Christmas Day with my Family

Reactions

I decided that this past Christmas was the perfect time to come out to my family.  Everywhere I turned I saw signs reinforcing my decision.  Was it the sparkling gold and silver lights? the rainbow-colored balls? the carolers telling me to don my 'gay apparel'?  In anycase, I did; and this is my coming out story.

My plan was to gather all of my family in one room and do a big dramatic revelation: 10-page letter with tears and emotional gesticulation.  I was told that Gemini's are naturals at being drama queens.  Then I realized how it might make certain members of my family uncomfortable. Scrap the letter. My new plan was to try and get the biggest reaction of each one alone, and compare the results.  To get the most honest reaction, I would 'come out' without much leading up to it.

On Christmas Day, the first person I told was my sister.  Read her reaction [+/-]

Me: I need to tell you something.  I'm gay.
Her: Uhm.  Okay.  (pause, hand touching face)  I still love you.

Result: Although the reaction was semi-boring, I could still tell she was holding back something.  Not homophobia, but perhaps compassion; almost as if she was worried of the hardships I'd face as a gay person.

Current mind state: A little nervous.  Coming out to my sister turned out fairly well; not bad enough to shake up my confidence.

As we were about to meet with extended family for brunch, I knew I had to tell my mom before we left.  Being nervous from the first 'coming out', I procrastinated until we were literally out the door.  Read her reaction [+/-]

Me: Today is Christmas, and I wanted to let you know that I love you.  (Arms open up for a kiss on the cheek and a big hug)  And because I love you, I need to tell you that I'm gay.
Mom:  (hugs tighter for three beats, then pulls back with tears in eyes) I hope you change your mind.
Me:  (expecting such a reaction, holds composure) Okay.  (What I really wanted to say was, 'Well, let's see how easy it is for you to be a lesbian.')
Mom:  (sniffles) You know you're my only son.
Me:  (heart breaks, but still holds composure) I know, and you would want me to be happy right?
Mom:  Yes, you're right. (goes in for a hug)
Me:  (whispering) And this makes me happy, because I don't have to hide it anymore.
Mom:  (hugs tighter, then pulls back and wipes tears)
Me:  And besides, I can always adopt.
Mom:  It's not the same.
Me:  (near breaking point, ends the conversation) I know.

Result:  Reacted in a traditional Chinese manner: realizes that her first born son won't have a son of his own.  Although there were tears, there was no overtly-dramatic, irrational behavior from either side.

Current mind state: More nervous.  Coming out to my mom took a big hit to my confidence.  Now I worried if other family members will say the things that my mom did that broke my heart.

Then my dad called like he normally does on Christmas Day.  Read his reaction [+/-]

Me: Merry Christmas!
Dad:  Merry Christmas! (blah blah blah)
Me:  You know... (blah blah blah)
Dad:  That's good.
Me:  Oh, one more thing.  I told Mom and (my sis) already; but I want you to know I'm gay.
Dad:  Okay.  Whatever makes you happy.

Result:  Exactly how I expected him to respond.  Yes, he's the one that asked if I had a boyfriend when I was still in denial.

Current mind state:  Still nervous from mom event.  Coming out to dad wasn't a concern.

Christmas night, we all gathered at my aunt's house for dinner.  Two uncles, three aunts, and four cousins.  I worried how I was going to do this, and ultimately decided not to tell my extended family adults yet.  In other words, I chickened out.

However, I did tell the two oldest cousins (24 and 20); but only after I had 5 glasses of wine to prep myself.  First was E, 20 yr old female.  Read her reaction [+/-]

Me:  Hey, I need to tell you something.  I think it's important for you to know.. (she starts smiling at this point) ..what?  You know what I'm going to say, don't you.
Her:  Yea, that your gay?
Me:  Yea.  I knew you'd probably be suspicious.  Why else would you tell me there was a gay and lesbian club in your high school.
Her:  I knew when we went to Florida and you bought this tight little red woman's t-shirt.  No straight guy buys something like that for themselves.
Me:  Uhm.. I didn't buy a red shirt in Florida.
Her:  No?  
Me:  No.  I only wear mens' clothes.  And there's always Abercrombie.

Result:  That didn't count.  She thought I was gay for the wrong reason.

Current mind state:  Coming out to E made me confused, in addition to being nervous.  Or it could have been the wine.

And finally there was M, 24 yr old male; his girlfriend was there, so I told them both.  Read their reaction [+/-]

Me:  (still tipsy) I think you're important to me, so I have to let you know that I'm gay.
Him:  (pause) and?
Me:  Oh.. uhm.. that's it.
Girlfriend:  Aww.. it's fine (hug). We still love you.
Me:  I know (gives Him a hug).
Him:  (does the manly 'pelvis away' hug)

Result:  Pelvis avoiding hug was a little surprising, but we don't normally hug, so that could just be how he normally hugs people.

Current mind state:  Relieved that I was done.  Disappointed that I didn't have the courage to tell all of my extended family.

I came out to everyone I could handle reactions from; and they turned out okay.  I know this makes me lucky because my family still loves me; and that I'm not disowned and living on the street.  That was my Christmas Day with my family.

I Lied, I'm Straight

When I was 13, I went to a sleepover where they had cable and was exposed to the Robin Byrd Show. I was watching a male dancer a bit too intently to raise questions by the other boys. I lied, "No, I'm straight! He's a good dancer though."

When I was 14, A. was my nemisis; she would always accuse me of being gay. I lied, "I'm straight. And stop calling everyone gay, bitch."

When I was 15, S. was the assumed gay guy in my class. He asked if we could be friends, and fearing being labelled gay by association and I lied, "I can't. I'm straight."

When I was 16, R. said, "I know it was Jason. He's gay!" We were practicing the part of the school play where R. was being caught by a bunch of amazon natives, some of whom while carrying him off-stage pulled his pants off. Even though I had a crush on him, I was too scared to do anything that daring, so I lied, "No, I'm straight."

When I was 19, I roomed next door to a flamboyantly gay guy. When the jocks on the floor asked if I knew what he was all about. I lied, in a forced baritone, "I'm straight, how the hell should I know."

When I was 21, I spent a semester in London, living with 5 other Americans. I was labelled 'the gay one' (via Real World), I laughed it off and lied, "That's okay, I'm straight; and he's stupid." Well, he was stupid.

When I was 22, my dad off-handedly asked me if I had a boyfriend. Shocked, as if I was caught stealing cookies from the jar, I hid my feelings and while acting as straight as possible I lied, "No, I'm straight."

I'm tired of lying; and this past Christmas, I stopped.

This is my 'coming out and apology' post.

To everyone I lied to, I'm sorry. Here's the truth: I'm Jason, and I'm gay.

