three years

three years i will wait for u
three years i will wait for u
three years i will wait for your return
that's one thousand ninety five days i will save
all written in my diary
all recorded in single space
every single ring i hear
every single dream i dream
i think you will descend from the sky
i think you will save my life
three years i will wait for u
three years i will play the fool

if you don't come in three year's time
i am giving up for good
i know better than to hope
i will let go of the woe
one hundred fifty six feet of rope
one hundred fifty six weeks to go

i will give up my favorite thing
i will walk miles in a ring
i will behave and not self-destruct
i will stay safe and remain tucked
three years i will do this right
three years i will watch the night
three years i will wait for u
three years i will play the fool

ara batur

Sigur Ros' Ara Batur from their new album. It is honestly one of the most beautiful songs to come along in a long, long time, even though I have no idea what it's about. If anybody knows what Ara Batur means, let me know. My google search turned up nothing.

wtf

WTF:

- While visiting Grace Cathedral this Sat, there was a wedding going on, so we stood in the back to observe. We noticed that the maid of honor was wearing a black balloon dress that seemed rather inappropriately short for a wedding. All the other bridesmaids wore long, fuchsia dresses. Anyways, when we were having dinner at Benihana, I saw a girl wearing that same balloon dress and I thought maybe it was the same girl. But maybe it wasn't because how unlikely would it be for someone to end up at Benihana right after doing maid of honor duties at Grace Cathedral. Then this afternoon, I rewatched Annie's I Know Your Girlfriend Hates Me. Lo and behold - here is that same balloon dress:


- So some of you may be aware that one of my friends pretended he was in a Bollywood musical and married some woman he barely knew because of pressure from his mother. So you know that that marriage had nothing going for it to begin with. Well, I was having dinner with that friend, and I asked whether things have improved much. He revealed that he recently found out that the woman he married actually has not one but two police records!!! Yup, two police records, one for petty theft and the other for breaking and entering. Okay, I am going to say this - a woman caught for theft and breaking/entering can actually be kinda hot, if she did it all while wearing some tight leather black catsuit. I like a bad girl as much as the next Batman. But if you've seen my friend's wife, you would know if she ever wore a catsuit, you would need to go all Eternal Sunshine and get your memories erased. Anyways, now this woman has fallen out of favor with my friend's mom, and they even got into a slight shoving incident. Oh the drama! I honestly hope my friend makes up his mind on what to do with this mess and not let it drag on too long.

- One of my ex-coworkers who got terminated because of his refusal to take medication for his epilepsy decided to write a letter to President Bush to complain. Didn't this guy get the memo? George Bush doesn't care about white people, especially college educated, caucasian, virile hetereosexual people.

- Oh, this one is kinda old news, but it belongs in the WTF hall of fame. Yup, it's the one where Clay Aikens fathers a child. The mother is David Foster's sister and apparently good friend of Clay's. And she is 50 years old and was artificially inseminated. Yeah, I know. This stuff just writes itself sometimes.

eat, pray, eat

What I ate this weekend:

Pagoloc on Larkin/Eddy: 7-course beef meal (Although meal was delicious, the novelty wore off on me by the third course - courses 2-6 all required work on the customer's part in cooking and/or wrapping the beef in rice papers. I mean, I don't even like eating fish with bones or any fruit with seeds/pits/skin you have to peel because it's too much trouble.)

100% Health Desserts @ Taraval: Sago in coconut milk topped with fresh mixed fruits (Always in the mood for a Chinese dessert. Honestly one of my favorite food categories ever.)

Filoli Garden @ Woodside: Very berry tart (Hot as hell day for an outdoors excursion (see pics in my flickr account). But it actually turned out fine when the early summer breeze kicked in. The very berry tart from the cafe was perfect for a light snack before we went looking for lunch.)

Princeton Seafood near Half Moon Bay: Fish chowder (It took almost two damn hours to find Princeton Street just north of Half Moon Bay. After all that time, you would think we would have picked a better restaurant than this joint. I had the chowder while others had fish & chips. Nobody really liked what they had. My chowder didn't really taste fresh nor tasty. But I was hungry by then, so I gulped it all down.)

Benihana Steakhouse @ Japantown: Hibachi steak dinner (My first time eating fake Japanese. I think this really is for white people only. And you know how annoying it is when there is a birthday table at Chevy's or Friday's, and the waiters come around singing happy birthday - uh, just imagine that with taiko drums for your worst nightmare.)

