---
reminder to self - you are not always right:
today went a little smoother in terms of lines. i started to realize that i become sort of a frustrated near-angry person on a hair. my body starts to heat up, my face starts to contort all weird, and i notice that people that i'm talking to start to react in an almost fearful state.
so i am going to stop being a dick if i am not fully understood the first time i try to explain something to someone. deep breaths, calm, focus. it is all going to be okay.
i think that i made this girl employee at the counter today think that i am a pushy angerball, and i will have to try and be either better at explaining myself in thai, or more patient with the thai version of collective confusion.
i also get cranky when i am hungry. so yeah, i guess i need to snack up when attending the festival, or else i might go crazy in between shows.
other than me finding out about how at times the state of my temper is acutely connected to my inability to speak my thai well enough and the state of my hunger at the time, i had a great day.
---
mini reviews:
04. february 19th - dark horse, denmark/iceland, 11:00am ***
this is the second film that i have seen of the icelandic director dagur kari. i give it a three-star rating not for lack of content, but because i was so impressed with his previous work, noi albinoi, that i was expecting similar themes.
instead of a thoughtful dreamery icelandic landscape-mirroring-human-nature drama, i feasted on a playalong adventure through the denmark version of the gen-xers and their daily ways of getting by.
it is a beautifully grainy experimental-at-times black and white prose which develops its quirky nordic comedy stylings episodically. i think however, that we might've received a workprint version of the film, as there were definite work-in-progress moments with the sense of editing, sound, and story content (including a late in the making new subplot involving a minor character which draws heavy exploration but goes nowhere near the protagonists).
also, i think i saw a few china marker edit smears at the head and tails of some of the shots. whether or not this is meant to happen or not, it did take me out of some of the better sequences of the film. but fun without trying to be overly something that it's not.
in spite of those things, there is a brilliantly simple deconstruction of an example that involves why a son should give all of his potential modeling earnings to his parents using the color green as the basis. fun.
05. february 19th - don't come knocking, germany/usa, 2:00pm ****
a tale of an aging cowboy actor playboy seeking out a former flame and the son he never knew he fathered.
wim wenders again is a master of weaving those dialogue-less moments into passages of cinema that astound and capture the sense of a person's entire being in one shot.
i had some problems with the story at times and also wanted the peripheral characters to stop being sucky, but in the end, a nice road trip exploration into the breakdown of the cowboy mentality of a man nearing the next stage in his life.
sam shepard gives a performance that is believable and achingly good stuff. he also reminded me of jack lemmon at times. it was nice to see character like that again and how regret of past and present actions can evolve into realizations that forward rather than provide more room for misinterpretation and a further sense of chaos and loss.
i remember how in wender's segment in ten minutes older, he managed to have something completely serious also have a flair of the silly, and this film is a great piece which incorporates that energy throughout.
go for sarah polley being a little too mysterious but soft lit enough to be worth it. go for tim roth as a bond stooge bounty hunteresque man accept an offer of a cookie. go for the strange opening band, it's musical arrangements, and fairuza balk being stranger. go for the setting, go for the oddity of real life.
just go.
06. february 19th - africa united, iceland, 4:00pm **
i remember in the beginning of the fall 2002, visiting my friend petur in iceland for a month. the complete sense of being in a different country-island that had so much confidence in itself, it took discovery in a new direction every minute of every day.
i remember the swimming pools. i remember the hotdogs. i remember the people and their endless energy for life. i remember the spirit and the want for something better. this is what energy is shared in the documentary africa united.
this silly compilation of shots is a great little saturday afternoon piece on the fledgling third division amateur football (soccer) team in iceland, comprised of immigrants from africa and abroad, and local icelandic football enthusiasts.
you so want them to play well and win games, but most of the time it's more a documentary about the opportunity for a better life, a better chance, and the day ahead. it's about failure and remaining true to your ambitions. it's about being a foreigner and not caring about it.
i thought that the people on the creation end of the team were eager and that was 50% of the success; just the thought of getting the team together was a sign that they were meant to play. this sense of blind ambition is hard to shake, even when they fight and lose and are defeated on and off the field.
07. february 19th - press conference with christopher lee, 7:00pm *****
it's true. he was here to be praised for being not only a great acting legend, but to share with us a brief moment of his long and celebrated life in a q&a format.
- counting television, he has been in about 280 films to date, and is continuing to work.
- he is the coolest old school nerd still working.
- his favorite director is tim burton and his favorite actor is johnny depp.
- he praises the lord of the rings as one of the most important literary works ever written, and even met J.R.R. Tolkein in a pub called the bird and the baby.
- does pose for photos doing what is beautifully described as "the claw."
- played golf with sir ian fleming and was considered for the role of dr. no, but when ready to go for the role, found that it was already cast. later he played the man with the golden gun in another classic bond film.
he is so cool, that i had to not watch a film so that i could listen to this session. it was worth it just to be near someone who defends middle earth so passionately, that he felt the need to describe its importance to humanity. that, and he gave the interpreter enough time and pauses with which to translate properly. now that's class.
see you tomorrow.
---
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
" bkkiff 2006: day one "
---
it begins:
the lines at this thing are admirable but ultimately amateurish. this is an event body that cannot handle itself and the manifestation of its own monster. but we're trying.
i know it's only the opening day of the festival, and i do have high hopes for every day following this one, but we are simply not prepared for any large significant event on any wide range of a scale, let alone a film festival.
as it is now, this has the immediate makings of a sour and bitter facsimile of what could have been a glorious start, to match the gimungous size of the structure it's being held in. side question, completely rhetorical: is it possible to hold a film festival, when no one working the floor seems to be a lover of cinema?
until late afternoon, there were no signs telling anyone where to go or which line was for what. the paragon cinema staff seemed to be fielding questions that they knew that they had no responses for...but we're trying is all they say.
and yes, you can try all you might, but that still doesn't tell me why i had to switch lines after 25 minutes because you have no clue what you're doing. i felt like i was wrangled like a weaning calf unsure of my destination.
there are too many volunteers with the same collective limited knowledge of the film schedule, the changes to that schedule, and a general sense of what's going on besides the sales of the larger format souvenir schedule.