(I apologize to anyone who is finding this out through my blog. I really wanted to tell you in person or over the phone, so give me a call, okay?)

Christmas Eve

The First Batch

This is the first batch of chocolate chip cookies I ever baked from scratch, by myself!  They look pretty good don't they (they taste pretty good too)?  I swear there are no camera tricks involved.  I actually baked these on a whim to give to someone special; but it turns out they won't be around tonight, so I guess I'll have to give them to myself Santa like every other 5 year old. I wonder if he can fit through the metal bars on our windows...

Courage

Today is Christmas Eve, which means one day left.  One day left.  State of mind?  Zen-like peace, which completely disturbs me.  I wonder if that means I have enough courage to do it, or not enough and I know I'll back down at the last moment.  I hope it's not the latter.

I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

Is This What A Hangover Feels Like?

1. sore, scratchy throat
2. pounding behind the eyes
3. loss of balance
4. aversion to the sunlight, noise, and all living things

Dear Karma,

You're a bitch.

But I still love you.

Jase

Today is officially my last day of consulting at NPG; what a great way to start the day. To mask it, I've decided to wear a tie. Since no one in the office wears a tie, I wonder if that makes me more of a suspect...

Christmas and 2005 are also right around the corner; which means it's almost time to face those forks in the road. Wish me luck, strength, and courage.

[5th update to this post, sue me]
Okay, along with hangovers, I've "read from other people experiences" of sudden realizations from the previous night. A lot comes in the variety of 'I can't believe I did that.', 'Why did I let that happen?', and 'What happened to my wallet?'.

A couple of vague memories popped in my head that made me smile and wish I could bottle them up, put it on a necklace, and keep them forever physically, close to my heart.

Blogs Are the New Water Cooler

The newest medium for gossip is the web log... but you already knew that, didn't you? Sex seems to be the most prolific topic, which either gets you into a lot of trouble, a book deal, or both (as in the case of Washingtonienne).

"Unconstrained by journalistic conventions, bloggers are blurring the lines between public events and ordinary social interactions and changing the way we date, work, teach and live. And as blogs continue to proliferate, citizens will have to develop new understandings about what parts of our lives are on and off the record."

I haven't really grasped the full effect blogging can have; I still consider myself a novice. Privacy issues are not something I've thought about either. I have yet to ask permission before posting about someone or their picture. Maybe I should? Is that etiquette? And there is always the possibility of attracting stalkers (not for me, but people I blog about.. I'm an attention whore ;).

"As personal blogging proliferates, an etiquette is beginning to emerge. In a forthcoming study of nearly 500 bloggers...more than a third of the respondents said they had 'gotten in trouble' for material posted on their blog, and a third knew other bloggers who had gotten into trouble with family and friends. Those who wrote frequently about 'highly personal materials' got into trouble most often of all."

Sadly, it's those 'highly personal blogs' that are the most interesting. At its core, isn't it all just some popularity contest anyway? If so, how does anonymity work?

Read "Your Blog or Mine". [via NYT]

Who's Your Daddy?

That's the question FOX is going to ask in January with it's new reality show where a daughter given up for adoption as an infant attempts to guess who her birth father is.. for the ultimate prize: Getting to know her birth father! Oh, and $100,000.

Surprisingly, some activists in the adoption community are offended by this. Producer Scott Hallock responds,

"I find it curious that people are calling it that without having seen an episode...You might get the impression from the title that it is somehow salacious or exploitive. But nothing could be further from the truth."

Salacious indeed, and absolutely hilarious! Am I the only one that thought this might have been FOX's attempt to revive the show Coupling?

Read the full story. [via cnn]

Another Fun-packed Weekend

Friday Afternoon Party

What do most working people do on Friday?  If you said slack off while surfing the web, you're probably right.  But that wasn't the case for the company I'm temping for; they all abandoned their cubicles and the florescent lighting and headed to the Tribeca Rooftop for their annual Holiday Party!  Will I be fated to stay behind, brooding in jealousy as everyone sips champagne and nibbles on caviar?  Read more [+/-]

I was invited!  It seems my supervisor thought I performed an outstanding job for the past 4 months (in other words, put up with people's crap), and asked some higher-ups if I would be able to attend.  I pretended to check my (empty) schedule, before accepting the invitation.

At 12:20pm on Friday, I was enjoying hors d'oeuvres and sipping on champagne at the Tribeca Rooftop, located on 2 Desbrosses St.  There were three (open) bars, a dance floor, and a DJ with Latin musicians playing backup.  That picture is of me at the party with E, the other member of my group.  Doesn't she look so cute?!

Being a temporary employee, I felt like I didn't belong and somehow I conned my way in like a secret double agent.  But that feeling passed as I realized that since I was a temp, I could act a fool and not care about it.

And act a fool I did!  On the dance floor that is.  Out of the 200 people there, I was one of six on the dance floor.  I had a feeling that because there were directors, presidents, supervisors, whatevers, at the party, most of the other people were very cautious not to step onto the dance floor and embarrass themselves - that and fear of being the subject of 'water-cooler gossip'.

My supervisor had a reasonable excuse, "I sweat like a pig. I'd need a towel out there."  I'm glad he decided to sit out.

Friday Night Dinner

I met up with another blogger, the self-described 'not stabby crazy' fash mag slag, for dinner Friday night.  He recounted it better than I will here.  We had good food, good conversation, and way too expensive hot chocolate.  Next time, I'm picking the venue, and it's going to be cheap-ass Chinese (a real cuisine).

Saturday Night or Can You Fit Three In?

I had plans to meet with some friends for dinner Saturday night, and then I was invited to another Holiday party!  I did a quick estimation and decided that I would work it out so that I could attend both.  Then S, a friend who just finished with her finals, called me and wanted to hang out!  Will I be able to attend all the events I promised to go to?  Or have I overextended myself already?  Read the long ass story [+/-]

Luckily, I'm nice, charming, and have a penchant for telling the truth; and I have amazingly understanding friends.

S was coming into the city to do some holiday shopping, so I met up with her in Times Square, where she was shopping with an exchange student, B, from the UK.  I deftly reverted to using the British accent I picked up the 4 months I spent in London; and I impressed him with UK terminology: 'quid', 'tenner', 'Colindale'.

After explaining to S about prior engagements, I raced my way to the west side, where I met up with the country boy and Riye.  We headed to West Side Sushi to meet up with PatCH and his partner.  From looking at the menu, I guessed that this restaurant has the same owners as Jeollado.  I turned out to be somewhat right as the owner hit on Riye and spilled the beans about being friends with the owners of Jeollado.  The food was good (for the price), similar to Jeollado.  Who said that Mexicans were only good for rolling burritos and cigars?