Gelato Classico @ 576 Union St: Tiramisu and Pistachio gelato (A short run to North Beach for a gelato to end Saturday evening. Delicious and freezing old. Yup, the fog had moved into the city by evening, and I was wearing shorts and eating ice cream.)

saturday night's all right

Rate everything weekend:

Lunch today: I made a buffalo burger, on toasted Russian rye bread, with mayonnaise, mango salsa, roasted bell peppers, guacamole, ketchup, and herb salad greens. I overcooked the buffalo meat, but otherwise it was pretty good. B

Beach Blanket Babylon: Fun!!! Love the bit with Dick Cheney singing And I'm Telling You to Nancy Pelosi. Other highlights include Larry Craig, Barbra, the Tina Turner Wig, Madonna flying, and the two giant hats for the closing number. I am glad I finally got to see this after all these years living in SF. A-

Dinner at Firenze by Night: My chicken ravioli was delicious, but the tiramisu was disappointing. It was packed and noisy, and there was a naked David statue right by our table. B-

Ghiradelli Square vanilla malt shake: Haven't been here in a while. Nice way to end a Saturday night. B

Haagen Dazs green tea ice cream: Surprisingly disappointing. I love Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream. But its green tea is too sweet and doesn't have enough green tea flavor. Dreyer's green tea is way better. C

The first two pages of a new novel I am writing (or more accurately trying to write): It flows rather easily. But then again, most of the times, the beginning is the easiest for me. It's the rest that's the hurdle. This one is a travelogue in part. Why didn't I think of this earlier? B

Star Magazine: Free one-year trial. God, even I think this is too shallow (and I am definitely not very deep). Who actually pays for this crap??? C-

George Foreman grill with removable plates: I got this for less than $25 from Bed Bath & Beyond. It's awesome, with the removable plates for cleaning. I am going to get rid of my old ones. A-

The pending arrival of Golden Girl to replace Jacyln Smith: Tomorrow she comes. God help us. God help us!!! F

right impression

Let the fools believe that Rihanna or Beyonce or any of the Pussycat Dolls or (for Christ's sake, peeeople) Mariah is hot. Those in the know all know that the most beautiful woman in music is...NATALIE IMBRUGLIA. And it's a bonus that she's an Aussie.

Watch her Wrong Impression video, and tell me she is not one of the most gorgeous women you've ever seen. I think this is the answer to the question What do you look for in a woman?



She is now busy working on a new cd, which surely I will have to buy as an import cuz the dang USA has no taste.

indy and the city of gods

Supposedly the unmade Indy 4 script by Frank Darabont leaked online, and people say it's way better than Crystal Skull. Yeah, if George Lucas were Indy, he wouldn't be able to pick out the Holy Grail if it hit him in the head.

proust

What is your idea of happiness?
Having a great meal, preferably in a foreign country, with someone I enjoy.

What is your current state of mind?
Anxious, about a lot of things.

What is your greatest fear?
Loneliness and earthquakes.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Pettiness/judgmental.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Arrogance/ego.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Madonna concert tickets.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Friendliness/gregariousness.

What is it that you most dislike?
Expectations.

On what occasion do you lie?
When telling the truth is inconsequential and may lead to conflict.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
Posture.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Self-deprecating humor.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Same thing.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"That's cool."

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Either the television or the computer, or family, or the one that got away.

When and where were you happiest?
Before I came to America when I was nine years old, or when I was roaming around China as if I were on The Amazing Race in 2006.

Which talent would you most like to have?
Athletic or musical.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Maintaining strong work ethics.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would be healthy.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
A surfing doctor who plays guitar at the beach bonfire.

What is your most treasured possession?
Surprisingly nothing.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Losing someone you love, and there's not a damn thing you can do to keep that person in your life.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Cynicism.

What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty.

Who are your favorite writers?
Vonnegut, Salinger, John Irving.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Samwise Gamgee.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Anne Frank.

Who are your heroes in real life?
People in extreme poverty yet making a living to support their family.

What are your favorite names?
Jason, Lulu, Tobias, Simone, Isabella.

What is your greatest regret?
Career path. Not being married with children.

How would you like to die?
Without much fanfare, but with fans.

you say tomato, i say salmonella

This past weekend was mind-numbingly boring. Even though it was bright and sunny out, I wasn't much in the mood, and actually didn't really have anywhere to go. I am kinda burnt out from shopping or consuming in general. I didn't even want to go food-shopping cuz my fridge is loaded and I always end up dumping stuff away. I guess I am just really conscious of my money spending, since I am sitting on $1600 worth of Madonna concert tickets, and I need to get rid of half of those. Eeks. I am not getting any bids from ebay, and the Stubhub listing hasn't yielded anything either. Even though it wasn't my initial motivation for buying the extra two tickets (I wanted my friend to have the seat she preferred), I thought maybe at least I can make a hundred bucks or something to offset the cost. But now I just want my money back. Maybe I am too anxious. But really, I just want to have it done with.

Yesterday, I did end up picking up my guitar to learn some chords. Dang - it's hard. That Radiohead phrase - anybody can play guitar - is just plain wrong. My fingers are hurting just for an hour's worth of effort. Maybe I am too old. Or maybe I just need to pick up another musical endeavor. Such as dancing with a motorcycle helmet on. That I can do. And I can do it well, mind you. Secretly, I've got some pretty good dance moves.

I also watched a few episodes of my Tivo'ed No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. It just occurred to me that the title No Reservations actually is a double entendre. All this time, I never got it. No reservations as in no restaurant reservations, and no reservations as in no hesitation to try something foreign and strange and new. I guess I am kinda slow. Anyhoo, the Vietnam episode is hilarious. Gotta say, those Vietnamese people (particularly that Mr. Sang, entrepreneur) are kinda goofy. But it also looks beautiful. I would like to go to Vietnam one day. Maybe sooner than later.