there are too few managers with any sort of balance between people skills and technological troubleshooting skills(all of the tickets are computer controlled but no one knows how it all works...yet).
all of the announcements in the main cinema lobby were in the thai language, which is super if you're thai. just because i am and i understand doesn't mean that the rest of the english-understanding population knows that you just changed the description/properties of a specific line, are allowing people who are/have been waiting in line and are now 20 minutes away from the screening but 45 minutes away from purchasing a ticket that they can go ahead and rapid purchase the seats at a different location, or that when you do finally seem to be on your way to see a film, that you might have to stand up to pay respects to the king of thailand...which is what we do here.
i feel that i might be a little scathing at the moment, but i'm sure that many other festival-goers had experienced the same if not similar levels of frustration across the board in reference to lack of information and direction.
i mean, we're not dumb, so if you're going to play like everything is "under control" when it clearly is not, just say so, or else popcorn is going to be thrown, and this is not the thai way, but the international rules apply during an international festival. this is weird but understandable.
i had a screaming woman behind be blabbermouthing and fuming like a teakettle left to its own devices on a stove unseen. she ranted and talked under her breath, muttered on and on and on and was furious. i thought that i was miffed, but i could see how rapidly her eagerness to delight in the glory of the cinematic experience quickly shifted into a blind rage.
i checked myself and remembered that at an average of $3.50 USD a film, that i was not as mad as i had previously thought. in fact all of these annoyances are just that; those things you focus in on because everyone is so ready to join in.
we want to see the films. we want to participate and be engaged, entertained, and satisfied. it's a festival, should we not have high hopes? i think that it is clear that there are things to be noticed and remedied.
---
mini reviews:
01. february 18th - master class: q&a with terry gilliam, 4:00pm *****
he is a great and visionary man. mr. terry gilliam is an unbridled force of cinematic explosivity.
i was surprised to find out that this was the first time that he had ever been to bangkok. it was no doubt something that was due. he came to the session ready to give up the ghost. i think that the fact that there was no pretense involved in the setting of this q&a, allowed him to be casual, be real, be himself. and that's exactly what people are inspired by.
the main points i jotted down in my notepad were these:
- he said that film school doesn't make you anything but a film school student and poor. film school is not a prerequisite for greatness.
- a large influence on early surreal experimental comedy and storytelling to a wide audience was ernie kovacs, both in the mediums of radio and television.
- the mistakes made during filmmaking often come to be what defines the piece, and that can be good.
- he likes to work with good actors that are willing to play and be silly and do whatever it takes to strike the right chord. he doesn't direct then, but allows a playground environment where something special is created.
- is a fan of the "bonza dog doo-dah band"
- said out of confidence that because of the interference with the making of brother's grimm, he will never work with the weinsteins again. he said they are not producers, they are money people and interfere. he wanted to keep spending money and go over budget to see how long it would take to bankrupt them, but it never happened.
- despises compromising in filmmaking.
- likes the atmosphere of the real bangkok, although says that he is more intrigued by the fact that he sees something and doesn't quite understand it.
a gem of an experience. (if i find the time, i might transcribe the almost hour-long interview session...maybe)
02. february 18th - tsotsi, south africa/UK, 7:00pm ***
an adapted piece about tsotsi, an young amateur gangster who lives in the shantytowns in johannesburg, south africa. he gets by in this environment by pulling small crimes with a tight band of thieves and hoods. one night, while committing a crime, he ends with the responsibility of taking care of a baby. this circumstance forces him to think about where his life is at, and if it is too late to change.
this piece was all in the cinematography. the lighting was well done, the shots were motivated and all of the environments held a certain visual weight that allowed you to be able to lose yourself within the settings.
emotionally, i could have been more affected if the editing was a little tighter, but a sound film despite sort of feeling overmanipulated my some of the orchestral musical passages.
the one thing that i thoroughly enjoyed however, were the moments of pure cinematic shots, where no words were spoken and the story was unveiled before your eyes like visceral treats consumed with the eyes.
03. february 18th - transamerica, usa, 9:15pm ***
if nothing but a now prominent oscar contender, this film is all about performance. the nuances of felicity huffman's character are so palpable, that you almost feel as heavy as the make-up she applies to her face. but this is not used to conceal, as much as it is utilized to set her soul free.
transamerica basically is a road-trip film that uses that expected passage of time, to help you understand the plight of transgendered people through a strange and odd plot involving her underage drug-abusive troubled son.
great digi-piece and the performances shine through the digi-noise. i think that the the notion that the character wanted to deconstruct himself and become herself, with the eventual sex reassignment surgery, was well flushed out and explained with extreme care.
a few points in the film lacked a proper handling but was probably more of an editing issue than a storytelling flub. the grandma character was a little more caricature than needed be, but it oddly fit only because we recognize the silliness of her words and actions hiding deeper rooted fears.
all in all, a solid piece. i'm not sure that i felt as strongly towards this film due to the hype built up from afar, but i was moved and entertained nonetheless.
---
it begins:
the lines at this thing are admirable but ultimately amateurish. this is an event body that cannot handle itself and the manifestation of its own monster. but we're trying.
i know it's only the opening day of the festival, and i do have high hopes for every day following this one, but we are simply not prepared for any large significant event on any wide range of a scale, let alone a film festival.
as it is now, this has the immediate makings of a sour and bitter facsimile of what could have been a glorious start, to match the gimungous size of the structure it's being held in. side question, completely rhetorical: is it possible to hold a film festival, when no one working the floor seems to be a lover of cinema?
until late afternoon, there were no signs telling anyone where to go or which line was for what. the paragon cinema staff seemed to be fielding questions that they knew that they had no responses for...but we're trying is all they say.
and yes, you can try all you might, but that still doesn't tell me why i had to switch lines after 25 minutes because you have no clue what you're doing. i felt like i was wrangled like a weaning calf unsure of my destination.
there are too many volunteers with the same collective limited knowledge of the film schedule, the changes to that schedule, and a general sense of what's going on besides the sales of the larger format souvenir schedule.
