queen of hat

Aretha Franklin's crazy-ass hat at the inauguration is all the craze these days. It seems everyone wants one, including heroic Iron Man:


And tough guy Kim Jong Il:


And the ever-menacing Joker:


And the new leader of the free world:

tres yum

I went to Chez Papa for lunch today and had this eggplant tartine (don't really know what a tartine is, but this is like an open face sandwich):


Speaking of food, Martha Stewart is doing a tour of 10th Street East Village restaurants this week. They all look so good that I wish I were in New York right now. She did Grafitti, an Indian restaurant (I had already declared earlier this year that India is now THE hot country), and Rai Rai Ken, a Japanese ramen shop that reminds me lots of ramen shop I went to in Osaka (best ramen ever!!!). The most interesting so far for me is Chikalicious, a dessert bar that serves three dessert courses for $12. YUM! Are there similar dessert bars in San Francisco? If so, can someone take me there?

lights will guide you home

Young @ Heart singer Fred Knittle has died of cancer at age 83. He was the one who wowed them with his performance of Coldplay's Fix You.

I just saw the documentary this weekend. I actually cried at the scene where the choir was performing Bob Dylan's Forever Young to a group of inmates an hour after learning of the passing of former member Bob Salvini, who up til his last day was determined to come back to perform with them. It was the combination of the choir's gusto performance, the sadness that Bob Salvini's nine lives finally ran out, the poignancy of Dylan's lyrics, and the inmates' reactions that moved me.



May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

and so it goes and so will you soon

Just because I like you, I give you another five six random favorite songs of mine:

I start off with a masterpiece, one of my favoritist songs like ever - Blur's Tender (Come on, come on, come on, love is the greatest thing that we have...):


Stacey Q's Two Of Hearts (covered by Annie on her latest cd):


Simon & Garfunkel's The Only Living Boy In New York:


Split Enz's Stuff & Nonsense (I've hunting hi and lo, without success, for the mp3 of this song - youtube is the best I can do for now):


Billy Joel's And So It Goes (doubles as a tribute to Vonnegut, my literary hero):


Bryan Ferry's Slave To Love:

and the suckage goes to...

This year's Oscar noms are terribly disappointing. Here are my reactions:

Performance by an actor in a leading role
* Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor”
* Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon”
* Sean Penn in “Milk”
* Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
* Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler”
Reaction: Go Mickey Rourke! And freaking Brad Pitt over Leonardo DiCaprio - what a joke!

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
* Josh Brolin in “Milk”
* Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder”
* Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt”
* Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight”
* Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road”
Reaction: It's Heath Ledger all the way, no doubt. Today is the anniversary of his death. It's a beautiful coincidence.


Performance by an actress in a leading role
* Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married”
* Angelina Jolie in “Changeling”
* Melissa Leo in “Frozen River”
* Meryl Streep in “Doubt”
* Kate Winslet in “The Reader”
Reaction: Ugh - that freaking Angelina Jolie again. I am so sick of her. And Meryl Streep again??? I really, really want Kate Winslet to win, even if it's for The Reader and not for Revolutionary Road.


Performance by an actress in a supporting role
* Amy Adams in “Doubt”
* Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
* Viola Davis in “Doubt”
* Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
* Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler”
Reaction: Marisa Tomei!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I pray to God and Allah and Buddha and whoever else needs praying to. I am willing to cash in a little bit of the good karma I may have earned over the years for Marisa Tomei to win. If I haven't really earned any good karma, then I can pay cash.


Achievement in directing
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," David Fincher
* “Frost/Nixon,” Ron Howard
* “Milk,” Gus Van Sant
* “The Reader,” Stephen Daldry
* “Slumdog Millionaire,” Danny Boyle
Reaction: No Christopher Nolan means this blows. I love David Fincher but not for this movie cuz it stars sucky Brad Pitt. So Danny Boyle it is, by default.

