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Leopard Has Crocodile For Dinner. [Jul. 18th, 2008|07:28 pm]

caffeineguy



While waiting for dinner, I came across these amazing photos. Apparently it's the first time anybody's ever seen a leopard attack and kill a crocodile. Normally it's the other way around. It's probably because I haven't eaten yet, but these pics are really making me hungry.



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no meats! [Jul. 17th, 2008|04:34 pm]

sonially
[mood | happy]

IMG_1235


After 4 days of gluttonous-splendor in Las Vegas. I am restricting my diet to only fruits and vegetables. Good Times, good times...


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Mongolia Pics 1: Jumping. [Jul. 16th, 2008|11:28 pm]

caffeineguy



















For every thrill of victory, there's also tragedy of defeat. This is a photo of a jumping mishap when my foot landed right into a fricking marmot hole, and I had to do a shoulder roll to prevent myself from eating a mouthful of Mongolian dirt. During the entire trip, I'd been trying repeatedly to find and eat a traditional dish called boodog, which is a marmot carcass filled with hot rocks (Unfortunately it wasn't marmot season). So I suppose they were trying to send me a message. But I shall have my revenge!



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Click For More Mongolia Jumping Pics. )


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Dr. Horrible is here!!! [Jul. 16th, 2008|12:43 pm]

the_paulk
I've been waiting for this to launch, and Act One of Joss Whedon's online musical is now available at: Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog.

For those who haven't heard, the basic plot has Neil Patrick Harris as an evil supervillain trying to get accepted by the Evil League of Evil (or something like that). Along the way, he falls in love with a girl who is in love with his nemesis, a superhero named Captain Hammer, played by Firefly's Nathan Fillion. It's a superhero musical penned by Joss Whedon....what more do you want?!

Watch it now!!!
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Street Fighter IV [Jul. 16th, 2008|09:56 am]

the_paulk
I'm still on a massive Coldplay high...their concert was simply amazing.



You know what else is amazing? The new video clip of Street Fighter IV gameplay! Check out the Super Moves towards the 3 minute mark.



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Who can work? [Jul. 15th, 2008|05:41 pm]

the_paulk
The Coldplay concert in in just under two hours!

3G iPhone is starting to overtake my interest in the Blackberry Bold!

I just drank a liter of water and need to pee!
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Trying to Earn the Uncle Badge [Jul. 15th, 2008|01:06 am]

the_paulk
You know, I talk about work a lot, just like right now. You spend enough time with something, and well, that’s what you have as conversational inventory. I suppose I should be thankful then that I don’t run a distillery or suffer from chronic diarrhea, because this would be an entirely different blog. Or, maybe not. Anyway, the point is, all I ever do these days is work and think about work and complain about work and use work as an excuse for not dating. But, when your nephew is having a rough patch and wants to hang out, well, then work goes out the window and we think of something new to talk about.


I decided that we should do something manly together. It’s bad enough that my sister was the athletic one growing up or that my nephew can outshoot me in basketball with both hands tied behind is back, but the main compliment I get from either nephew is, “You’re so good at video games, Uncle Paul.” I mean, when my first nephew was born I had decided that I was going to be the cool uncle, which of course would require concealing my true self, but I was willing to go through with it. So when it came time to think of something to do together, I suggested hiking. I could almost hear him raising an eyebrow, but whatever. He’s just never seen me in all of my hiking glory. Well, actually, I don’t think anyone ever has.


A lot of aimless driving and a spot of luck led us to Shabarum Regional Park in Whittier. At first, I wasn’t convinced that we would find any hiking of any degree, and that was mostly thanks to the dozen or so families enjoying a barbecue and pumping Tejano music from the backs of their cars, but we eventually did. We came across a sign near the start of the trail that warned of mountain lions in the area. While the lions are usually passive, the sign suggested that if we came across one we should wave our arms around wildly and make loud noises. Yeah, it’s called screaming in a panicking fit, and I’d be doing a lot of it.


Jonny was a little nervous. He certainly didn’t want to die. I didn’t either, but I also wanted to do this hike. In reading between the lines, I’m sure you can judge me to be a bad uncle for choosing pride over my nephew’s safety, but if it makes me look any better, I saw a middle-aged Asian woman hiking the trail alone, and I was certain that the lions would get her first. Moments later, we saw a freshly erected sign warning of rattlesnakes, and I just knew this was going to be a real bonding experience.


