must create. i think next week i'll flip the switch and turn into full on geek mode. i'm such a libra, always the extremities.

back into my little turtle shell.



Monicacos at SJMA, December 06

another day, another dollar. december 06.

shreem

I worked a half day today.
It was well deserved. Got to ride my bike around town, get a bagel, and soak up the sunshiny day. Had a goodbye party for a fun co-worker, then met up with Abe to go check out this photo show at Black & Brown. Got to chat with the photographer himself, Jai Tanju, cool dude. He, Abe, and I all agreed there is a lack of love for photography in San Jose. word on that.

Peace to Abe for spotting me on that catalog. It was a good investment in our plan. Speaking of which, got all hyped offa plotting ideas with Abe, came home and went straight to my laptop to de-dust a bunch of scanned film and, voila, here ye are....

These photos are from me, Steph, and Tash's train ride adventure up the west coast last summer. Can it be it is only just a memory now?





+ stay tuned, i mean it, tivo that shit +

happy valerie day!

last night was pretty expansive.

From work I went to have a quick coffee date with Caitlin, then off to tap class with Kei, then post-tap sushi in Japantown, bumped into birthday twin Dandiggity in the streets and busted into a scene out of Warriors, then off to Anno Domini to kickit (aka swap music) with Geraldine selling her vinyl at DigDug, scored on a James Brown 45 for $1, caught up with all them digdugger peoples, then off to drinks with Paolo and posse at Caravan, then Blank, then Caravan. Then woke up and went back to work. Hahah, all in all, quite a productive evening of socializing. These kinds of days/nights help to balance out the geeky late nights submerged in books, beats, and bitches brew*.


I gotta say I'm proud of myself for not turning into a total loser as a full-time jobberwocky. Or as Stuart would suggest, sucking my soul away. I think I'm taking this whole soul sucking situation pretty swell, thathafrathhh.

and for some reason, with all the fun from last night, i only took one photo. darn.

"thuthi thoughts"

*bitches brew=otherworldly thunk making.

old stuff

took me a little while to upload this:

sam + dru at ZeroOne last summer

mindful

+ tis a mindful kind o day +

kinda lost, kinda floating, not all there but really there.


i'm searching for the time to search for peace of mind.

in the meantime, got me a new fun quote:
"necessity is the mother of invention"

and some newly uploaded fotos from Sundance as well:








+ just another day +