heart and soul

Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul Now? Best video I've seen in a while:


The peeps behind Gorillaz (Damon Albarn and James Hewitt) did this intro to the BBC coverage of the upcoming Beijing Olympics. Monkey King and Gorillaz. Coolness:


A sampling of Joss Whedon's brilliantly fun Dr Horrible Sing-Along Blog:

i want to believe

My blogging enthusiasm has waned significantly lately. Probably mostly because I've been in a foul mood but also because since I moved my blog, nobody really reads it anymore (and I am not jumping to tell people I know about the move). But you know, I shall carry on. Just like Scully says in the new X-Files movie: Don't give up...The X-Files movie bombed at the box office this weekend and also bombed with the critics. But I saw it on Saturday and I actually quite liked it. I loved seeing Mulder and Scully again, and I also thought it was quite a thoughtful story about faith. Sure, it's not a creep-fest and likely won't appeal to anyone who does not already feel a kinship to Mulder and Scully, but for me, it was a wonderful visit with old friends...One of my old friends and coworkers, GT, is retiring next week. I haven't worked with him since 2005, but he was pretty much the one who showed me the ropes when I first started, so I owe much to him (or blame him) for everything I know. It's gonna be extremely weird come the following week when he is no longer part of my work life, but good on him for getting out of there, unlike many foolish people who keep hanging on...You should never hang on too long to something, good or bad. Attachment leads to dependency which in turn leads to weakness. Detachment cleans you of desire and pettiness and neediness...I do however desire and need a good camera to take concert photos. I am looking at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 which boasts a 10x optical zoom...And I finally gave in to my desire for the iPhone and ordered it on Thurs from the AT&T store, which has a waiting time of about three weeks. Three weeks of waiting will make me zen and teach me patience, so it's all good...Thursday I also went to see Dr Dao, the optometrist at Costco. He is having me try out Acuvue Oasys lenses for my astigmatism instead of the ProClear Torics I've been using. In case you don't know what astigmatism is, it's not the cut that one gets from getting nailed to the cross...This brings me back to the topic of faith. I am a man of little faith, in myself and in my fellow mankind. I guess that's what happens when your heart gets broken real bad. But sometimes you can't count yourself out, and you can't count other people out. For every run of bad luck, I can probably also cite an instance where faith and goodness wins out. All you really need is a victory here and there to make the fight worth its while. I want to believe this. I do.

it's just a feeling by my side

I am randomly going to present my favorite things, starting with five of my favorite songs of all time:

Postal Service - Such Great Heights


Radiohead - Karma Police


Madonna - Ray Of Light


Al Green - Let's Stay Together


Velvet Underground - Sunday Morning

viva la coldplay

It's been a rather busy week. Monday started with Aimee Mann concert at the Winery@Saratoga. I was sick and tired and the outdoor venue turned out to be quite chilly, but once Aimee Mann took to the stage and started playing all her brilliantly sad songs, I was all right again...SYTYCD in one fell swoop got rid of my favorite guy (Gev) and gal (Kherington), and just like that, I don't like the show much anymore...Project Runway is back, and the Chinese guy is first to go. That's okay though, cuz whatever it was that he made was an ugly mess, not the worst (the other two in the bottom three were worse IMHO) but bad enough so I won't cry foul...Major dramz at work involving Jaclyn Smith. Someone threatened to make her return the parting gift (Tiffany's necklace and bracelet) the group got her cuz it supposedly cost too much and violated some ethics code. It all turned out fine in the end, but it really goes to show you what some people are really like. I gots to watch me back...And so there goes Jaclyn Smith riding off into the sunset. Sigh...The Dark Knight finally arrives, with recordbreaking opening numbers and much fanfare over Heath Ledger's mad Joker. So freaking sad that all this acclaim and he is not around any longer...Major purchases this week include: Sharp 26" LCD tv for mom for her bday; booked the Signet Kanto/Kansai Japan tour for Oct, with extra four nites in Tokyo for roaming around on our own; and an iHome under-cabinet iPod player on clearance at Circuit City (got it for only $20)...Still waiting for lines to die down at Apple stores so I can go and buy an iPhone, either that or waiting to talk myself out of buying it...Friday ended with Coldplay concert at HP down in San Jose. I was in Sec 128, row 18, which turned out to be really good seats. I took some pics but as usual they are blurry and too far away - I don't even know why I bother until I get a better camera for concert pics (anybody with suggestions?). Anyways, I don't even know how many times it is now that I've seen Coldplay, and they always deliver. The new cd is awesome, with great songs like Lovers In Japan and Strawberry Swing - my two faves, so it was great to hear these live for the first time. BTW, I really liked those giant balls hanging from the ceiling; they light up in different colors and also are used for image projection. I would like some in my house...I remember going to Coldplay concert with GY before, and I really miss that. That was a special period in my life that I am not sure whether I can ever recapture. Oh well, solider, you gotta soldier on...