After dinner, we were supposed to meet some other bloggers at a nearby bar; but I had my last event of the evening to attend, so I made a quick visit before heading town to the East Village.

Aaron of 1000 words invited me to his friend's holiday bash.  I agreed to go since every time I run into Aaron it's always a fun, new experience.  This time did not disappoint.  His friend R held a party at his apartment, where there were plenty of nice and interesting people.

At the height of the party, everyone played a game called 'Greedy Santa'.  I've played it before under other names, but the premise is that each person has a turn at a present under the tree.  The next player can pick a present that has already been picked or a new one under the tree.  Other rules apply, but that's basically it.  My loot included some 'Boys are Stupid' magnets, a pair of ties, and a painted-bananas dish.

I had a great time.  Upon leaving, the host R gave everyone a handful of change to give to any panhandlers we might meet.  Balancing the karmic energies, isn't that so awesome? Huge, huge thanks to Aaron for the invite.  I owe him one. ;)

In Response to the post "Holiday Wishes"

For all you who are upset and feel tricked, here's all I have to say: I never said I was going to be nude!  Before you start screaming bloody murder and filling my inbox with hate mail, the note on the disclaimer tells you not to proceed if you don't want to see nudie pictures of me (but doesn't say there will be any)!  I'm a bitch, right?  It was meant to deceive, and now I know which ones of you are naughty!  And I'll be passing that list to Santa!

Holiday Wishes

Dedicated To You

I want to wish you Happy Holidays, whatever holiday you celebrate. I'll drink to your health.

Thank you for visiting this little blog. As you might know, I'm heading toward many crossroads in my life. I'm confident I'll make the correct decisions. I'm hopeful the new year will be much more interesting. I welcome the challenges. So thank you for joining me on this journey so far; I hope you'll stick around a bit.

And to show my apprecation, I created a card just for you!

Disclaimer! Do not proceed if you:

• are a member of my family
• are at work; but in all honesty, I couldn't care
• are offended easily (real easily) by the male form
• don't like me; this card wasn't meant for you!
• don't want to see nudie pictures of me

For G-rated material, read Tuna Girl's Christmas Letter. Close your office door and put down that cup of coffee.

Shut up and let me see the card! [+/-]

This Holiday Season, don't forget to BE NICE!

Did you really want to see nudie pictures of me?

I said take it off! [+/-]

You're so NAUGHTY!

That's it folks. "But wait, where are the nudie pictures?" I'm way too demure to do such a salacious thing! Especially when you didn't even buy me dinner or wave bills in my face! I'm not giving this away for free (sober). What kind of person do you think I am? Cheer up! It's time to celebrate! Of course, there's always next year...

Happy Holidays!

Jesus Saves!

The Bible Instruction Manual

No doubt you've heard the story of the Texan mother killing her baby daughter by severing her arms. Her attorney now says that "she was guided by a Bible passage in which Jesus refers to cutting off body parts to cast away sin!"

I'm surprised that she's still in custody! I'm also surprised (and disappointed) that you, the Bible-revering community, are not staging rallies, lighting candles, and protesting for her release! Don't you also justify your actions by interpreting Bible text? One of your own needs you now, more than ever!

Or maybe you've realized that that passage is outdated and no longer applies to modern society, just like how you sit down at your local Red Lobster and eat your shrimp scampi. But if those are outdated, wouldn't it be possible that others are also? Funny how you'll selectively choose to follow morals convenient to your own personal benefit and use exclusionary tactics to impose hardships on others.

WAKE UP! hypocrites.

In Other News

I had a great time last night. I continued my commitment to Move Against Aids and volunteered to help them 'count checks'. It was more like alphabetize donation envelopes. Actually, I was hoping to meet the biatch in person and say, in the words of Christina Aguilera, 'Can't hold me down, biatch!'

We finished early and I was able to have a few drinks with the country boy, PatCH, MAK, new friend Glennalicious, and others. A famous author was supposed to be there, but escaped before the Feds arrived. Le sigh... a missed connection on craig's list?

Addendum: Spreading holiday cheer through song. (via Epicurist)

From Tickled Pickle to Relish

Long Weekend

Unlike most weekends, the fun this week started all on Thursday. I was invited by some new friends to celebrate the birth of another; which happened to be a famous author. The recipe for the night included a few drinks, a few laughs, and too much tabasco.  Read more [+/-]

I was invited by the country boy, Michael, to celebrate the birthday of Rob Byrnes. There, I was introduced to fellow bloggers Patrick, Matthew, the non-blogger Wayne, and the hilarious Brazilian bartender Eli.

I've visited their blogs before, and this experience with them made one thing shockingly clear: How amazing they are on their blogs, they become exponentially more in person.

I also realized that they are SO out of my league. They are so funny, so nice, so genuine, that anyone who is new (me) would be intimidated by their camaraderie. But they won't even let you (me) feel intimidated! Actively engaging, telling stories, and cracking jokes (where I felt inadequate). I also feel extremely lucky to share in those memories.

Be asured I won't forget the tabasco shots, the drunk dialing, or the new friendships.

AIDS Dance-a-thon!

I expected to volunteer for Move Against AIDS this past Saturday. However, days before the event I was told that all positions were filled, dispite the fact that I signed up 3 weeks prior (I had to call them to find out I wasn't on their list)! After two phone calls and a couple of unreplied emails, I had not made any progress. I guess I just wasn't meant to volunteer for this event... or was I?  Read more [+/-]

You should know by now I'm not going to let just two phone calls and unreplied emails stop me! Who does that volunteer coordinator (that I affectionally referred to as the biatch from then on) think she is anyway? Doesn't she know that I want to donate my time in a selfless act of charity and perhaps accost any celebrities I see?! That BIATCH!

So what does an unwanted volunteer do? Volunteer anyway! That's right folks. First off, the biatch doesn't know what I look like. And what kind of monster would turn away a volunteer who has actually bothered to show up (which I wouldn't put past her; remember she wouldn't speak with me on the phone and ignored my emails)?

Luckily, I didn't have to deal with her during the event. Not being on the list didn't seem to be a problem; I probably scored brownie points for showing up early (Go me!).

And that's how I met my cross-racial twin, Jai. Seriously, do you notice that the color of our skin, eyes, hair are so similiar? Add in the fact that the color of our clothes (white, green, and blue) are matching! Even our smiles are similiar!

I also met a totally awesome couple, K. and S. (pictured left). It was K's birthday too! How awesome is she? Knowing that fellow blogger 1000 words was going, I kept an eye out and pleasantly surprised him! (his recount and pictures)

When greeters were no longer needed, I joined an old highschool friend, who was also a volunteer, at the snack stand. I hadn't seen her in nearly 5 years, so it was nice to catch up. After the event, I walked her home and went on my own merry way; recounting the cunning way I got to be a volunteer in my head and a bag full of mini Clif bars in my hand.