there are too few managers with any sort of balance between people skills and technological troubleshooting skills(all of the tickets are computer controlled but no one knows how it all works...yet).
all of the announcements in the main cinema lobby were in the thai language, which is super if you're thai. just because i am and i understand doesn't mean that the rest of the english-understanding population knows that you just changed the description/properties of a specific line, are allowing people who are/have been waiting in line and are now 20 minutes away from the screening but 45 minutes away from purchasing a ticket that they can go ahead and rapid purchase the seats at a different location, or that when you do finally seem to be on your way to see a film, that you might have to stand up to pay respects to the king of thailand...which is what we do here.
i feel that i might be a little scathing at the moment, but i'm sure that many other festival-goers had experienced the same if not similar levels of frustration across the board in reference to lack of information and direction.
i mean, we're not dumb, so if you're going to play like everything is "under control" when it clearly is not, just say so, or else popcorn is going to be thrown, and this is not the thai way, but the international rules apply during an international festival. this is weird but understandable.
i had a screaming woman behind be blabbermouthing and fuming like a teakettle left to its own devices on a stove unseen. she ranted and talked under her breath, muttered on and on and on and was furious. i thought that i was miffed, but i could see how rapidly her eagerness to delight in the glory of the cinematic experience quickly shifted into a blind rage.
i checked myself and remembered that at an average of $3.50 USD a film, that i was not as mad as i had previously thought. in fact all of these annoyances are just that; those things you focus in on because everyone is so ready to join in.
we want to see the films. we want to participate and be engaged, entertained, and satisfied. it's a festival, should we not have high hopes? i think that it is clear that there are things to be noticed and remedied.
---
mini reviews:
01. february 18th - master class: q&a with terry gilliam, 4:00pm *****
he is a great and visionary man. mr. terry gilliam is an unbridled force of cinematic explosivity.
i was surprised to find out that this was the first time that he had ever been to bangkok. it was no doubt something that was due. he came to the session ready to give up the ghost. i think that the fact that there was no pretense involved in the setting of this q&a, allowed him to be casual, be real, be himself. and that's exactly what people are inspired by.
the main points i jotted down in my notepad were these:
- he said that film school doesn't make you anything but a film school student and poor. film school is not a prerequisite for greatness.
- a large influence on early surreal experimental comedy and storytelling to a wide audience was ernie kovacs, both in the mediums of radio and television.
- the mistakes made during filmmaking often come to be what defines the piece, and that can be good.
- he likes to work with good actors that are willing to play and be silly and do whatever it takes to strike the right chord. he doesn't direct then, but allows a playground environment where something special is created.
- is a fan of the "bonza dog doo-dah band"
- said out of confidence that because of the interference with the making of brother's grimm, he will never work with the weinsteins again. he said they are not producers, they are money people and interfere. he wanted to keep spending money and go over budget to see how long it would take to bankrupt them, but it never happened.
- despises compromising in filmmaking.
- likes the atmosphere of the real bangkok, although says that he is more intrigued by the fact that he sees something and doesn't quite understand it.
a gem of an experience. (if i find the time, i might transcribe the almost hour-long interview session...maybe)
02. february 18th - tsotsi, south africa/UK, 7:00pm ***
an adapted piece about tsotsi, an young amateur gangster who lives in the shantytowns in johannesburg, south africa. he gets by in this environment by pulling small crimes with a tight band of thieves and hoods. one night, while committing a crime, he ends with the responsibility of taking care of a baby. this circumstance forces him to think about where his life is at, and if it is too late to change.
this piece was all in the cinematography. the lighting was well done, the shots were motivated and all of the environments held a certain visual weight that allowed you to be able to lose yourself within the settings.
emotionally, i could have been more affected if the editing was a little tighter, but a sound film despite sort of feeling overmanipulated my some of the orchestral musical passages.
the one thing that i thoroughly enjoyed however, were the moments of pure cinematic shots, where no words were spoken and the story was unveiled before your eyes like visceral treats consumed with the eyes.
03. february 18th - transamerica, usa, 9:15pm ***
if nothing but a now prominent oscar contender, this film is all about performance. the nuances of felicity huffman's character are so palpable, that you almost feel as heavy as the make-up she applies to her face. but this is not used to conceal, as much as it is utilized to set her soul free.
transamerica basically is a road-trip film that uses that expected passage of time, to help you understand the plight of transgendered people through a strange and odd plot involving her underage drug-abusive troubled son.
great digi-piece and the performances shine through the digi-noise. i think that the the notion that the character wanted to deconstruct himself and become herself, with the eventual sex reassignment surgery, was well flushed out and explained with extreme care.
a few points in the film lacked a proper handling but was probably more of an editing issue than a storytelling flub. the grandma character was a little more caricature than needed be, but it oddly fit only because we recognize the silliness of her words and actions hiding deeper rooted fears.
all in all, a solid piece. i'm not sure that i felt as strongly towards this film due to the hype built up from afar, but i was moved and entertained nonetheless.
---
Friday, February 17, 2006
" bkk internat'l film festival 2006! "
---
it's here again, and this time there's a lot more to see in the film festival now in its fourth year.
the organization for this year's festivities is a little if not substantially off. when watching the "opening ceremonies" the english was horrid, the questions little more than opportunities to see how more plasticine the upper-crust of society can be.
it's amazing however, the fact that the films involved do not have the sense of being allowed to be into the festival. rather they have the position of allowing the festival itself to house them. and maybe it's not that amazing.
thailand has had a very rapid and strong recent history in the gaudy oversight usually affiliated with celebutantism, but on a city-wide scale. the rich pump funds into shopping complexes and high-so name brands, when thailand clearly is one of the three hot spots in fake wares.
it's just funny is all. when we lay out the red carpet for the grand entrance, it's interesting how many people have absolutely no clue what they're going to do at a film festival, other than go to yet another party and be seen/photographed. which is not only sad culturally, but also depressing in the way that everyone "famous" is a prime example for someone that sold out completely to where this is not only the exception amongst the successful, it's the gold standard.
this is only a hidden rant veiled in excitement about the film festival, which i am actually excited to attend, so be ready for some reviews and other fodder in the next ten or so days.
i'll try to keep the social commentary at a minimum, because seriously, i could go on forever and ever and ever and ever and...
