Places of 2008

1) Miami
2) Vietnam
3) Chicago
4) Dallas
5) Reno
6) Vegas
7) Chicago
8) LA
9) Thailand

The past 24 hours

3 unrelated? reoccurring thoughts:

1) I reminded myself how trivial some things can be when compared to a grander scale

2) The joy I feel when discovering how amazingly rich and impactful just one person and their life can be

3) I realized how poor my decision-making abilities are. Specifically lacking decisiveness. And that really bothers me

To a brave and wonderful woman, wife, and mother...

Thank you for sharing your energy and passion with me. Your smallest actions will continue to affect me in the largest ways. You fought a tough fight, no one should ever have to, with tremendous heart and unimaginable courage and you will not soon be forgotten. And yes, that answer was C. Everett Coop wasnt it. ;) Farewell A. Bella.

Two words:

CREATE, CONSUME...
I'm gonna try something when I encounter things that resonate with me, which is try to explain why they do. (And do alot of senseless babbling and unintentional mind crapping along the way). So two words: create and consume, which alone have their own meaning, but when I hear them together, there's a dynamic there that makes me think of the actions these words are describing and how those gestures are dependent of each other. Not just opposites, but working in harmony.
My definition of create is: to make something which has life. Like in creating a piece of art, a home/family, or a memory. We as "create(ures)" create and we also consume those things that we create. So with that in mind, can we create things that aren't tangible and consume those things as well? Yes. Someone introduced me to this idea of receiving and giving, but not in the material sense. But the idea of putting something "out there" into the world, to create, and having that action come back (not necessary directly back to you) in another form. To me, this is a new idea that I'm trying to understand; to create, to make, to give, to let go, etc.... yields a return that can't be measured and can't be experienced with just consuming alone. And I don't believe there's always a direct correlation between what is created and how it is being consumed. I do believe "making something which has life" sends out a force that somehow returns positivity. There is a transference of energy and spirit there, and it's not as simple as "we need to give to others to feel rewarded" because that's the kind of stuff we've been taught to as kids.... But it's more like "we need to put our stamp onto this world to fully receive and enjoy life's offerings."??? 'nuf babble until further investigation

M.I.A.

Some insane beats on this jewel... if you want sounds that'll get your heart racing and your brain fried, this is it!
WARNING: Your body won't be able to contain this album's shear velocity so move while listening or your insides will explode.

Lights Out

So we had a blackout in the hood tonight... I'd like to think of it as a forced timeout... snap out of whatever it was you were most likely plugged, tuned, or zoned into and possibly take that moment to listen to: the night sky, our neighbors, or maybe the silence... and while the power was being fixed, those of us who depend on it so much got a little bit of re-wiring done as well.

Wholey Moley!

Gotta thank JY for turning me onto this scene... absolutely incredible material... coffee's for closers!

Scope it

Give this piece a chance and make up your own mind... informative source page when further investigation is needed

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

My apologies for not having photos from Chicago... sealed manilla envelopes, security access cards, and sound proof walls... B-I-G-P-O, P-P-A, no info for the D-E-A, federal agents mad cause'm flagrant, tap m'cell and the phone in m'basement...

From a recent bike ride...

All's quiet for a brief moment... and captured

Cool Guys' cool lettering (MK/Mcgee steez)... scope the wear on the painted panel... couldn't be more perfect

and now the real deal... was taken down the next week

left...

right

What's Autumn without a few weddings?

Shirley and Luis

Tammy and Al

Catchin Up

"1918"
nuff said

and his pet koi

My impromptu birthday dinner @Rustico's... then some more fun at The Wine Bar w/ Kev and Colin... it's been a while but "six in da morn" ...literally

back to da bay

Said goodbye to Chicago... with a cool party at 1oPIN with the awesome trial team, then the Sax Hotel for drinks, then the Hyatt for the after after party with an awesome view of the river...

3 Floors Under

Been in Chicago for 5 days now... hangin in there for the Trading Tech case (JY, SH, JK, MA) and billing 12-18 hour days... partial sleep deprivation and total sensory deprivation cause the war room is located at the Hyatt Regency "Dungeon" (fluorescent lights and underground hallways)... like an ant colony with lights... though highlights have been room service!, sushi at Ra w/Marc, toro!, and walking our unsober (not drunk) asses back to the Hyatt and exploring the northside along the way... possibly checkin out Sonotheque or Delilah's w/Jeremy tonight... limes into limenade baby ;)

Missed them

Couldn't wait to see these guys when I got back.

Grub is good

War Remnants Museum with Phong

Random Joy 2

Banh Xeo

The making of Vietnamese crepes, Banh Xeo...
Shrimp, pork slices, bean sprouts, onions and scallions, fried omellette-style inside a thin egg batter until the shell's golden and flakey. Wrap a leaf of lettuce around some, dip in fish sauce and I'm in heaven.

Chi showcasing her kitchen mastery

The Wrecking Crew!

Random Joy

Small business

Bac Gai prepping and selling the last of the pork. Come and get it!

Party Posse

Heading out with the guys (Tinh, Wai, Anh Wah and Nghia). Anh Wah took us out for a "bo bi tit" dinner... Nghia, by the way, is the best treeclimber I know! In fact, he's the only treeclimber I know!

It's the kids!

Coca and the pups

Chi Be, lovely as ever, with Cola

Phong showin off his football skills

Grubbin on hotpot!

Out in the country havin a ball at cous'. The weather was a lot hotter than it looks but we were shaded by this huge coconut tree right behind the table... which of course gave us fresh coconut juice! Afterwards, cool breeze, cold beers and cock fights...

Vietnam

This is my first post... thought I'd put up a couple of shots from my trip in May... At a temple in Cholon for a few prayers. (top) Got lost on a sweltering day, found refuge under the shade, then Tinh blew off some steam! (bottom) Toi yeu xe honda :)