Addendum 12/13: I also met Wes of Boy Meets Boy fame! I didn't have the opportunity to interview him or take a picture with him; but he did hold my hand for 2 minutes! Not kidding! (We were performing the human circle of protection.) How sad is it that I get excited meeting reality TV stars...

I'm on the verge and looking for your advice.

Oh... Hi

I hate the fact that the office I'm in has an automatic light timer. If it doesn't detect movement for 10 minutes, it buzzes for 10 seconds and the light turn off. What I hate more is that it doesn't work the other way; forcing me to get out of my chair and turn it on manually.

I can read from my screen (documents, manuals, news, blogs) without fidgeting causing a few buzzes throughout the day. To avoid being cast into darkness, I'll non-chalantly wave my hand and occasionally throw in a friendly "Hi"; as if trying to snap a person out of daydreaming.

And as luck would have it, because my office door is open, someone would be sauntering by right in front of the doorway when I'm talking to the light switch. Inevitably, they'd hear something, turn in my direction, see me waving, assume I was talking to them, and wave hesitantly with the reply, "Oh... Hi." Now everyone probably thinks I'm the nicest temp around the office.

Two even came in to start a dialogue. Stupid light switch.

Still on the verge, advice welcome.

On The Verge

From where I am, I can see the forks in the road. They're approaching fast, and inertia has pushed me over the speed-limit. Should I slow down? Can I slow down? If I do, it'll take me a while to pick up to this speed again. If I don't, I might pick the wrong path. Luckily, there are other passengers with me.

That would be you. I'm on the verge of changing the direction of my career as a software developer to a graphic designer. So much so that I've already started looking at potential graphic design programs and schools in and around New York City. I've also done some research into the graphic design industry (which spans all industries) and asked some people for advice.

Current schools I'm looking into are: Pratt, Parsons, FIT, and School of Visual Design. I've been told that a degree or certification is not necessary, but helps. I know I want to concentrate on art theory classes (colors, typography, user interface) vs. software program classes (Photoshop, Illustrator; I'm familiar with most).

Now I'm asking for your help. If you are, or know someone who is, any type of designer (preferably graphic or web) or in desktop publishing (magazines), I would appreciate it if you could help send their advice my way. Thanks!

What A Weekend!

It's That Time of Year Again
To push and shove stupid tourists out of the way.  "Move people!  Move!  Hello?  Hi!  Yes, you!  Oops, didn't mean to get in your shot."  How I love the tourist traps of New York City.  Sometimes, I like to pretend I am a tourist 'ooing' and 'aahing' and then I'll start screaming in Chinese for no reason, at no one in particular.  Read more [+/-]

The weather was nice on Friday.  Since it was my friend D's birthday, I decided to do the tourist thing with her at Rockefeller Center.  Yes, we took cheesy pictures with the tree.  I can't help but get swept up in the festivities, feeding off the shrieks of pleasure from all around.  The SAKS building had a snowflake light show to a remix of Carol of the Bells (mov to come?)

We then met up with M. and her new boy toy B.  This would be the first time we (D. and I) met him and both M. and B. were nervous.  I really don't know why; I'm a nice person, right?  Don't answer that.  The night went well and no one threw up, so that's always a good sign.

Saturday Night Fever

I definitely felt like my legs were on fire last Saturday night.  Three events to go to and I had to go to them all!  I redefined power-walking.  First was D.'s offical birthday dinner.  We ate at Tomato.  Not bad.  After dinner, I rushed onto the second event of the night...

A wonderful Holiday party hosted by the Three Kings! Ed, Jacob, and Jay.  You may remember that two out of the three hosted a pre-Halloweegan party a bit back.  They did not disappoint with this party either.

Once again, this party was at their apartment up near Columbia.  Some faces were familiar, others not.  That can be attributed to alcohol on either occasion.  Read more [+/-]

I was feeling generous that night, so my welcoming present were 4 bottles of POM.  Okay, I admit I got suckered by those cool ads on the subway.  OMG, can 'fruit juice' be any more expensive?!  Their warning label should include a 'May cause heart-attack when purchasing' next to the 'thousands of antioxidants'!

Speaking of food, it was fantastically catered by Jay.  The atmosphere, sound and scents, which I'm assuming Ed was in charge of, was perfect.  The company was nice and entertaining.  The highlight of this event for me, was the compliment paid to my rear-end.

I re-met Stephanie (Hi!), two interesting fellows, Jenk and Tiger, Jayson (good luck with the modelling), and then some.  When a new group of people (which included a midget) showed up, it was getting crowded and I knew it was time for me to leave. Off to my next destination!

Second Blogger Event

The third event was actually the second event of the night that I found out through blogs I read.  I rushed down from the previous event to meet up with Jon, The Fash Mag Slag, before heading to Therapy.  I didn't know what he looked like, but luckily he received my voicemail and was waiting for me outside.  I was actually kind of really nervous.  Read more [+/-]

Luckily, I had a few drinks in me at the Holiday party.  Therapy was crowded!  I knew Hot Toddy was going to be there and being 6'6", I thought he would be easy to spot.  He wasn't; it was that crowded.  What I didn't know was that this was a 'blogging event'.  I found out about this on Hot Toddy's blog, and invited myself to it - sort of.  All I wanted to do (for some strange reason) was to find Hot Toddy and force him to tell me jokes.

After walking around the whole bar, Jon and I finally descended into the crowd of bloggers.  It might have been the alcohol, but everyone was so nice and friendly (and in some cases, _really_ friendly - see pic for proof)!

I'm glad that I went to this event.  I met some really awesome people.. so here are the obligatory shout-outs (of which I'm sure to forget someone, in which I'm sorry, and you can yell at me): The Fash Mag Slag (Hi Jon!), A Country Boy in NYC (Howdy!), Tuna Girl (It was nice to meet you!), 1000 words (love the tat!), and the people who don't have blogs, but will read this (Hi! Yes you!).  Best part of this event?  Someone told me that I was cuter than some other guy!  I swear!  You'd probably be all logical and say they were influenced by alcohol, dim lighting.. yes, that's exactly what you'd say, wouldn't you...  But hear me now!  I AM cuter!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Monday

I know this entry could have been better.  But Monday wasn't the best day I had.  I blame it on the karma coming off of a wonderful weekend.  Ugh.  You ever have days where you just feel ugly?  That's my Monday.

I'm So Excited!

4:50pm.. It's almost closing time..

..and this weekend is full of kick-ass events! I can't wait!

Oo.. I just got that tingly feeling!