Best motion picture of the year
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
* “Frost/Nixon”
* “Milk”
* “The Reader”
* “Slumdog Millionaire”
Reaction: I am rooting for Slumdog. If Benjamin Button wins, I am throwing something at the tv (not my new Sony Bravia though).

holy union

First pic from W magazine photo shoot shows Madonna kissing rumored (likely falsely-rumored) boy-toy Brazilian model Jesus.

curious case of oscar grant

Randomness, newscast style: For the past two weeks or so, there have been continuing protests, some turning violent, in Oakland and SF against the killing of Oscar Grant. Oscar Grant is a young black man who was shot by BART police Johannes Mehserle on New Year's early morning, around 2am, at the Fruitvale BART station, during an investigation of a fight on a BART train. Oscar Grant was lying face down, posing no apparent danger to the police, when the BART police officer inexplicably drew his gun and fatally shot him in the back. Since then, Johannes Mehserle has refused to talk to investigators, resigned from BART, been hiding in Nevada due to death threats, and been arrested on murder charges...A couple of days ago, a jetliner with about 150 passengers taking off from New York was attacked by al qaeda geese from Afghanistan, lost its engines, and made an emergency landing on the Hudson River. Due to the pilot and crew and everyone's cool-headedness, all made it out alive and well. Ha - al qaeda geese, nice try!!! Don't you know it's the new Obama era of competence?...On Tuesday, January 20, we can officially bid the Dubya goodbye and welcome Obama to the White House. QVC is selling Obama merchandise as if he's a football franchise or something. They got coins, stamps, and blankets. I myself got in on the action and donated $35 to the Presidential Inauguration Committee so I can get two Shepherd Fairey-designed inauguration posters. I am warming up to Obama. At the very least, I love that we have a well-spoken president. For the first time in eight years, I don't feel smarter than the leader of the free world. Let's just hope he stays away from the Fruitvale BART station and keeps safe...In weather, the Northeast continues to be frigid, while in the Bay Area we continue to get blue sky and summery, or maybe more like springy, temperatures...This is the NFL divisional playoff weekend. I am rooting for a Cardinals-Steelers Superbowl. At last, I have teams I am not hating in the final rounds, with the Colts, Giants, and Cowboys nowhere to be seen (insert evil laughter). Sure, I'm still mourning the Pats missing the playoffs even with an 11-5 record, but without Tom Brady, it wasn't going to be the same anyway...Circuit City is going to close. The liquidators are moving in this weekend to clear all merchandise. It is somewhat sad to see all these big chains unable to survive through this economic downturn. It seems every single day there is a big corp closing its doors or laying off a big portion of its staff. Thank goodness I have a steady job and am not yet relying on my 401k. I am making a vow to be fiscally conservative this year, try to cut back on my luxury spendings, and build up my savings...Now we move on to my favorite portion of this program - entertainment news! Gossip Girl spinoff is going to about Lily and Rufus's early years, when they were young. That means the 80's!!! I think that's a brilliant idea for a spinoff, instead of what shows normally do for spinoffs. And come on, I love to see a retro teen soap set in the 80's - big hair, velcro, and Duran Duran...The Golden Globes last weekend was actually rather enjoyable, despite the repeated focus on Brangelina. Kate Winslet was a lovable babbling idiot onstage after winning her second acting award of the night; she was genuinely shocked. It was very sweet though when she proclaimed to Leo that she's loved him for thirteen years. And then there was the Colin Farrell speech, surprisingly eloquent and heartfelt; it was something about love and loyalty. Who knew the party boy had it in him? Plus it was awesome to see Marisa Tomei at the award scene again, even if she didn't win. She is possibly my favorite actress and looks the same as she did back in My Cousin Vinny days. Cute as a button (even if I have no clue why buttons are considered cute). Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner of night and goes into the Oscar with mucho momentum. Supposedly India is the new It country right now, with Slumdog cleaning up, the world attention on Mumbai after the tragic terrorist attacks, and Indian food on the surge in world cuisine popularity. Before you know it, we'll all be singing and dancing Bollywood style.

the summer in january

It's like summer here in San Francisco this past week. I think it's been hitting the seventies at high noon. It's like summer but without the summery optimism. Just got thru new year, which always carry with it a heavy dose of melancholy. Melancholy for another year lost and for another year that seems no better than the last. There is of course always the urge to change, but even greater is the urge to stay the same. It takes an insurmountable effort to change, and I don't believe it's in me. And the new year always makes me reflect on this. Whenever I take stock, I always come up short, as if someone has been skimming the fat behind my back. Nightly he comes and steals from right under me.

