Insomnia (the first of many such entries)

More pictures from the photoshoot.






















































































































































































































- 24 -

Cheesecake and Homegrown Cynicism

So yesterday was $1.50 Cheesecake Day at The Cheesecake Factory, celebrating their 30th anniversary, I believe. First time ever at the restaurant (normal price of $7/slice turned me off) and it was absolutely delicious. The entrees were not memorable; I would've been better off at CPK. The cheesecake, however, made up for the uninspiring meal.

I ordered the Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake--so good! Tasted like tiramisu, which is definitely great :) Still have some left in the fridge =d


















During lunch, my mom suddenly brought up the topic of marriage and began listing traits my future wife could not have. Among the several she mentioned, she said I shouldn't marry a non-Chinese Asian, African-American, or Hispanic woman; I forgot what she said about white girls. Not many choices, huh? Reminds me of what Shirley's parents told her about her future boyfriend. Quite traditional-minded, even in this day and age...

The second bit of life wisdom my mom imparted to me was to never trust salespeople. All this talk about how they suggest you put the car through unneeded maintenance and don't give a rat's ass about you if there's no commission incentive involved. I realize that a lot of what she says is true; we're all a little too capitalistic for our own good. But it's kind of disturbing that she pushes such distrust as the appropriate way of life. I guess you have to be a little cynical in life to get by.

In other news, the Nikon D700 was released yesterday. Nikon continues to tempt me with their almost-perfect marvels... Canon, when are you going to come out and trump them again??





















Oh, and John McCain should be ashamed of himself for running an ad that attempts (read: fails) to equate Barack Obama with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. I think someone's getting a little desperate now, don't you think?

Take a look for yourself.




- 24 -

This Again, But Not Quite

When Melody left for St. Louis last year at the end of June, I thought I was seeing her for the last time. I wondered back then if I would react "appropriately" to her departure. After all, we'd known each other for so long. How are you supposed to react when someone you've known since seventh grade leaves without a guarantee of return? Was I supposed to break down? Perhaps a part of me dies a little?

We'd been through a lot, to say the least. I went from being an awkward, chubby seventh grader who reveled in her angelic aura (her paleness and seeming perfection helped to perpetuate that image in my mind) to a somewhat less awkward, more mischievous college kid who teased her effortlessly. The seven years I've known her have brought her down from her pedestal in my mind, but the more human Melody is the one I've come to cherish. Sure, we still have our awkward moments--what good friendship doesn't?--but she'll be one I turn to for honest advice or unsolicited teasing.

While Christine, Jessica, Melody, and I were in Irvine, we suddenly began discussing the future. Not just the next few years in college--I mean fifteen years to marriage and children. The thought of all the pressures still to come kind of freaked us out, but one thing stuck: we'd always be with each other. I guess it's like my dad said: many of my college friends will be future business associates and social companions, but the high school ones are the ones for life. We've become our own little posse, hanging out together each summer many times. It's good to be a part of something... indescribable.

Melody's departure last summer was heart-dropping. I couldn't quite muster the sentimentality I felt the moment deserved; it didn't feel like goodbye. All the girls there were lightly crying, and I figured it was another one of those accursed masculinity moments, when someone decided that society could not accept the image of weakness in a man's tears. So at that moment, I didn't feel anything. A little sadness, but mostly numbness.

Getting back into my car, I sat motionless behind the wheel. Snow Patrol's "Run" drifted out of the speakers, and everything slowly sank in at once. At that moment, with my best friend sitting shotgun, I sniffed once. Two small tears crawled down my face and fell on my jeans.

This time, watching her walk into the fray at the terminal, I didn't feel as strongly. I thought about it afterward, and it wasn't because I would miss her any less than before. She had come back once, and I know she'll be back again; if not the next summer, then the next. I can't wait for what adventures we'll embark on then.

- 24 -

Sushi!

Oh man, I had almost forgotten how much I loved sushi! There was a time, back in June, when I had sushi every week (or more) because of friends visiting. I developed a distinct fondness of salmon, and I had to order at least 4 pieces of salmon sushi each time I went.