---
it's here again, and this time there's a lot more to see in the film festival now in its fourth year.
the organization for this year's festivities is a little if not substantially off. when watching the "opening ceremonies" the english was horrid, the questions little more than opportunities to see how more plasticine the upper-crust of society can be.
it's amazing however, the fact that the films involved do not have the sense of being allowed to be into the festival. rather they have the position of allowing the festival itself to house them. and maybe it's not that amazing.
thailand has had a very rapid and strong recent history in the gaudy oversight usually affiliated with celebutantism, but on a city-wide scale. the rich pump funds into shopping complexes and high-so name brands, when thailand clearly is one of the three hot spots in fake wares.
it's just funny is all. when we lay out the red carpet for the grand entrance, it's interesting how many people have absolutely no clue what they're going to do at a film festival, other than go to yet another party and be seen/photographed. which is not only sad culturally, but also depressing in the way that everyone "famous" is a prime example for someone that sold out completely to where this is not only the exception amongst the successful, it's the gold standard.
this is only a hidden rant veiled in excitement about the film festival, which i am actually excited to attend, so be ready for some reviews and other fodder in the next ten or so days.
i'll try to keep the social commentary at a minimum, because seriously, i could go on forever and ever and ever and ever and...
---
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
" from the window sills "
---
a dog passing low in the night
buildings in the distance pulse constant red light
the streets far off
the sounds dissonant in a chorus
finally can sleep at night
---
a dog passing low in the night
buildings in the distance pulse constant red light
the streets far off
the sounds dissonant in a chorus
finally can sleep at night
---
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
" traces "
---
a few strands of her hair
curl around my toes
as i walk around
the wide stone floors.
the saddest thing to witness;
the last attempt
to be remembered.
---
a few strands of her hair
curl around my toes
as i walk around
the wide stone floors.
the saddest thing to witness;
the last attempt
to be remembered.
---
Monday, February 06, 2006
" eat me: thoughts on yummy things of sorts "
---
i think i over-eat.
there's something about not being able to tell if you're really hungry, or you have a stomach ache. i mean, due to a recent bout of internal malaise, i am left to think that my innards will never be properly functional again.
biology aside, there is always that slight feel of guilt after finishing a meal, that just resonates long after the consumption-for-sustenance aspect of eating has passed. it meanders then into a state of willful gluttony. and this is what worries me.
have my eating habits changed that much in the past couple of years? has my portion size become drastically smaller? it seems that over the course of a few days following an incident that turned me inside out, i find that i do actually stuff myself until i am too full.
it feels like someone punched you in the belly with a sack of food. or like a ninja came along during the midway point in the meal, and snuck a thick biscuit into your meal while you weren't looking.
i think the responsible thing to do, for the safety and betterment of myself, is to just be more aware of my nutritional surroundings. to be more attune to the thing(s) that i am about to eat, and then have just enough to be satisfied.
there's no reason to over indulge, just indulge enough to have a happy relationship with food. starting tomorrow, i'm going to make a conscious attempt to be good to myself in this way.
why is taking care of yourself at times, make you feel like you're living out a self-help manual?
sigh...i think i'm hungry again.
---
i think i over-eat.
there's something about not being able to tell if you're really hungry, or you have a stomach ache. i mean, due to a recent bout of internal malaise, i am left to think that my innards will never be properly functional again.
biology aside, there is always that slight feel of guilt after finishing a meal, that just resonates long after the consumption-for-sustenance aspect of eating has passed. it meanders then into a state of willful gluttony. and this is what worries me.
have my eating habits changed that much in the past couple of years? has my portion size become drastically smaller? it seems that over the course of a few days following an incident that turned me inside out, i find that i do actually stuff myself until i am too full.
it feels like someone punched you in the belly with a sack of food. or like a ninja came along during the midway point in the meal, and snuck a thick biscuit into your meal while you weren't looking.
i think the responsible thing to do, for the safety and betterment of myself, is to just be more aware of my nutritional surroundings. to be more attune to the thing(s) that i am about to eat, and then have just enough to be satisfied.
there's no reason to over indulge, just indulge enough to have a happy relationship with food. starting tomorrow, i'm going to make a conscious attempt to be good to myself in this way.
why is taking care of yourself at times, make you feel like you're living out a self-help manual?
sigh...i think i'm hungry again.
---
Saturday, February 04, 2006
" so you might have Campylobacteriosis "
---
after about 24 hours later, i still feel crappy. this is what may be the problem:
Types and differences of foodborne illness
More than 250 foodborne illnesses have been identified. Most of them are infections, caused by pathogens (organisms that cause disease) such as bacteria, viruses and parasites found in food. Others are poisonings caused by toxins or chemicals that have contaminated food, such as food served in lead-glazed pottery, or naturally poisonous foods, such as poisonous mushrooms.
The most common types of foodborne illnesses include:
Campylobacteriosis. Caused by the Campylobacter bacteria, which is the most commonly identified bacteria that causes diarrhea. The bacteria live in the intestines of birds. Undercooked chicken or other foods are frequent sources of this type of infection.
Clostridium Perfringens. Results in diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting and usually develops after eating improperly stored or cooked meat.
Salmonellosis. Caused by the Salmonella bacteria, which is widespread in the intestines of birds, reptiles and mammals. Fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps are common symptoms. In people with poor health or weakened immune systems, bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Some infected people do not develop symptoms, but instead become carriers and spread the infection to others.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection. E. coli is a bacterial pathogen found in cattle and other related animals. Illness often when food or water has been contaminated with microscopic amounts of cow feces. The illness causes severe diarrhea that may be bloody and painful abdominal cramps. In a small number of cases, a serious condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can occur. This can result in anemia, profuse bleeding and kidney failure.
Calicivirus. An extremely common cause of viral foodborne illness. This type is rarely diagnosed because the laboratory test is not widely available. The virus (a type of norovirus) can spread from one person to another or through food. For instance, a kitchen worker may spread the virus during food preparation.