So here I am, standing in a train in the middle of January, sweating under my hoodie and jacket, watching the passing platforms. I wonder sometimes how is it that my fellow passengers go about their business, how they get along so swimmingly, how they progress from one stage of life to the next as if everything is on auto pilot, how is it that my life does not have this mechanism.

In a way it might be some consolation for me to believe that everyone is just trying harder than me and doing it a little better than me. At least then I can just put in more effort to get better results. But you see, I don't fundamentally believe that to be true. I think I am trying as hard as the average person out there on the train. I think I have better intention, greater desire, work harder, extend myself farther than generally the guy sitting next to me. I am just missing something, something unidentifiable to me. I have no freaking idea what that something is. Maybe it's just plain dumb luck. Whatever it is, it's got me stuck in neutral. It's kicked me in the ass. It's got me bowed over. It's making me hate new year's, particularly a new year disguising itself as summer but really is frigid to the bone.

clouds

Older photo from a few weeks back. Weather's actually been glorious & beautiful, if you like the sun and that kind of stuff. I am just playing with the Poladroid program.

as seen on tv

The cult of Snuggies:


Shamwow - it's made in Germany, and the Germans always make good stuff:


Bonus - a couple of classics:

The Clapper:


Ch-ch-ch-chia:

shake it like it's a polaroid

A few more shots from Japan 2008, Poladroid style:

born under a bad sign

Ok somebody just forwarded me some Chinese horoscope thingy that says I will have to be careful because the coming year will be very unlucky for me. But wait, didn't somebody tell me that last year already and I had to wear a damn crystal bracelet all year long to ward off evil (I actually fell off the wagon since October). Hmm, am I condemned to an infinite string of bad years? Was I born under a bad sign? What gives?

Per this horoscope for this new year of the Ox, while other signs get advices like "This is your lucky year" or "Control your lust" or "Beware of sexual traps" (damn, why didn't I get that?), my sign says I should cool it down at work, avoid controversy and gossip and drama, lay low; I shouldn't invest and be conservative in my spending; I will be a monk since I will be unlucky in love (as usual).

But I remain hopeful. 2010, baby! That's the year when everything starts turning around. Tom Brady will be back big time. I will be the one watching out for sexual traps (you know how those damn Eastern European swimsuit supermodels are...). Madonna will release another Ray Of Light to shut all the haters up. My 401K will skyrocket as the market rebounds. Obama would have had a full year to solve all of the world's problems.

Now only if I can get thru 2009 unscathed.

let's party like it's 2007

Sigh. It didn't seem that long ago when it was 2007. Yet everything seems so far away. I was a younger soul then. Not any happier but younger which is always better. Two years gone just mean two years less to turn this train around. Yeah, sigh.

Just now I was playing my 2007 playlist in shuffle and these were the five songs that came up in a row. I loved every single one of these:

Landon Pigg - Falling In Love At The Coffee Shop


Glen Hansard - Fallen From The Sky


Roisin Murphy - Overpowered


Grizzly Bear - Knife


Jens Lekman - A Little Lost

the most courageous of them all

I am a man of inventory. I like to constantly take stock of myself, my life, my world. My latest list is a top ten list of my greatest FEARS.

Let me start off by admitting that I am a chicken. I am scared of many, many things. Sometimes I wonder how I get by in life, with some many fears. But then I remember this quote that says courage is not about not having fear, but it's about doing things despite your fear. In which case, I am a hell of a courageous dude!

10. Talking apes (those damn Planet of the Apes creatures really freak me out)
9. Ghosts (way scarier than serial killers!)
8. Eternal damnation (yeah, all those Jehovah's Witnesses and Christians have scared the bejesus out of me, yet I continue to sin and carry on like a heathen - how courageous of me!)
7. Rodents (it's the fur and the claws - why else do you suppose Mickey wears gloves?)
6. Making mistakes (I know, I know about that thing where you grow through your mistakes, but honestly I am not sure if the lessons are worth the hassle)
5. Cancer (I am a hypochondriac; I think I have every illness and ailment out there - cancer seems to be the most mysterious, thus scariest, of them all)
4. Baldness (oh hair, how I love you so! Would you please be mine forever and ever?)
3. Air turbulence while flying (the absolute worst part of going on holiday)
2. Something bad happening to my mother (especially when I hear her walking down stairs)
1. EARTHQUAKE!!!

this summer night in january

This is such a perfect night
this summer night
a night just made for dancing
and here beneath the magic moon
I hear the rhythm of your beating heart
it's making music with my own

by Robert Wyatt & Bertrand Burgalat, remixed by Hot Chip

So freaking cool. And hot. For a January night. I love this type of dance music.

a jew and an arab walk into a bar...

