A Brief Blogging Hiatus

Gonna be in Taiwan for ten days, so it'll be unlikely for me to find a computer with internet for prolonged use. I'll try though :) if anyone wants anything from Taiwan (Taipei), let me know!

Note to self: end rambling and confusing logic, just get to the point.

- 24 -

Clearing Up

Got two filters in the mail today. :) A new multi-coated B+W one for my portrait lens, and a multi-coated Hoya for my Tamron. Uber happy with (finally) having high quality filters on my lenses.

Bought a Firewire 6 pin-6 pin (Firewire 400) cord today, so I could transfer files between Macs directly. It was only $14, a lot cheaper than I expected.

Spent about 4 hours at Derrick's house doing files backups/deletions and basking in the glory of his new VW GLI. Gotta love this awesome guy. :)

It still doesn't feel like I'm leaving the country in two days. My brain must really be shut off.

- 24 -

Twenty-four

My 24th post! :)

Things have been looking up a bit. I've had to run around town getting diagnostics for my laptop and buying supplies for backup, but it's been okay. I'm glad it'll be resolved before I get back from vacation.

These next few days are gonna be hectic. So many people, so little time! I need a planner, but I can't seem to find one in my room.

I was cleaning out my old PC last night and came upon some old AIM logs that I hadn't found before. They really brought back memories, mostly bad ones. The immaturity in all of them just made me cringe. Hopefully in a few years, I can look back to these days and not feel as much disgust and regret.

I really want to go to Guppy's once this summer. Anyone want to go with me?

- 24 -

Karma

I knew last week wouldn't go unpunished. Never happened, never will.

Ugh.

So far, I've burned my taste buds on hot chocolate and made myself unable to savor any real flavors.

Second, my laptop's LCD stopped working today. The logic board quit on it, I guess. Bringing it in on Wednesday to a technician... This, of course, happens two months after warranty expired.

And it's only Monday.

Even better, when I tell my dad about it, instead of being helpful, he blames the problem on me. When I insist I didn't do anything, since this is a problem reported by a few others online, he badmouths Apple in its entirety. Thanks dad, real useful.

- 24 -

Dang, Michael Phelps is Superman. 'nuff said.

I've had a very strong urge to play tennis in the last few days. I don't even play tennis-well, haven't in about 6 years-but I still want to hit a few fuzzy balls around.

Goal for Sunday:
Tennis?
Make chocolate-chip cookies
Install/learn Ubuntu Linux
Civic argument

Getting letters really make my day, I hope I can keep correspondences up at a decent pace.

Last thought: need to hang out with people next week! Perhaps some sushi too... and shaved ice.

P.S. Sex and the City gave me shivers. And I only watched five minutes of a syndicated episode too.

- 24 -

A great day again

My mom took the Camry into the shop today, so we got a Yaris for a rental car for the day. I felt so small driving that car, almost as if I was handling a toy.

Some minor confusion in the morning when my mom mixed up my optometrist and dentist appointments, but all went well. No increase in degree! :)

I spent the afternoon with Derrick again, this time visiting various car dealers in the area and trying to find the car of his (teenage) dreams. Some of the salespeople we met were really interesting, especially the VW guy who told us in a thick Russian accent, "Fuck the Jetta! Fuck the GLI! GTI is for you." When Derrick put the GTI in S(port) mode, that engine roar and powerful acceleration totally blew us away. Definitely a keeper. ;)

As it turned out, my stalker used my address to send me a letter; it's so nice to read these handwritten thoughts. I'll reply once I remember how to write again.

It's also great to talk on the phone with special friends, especially when boredom has kept you from dialing yourself for months. It was great talking to you again. :)

I just spent about $50 on lens filters. I hope it was worth it.

Tomorrow's a new day! I wonder what I'll get myself into...

- 24 -

Time to get organized

I just realized today that I only have a few weeks left of summer. There's still so much I wanted to accomplish that I was just too lazy to do! Or my ADD keeps me from being able to focus on one thing at a time. I guess I've got to stop trying to juggle so many things in my mind at once; not terribly great at multi-tasking. Perhaps it's time to invest in a planner...