It was an incredibly hot day, and with only a whisper of a cloud in the sky, I felt like a piece of terracotta baking in the sun, only paler. What I don’t understand is that the Schabarum Trail is considered a minor trek at 2.5 miles and yet every inch of it is a steep incline. They couldn’t make it a leisurely flat stroll amongst the lions and snakes? They have to make us easy prey by exhausting us with steep hill after steep hill? Though, to give my nephew credit, he didn’t seem that winded whereas I was in sore need of an oxygen tank. Or a car.


Seeing myself sweating so profusely and breathing so noticeably hard while seeing my youthful, vibrant nephew practically skipping up the hill like a happy sprite was a blow to my ego. If I’m this out of shape now, imagine when I finally get married and have kids…I just might need one of those motorized carts to keep up. If I had the energy to match my self-hate, I would’ve started running up the hill and demonstrated the resolve of my remaining youth, but instead I pictured a floating hamburger in all its juicy wonder right before me. All I had to do was take a few more steps and it would be mine…


Eventually, we went as far we could go without leaving the park. While we stood there gulping down water and enjoying the view, we heard the distinct chatter of a rattlesnake nearby. We were curious to see where it was coming from, but an image flashed before me of my sister lifting me high above her head and tossing me down a deep ravine…and that’s exactly what would happen if I exposed Jon to a live rattlesnake. Plus, I’d probably get confused about the signs’ advice, start screaming and waving my arms, and would likely get bit in the cheek by a startled rattler.


After what seemed like a short walk back, we got into my car and started home. We talked about grabbing some food and maybe watching a movie. I suggested “Hellboy 2,” mainly because I was dying to see it. I’ll admit I was visibly giddy when my 14-year-old nephew said he wouldn’t mind watching it. It became apparent to me at that moment that I, the 33-year-old nerd, was not going to be the “cool” uncle. But, hey, I’d settle for just uncle.


Although…I should probably stop publicly blaming him for making me watch “Hellboy 2” when there are cute girls around.
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Driving [Jul. 14th, 2008|10:59 am]
dilly
I've been told that I'm strong for making the decision that I did, in ending a fairytale-like, 2.5 year long relationship. I try to remember that every day, because invariably, I end up being the poster child for the exact opposite - I flood over with helpless tears until I fall asleep from emotional exhaustion, and then wake up several hours later and stumble around the quiet room to brush my teeth, wash the dry, salty trails off my face, and turn off the lights.

I don't feel strong at all.

I feel wretched, pitiful, and the one conscious thought overriding all else is my wish that I could crawl back to the warmth of his arms and heart.

Even though I was the one to end it, this separation period has been enormously difficult.

Mostly, it's because we've spent every weekend of the past 2.5 years together, and we lived together for 1 year. We know each other inside and out, and it was more than just comfortable, it was everything that meant reassurance and safety and belonging. To rip that away has left me with this gigantic absence of self. He was so much of me and my life, I honestly don't know how to define myself anymore.

And then there's the fear. The fear of that biological clock ticking, and knowing that there isn't an unlimited selection of choices out there, much less someone who is the best match for me, and I for him. I'm an romantic idealist teetering on the brink of cynical realist.

I'm trying to cling to the reasons why I initiated this break-up, but up against the overwhelming wall of sadness and self-loss, they only flutter briefly at the edge of my mind and then disappear, forgotten.

Yesterday, I didn't have contact with a single human being until I called my mom for my nightly phone call at 11 PM. The depression that self-perpetuated from this experience was incredible. I had no idea what it would be like. I was totally ready to break down and call the one person who would understand me. But by the rules, he's the one person I'm most not allowed to lean on.

Now I know why older, single females meander on for so long when they capture you in conversation. They're so desperately thankful for the human contact, they want to prolong it as long as possible. I'm so scared of becoming that.

I'm now 119 lbs. Here I thought that I was going to have problems getting down to 118. Oops. Maybe I should re-set my goal for 115.