Shigellosis. Caused by the Shigella bacteria. It can be transmitted by eating food or drinking beverages contaminated by food handlers with Shigella, eating vegetable grown in fields containing sewage, eating food contaminated by flies bred in infected feces and drinking or swimming in contaminated water. The bacteria causes fever, bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Bacillus cereus food poisoning. Caused by the Bacillus Cereus bacteria. It usually presents with extreme nausea and vomiting and has the fastest onset of symptoms (3 hours) of foodborne illnesses. Bacillus cereus food poisoning is commonly seen in people after consuming Chinese fried rice.
Staphylococcal food poisoning. Caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Unlike other types of foodborne illness, this form is not caused by contamination. The bacteria can grow in some foods (e.g. dairy products, fish and processed meats) and produce a toxin that results in intense vomiting.
Ascariasis (roundworm). A parasitic worm infection caused by contact with contaminated food or soil.
Vibrio. There are many different types of this bacteria, one of which causes cholera. Other Vibrio species are commonly found in raw or undercooked shellfish. An infection often causes chills and fever.
Giardiasis. Caused by the parasite Giardia that is passed to humans in drinking water or from infected animal products. Giardia is a common traveler’s illness which causes abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
Chemical food poisoning. Some types of foods, such as certain species of mushrooms, contain toxins that result in illness. Most cases result in mild symptoms but some are more serious and require immediate medical treatment.
Botulism. A rare, but serious illness caused by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria. If untreated, it can cause paralysis and respiratory failure. Cases of botulism are usually contracted from insufficiently heated home-canned foods, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn.
Treatment and prevention
Many bouts of nausea and vomiting usually subside within six to 24 hours and may be treated at home. In some cases, stopping or avoiding the food or medication that caused the problem is the only treatment necessary.
There are several ways to control nausea, including:
Drink clear fluids.
Eat light, bland foods, such as crackers or plain bread.
Do not eat fried, greasy or sweet foods.
Eat and drink slowly.
Eat small meals.
Do not mix hot and cold foods.
Avoid activity after eating.
Avoid teeth brushing shortly after eating.
---
so basically i'm going to drink gatorade and stop brushing my teeth? why do remedies always sound silly?
---
after about 24 hours later, i still feel crappy. this is what may be the problem:
Types and differences of foodborne illness
More than 250 foodborne illnesses have been identified. Most of them are infections, caused by pathogens (organisms that cause disease) such as bacteria, viruses and parasites found in food. Others are poisonings caused by toxins or chemicals that have contaminated food, such as food served in lead-glazed pottery, or naturally poisonous foods, such as poisonous mushrooms.
The most common types of foodborne illnesses include:
Campylobacteriosis. Caused by the Campylobacter bacteria, which is the most commonly identified bacteria that causes diarrhea. The bacteria live in the intestines of birds. Undercooked chicken or other foods are frequent sources of this type of infection.
Clostridium Perfringens. Results in diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting and usually develops after eating improperly stored or cooked meat.
Salmonellosis. Caused by the Salmonella bacteria, which is widespread in the intestines of birds, reptiles and mammals. Fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps are common symptoms. In people with poor health or weakened immune systems, bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Some infected people do not develop symptoms, but instead become carriers and spread the infection to others.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection. E. coli is a bacterial pathogen found in cattle and other related animals. Illness often when food or water has been contaminated with microscopic amounts of cow feces. The illness causes severe diarrhea that may be bloody and painful abdominal cramps. In a small number of cases, a serious condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can occur. This can result in anemia, profuse bleeding and kidney failure.
Calicivirus. An extremely common cause of viral foodborne illness. This type is rarely diagnosed because the laboratory test is not widely available. The virus (a type of norovirus) can spread from one person to another or through food. For instance, a kitchen worker may spread the virus during food preparation.
Shigellosis. Caused by the Shigella bacteria. It can be transmitted by eating food or drinking beverages contaminated by food handlers with Shigella, eating vegetable grown in fields containing sewage, eating food contaminated by flies bred in infected feces and drinking or swimming in contaminated water. The bacteria causes fever, bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Bacillus cereus food poisoning. Caused by the Bacillus Cereus bacteria. It usually presents with extreme nausea and vomiting and has the fastest onset of symptoms (3 hours) of foodborne illnesses. Bacillus cereus food poisoning is commonly seen in people after consuming Chinese fried rice.
Staphylococcal food poisoning. Caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Unlike other types of foodborne illness, this form is not caused by contamination. The bacteria can grow in some foods (e.g. dairy products, fish and processed meats) and produce a toxin that results in intense vomiting.
Ascariasis (roundworm). A parasitic worm infection caused by contact with contaminated food or soil.
Vibrio. There are many different types of this bacteria, one of which causes cholera. Other Vibrio species are commonly found in raw or undercooked shellfish. An infection often causes chills and fever.
Giardiasis. Caused by the parasite Giardia that is passed to humans in drinking water or from infected animal products. Giardia is a common traveler’s illness which causes abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
Chemical food poisoning. Some types of foods, such as certain species of mushrooms, contain toxins that result in illness. Most cases result in mild symptoms but some are more serious and require immediate medical treatment.
Botulism. A rare, but serious illness caused by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria. If untreated, it can cause paralysis and respiratory failure. Cases of botulism are usually contracted from insufficiently heated home-canned foods, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn.
Treatment and prevention
Many bouts of nausea and vomiting usually subside within six to 24 hours and may be treated at home. In some cases, stopping or avoiding the food or medication that caused the problem is the only treatment necessary.
There are several ways to control nausea, including:
Drink clear fluids.
Eat light, bland foods, such as crackers or plain bread.
Do not eat fried, greasy or sweet foods.
Eat and drink slowly.
Eat small meals.
Do not mix hot and cold foods.
Avoid activity after eating.
Avoid teeth brushing shortly after eating.
---
so basically i'm going to drink gatorade and stop brushing my teeth? why do remedies always sound silly?