Monday was fantastic; it made the rest of the week so much better.

Tuesday went off without a hitch, finally spending some quality time with Mr. Derrick Hong and surprising Lauren at Coldstone's. :) AND I got some really nice sunset pictures before I returned the lens.

Today was average, the humidity discouraged me from going out in the afternoon. The weather was great in the morning though, and I had a comfortable evening walk before dinner. I started reading Nelson Mandela's autobiography, so hopefully I'll spend less time on the computer and more time being productive.

Since it's August, all my biannual and annual medical checkups have come up. An optometrist appointment tomorrow and a dentist visit on Friday; both in the morning too. At least I'll wake up in the mornings this week.

- 24 -

Isn't it funny?

You used to talk to someone everyday. Whether it was in person at school, or on the phone at the most random times, or a simple IM conversation, it happened. And somehow, this continues on for two years.

And then suddenly, you start feeling a little distant. Naturally, the physical distance can take some of the blame. You think, it's no big deal. You handled this for an entire year, how is this any different?

But then you realize, you have nothing to do at home. During that year, when it all worked out, you were busy with schoolwork and new friends; you had plenty of distractions to keep your mind off these barriers and easy conversation topics to bring up.

At times, you feel under-appreciated. You feel neglected by and distanced from another life you were once so deeply connected to. You know it's not intentional. You know it's mostly just you. After all, you're the misguided one who has misplaced his own feelings onto an unfortunate friend. You are tempted to discuss this further with your friend, knowing this issue is keeping you from really caring about him/her.

But part of you hesitates. That part has seen how much of you still exists in his/her life, how much he/she has surrounded himself/herself with objects directly related to you. You stop and realize: you were crazy to think all of that. So you push it away, being wiser than before.

The issue never really settles, however. You know its roots, you force the guilt upon yourself, yet part of you can't seem to shake it. It haunts you. It keeps you from keeping in touch with him/her properly. And for the first time, you're not being the best friend you can be. You have failed your own promise, your written promise that was meant to last for decades.

And all of this hits you, after you have had the first wholly-good day you have had in months. As you sit at your computer in the early morning, contemplating and writing your thoughts down. The feelings sink deep.

You finish writing and publish your thoughts. Your worries and musings, at the mercy of the world's eyes. You leave your dark room, put on a jacket, and walk outside. You stare up into the night sky and search for shooting stars.

The question is, what do you wish for?

- 24 -

Life Surprises Me

I just had... an amazing day. Almost perfect. Thanks. :)

Mondays are a bit redeemed.

- 24 -

Random adventures and the search for a wide-angle lens

Lately, spontaneity has been good to me. Like a friend asking me to get froyo on a boring Friday afternoon, and ending up grocery shopping for her cooking urges. The trip made me feel like a husband, but it was definitely interesting. Which reminds me, I haven't made my chocolate chip cookies yet...

Or a random call on Saturday to shoot Countrywide again, this time with Andy Roddick in semi-finals! I really wish I had a 70-200mm f/2.8 of my own; the office's D2H has only 4MP, so there was so much noise in my shots at high ISOs. :( Sadness. But Safin and Roddick!

I've been looking for a sharp, fast wide-angle lens for future work. I really wish I had the money for a full frame camera and not have to struggle with all the third-party APS-C lenses. They're all good in their own respects, but no all-around good ones. And the issue of money still remains...

Anyway, I found out I'm going to Taiwan at the end of the month for about a week. I guess I'm pretty excited to be going somewhere this summer, and I want to see how Taipei & Taichung have changed since I visited in junior year. Looking forward to photographic adventures, cheap food, and nightlife. :)

- 24 -

So much for daily writing

The Olympic Opening Ceremony was freakin awesome! The countdown and drums at the beginning were my favorite part. The torch lighting was pretty cool too, although my favorite is still Barcelona 1992.