During a drive on Saturday, back down from the city, I was taking in the geometric, multi-hued boxes of the architectural landscape and taking mental pictures in my mind. This may seem cheesy, but when I was with him, I never really saw any of it even though we drove past it countless times. I was always focusing on him, with the background blending into an extraneous entity. Without that focal point, now I'm forced to really see again. Blinking, focusing, taking in, taking away.

And not only do I have to see, but I have to drive myself, because no one else is there to carry me along.

I need to learn how to drive again.
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Seoul Pics 2: Non-Jumping. [Jul. 14th, 2008|12:56 am]

caffeineguy



During this trip, I managed to squeeze in a weekend at Seoul. It was a toss-up for me between Seoul and Tokyo, which are my two favorite cities in Asia. But the roundtrip tickets for Beijing-Tokyo were $1,500. It was like the airline industry really wanted me to go to Seoul.

The photo above was taken at Volume, which is probably Seoul's most popular nightclub right now. Other than the scantily clad, heavily intoxicated women, I thought the place was just okay. For one thing, I'm not a big fan of dance floors where everybody faces the DJ like he's techno Jesus. Secondly, it's so loud the bartenders can't hear you and automatically hand you well drinks. If you haven't figured it out from my facial expression, the vodka was horrific. You can find tastier liquids inside a dead raccoon on a hot day.



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Checked out the opening party for this art gallery that's constructed entirely out of shipping containers. It's not quite ready yet - only three out of the dozen or so containers were up for the party. It's amazing how shipping containers have been a trendy thing to use for constructing businesses, homes, and Korean art galleries. It's just a matter of time before trendsetters build everything out of refrigerator boxes. Soon homeless people won't have anything to use as shelter.



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This is what the containers look like on the inside. The shiny metal surfaces create a neat optical effect: my right testicle appears to be a Chinese guy.



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We were taken to this restaurant that's famous for its geijang or pickled raw crabs. Unlike cooked crabs, where everybody eats the legs - the main thing you eat here are the guts and eggs.



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I think this is the first time I've ever had kalbi at 7 AM. The crazy thing about Hongdae is that this restaurant was packed. Nobody fucking sleeps in this part of Seoul.



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Don't think I've seen anybody sweat this much while eating dduk bok kee. He could end droughts in some countries.



Click Here For More Seoul Pics )


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Death of a Role Model [Jul. 11th, 2008|11:39 pm]

captredstar



My Horoscope by California Psychics:
You should find that you'll have a very positive and productive attitude today. You may be hungry for more meaningful experiences in your life, and you're bound to benefit from trusting your heart right now. So don't be afraid to go wherever it leads you. You should also try to take some time to pay attention to any creative impulses you might be having at this time.


I just came back from the funeral of one of my professors. It was a powerful service. There was laughter, tears, live music, and many many touching stories. As I sat in a row with some of my classmates, I felt very safe to explore my emotions. This past month has really stretched me as a person. I’ve explored my edges and pushed myself to go beyond them. I was let down by some and inspired by others. In a way, the memorial service gave me the chance to release these pent up feelings. So I took the opportunity and let out tears of loss, exhaustion, frustration, hope, anger, joy, and gratitude.

The funeral helped support my views on soulmates and psychology. He and his wife taught two of our courses. Watching them argue and work through things in front of class was a good example of how to respectfully and compassionately work through disagreements. They were vocal about being soulmates and how their love for each other help them become more loving people. My professor's work reinforced how psychology is a healing profession. Today’s funeral reminded me that with all the pain and suffering out there, the world lost one of its greatest healers.

Thanks for helping me heal one of my primal wounds.


Horoscope in Hindsight:
The funeral and their classes were always meaningful experiences where creativity flowed.


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Recommended by Adam Carolla [Jul. 10th, 2008|09:18 am]

the_paulk
Never heard of the band or the song until I was listening to Adam Carolla's radio show this morning.



Instant love.


The Jayhawks' "Blue"

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Married! [Jul. 10th, 2008|12:10 pm]

flowerheart






It RAINED on my wedding so the entire ceremony was under the tent and the cocktails hour had to be moved indoors but I didn't care! Walking down the aisle and seeing all my family and friends with my husband standing at the end made it all worth it! I'll update with more later!!!

PS. DILAB I AM SO SORRY THAT I DID NOT GET TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOU! I TOTALLY WANTED TO GET DOWN ON THE DANCE FLOOR WITH YOU AND JOSH BUT WAS DRAGGED AWAY BY MY MOM THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT :( THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING!!!