Online Videos by Veoh.com

a-rod and a guy

Hmm, wonder what's going on in Madonna-land these days?


The above pic is hilarious. The Yankees did lose to the Blue Jays 5-0 that day, so the tactic apparently worked. Wonder if this will catch on - like all opposing team fans are going to start wearing cone-bras to the games.


But Madonna and family showed no fear. The entire family went out to a movie in solidarity. Screw the tabloids. Rocco is the cutest English boy ever. For some reason, particularly with the way he looks in these latest pics, he reminds me of The Little Prince.

Oh btw, Britney is in L.A. shooting a video backdrop for Madonna's upcoming tour, and her backstabbing brother Christopher Ciccone is out promoting his tell-all Life With My Sister. And someone threw a rock at Madonna's car in Central Park - not sure if random or targeted. Oh the drama!

2008-1/2

We've just passed the half-way mark to 2008. While 2008 has royally sucked so far, I am still gonna make myself a list of good things to come for the remainder of the year:

- iPhone 7/11 (I am gonna get one as soon as the lines die down and the activation kinks get worked out)
- Coldplay concert 7/18 (I am not gay)
- The Dark Knight 7/18 (I am totally gay for Batman though)
- X-Files I Want To Believe 7/25 (my good friends Mulder and Scully are back!)
- Olympics 8/8 (I am a sucker for the Olympics and all the feel-good stories)
- Kitchen remodel August/Sept (the long-awaited project that's gonna wipe me out financially)
- Annie and Natalie Imbruglia cds this fall (two hot girls await me)
- Amazing Race 13 premiere 9/28 (my fantasy is to go on Amazing Race and win the million bucks - that would be hotter than two hot girls awaiting me)
- Japan vacation 10/17 (Harajuku girls and hot udons await me)
- Madonna concert 11/1 (I like the sweet part but not so much the sticky part - I don't like sticky things as a general rule)

gev it 2 me

I love So You Think You Can Dance. These are my four favorite couples so far:

Gev & Courtney (the cutest couple ever) doing the Rumba:


Mark & Chelsie (I love Mark's quirkiness) doing the Argentine Tango:


Twitch & Kherington (Kherington is so beautiful that she should be a movie star) doing hip hop:


Joshua & Katee doing contemporary (this routine is probably my favorite of the season so far!):


Bonus - Check out Gev doing his solo - holy crap:

my soft story

Weather: Chilly
State: Peaceful
Music: Jason Mraz's We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
Last Movie: Indy Jones (geez, I guess I haven't watched any movie all month long?)
Last Pleasure: Taking pictures at Yosemite
Last Worry: Article about how certain houses in SF are more vulnerable in the next big quake (yup - I live in one of those kinds of buildings with a "soft story")
Looking Forward To: The Dark Knight & Heath Ledger's freakish performance as the Joker
Not Really Looking Forward To: July 18th (the day Jaclyn Smith leaves us in the hands of Martha Stewart)
Tired Of: Gas prices, and Miley Cyrus
Gas Price: $4.59/gallon
Clothes: Black striped shirt over black t-shirt, chocolate brown beat-up chinos
Today's Headline: Colombia Rescues Betancourt, 3 U.S. Hostages
Current Desktop Wallpaper: The Dark Knight
Last Website Visited: signettours.com
Last Meal: Boneless roast duck over rice at King of Thai Noodles (yum)
Latest Evidence It's A Beautiful World: The dancers on So You Think You Can Dance (man, youth and talent - what an awesome combination!). Plus I absolutely adore Cat Deeley.
An Item On My Wishlist: A buyer for my Madonna concert tix
Fortune of the Day: Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. Epicurus