If you're politically stupid like me, then all of this Israel bombing stuff must be pretty confusing. I mean, it's all like a James Bond movie to me - I never get who is fighting whom, and why, and what is the bad guy trying to do to take over the world, and why James Bond is going where to do what. For reals, I always get Pakistan and Palestine mixed up.

Well, since it's a new year, and I am supposed to be smarter for it, I am summarizing this stuff for my own good. Maybe it will help you too:

Pakistan vs Palestine?
Israel is in conflict with Palestine. India is in conflict with Pakistan - the Mumbai bombings have been tied to Pakistani militant groups.

Hamas vs Hummus?
Hummus is a Middle Eastern food - mashed chickpeas, delicious as a spread. Hamas is a Sunni political party that is in control of the Palestinian parliament right now. One of its objectives is to recapture Israel. Many countries recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Its main rival political party is the Fatah, founded by Yasser Arafat. Not sure if they are good guys either - it's all kinda grey, not unlike hummus.

Sunni?
Largest denomination of Islam. Not Mia Farrow's skanky adopted daughter who then shacked up with Woody Allen.

Islam?
A religion following the teachings of Muhammad. A practitioner of Islam is called a Muslim. They follow the Qur'an. Islam means submission to God. Muslims believe God sat Muhammad down back in the day (oh say around 600 AD) and dictated the Qur'an to him. Sort of.

What's a Gaza Strip?
Part of the Palestinian territories currently overseen by the Palestinian National Authority. See, this gets really confusing, cuz Palestine may or may not be a country. The Palestinian territories also include the West Bank, including Eastern Jerusalem. The West Bank is on the east of Israel and west of Jordan. The Gaza Strip, on the Mediterranean coast, is on the west of Israel and north of Egypt. See, originally, these (Israel, Gaza Strip, West Bank, etc) were all part of the British Mandate of Palestine following WWI. In 1948, Israel broke free and formed its own independent Jewish state. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank were then primarily under rule of Egypt and Jordan, respectively. After the Six Day War in 1967, Israel pretty much controlled the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Israeli-Arab/Palestinian fighting continued over the years. In 1993, the Oslo Accords, a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians (Palestine Liberation Organization led by Arafat), called for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The exception is that Israel continue to have jurisdiction over the borders and airspace of the Gaza Strip.

BTW, not to be mistaken with a gauze strip. The Spanish word for gauze is (wait for it)...gasa. See, there is no band-aid solution to the Gaza Strip. Haha!



Why is Israel bombing the Gaza Strip now?
So, there have been infighting/civil wars in the Palestinian territories between the Fatah and the Hamas. The Hamas, in 2007, won elections in the Palestinian parliament, declared itself the ruling party, and took over control of the Gaza Strip. The Palestine President, a Fatah, then declared state of emergency and formed a new government without the Hamas and set up base in the West Bank, with international support. The Hamas pretty much faced international diplomatic and economic isolations. Meanwhile, since its takeover, the Hamas has been firing rockets from the Strip into Israel. Israel attacked back, and one thing leads to another, and we have what we have now, with Israel going on an all-out assault of the Gaza Strip by end of December of 2008.

I know, the story has lots of loose ends. So what really is Palestine? Who really is in control? What about the West Bank and Jerusalem now? What's the difference between an Arab and a Muslim? Who is the bad guy again? Hey, I can't be a genius in one day, but I think I understand this stuff a little more now. It is way easier blogging about Lady GaGa and Harold and Kumar. All this reading/studying makes me hungry...for some hummus on some naan perhaps? Or does hummus go with naan??? Somebody stop this; this stuff makes my head hurt.