ALSO, Patrick Lee! Thank you so much for the flowers!! They were a wonderful surprise and were placed prominently at the guest sign in table for all to enjoy!!!
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For better, or for worse... [Jul. 10th, 2008|07:27 am]

bostonbebe
Change is imminent.

There's just no escaping it. You learn to accept it. Even embrace it. Not always immediately recognizeable nor is one willing to quickly admit nor commit to it, but change is inherent and should be perceived as growth. There are the positive changes, such as learning how to knot a tie; or how to shake a perfectly dry and dirty, dirty martini; or how to woo a lady love by taking up her foreign language.

To balance out change's yin, must come the yang.

Oh there is much too much negative, as there are positives, to name.

So we'll begin with - a girl's best friend. Which can also be, her worse nightmare. Before I relocated to Los Angeles, I really despised shopping. I hated the thought of it. I detested the act of walking that is required with it. I abhored the changing in and out of clothes that may or may not fit, the dressing room lines, the dressing room mirrors, the snarky sales people, the overly in your face sales people, the whipping out of your hard earned cash, the running of your nearly maxxed out charge card, and the lugging of those now newly acquired shopping bags.

My oh my, how since that has all changed. And then some.

Due to sheer boredom and leading a somewhat lonely and unfulfilled life, I've adopted this bad habit to fill in those lackluster gaps and am now a self-professed bonafide, *gulp* (drumroll please) .... I am shockingly, a girl!!

To add to injury, there is ......

The internet - atrocious.

Shopping, browsing, perusing - deadly.

Shopping on the internet - the ugliest combination known to "man"kind.

Two things I have the hardest time finding the right fit and requiring several trial and errors in person, I gave into purchasing online.

I checked out of my cart - 3 pairs of Frankie B's and sit tight, a pair of Robert Cavalli shades, when 9/10 sunglasses NEVER suit nor sit properly on my unprominent asian nose. Thing is, I could not pass up the up to 70% markdowns, especially on designer goods that you rarely run into at the shops and can barely bother to dig up at your local Filene's Basement and at Century 21. So in love with private, members-only retail sites such as Regent's Secret and Gilt Groupe but I don't know if I should be thankful or not.

Some things in life are better not ever knowing about. This could be one of them.....


Retail: $260 | Price: $59.95

Worth the 77% savings?

Soon enough I shall discover and report back.

Until then, may the shopping police be enforced strictly.

Godspeed.
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Seoul Pics 1: Jumping. [Jul. 10th, 2008|01:52 am]

caffeineguy



10 PM.


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4 AM.



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7 AM.


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Self-work [Jul. 9th, 2008|03:58 pm]
dilly
Most boring posts ever coming up. So I had a large emotional change in my life recently, and when that happens, the workouts get kicked up a LOT. Just as well, since it's swimsuit season.

Inspired by [info]benlbr and his pre-wedding routine (which in turn was inspired by Ryan Reynold's-Blade Trinity transformation *swoon*), here's my pseudo-serious attempt to tighten up and lose a few lbs.

I'm 5'4", and as of 6/24, was 126 lbs (bleah, my heaviest in a looooong time). Now, 2 weeks later, I'm 122, and my goal is ~118 Less is good too, but I seriously think I'll have a hard enough time maintaining/increasing muscle and getting down to that.

Intake today:
Breakfast: oatmeal, four apricots, water
Lunch: Indian samosa (I know, fried is a no-no, but they looked really good. It was worth it.) and small salad, water
Snack: 1/3 bag of Sun Chips, 1/3 bottle vitamin water
Dinner: non-fat milk, GABA brown rice (courtesy of my brand-spanking new Zojirushi Induction Heating rice cooker!), steamed spareribs, lotus root soup and broccoli (eating dinner with my neighbors and they're making the soup and veggies)

Exercise today:
40 laps across length of junior olympic swimming pool

(Goal: 100 laps by end of summer, depending on time availability, as this is done during the work day)
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Bic Runga and Flight of the Conchords [Jul. 9th, 2008|12:33 pm]

the_paulk
A bunch of us went to a killer show last night at the new Largo @ Coronet, which, despite the lack of any ventilation, was a great venue for intimate performances. Bic Runga (see below) was the headliner, and she had two great guests: Dan Wilson (a song writer for the Dixie Chicks) and the Flight of the Conchords. It was simply amazing...what a great combination of heartfelt tunes from Bic and Dan and hilarity with the Conchords.