In Support of World AIDS Day

Also, December 11 is the Move Against AIDS Dance-a-thon.



Sign up to volunteer or support someone who's going. I am!

Thanksgiving Wrap Up

A Little Caliente!

This picture was taken at Gotham Comedy Club in NYC Thanksgiving Eve. It was a Latino showcase. And yes, latinos come in that color. Although some of the jokes were in Spanish, I found it funny how much I can still relate to them; especially ones dealing with family. I guess Asian and Hispanic cultures share some common cultural ground - both are heavily family oriented. Read more [+/-]

In highschool, most of my friends were latino, and I assimilated easily (nickname, Chino-latino); like learning the drama between Puerto Ricans and Dominicans (God help you if you call one the other!). I was also invited to family get-togethers at their two-family house in Brooklyn inhabited also by 20 extended family members; where basement salsa parties and rum cake were in abundance (so was rum.. ah.. puerto rican rum).

So even though I didn't know exactly what they said, I knew what they meant.. and it was funny.

I then went to Chelsea Brewery over by Chelsea Piers on the west side. After 1 hour of boring nothingness, I headed over to Exit. That's where I met this cutie to the right - she was the nicest, cutest bartender that night. That could have just been my drunk impression of her, and for all I know, she could have really been a bitch. She didn't give me any free water ($5 a bottle!?), but she did hook me up with a cup of ice. And she let a drunk idiot take a picture with her.

Black Friday

Thanksgiving went by fine. Black Friday was a nightmare. I took this shot EZPassing through a towle toll booth on my way to Jersey Gardens.. at 4:30 in the morning! After that, we went to Woodbury (Outlet Mall) for more shopping!

That is the last time I'll believe my sister when she says that Black Friday is the best time to go to Great Adventure (that is, until next year). But I must admit, it was nice (and strange) to be the only customer in a huge mall.

Who the Hell is Ted Baker...

...and why'd he charge me $400 for this coat?

Last but not least, I've been looking for a toggle coat FOREVER! I finally found one from Ted Baker at Bloomingdales when they had some sort of Men's Designer Clothing Sale a few weeks back. Original price was $895, so I guess it was a good deal. I guess it's back to Wendy's dollar menu for the rest of December.

Thanksgiving Hate Crime Epilogue

The Sebastian's Hate Crime was a hoax.

Firstly, I'm happy to find out that this was indeed a hoax and that he's not hurt.

Secondly, even though this scenerio was a hoax, there is someone, somewhere who is a victim of a hate crime. Please continue to educate others on tolerance so that we can reduce the number of hate crimes.

Thirdly, change your passwords frequently! And since you can't do that on your own.. let me give you some pointers:
1. Mix letters and numbers; add a number into your current password (avoid birth year or age!). Try 'Number of orgies before the age of 20':
ex: pa22ssword or pass22word

2. Mix upper- and lowercase. Passwords are case-sensitive. Do as many letters as you can remember:
ex: pass22worD or PASS22WORd

3. Pick an obscure reference word; favorite movie, first street you lived on, first pet:
ex: Kill22Bill or kILL22bILL

4. Have seperate passwords for different accounts. Make them related, but not in an obvious way:
ex: Kill22Bill for banks, Kill23Blog for blogs, Kill23Jane for email

Don't worry, you WILL remember your changes to passwords. If not, there are always the forgot password links - so make sure the password for your email is the safest!

Finally, I'd like to say that I don't blame Sebastian for the hoax. Nor do I feel 'cheated'. I felt sad/upset when I found out that he could have been a victim of the hate crime, and whether it was a hoax or not doesn't matter. For those of you who felt 'cheated' after you found out it was a hoax, you're weren't cheated my friends. I know I don't feel 'stupid' or 'dumb' for feeling sympathy toward a victim of a hate crime, neither should you. You were lied to, but not by Sebastian. It would be a different story otherwise.

Now be happy and convince Sebastian to change his password and continue to contribute to the world of blogging!

Happy Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving has been especially special to me. My family gathered together at the same place as last year. We had turkey, potatoes, and all the fixin's like last year. We sat around and did a lot of nothing like last year.

But I'm different than last year. Me. This year has been a year of extremes for my life; from getting laid off, to having unforgettable trips, to visiting old friends and meeting new ones (in the 'real' world and what is refered to as the 'blogosphere'), to volunteering, and meeting my favorite author.

I've grown from these experiences, and I'm thankful. Extremely thankful.

One terrible incident, on the otherside of the world, happened that drives this point home for me - be thankful for what you have because every day, every thing, every person is special. And they deserve your graditude.

I've noticed in my (short) lifetime that it's hard for people to say 'Thank you'. They feel proud and self-reliant, as if it is an admission to weakness or helplessness. It's not. You should always say Thank you. These two little words show your appreciation of someone's help, and make it will make them feel good about helping you. Say them sincerely and say it often. Why? Because it's free.

So Thank You to those of you out there that have contributed to this life. I want you to know, I appreciate it.

Thank you so much for visiting. Happy Turkey Day.

A Taste of Magical Thinking (part 2)

Click Here to see Rat Thing Part 2

The second installment of Augusten Burroughs' Magical Thinking reading at Coliseum Books in NYC on Nov. 11th. Sorry, I still haven't figured out how to rotate the stupid video.

Listen in awe as he explains how he tortures a little poor animal. In his own words, "Isn't that how serial killers start out?"

Disclaimer: I hold no liability for any injuries that result from watching the video. Watch at your own risk.

Admission of an Obession

This picture was taken during the Magical Thinking kick-off book tour at the Union Square Barnes and Nobles. See that sweatshirt I'm wearing? I wore that on purpose because he was wearing it on one of his book jackets (Dry). I thought, "Hey! If I wear this, he'll recognize it and I'll be special!" And then at the book signing, horror struck me as I realized that other people might recognize it and label me as the "crazy same-sweatshirt-wearing fan".

But who cares?? He noticed it! "I have that same sweatshirt.." he said to me as I continued to blabber incoherently.  I think I said 'Thanks' (what kind of response is that?!).  Why didn't I just say "Cool", or "Really?", or what I really wanted: "I know! We have the same taste, now we can be BFFs!" (That means Best Friends Forever!).

Oh no, my obessive behavior didn't stop there. Being totally disappointed in myself for acting like a mute, I was determined to go to a second reading, and make myself stand out even more! And what can make you stand out more than an inspired piece of fan paraphernalia?

That's right kids!  I took my artistic skills to the next level with this piece of work.  Notice the way 'NERD ALERT' is all capital.  I printed this out on my photographic-style printer, and it came out all glossy and nice, like a postcard.  If I became mute in his presence again, at least I could still throw this at him before running away.