Today, Monday, brings more interests, include a hot mess at work (where I was quoted in the newspaper and am now fretting that I might be drawn into this lawsuit between the State and a hospital); the announcement of the 3G iPhone (I am pretty sure I'm going to jump on the bandwagon cuz it's going to be $199 and comes with 3G and GPS - woohoo!); a small 3.1 earthquake this morning at 4:30am (I slept right thru it); and a salmonella outbreak which has prompted many restaurants to pull tomato from their menus. Yeah, great, I have tomato in my lunch and then I come home to see the news on tv about this whole salmonella thing. What the? Oh, also, I got an email today about the ten lowest health inspection-rated restaurants in the city. Guess what? I've gone to at least five of them, and one of them is one of my favorite places to get Vietnamese grilled pork over rice. Yeah, I am not going to let a little thing like cleanliness keep me from my grilled pork. Didn't stop me in China, didn't stop me in Thailand, and it ain't stopping me here on my home turf where I have ready access to the finest American hospitals and emergency rooms. BTW, I love hospitals and the health care providers - despite what you read in the newspapers about me...

we keep forgetting what it is that we came to say

Wisdom from my top ten songs this week: No more making you cry, no more them gray skies/Girl we flying on the G5 G5...All we ever do is play in the sheets/Smoke us a cigarette and go back to sleep... I'll be a saint, I'll be your man/I'll do most anything, 'cause I don't care...I don't know what to do, about this dream and you/I wish this dream comes true...I guess what I'm a sayin' is, there ain't no better reason/to rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons...Baby, never should say never/I've got a hurricane inside my vein/I want to stay forever...You always have the biggest heart/when we are six thousand miles apart...I want my life to make more sense/I want my life to make amends/I want my life to make more sense to me...You've got pretty good dance moves and white converse shoes...People will never understand/I will never be an independent man...

10. My Own Worst Enemy - George Stanford
9. Pavement Tune - The Frames
8. PGDM - Pretty Good Dance Moves
7. Digital Love - Alphabeat
6. Miles Away - Madonna
5. Sexual Eruption - Snoop Dogg featuring Robyn
4. Mother Mary - Foxboro Hot Tubs
3. Leavin' - Jesse McCartney
2. Soul On Fire - Spiritualized
1. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

BTW - Love the video for PGDM (#8). People dancing in motorcycle helmets are way cool!!!

march of the penguins

So our office is located in such a seedy neighborhood that we have this Buddy Up system, where you can pair up with a penguin to walk to the BART station. I think the way it works is this: if you are leaving the office, say at a late hour, and are scared, you would take one of these penguins, located at the lobby entrance, with you. How a penguin is going to protect you from the drug addicts and the homeless and the crazies, I don't know. Maybe when the crazies see you walking with a penguin, they would be so amused and bewildered that they would think you are just one of them and thus leave you alone. I myself would prefer a polar bear, like the armored variety from The Golden Compass.

fist bumpin'

Yesterday night was historic. Obama became the first presidential candidate ever to fist bump his wife.

I now predict the next president of the United States to be...




McCain.

I am not being racist, just a realist. Some of my best friends are black. Well, no, not really. How about some of my bestest associates are black? And I listen to black music. Sometimes. Every so often, like, the last cd I bought was Santogold. Totally black. Yay for me. Not racist.

douche corps et cheveux

What I got in the mail today:

- Ticketmaster Madonna tickets for the 11/1/2008 show. I am going to sell these off (hopefully) cuz I ended up getting tix for the 11/2/2008 show instead. Anybody??? I AM SELLING THESE AT COST, NO PROFIT.

- Jack Black All-Over Wash (it's a gift for completing a survey). It's awesome cuz it's a 6 oz bottle. And in French, it's gel douche corps et cheveux.

- Men's Journal July 2008 issue, with the mellow fellow Jack Johnson on the cover. He's da man.

another 4 minutes

Uh, I think they call this talent, like really amazing talent:


Another cover of a song from Hard Candy:

hurricane inside my vein

Weather: Sun's breaking out
State: Worried
Music: Alphabeat's acoustic cover of Daft Punk's Digital Love
Last Movie: Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Last Pleasure: So You Think You Can Dance season premiere
Last Worry: Jury duty. Oh no!!!
Looking Forward To: Coldplay's Viva La Vida (looove the title track and the accompanying iTunes ad)
Not Really Looking Forward To: Making up excuses come Monday on why I am not a good juror.
Tired Of: Branglina
Gas Price: $4.21/gallon
Clothes: Tan safari shirt over my charcoal grey Pink Floyd t-shirt, jeans
Today's Headline: Democrats Try To Settle Florida And Michigan Dispute
Current Desktop Wallpaper: The Dark Knight
Last Website Visited: www.prettymuchamazing.com
Last Meal: Chicken combo ho fun noodle at Pho Hoa Hiep II @ Westlake
Latest Evidence It's A Beautiful World: The trailer for David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons
An Item On My Wishlist: Guitar lessons
Fortune of the Day: I've got a hurricane inside my vein

Bonus: Coldplay just performed Viva La Vida at the MTV Movie Awards