I'm something of a coward when it comes to approaching celebs for pictures and stuff...it's more because I don't want to bother them rather than being starstruck. This time, Ed went up to Bic so I swooped in behind him to get a pic and a signed CD.


Photos courtesy of Ed ([info]caffeineguy):


Dork pose with Bic Runga:




Drinks afterwards with the gang:




Some videos of my favorite songs performed last night:


Bic Runga's "Sway"




Dan Wilson's "Sugar"




Conchord's "Ex-Girlfriends"

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Bic Me [Jul. 9th, 2008|12:29 pm]

captredstar

Not hard to get star struck with Bic Runga after you hear her perform live. I wish she looked more closely at my "You complete me" t-shirt. (Pic by [info]caffeineguy)



My Horoscope by Linda Black:
Recently, you've been sacrificing too much of your own free time for the sake of other people. Whenever someone has asked you to come to anything you've said yes, and that has got to stop. Are you too uncomfortable having holes in your social calendar? Those holes are a great gift to give yourself -- time to relax and do whatever it is you feel like doing. By being so social, you are losing some of your independence. Make sure you get some alone time soon.


[info]brasilpop invited a group of us to see Bic Runga (famous song Sway) perform last night with a special guest appearance by Flight of the Conchords. After the show, the artists came out to meet the crowd. I actually was really shy about getting a picture. After the photo, I turned to Bic, looked her straight in the eye and said, “Your songs made me cry.” It would have been much cooler if I had not turned away in mid-sentence and mumbled the rest. Damn, I'm a wuss. Good thing [info]the_paulk was there to catch my tears.




Flight of the Conchords was a nice comic relief. Here’s a clip from one of their new songs that really resonated with me:


Fight of the Choncords – “Choir of Ex-Girfriends”




Horoscope in Hindsight:
Well, if Bic asked me, I would say "Yes, sway my way".


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An Evening Of New Zealanders. [Jul. 9th, 2008|01:39 am]

caffeineguy



I had no idea who she was before tonight. But now I am smitten with this woman. And as funny as they are on their HBO series, Flight of the Conchords are even more hilarious (and shorter) live.



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Anime Expo ‘08 [Jul. 7th, 2008|03:25 pm]

the_paulk
This past weekend I visited the LA Convention Center to check out the 2008 Anime Expo, courtesy of Daniel ([info]isogen). The main reason I wanted to go was to see the “cosplayers” in action. I think Ed ([info]caffeineguy) and Monica had similar motivations. The last time I saw them was at the Tokyo Game Show, which fascinated me, and the first time was in college at my first and last Anime Club meeting, where I was left distraught. Seeing an obese Caucasian male in a Chinese dress and hearing him sing an anime theme song tends to disturb even the most stalwart of minds, sort of like watching animals eat their young or witnessing a bad motorcycle accident in slow motion.

Kind of like this:




Now, don’t get me wrong. I am a geek through and through. I love comic books, manga, anime, action figures, video games and all that as much as I did when I was in junior high. But, I don’t quite love it enough to dress up as characters from my favorite shows, and frankly, I don’t know why. It’s not like I have my dignity or anything. See photos from all previous blog posts or these pics of my office for evidence:




Click here for photos and more )
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Beijing Pics 2: Non-Jumping Pics. [Jul. 6th, 2008|07:37 pm]

caffeineguy



This is me about to eat my first seahorse, just days after eating my first land horse in Mongolia. If Pegasus were around, I guess I'd have my chance to eat an air horse. Speaking of Pegasus, Roger's cunninglingulating a chicken skewer.



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One of our friends in Beijing hooked up with this Juicy lady he met at a club called Mix - but not before Heidi gave her sign of approval.



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One could argue that this is a jumping pic. But my take is that it's Art doing a Marmot Dive.



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This is what five simultaneous concussions looks like.



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The beef stew noodles at Bellagio are so good, that Rog forgets to cunninglingulate his food.



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Click Here For More Beijing Pics. )


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