When it was my turn during this second book signing, I still became partially-mute, despite all my self-encouraging prep talks to myself. When I gave him the postcard he immediately remembered me!  "Oh yea!  The sweatshirt guy!  I remember you."  That was awesome.  (If you look at the picture, you can see the postcard on the bottom right!)

When I got home that night, I emailed him hoping to further our 'relationship'. Within a few days, he replied!   Mission accomplished.  We are SO like BFF now.

Okay, not really.

Abercrombie: Discrimination or Preference?

Abercrombie settles race case for $40 million (cnn.com)

So that's the verdict... but I still ask myself: Is it discrimination or preference (what they call selling an image)? Afterall, in the world of fashion, you're as likely to find a 5'2" stocky, black female model walking down the runway for Calvin Klien as a smart, sane voter in Ohio (ouch!). Hmm.. I wonder how this will affect their catalogue - they seemed to have already stopped their popular skank-xxx material (which I loved btw).

Throughout highschool (and college), I've always wanted to work for A&F. What could be better than getting paid to look pretty while folding a washed-out, overpriced t-shirt? Have customer oogle at you while throwing a football, or panties, over the throphy moose head. I knew I belonged there: the elusive group of hot, muscular guys indifferent to customers and lack any sense of customer service.

Problem was I was a lanky asian boy with glasses. I wasn't hot (but I was cute); I wasn't muscley (but I was fit), and I wasn't white (but I was yellow... wait..) Because of this, my application was probably placed at the bottom of the pile. So I did what anyone with low self-esteem being rejected from their dream job would do in my situation... I got hotter (with my new hairstyle and a spanking new pair of glasses), I got more muscular (okay, I didn't), and I got hired by Banana Republic and J.Crew.

And I got paid more (a lot more).

Related: The Look Of Abercrombie & Fitch (cbsnews.com)

A Taste of Magical Thinking (part 1)

contact me for better version

As I mentioned previously, I attended my second Augusten Burroughs reading this past Thursday. This time he read "Rat/Thing"; one of my favorite stories from his newest book, Magical Thinking!! Needless to say, I was giddy all night.

I was also considerate enough to record the reading so that those of you who missed it can still experience it live! Lucky you! However, the result is a little... awkward. Unlucky you.

Disclaimer: I hold no liability for any injuries that result from watching the video. Watch at your own risk.

[To be continued...]

O' Augusten, Where Art Thou?

Thursday, November 11
Book Signing 6:00pm
Coliseum Books
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036

Okay, so maybe I have some sort of obsession.. like you never dressed like someone and stalked them to every book signing you could realistically attend. At least I admit it! [self-incriminating photo soon to come?]

And for the record, this will only be his second book signing I'm attending. So there.

This Past Weekend...

Things that made me smile:
- Going to the prom with D - 80's style!
- The Incredibles
- Star-gazing: Moby and Mike Myers
- Having brunch next to Mena Suvari and having a wonderful conversation
- a delicious vegan turkey sandwich
- lemon cupcakes and banana pudding

Things that brought a tear to my eye:
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - Vardon Family
- Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World"
- UGA student suicide - possibly over Bush's re-election

I was really sad to learn about the student's suicide. I think it's noble to die for what you believe in; but without a note behind, we can only guess his motive. However, killing yourself doesn't really solve any problems. So to everyone out there, don't do that. You're more effective when you're alive anyway.

17 Reasons Not to Slit Your Wrists...by Michael Moore

Read it at http://michaelmoore.com/

There's always a silver lining, even though you might feel you're buried 6 feet under, in a casket, beneath a plateau, on which war-mongering, homophobic fanatics dance around a fire and participate in homo-erotic acts like the self-hating fags they are. You might not see it, but it's there.

Ding! Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

Rant: When I heard the news that Kerry conceded, my stomach clenched. I could hardly focus at work - I also couldn't stop refreshing other people's blogs. Four more years? Supreme Court Justices last longer than four years. So do laws and constitutional amendments. They can outlast lives!

What on earth are people thinking? How can this country, built on the ideals of freedom, elect a leader who doesn't believe in these ideals? Rebirth of Christianity? Didn't they teach you separation between church and state? As I remember, this religion isn't the best suited for tolerance either (umm.. The Crusades and missionaries?) - how can this leader bring peace to an Islamic part of the world? Better yet, how can he give them freedom when he's taking it away in his own country?

We're no longer voting for the leader of the United States, we're voting for a leader who has power to affect the world.

I propose that we draft all the people who voted for Bush, go fight for your commander in chief, American.

End Rant.

Okay, tomorrow is another day. The sun will still shine. This country is still our country. We have the duty and right to make it better. There will be good days and bad days. The most important thing to remember is to stand for what you believe in. Stand tall, stand proud, keep up the good fight. I know I will.

Hopefully this will be a wake-up call to Democrats.

I Am An American

I voted.

Now I have the privledge.. no, no no.. the RIGHT to complain if things don't go my way. And if they don't.. you better believe I'm doing it for four years straight (or until I get bored)!

Schizo-ween 2004

As the full moon rises over the metropolis, its inhabitants begin to transform into the wicked, the evil, the debauched. How I love Halloween in New York City.

I went to work on Friday wearing the yellow ruffled shirt I bought at the tag sale - though I didn't wear my full vampire costume. There was a company party, but I didn't attend because I felt uncomfortable, even though my supervisor didn't _not_ say I couldn't attend; such is the life of a consultant.

I had plans later anyway, "Pimps & Hos" costume party at the Roxy! Diana and I got dressed up:

I was trying to achieve the "I-Eat-My-Whores Pimp" look, you think I got it? Diana looked like a whore, no matter what century she said she was from (she was going for 18th century debutante or something). What I loved best about Friday was the stares I got walking down the street. "You can stop staring now. I know it's Friday and not Halloween; but some of us have parties to attend."

I'll refrain from berating the Roxy party.

Saturday was a rest day. After tutoring the 4th graders, I dragged Min and my sister towards Orchard towards this bakery which I couldn't remember the name of. I also couldn't remember the location either. All I remembered was that it was opened by people from Magnolia's. So that was going to be fun: exploring the city!

After a pitstop in Economy Candy, we ran into Sugar Sweet Sunshine. My god, these cupcakes are AMAZING. I had pumpkin with cream cheese icing - I had to stop myself from eating the wrapper. Dare I say it's better than Magnolia's? You gotta try it.

Later that night, I went to the movies with Ramin & Co. Team America is the funniest movie I've seen in a while. (Huckabees is a different kind of funny.) What else can you say about a movie with puppet copulation, regurgitation, and condensation? I nearly had an aneurism during the vomit scene. My friend said it was a subliminal GOP advert disguised as a movie. I disagree.