---
" gross dude, gross "
---
disclaimer: this post will gross you out. be forewarned.
so. lemme ask you all this:
is there any proper way to handle explosive diarrhea and tumultuous vomiting at the same time?
i'm thinking, no.
it's too hard to be clutching the sides of a toilet with any sort of skill, while trying to hold a bag in front of your face. and it hurts too much to try and coordinate just which ailment to take care of at the same time.
i wish that there was just a magical vortex that you could shift yourself into when you've reached that specific point in your sickness, where you neither care about public etiquette and how you might look to anyone around you, nor the fact that you may in all likeness be losing control over your bodily functions too far from any proper receptacle. it's a personal hell which takes a large amount of awareness and commitment of motion to remedy.
and last night, this is where i found myself.
at around one in the afternoon, i found myself itching for something to eat. you know that feeling of when you've been working on something all day long, and you all of a sudden realize that you hadn't eaten anything? yeah, that feeling crept over me.
i decided to go to the local market that sets up some days near to the hospital near my place. you can access it through this side door in the small ,which attaches my street with the main street where i can get onto public transportation. sort of a small maze at times.
usually you'll find an assortment of thai desserts, noodle stands, ready-to-eat-meals-in-a-bag, and then more towards the street, a hodge-podge of various wares including clothing, cosmetics, home appliances, and plastic containers.
as fate would have it, the market was breaking down and almost gone when i arrived, so i decided to hit up the main street to get some fruit from a fruit cart vendor, some desserts from the dessert cart vendor, and hit up a local small restaurant for some "khao mun gai tohd," which is deep-fried chicken with rice and soupstock on the side.
when i got back to my place, i found out that the chicken was not deep-fried as i had ordered. i was going to go back an exchange it, but it being early afternoon, and super sunny hot, i decided i'd just eat it and for one day not worry about it.
that was a big mistake number one.
imagine yourself later that night developing a stomach ache. i really thought nothing of it, until i left my house. i knew that something was wrong, but how wrong, i could not tell. so i decided to go to a punk show i had previously planned to take photos at, and see if i could make it through.
big mistake number two.
imagine a smoke-filled punk jubilee. loud music. moshing kids with gimungous mohawks of all the colors of the punk rainbow. a smattering of thai skinhead-emulating hooligan types screaming "OI, OI, OI!!!" it's all around you and you start to feel nauseous as all of these people start to mosh and kick and you start to feel not that super.
i had to "take a moment" too often out of that place, almost throwing up in the place a few times; almost crapping myself a few times. all of the hits i sustained to my head didn't help the headache. all of the punches to the body and the blows to my stomach didn't help the sickness go away. and all of the enveloping smells of an indoor punk show, which usually doesn't bother me at all, didn't really help me feel any less nauseous. in effect, i was on the verge of everything happening, and i opted to go home.
the taxi ride home was with one of the sort of thai bangkokian taxi-man has-to-go-fast-for-no-reason-other-that-prove-to-his-ride-that-he-can-disobey-the-law. and it was really testing my uppermost limits.
and you do feel like you get to a point when you think you can make it. call it a moment of grace even; a point where all of the ailments subside, the pains lift away, and everything for that moment seems like it's going to be okay. and then the moment passes, and you realize that if you don't get into your room, into a bathroom, now, you're going to make a mess in this taxi, and then you're fucked.
and by some small miracle, i just almost made it into my apartment before the chain reaction came to a head.
the super speed with which the taxi-man went at was constantly testing my stomachs ability to maintain. this, along with the fact that my stomach was being shaken up like a home-made brew of pop-fizzle soda from some sick backwater hillbilly moonshine club in the sticks, didn't make me feel any better.
consequently, i made it into the elevator, where i started to spew. i was really mad at myself the first time, but when the second payload came a-rising, i gave it no mind. i let go in that moment, and it was gross (later on, i would have to clean this up feeling both guilty and extremely not well, and that sucked ass).
then upon exiting the elevator, i had another spew ready to go, and out of sheer not knowing where is the most convenient place to puke if you're going to anyways, i threw up on a closed-top garbage bin, because i neither had the time nor the inclination to attempt taking it off before it all happened.
so there i am walking the short distance to my apartment, from the elevator, which at this point is just sad that i came home in that state. i entered my domicile, and ran for the bathroom with a bag in hand.
one could explain in great detail just what all happens at this point, sufficed to say, it was none too pretty.
but i figure if you've gotten to this far in my gross story, you're both wondering "why oh why did i ever read this far?" and also "could i be more grossed out, but maybe not, because it's just human, but still gross that i had read about it?"
and i apologize. i really do.
but i do feel a sense of responsibility to everyone i care about to say this: if you have plans, or even a job to do which requires you to be somewhere at a specific time, and you do not feel well...do not make the genial attempt at being "that person" who tries their darndest to help out.
take care of yourself first and foremost. don't be a hero be endangering the rest of the population. it's just not worth the test; to see whether or not you'll be able to handle it when the moment comes. stay home. stay safe. allow yourself a "sick day," because you know what?
you'll feel a lot better knowing that you made the correct decision. do the right thing people.
that is all i could ask of anyone.
---
disclaimer: this post will gross you out. be forewarned.
so. lemme ask you all this:
is there any proper way to handle explosive diarrhea and tumultuous vomiting at the same time?
i'm thinking, no.
it's too hard to be clutching the sides of a toilet with any sort of skill, while trying to hold a bag in front of your face. and it hurts too much to try and coordinate just which ailment to take care of at the same time.
i wish that there was just a magical vortex that you could shift yourself into when you've reached that specific point in your sickness, where you neither care about public etiquette and how you might look to anyone around you, nor the fact that you may in all likeness be losing control over your bodily functions too far from any proper receptacle. it's a personal hell which takes a large amount of awareness and commitment of motion to remedy.
and last night, this is where i found myself.
at around one in the afternoon, i found myself itching for something to eat. you know that feeling of when you've been working on something all day long, and you all of a sudden realize that you hadn't eaten anything? yeah, that feeling crept over me.
i decided to go to the local market that sets up some days near to the hospital near my place. you can access it through this side door in the small ,which attaches my street with the main street where i can get onto public transportation. sort of a small maze at times.