Amazing

Mitch Albom always seems to know how to wrench my heart. He truly understands how to harness the most common and often underappreciated feelings inside us and touch our hearts. Suffering. Loss. Nostalgia. Forgiveness. Redemption.












- 24 -

The Headache Continues

Maybe I didn't sleep enough... staying in my room for long periods of time probably isn't helping either.

I started reading Mitch Albom's For One More Day in an effort to fulfill my reading desires. It's kind of the emotional and contemplative book I expected from him, and it's very similar to his first two novels. I'll finish it first and then form a definite opinion.

I finally got out of the house today and had dinner with Jeremy and Osborne. It was great just hanging with the guys, talking about inappropriate things in a family restaurant; we did get to some more serious topics too, though. It's interesting to discuss our opinions about relationships and whatnot. We then met up with Daisy and Ian and went off on the funniest conversations. It's good being with old friends again.

I really need to get into my search for my next car. At this rate, I won't get one before I go back to school. Gotta find that Civic!

I'm going biking with Vicky tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited about seeing her and getting back to biking.

- 24 -

As My Head Roughly Throbs

John Lennon's "Imagine" has been in my head these days. It's not terribly complicated in any way, but it's so beautiful in every respect despite it. It's so much more powerful and honest than anything I've heard before. Lennon was truly a blessed visionary. It's such disgraceful irony for humankind that all the greatest people championing peace and love are the ones assassinated. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, Gandhi, John Lennon. We're such a complicated and confusing race.

--------------

After such an awesome day on Monday, Tuesday had to be dull to balance it out. It was pretty much back to the same old routine, although I did have In-N-Out for lunch. :)

Much to my excitement, I realized my credit card balance for July was $8.03! Now I know this figure doesn't include my cash purchases, but still... this is the lowest it's ever been. I'm proud of my self-control and halt to frivolous internet purchases.

My father talked to me for about an hour last night. It was one of those talks about my future and career, and it didn't go quite the direction I expected. He was actually very supportive of me; he didn't want me to give up on pre-med just because of a few bad grades. The entire time, however, he kept reminding me that he was not pushing me to pre-med. My grandfather never pushed him to be a doctor, and he wouldn't do it either. He didn't care what I ended up doing, as long as it made me happy. Despite being compartmentalized in his college at Taiwan, where he had no choice but to study engineering, he ended up being lucky enough to find something in it that made him happy. As unglamorous as it sometimes sounded, he loved being a contractor, going from place to place (never an indoor person) and watching his knowledge build homes. Every job will have its challenges and eventual routine, he said, but if you can come home satisfied at the end of the day, that's all that mattered.

I'm pretty lucky, having parents that don't try to direct my life entirely. Sure, my mom will try to push me in certain more financially-sound directions, but she's just being her motherly self. I sometimes think that this perception--this need for financial security and a higher standard of living perpetuated by this bloated capitalist ideology we've all adopted--has severely blinded me. I can't properly clear my mind and freely think about what I really want to do with myself.

I was browsing a professional photography agency's website today and I was completely blown away. They only had six photographers in their roster, but collectively they've covered almost every celebrity, advertisement, movie poster, and fashion shoot I've seen in recent years. Every one of them had their own client list, their own styles of shooting; all of their photos made me do a double take. In those moments, I started wondering: is this what my dad was talking about? This feeling of excitement and belonging?

I'm not sure yet. I've always considered photography to be merely a hobby, and a very expensive one at that. I didn't believe I had the artistic vision/photographic eye to do any more than enthusiast work; plus, there was always the financial issue to consider. But I don't know... I guess I still have to investigate further. Same with business finance, same with law, even same with medicine. I just don't know yet.

I do know I will work hard to figure out my life. It's scary; the moment you become an adult, you have to constantly look to the future. Not just to the next midterm, or the next quarter, but years and years beyond. It's frightening and very intimidating. But now, it's also a bit exciting. I'll play it out and see where it takes me. :)

- 24 -

Imagine.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.

- 24 -

Countrywide Classic!

Shooting the Countrywide Classic was awesome! I'd never driven to UCLA by myself before, so that in itself was an experience. Can't believe traffic stopped before I even got to the 405...