Sunday was Halloween! I signed up as a volunteer at the American Museum of Natural History for their Annual Halloween Celebration. I decided I couldn't be the same pimp in front of young children - plus I was definitely not going to put on all that makeup again (I don't know how you women do it every day). So instead, I dressed up as a cowboy!

Whatcha think? Disturbing fact: I owned everything I needed for this costume. Yes, even the stetson and snakeskin belt.

The event at the museum was HUGE! There were bands, performers, cartoon characters walking around, a whole bunch of candy givers and activities that the kids could do. I helped pass out Spooky BOOkmarks and crayons to little kids so they could color them; way to go AMNH - subliminally promote reading! Check out my phatty coloring skillz:

The kids were having such a fun time that I didn't want to dampen their spirits by warning them if they actually used a 'colored' bookmark, the colors will most likely rub off on the pages - ruining their books forever. Oh well, I guess they'll find out sooner or later. There was also a pumpkin carver and his apprentice. They were incredibly talented. The T-Rex was my favorite.

At night, I found some time to hit the Village Halloween Parade. Here are some of my favorite costumes:

a. some evil domina-chix.
b. two bananas =)
c. 8 feet cousin of Yao Ming
d. two men coming from Bliss Spa
e. printer paper man!
f. Richard Simmons and 3 Sanrio characters!

Now That I Think About It...

"[N]ow that i think about [it] you're like an asian metrosexual harry potter! dope!" - what buttaflihunnie said to me recently.

How freaking hilarious is that. That came from a conversation where I suggested I'd dress up like post-adolescent Harry Potter carrying magical sex toys for Halloween.

Speaking of which, that reminded me of a post on bigheadben.com: Horny @ Hogwarts.

What Do You Get...

What do you get when you cross a large warehouse and all the highschool theatre clubs in America?

Don't look at me, I don't know! But if you throw in frugal, costume-hungry New Yorkers with bloodshot eyes, you'd get the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) Costume Collection's "Moving Sale".

What a mistake it was to take the afternoon off from work; I should have called in sick, camped at the door 4 in the morning with hot chocolate in my Lion King thermos. I wouldn't have been the only one, believe me.

I went after lunch, arrived around 3pm, and the line was around the block. Entrance at 26th and 11th? I stood at 27th and 12th. For those not familiar, from 11th to 12th is an avenue block. This means it's actually five times as long as what you would consider a 'normal' block.

After the first hour (at around 4pm), a woman in a nice orange suit jacket started to hand out tickets for those still waiting in line so that they can get priority line placement tomorrow (I got #486). The Clash's "Should I stay or should I go now?" played in my head as I was doing the little annoyed bounce.

I left the line. Then across the street I thought, "Tomorrow?? There'll be nothing left but stained shirts and ripped tutus! And besides, they didn't say we couldn't still wait on line after getting a ticket. Hell, I'm not walking all the way here from Broadway to do this all over again tomorrow." Note, Broadway is about 7 avenue blocks away from 11th. But I lost my place in line! I sucked it up and waited at the end again. Luckily, a lot of other people fell for the devil in the orange jacket's trick and really left - I was only half a fool - and the line was considerably shorter.

After another hour wait (5pm), it turned out that they extended the hours until 6pm (and not the 3:30pm on the sign, nor the 4:30 on the newsletter) and I finally got in! And bags were only $10! Score! Right? Wrong. The shoppers that warned me while I was on line were right, "There's nothing but crap left, don't waste your time." Guess what was left. That's right. Stained shirts and ripped tutus.

Just kidding. That's only half true. Most of the women's and men's real 'costumes' were gone, and what was left was a hosh-posh of modern-looking stuff.

Where were the gladiator outfits, or the Lion King grass skirts, or the corsets from that mid-west highschool's production of Caberet? They were all taken by the biatches that ditched work to wait 6 hours on line.

I scrounged around the mens' stuff and found a couple of pieces to try and fit into my costume: I'm going for a vampire something (original huh?!). Instead of finding 18th century tunic with ruffles - I got 60s style tuxedo shirts with ruffles. I can make that work, right?

I felt like I shopped at the Salvation Army... You think they got any pirate shirts there?

Wait.. isn't that Garba.. Ooh! Artichoke!

So what's the next big thing in activism? Freeganism!

No, it's not the cause to end the governments' suppression of public orgasms. That's probably naturism & nudism; another cause I'd consider sponsoring if only for the fact of witnessing their 'non-violent' demonstrations.

Anyway, freegans are dedicated to "revealing human over-consumption and waste." How you ask? By not buying any food at all! Better yet, I'll quote from one of their website:

"[F]reegans choose to buy as little as possible of ANY good and instead live off the massive waste of modern capitalist society."

Laymans terms: they forage around in garbage for groceries, clothes, cd's, radios, and ipods. Wait.. isn't there another group like this already? Yes, the more popular National Society of the Home-Challenged (1,2). What'll happen if Corporate America cuts back on this unnecessary waste? Won't that be like cutting off sponsorship to the NSotHC? Think of the outcome! Soup kitchens will overflow with NSotHC members who once revelled in the bountiful gifts from their over-consuming corporate sponsors!

Anyway.. their ideals are in the right place; method is a little sketchy. In the meantime, I think I'll print out little fliers for the homeless:

"Need food? Hate panhandling? Be a Freegan! Just go to the website http://freegan.info/ and they'll show you how you can get food for *FREE* on the streets AND help society!"

Flier coming soon.

And now a diversion: Halloween is coming up. If you live in NYC, this is a week full of events for the Broadway show Wicked. Read more at Gothamist. Highlight: "Wicked Day" Block Party on Saturday, October 30th. Check out PLAYBILL for more info and locations.

Are you still looking for a costume for Halloween? Do you have $20? $10? what about $1??? TDF is having a moving sale (in NYC), and they're selling theatre costumes! Get yerself some threads!

Is that you Ashlee? Blame the Band!

Did anyone watch SNL this past Saturday? I didn't. And I now regret going to a reading of "Bottom of the World" (presented by WET - wetweb.org) at the Tribeca Theatre Festival, having a late brunch at Surya, then to Magnolia's for their wonderfully heart-stopping cupcakes, falling asleep at Banana Republic, catching I <3 Huckabees, and then having split pea soup at Friend of a Farmer on Irving Place.

Why you ask? Because I missed this!!

For those who are link wary, the video shows Ashlee Simpson dancing around like a retard while her song "Pieces of Me" played in the background -- with vocals! Lip-syncher! Story goes she was supposed to sing her new single, 'Autobiography'.

Then she blamed the band! Sure, why not! I know about those electronic instruments that can automatically start up audio equipment to play vocals! "Not that one! My new single, you fools!"