usually you'll find an assortment of thai desserts, noodle stands, ready-to-eat-meals-in-a-bag, and then more towards the street, a hodge-podge of various wares including clothing, cosmetics, home appliances, and plastic containers.
as fate would have it, the market was breaking down and almost gone when i arrived, so i decided to hit up the main street to get some fruit from a fruit cart vendor, some desserts from the dessert cart vendor, and hit up a local small restaurant for some "khao mun gai tohd," which is deep-fried chicken with rice and soupstock on the side.
when i got back to my place, i found out that the chicken was not deep-fried as i had ordered. i was going to go back an exchange it, but it being early afternoon, and super sunny hot, i decided i'd just eat it and for one day not worry about it.
that was a big mistake number one.
imagine yourself later that night developing a stomach ache. i really thought nothing of it, until i left my house. i knew that something was wrong, but how wrong, i could not tell. so i decided to go to a punk show i had previously planned to take photos at, and see if i could make it through.
big mistake number two.
imagine a smoke-filled punk jubilee. loud music. moshing kids with gimungous mohawks of all the colors of the punk rainbow. a smattering of thai skinhead-emulating hooligan types screaming "OI, OI, OI!!!" it's all around you and you start to feel nauseous as all of these people start to mosh and kick and you start to feel not that super.
i had to "take a moment" too often out of that place, almost throwing up in the place a few times; almost crapping myself a few times. all of the hits i sustained to my head didn't help the headache. all of the punches to the body and the blows to my stomach didn't help the sickness go away. and all of the enveloping smells of an indoor punk show, which usually doesn't bother me at all, didn't really help me feel any less nauseous. in effect, i was on the verge of everything happening, and i opted to go home.
the taxi ride home was with one of the sort of thai bangkokian taxi-man has-to-go-fast-for-no-reason-other-that-prove-to-his-ride-that-he-can-disobey-the-law. and it was really testing my uppermost limits.
and you do feel like you get to a point when you think you can make it. call it a moment of grace even; a point where all of the ailments subside, the pains lift away, and everything for that moment seems like it's going to be okay. and then the moment passes, and you realize that if you don't get into your room, into a bathroom, now, you're going to make a mess in this taxi, and then you're fucked.
and by some small miracle, i just almost made it into my apartment before the chain reaction came to a head.
the super speed with which the taxi-man went at was constantly testing my stomachs ability to maintain. this, along with the fact that my stomach was being shaken up like a home-made brew of pop-fizzle soda from some sick backwater hillbilly moonshine club in the sticks, didn't make me feel any better.
consequently, i made it into the elevator, where i started to spew. i was really mad at myself the first time, but when the second payload came a-rising, i gave it no mind. i let go in that moment, and it was gross (later on, i would have to clean this up feeling both guilty and extremely not well, and that sucked ass).
then upon exiting the elevator, i had another spew ready to go, and out of sheer not knowing where is the most convenient place to puke if you're going to anyways, i threw up on a closed-top garbage bin, because i neither had the time nor the inclination to attempt taking it off before it all happened.
so there i am walking the short distance to my apartment, from the elevator, which at this point is just sad that i came home in that state. i entered my domicile, and ran for the bathroom with a bag in hand.
one could explain in great detail just what all happens at this point, sufficed to say, it was none too pretty.
but i figure if you've gotten to this far in my gross story, you're both wondering "why oh why did i ever read this far?" and also "could i be more grossed out, but maybe not, because it's just human, but still gross that i had read about it?"
and i apologize. i really do.
but i do feel a sense of responsibility to everyone i care about to say this: if you have plans, or even a job to do which requires you to be somewhere at a specific time, and you do not feel well...do not make the genial attempt at being "that person" who tries their darndest to help out.
take care of yourself first and foremost. don't be a hero be endangering the rest of the population. it's just not worth the test; to see whether or not you'll be able to handle it when the moment comes. stay home. stay safe. allow yourself a "sick day," because you know what?
you'll feel a lot better knowing that you made the correct decision. do the right thing people.
that is all i could ask of anyone.
---
Sunday, January 29, 2006
" 2000 baht for the rest of your life "
---
it's not much at all for western standards. not much. a trifle. 2000 baht.
that's about 50 USD, and it can be spent in a split second with no one missing it at all. what could you buy in the bay area for that amount of money? a pair of pants and a scarf. a designer tee shirt and a sandwich, maybe the train ride back to the east bay.
it's almost normal to let money flow through our fingers like so much sweet and perfumed water. there are times that you are reminded just how much value people have over the ever-changing concept of money.
in all reality, i hate money. i hate it. i hate that it exists.
i hate the power money has over people. i hate the way money makes class divisions and how it hollows out people. there are empty shells with loud voices which echo walking along wall street, the booming resonance bouncing inside of their cavernous frames.
i have family in the south of thailand, and no matter how little i have actually seen them over the course of these now 26 years of coming and going , back and forth from the states to here, they always have love for me.
they always have a deep and profound wealth of support and interest into everything that i'm doing, and it's the sort of caring that permeates through your soul, and carries in your being, saturating ever fiber of the heart.
this past time i was in songkhla province, about a week and a half ago, i made sure to say goodbye to some of my relatives who own a small goods and rice shop on one side, and on the other, the most delicious steamed buns ever.
they greeted me with sparkles and affection. a real love that can never be repeated the same. i only wanted to make sure that i missed them all of the time, and that they are always in my thoughts.
and right before i started to walk away, i felt a moment of hesitation in them and they told me to wait a moment. i stood before my relatives in the south, and my aunt's gentle hand lifted towards me, clutching onto my arm.
she looked into my eyes and told me to be a good person; be smart and helpful and kind. make sure i take care of myself and others. live life, love, exist, make everyone proud, and respect myself.
she said all of these things through this simple action. no words, and all of the meaning. then after i tried my hardest to leave with just that treasure, she slipped into my palm two 1000 baht notes.
you have to imagine an instantaneous ancient and deep sort of shame. i was and am still so ashamed.