I sat on the court sidelines in the best seats in the house, right at the net. Combining my two of my favorites, tennis and a camera, made me feel at home. Plus, I got to talk to the few photographers that showed up to shoot. Since it was the first day, almost nobody showed up. Got some great pictures though (I think)! I really learned the crucial aspect of timing in sports shooting today; anticipating the action really got me much better shots. Can't wait to shoot more in the year!

MARAT SAFIN :D I was THIS close to him!

Okay. Haha. I'm good for awhile.

Weird discovery last night: my copy of "Apologize" was 1.67 GB??!

Currently listening to: "Typical" by Mute Math

- 24 -

Wow

It's been an interesting day. Well, sort of. I was really surprised when I got an e-mail Sunday morning telling me I was shooting the Countrywide Classic on Monday. Really, really last minute surprise, but I can't wait for it! Hope I get some decent pictures from it.

I was really surprised Andy Murray won today; the Cincinnati Masters was really full of surprises. My jaw mysteriously started hurting, and now I can't properly eat. Ugh. And while running today, I guess the heat and how much I pushed myself led to a pounding chest pain that wouldn't go away for an hour. I've really got to know my limits.

Hope my first drive to UCLA alone goes well! And maybe see a few friends? We'll see. :)

Random store I saw today. Somehow the context of it all just doesn't seem right. Oh, and there were grown adults in the plaza parking lot racing remote control cars. Really odd.


















- 24 -

The Halfway Point

My summer's already half over, and I haven't done anything worthwhile. Most of my friends are in or headed to different places of the globe, and I'm stuck here at home. When Christine told me to go and do something that I really wanted to do, I didn't really know what I wanted either. I've been floating around in this endless void of unemployment and no school for so long that I've lost focus on my life.

For now, a list of things that must be done in the remaining time:
- Find and purchase a used car to replace the old Camry
- Get a gym membership (finally)
- Go biking with Vicky regularly
- Read at least 3 new books
- Buy a wide-angle and a telephoto zoom lens
- Sushi with Angie in Little Tokyo (mochi ice cream/Yogurtland as well)
- Find a job for the year
- Collect debts from people
- Birthday gifts
- ?

Recent music appreciation:
"Hotel California" - The Eagles
"Rock You Like A Hurricane" - Scorpions
"Helter Skelter" - The Beatles
"With A Little Help From My Friends" - The Beatles
"Pinball Wizard" - The Who
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
"Live And Let Die" - Paul McCartney & Wings (and the Guns 'N Roses cover)
"I'll Run" - The Cab
"Rocketman" - Elton John

- 24 -

Pleasant Discoveries

Finally! Got out of the house this week and went on a random trip to Little Tokyo with Angie. Hurray for random outings. :) We passed through a bunch of Japanese stores with the cutest and most amazing food items; I took a picture of some fruit tarts:





















Adorable, no?

As we were walking to Little Tokyo Shopping Center (which wasn't interesting at all), we found a Yogurtland! Totally made my day :) Now I don't have to go down to UCI to get some really good froyo.

I vow to return downtown when I have a wide-angle lens; a telephoto doesn't do it justice.























- 24 -

Beatlemania

I'm going through another one of my music taste shifts. While I generally like alternative/rock, I've had periods of slight shifts. I've had a hip-hop/R&B phase, a musical phase, and an acoustic guitar phase; I'm currently entering my appreciation for the classics. In the last few weeks, I've downloaded The Who, Led Zeppelin, U2, Queen, Guns 'N Roses, and The Beach Boys. I'm tracing back to Rolling Stone's list of most influential artists of all time, so I have a while to go. The Beatles are my favorite! Not all of their songs are really to my taste, but some of them totally rocked their Across the Universe counterparts.

My current favorite songs:
Helter Skelter
Back in the U.S.S.R.
With A Little Help From My Friends
All You Need Is Love
Let It Be
Hey Jude
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band

Forgive me if I start singing Beatles lyrics randomly.

I GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGERS.

- 24 -