Anyway, I still like her songs. This isn't as damaging as the Milli-Vanilli debaucle - Ashlee still uses her own voice (or does she??). I mean, if Britney can do it, why can't she? She's also scheduled to perform at the Radio Music Awards! I know I'LL be 2 inches from the TV making sure her mouth is in sync with the words.

Oh, and I take it back: I don't regret all the things I did Saturday; only the falling asleep part. I <3 Huckabees is a funny movie. It's hard to explain why - but it is, trust me. It's subtle, and smart, and confusing, but not. I'd like to see it again as I was mostly in the eye-expanding 'don't-fall-asleep' mode.

Spanking in the John

In the October Issue of Details, there is an article about how people, specifically men, like pleasuring themselves in public; written by the fearless author with no shame, Augusten Burroughs.

He starts off with "catching" his talkative neighbor on a plane with spunk on his shoe, and using that to shame him into silence. To his surprise, he finds out that a lot of men are doing this. Some places cited are: public restrooms, saunas, taxis, office cubicles, gardens, and of course, the mile-high spank badge.

Here's a little blurb:

"I've jerked off in restaurant bathrooms, left a load right there on the counter. Haven't you?"

What most interviewee's contest is that it's not a straight or gay thing (with regards to the sauna), it's about a doing-it-in-public thing. I think a guest on Colin Quinn's Tough Crowd said it best, "Straight guys haven't been in the sauna at the gym since the mid-90's".

It was a Apex-Digital-Halloweegan-Tag-Sale Fun Weekend!

What a tremendously busy weekend this was. On Saturday, I started tutoring 4th graders in preparation for their end-of-year reading test. Wow. These kids are smart! I know I was NEVER that smart when I was in fourth grade. All I focused on were head-lice inspections and making up excuses why I needed another week for my report on Dolphins.

"Uhm.. I'll hand it in next week Mr. Randall. I'm going to Seaworld this weekend and I think that'll make my report extra special."

Nevermind that Seaworld was 1,086.64 miles away in Orlando, Florida. That reminds me, I still owe that report.

Saturday was also the Digital Life Expo at Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Video games up the wazoo. And can you believe they served Jamaican Rum for free?! Being tipsy and shooting people at the same time?!? Give me more! All I kept thinking was, "This is probably what it's like to be in one of those 'middle states'". Too bad I went with the sub-l33t; damn party poopers.

Speaking of party and poopers, special thanks to Ed Shepp-erino for inviting me to his Pre-Halloweegan party! I had a lot of fun. You guys are definitely a special bunch. Love the orange suit!

And if that wasn't enough for one weekend, I volunteered for the Get Organized New York Tag Sale in Central Park on Sunday! I was lucky I wasn't outside because it was cold like a witch's teat. Instead, I was right inside the front entrance, packing Ziploc Containers With New Snap 'n Seal Lids for shoppers as a free gift.

If you think that 4 or 5 of these (free!) containers per person was enough... you are wrong!! Oh, so wrong. One woman took nearly 40 of them! No one can have THAT many casseroles to keep. And if you did.. why??

I mean, I only took 20.

And now, Tie Week:

FeedBurner - Feed your life into Friendster

FeedBurner - Point your feed here. We'll do the rest.

With this service, you can publish your Blogger blog to other sites, such as Friendster. That's right folks! Friendster has a new option of putting your blog right onto your Friendster page! Just remember that Friendster requires "RSS" and Blogger has "ATOM" - which is why FeedBurner is so cool.

Just make sure you know where your Blogger feed is, get yourself an account at FeedBurner, follow the easy instructions (making sure you select the SmartFeed service), and boom, you got yourself a feed that'll work on Friendster.

You can thank me later.

In other news...
Thank you bigheadben for this incredibly funny clip (wmv)

Tie Week

I will be wearing a tie every day of this week. It will be strange because the company I work for dresses casual; most everyone dresses without collars! Look out for that fashion spread.

And now, here are two outfits previous outfits from the past week.

Happy Columbus Day!

I vegged out all day. Was planning to do something useful.. but didn't! Ha! Take that Day-Off!

Next weekend should be interesting. It's the first weekend of tutoring 4th graders through the Apex program. There's also the Digital Life expo - http://www.digitallife.com/. For a free ticket, use the code "digitallife" (disclaimer: author holds no liability if this code doesn't work).

Along with interesting events.. I made a pact with my friend Diana to improve our social lives. We have a plan to look into taking language or self-defense classes and joining book and social clubs. We want to make friends!

What people say about Gemini's

Some say they're two faced.

I say they're twice as fun.

Get Into This

Get Into This

So this crazy guy literally forced me to get a Blogger account - yes, forcing my fingers to tap the keys and click the mouse.

I think it was those nasty horns that's the source of his powers... Ouch.

A Nice Weekend

A Nice Weekend

Ends with me spending a lot of money.

Welcome back Elaine! Too bad you're leaving tomorrow :( On Saturday, a whole bunch of us took Elaine out for dinner. Mediterranean cuisine - more like Expensiterranean, considering it came out to $300 for seven people. The food was so-so at best. What the hell was Ramin thinking? (and if you know me, you know I'll take a stab at it):

Ramin's thought process: "Oh damn, Carmine's is totally booked, I guess I should have called a week ago instead of 7 hours before. How about thi.. no.. booked too.. what about.. nope, booked. Damn, hmm.. I know! Hell's Kitchen! let's find the most expensive restaurant there! There'll be plenty of room there because everyone else knows that Hells Kitchen is full of bodegas and fast-food, cat-serving chinese food!"

The price was just half of it. Unnecessary drama filled the first part of the day. I get a phone call around 5:30pm saying that Elaine wouldn't be able to go to dinner. Mind you, this is 2 hours before dinner starts. Thanks Elaine's overbearing monster, the next 1 1/2 hours was utterly phone call drama madness. Cell phones and house phones ring constantly as related parties try to think up backup plans. Korean!? Persian?! McDonalds?! We really wanted to see her! Finally, I decide to put my foot down and I force everyone to go to that god-forsaken restaurant that Ramin suggested.

Anyway, a huge Thanks! to Jae and Rob! I'll do my booty shake for you anytime. The party at the "Frying Pan" was cool - bore witness to a few strange events though. Desperate Asian guys. Desperate black brothers. Desperate white dudes. Get my drift?

Dry. Spell

I've just finished Running with Scissors, and it is GOOD. I'm on Augusten Burroughs' second book, Dry. The first part of the book was captivating, and I don't expect the rest of it to disappoint.

I've been reading a lot of "memoir" books lately, and David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs tell the best stories; partly because they're either real, or based on real life events. Which makes me think - can I write a memoir? I even have my own twist: I'm Chinese!