I went last night because my friend was going back to St. Louis in a few days. We had to get her some good, decently-priced sushi before she went back. We ate at our favorite place, Gin Sushi, and ordered some of the best dishes I've had in awhile. My Omega-3 roll consisted of California rolls topped with salmon and unagi--so delicious! And of course, I had to order salmon! Best meal this month, hands down. I also got to sample my friends' food (hehe): Samurai Roll (which had shrimp tempura and a strange teriyaki/Thousand Island??/spicy sauce), Philadelphia Roll (Salmon with cream cheese, surprisingly good), and Cherry Blossom Roll (Spicy tuna & avocado wrapped in salmon!). And for dessert, we ordered two tempura green tea ice cream dishes, an awesome finish for the meal. :)

I'll post more pictures from the photoshoot tomorrow. I repaired my broken sideview mirror, so now I have a car again! Freedom :)

- 24 -

Spontaneous Outings

I woke up this morning to the sound of my doorbell ringing. For some reason, I thought I heard an unfamiliar voice speaking, so I figured it was a soliciting salesman and ignored it. The second time, however, came with my friend yelling my name. I half-stumbled, half-wobbled over to the door and blinded myself with the noon sun. It seemed that our original plans for the afternoon had fallen through at 10 AM and their attempts to call me had never gotten through. Apparently, I am the only person they know who turns off his cell phone when he goes to bed. Anyway, our beach plans were scrapped and we spent the afternoon at In-N-Out and Yogurtland.

People are also rather unpredictably stupid. There was horrendous traffic on the 405 freeway, not because of an accident, but because there was some trash lying between two lanes. Did everyone have to slow down and look?!?

On a lighter note, I finished sorting through my photoshoot from yesterday. Apparently, I'm still an idiot with checking optimum exposure. My camera shake totally ruined some of my best shots... and I failed to take advantage of higher ISO's ability to use faster shutter speeds. Someday I'll learn...

Here's a couple of shots from the shoot I liked: (More to come)





































































- 24 -

Starting Over

I never really got into this blogging thing. I have numerous accounts with LiveJournal, Blogger, and Wordpress, but I didn't make much use out of any of them. I suppose now would be as good of a time as any to apply myself for the first time...

Hello, brave new world.

My username is rather straightforward: it brings out two things I take close to heart. I'm a proud soon-to-be-second-year at UCLA, and I haven't a clue about what I'm studying anymore. Pre-med studies just didn't quite strike my fancy, you know? We'll see how things go.

And Canon... is just my brand loyalty. I've only owned Canon cameras in my lifetime, and it might just be my bias speaking, but I believe Canon delivers the best pictures. My 30D has given me some amazing results, and I hope I'll be adding to my lens & studio equipment collections over the new few years.

So I think I'll define the purpose of this blog, just to help me focus. I'll use this for two reasons: cathartic/writing splurges and photography. Simple enough, and hopefully I'll commit myself this time around.

-----

I had a great photoshoot with a close friend of mine today. It's the second time Amy's obliged, and I'm really grateful she has so much patience with me to do these things; I am truly blessed. :) I've never been really good at manifesting my ideas, and I'm lucky to be working with someone who knows what to do with posing.

My last shoot with Amy made her seem too... cutesy. Not that it's a bad thing; I had some amazing portfolio shots from that day. But ever since I totally lost focus on another friend's photos for a Xanga contest (which was themed "Hot Asian girls"), I've been wanting to let go of my personal, conservative (ugh) inhibitions. This time, I told myself exactly what I wanted to accomplish: to portray Amy as a woman rather than a girl. In part, I think I succeeded. We'll see once I finish sorting through all of my pictures.

And as a rather embarrassing side note, I completely butchered "Apologize" on the cello at the church talent show night.

- 24 -

(I learned at The Daily Bruin that journalists used to end their pieces with "30" as a tradition; I decided to use my favorite number instead. =] )