to have come from their own pockets, this 2000 baht represented so much more than anything that it could possibly be spent upon.
it means their daily hard work, love and sacrifice, and trust and a reaching out for an understanding so furiously loud inside of your soul, all contained in the silent gesture, that one must recognize the significance, or it could misinterpreted.
i refused three times as is my method, and before they could lose any face, i accepted the money. you have to understand also, that although someone with my particular background could spend that amount in five minutes, it is the sort of cash that comes from selling small goods, rice, and steamed buns; the elements of their daily survival.
this sense of love is not the kind of hallmark cards or sappy syrupy sunday afternoon specials. it is real and raw and true, and when confronted with this love in it's most base form, one has to fight with oneself to remain composed, as i attempted to do.
it is within this monetary gift, and so much more. so much more than the worth of those two slight bills. and in that moment i wanted to tell them everything.
all of my love and feelings for them and how in every second, i recognize how much we are family and care for one another and all of the things that we should, as human beings, be sharing with each other out loud in every day we have remaining. so that we know. and they know. and all of these gestures could mean so much more than pure artifice and exchange of paper.
and i know that they know now.
2000 baht for the rest of your life.
the act becomes more than the worth of the gift, and extends beyond dissection. beyond the need for unnecessary contemplation. beyond guessing, and into the realm of understanding.
it is a state of my being, and i think i will never forget how simple it was to remind myself that we all exist together. the family of man.
and how in just one moment, without making it known, we could lose the things that make us whole.
---
it's not much at all for western standards. not much. a trifle. 2000 baht.
that's about 50 USD, and it can be spent in a split second with no one missing it at all. what could you buy in the bay area for that amount of money? a pair of pants and a scarf. a designer tee shirt and a sandwich, maybe the train ride back to the east bay.
it's almost normal to let money flow through our fingers like so much sweet and perfumed water. there are times that you are reminded just how much value people have over the ever-changing concept of money.
in all reality, i hate money. i hate it. i hate that it exists.
i hate the power money has over people. i hate the way money makes class divisions and how it hollows out people. there are empty shells with loud voices which echo walking along wall street, the booming resonance bouncing inside of their cavernous frames.
i have family in the south of thailand, and no matter how little i have actually seen them over the course of these now 26 years of coming and going , back and forth from the states to here, they always have love for me.
they always have a deep and profound wealth of support and interest into everything that i'm doing, and it's the sort of caring that permeates through your soul, and carries in your being, saturating ever fiber of the heart.
this past time i was in songkhla province, about a week and a half ago, i made sure to say goodbye to some of my relatives who own a small goods and rice shop on one side, and on the other, the most delicious steamed buns ever.
they greeted me with sparkles and affection. a real love that can never be repeated the same. i only wanted to make sure that i missed them all of the time, and that they are always in my thoughts.
and right before i started to walk away, i felt a moment of hesitation in them and they told me to wait a moment. i stood before my relatives in the south, and my aunt's gentle hand lifted towards me, clutching onto my arm.
she looked into my eyes and told me to be a good person; be smart and helpful and kind. make sure i take care of myself and others. live life, love, exist, make everyone proud, and respect myself.
she said all of these things through this simple action. no words, and all of the meaning. then after i tried my hardest to leave with just that treasure, she slipped into my palm two 1000 baht notes.
you have to imagine an instantaneous ancient and deep sort of shame. i was and am still so ashamed.
to have come from their own pockets, this 2000 baht represented so much more than anything that it could possibly be spent upon.
it means their daily hard work, love and sacrifice, and trust and a reaching out for an understanding so furiously loud inside of your soul, all contained in the silent gesture, that one must recognize the significance, or it could misinterpreted.
i refused three times as is my method, and before they could lose any face, i accepted the money. you have to understand also, that although someone with my particular background could spend that amount in five minutes, it is the sort of cash that comes from selling small goods, rice, and steamed buns; the elements of their daily survival.
this sense of love is not the kind of hallmark cards or sappy syrupy sunday afternoon specials. it is real and raw and true, and when confronted with this love in it's most base form, one has to fight with oneself to remain composed, as i attempted to do.
it is within this monetary gift, and so much more. so much more than the worth of those two slight bills. and in that moment i wanted to tell them everything.
all of my love and feelings for them and how in every second, i recognize how much we are family and care for one another and all of the things that we should, as human beings, be sharing with each other out loud in every day we have remaining. so that we know. and they know. and all of these gestures could mean so much more than pure artifice and exchange of paper.
and i know that they know now.
2000 baht for the rest of your life.
the act becomes more than the worth of the gift, and extends beyond dissection. beyond the need for unnecessary contemplation. beyond guessing, and into the realm of understanding.
it is a state of my being, and i think i will never forget how simple it was to remind myself that we all exist together. the family of man.
and how in just one moment, without making it known, we could lose the things that make us whole.
---
Thursday, January 26, 2006
" it's odd, this absence of everything "
---
too much stuff. family in the south and that trip, khao lak tourist "volunteers" and how much they help out...and drink, the seedart project gallery exhibition and how three of my prints have sold (for charity 100%) which is rad, friends, horrible bangkokian fluorescent lighting veiled as progressive; it's new beginnings beginning again and again in every moment.
ever have a blank first month of the year, where everything happens and you're so overwhelmed, that you just can't record any of it?
well yes, then i promise to get back to you on just what happened this past month, at least by the end of this year.
tonight's homework:
read "the mimic men" by v.s. naipaul and let it blow the proverbial pants off of your brain.
i mean it.
pant's brain.
yes.
---
too much stuff. family in the south and that trip, khao lak tourist "volunteers" and how much they help out...and drink, the seedart project gallery exhibition and how three of my prints have sold (for charity 100%) which is rad, friends, horrible bangkokian fluorescent lighting veiled as progressive; it's new beginnings beginning again and again in every moment.
ever have a blank first month of the year, where everything happens and you're so overwhelmed, that you just can't record any of it?
well yes, then i promise to get back to you on just what happened this past month, at least by the end of this year.
tonight's homework:
read "the mimic men" by v.s. naipaul and let it blow the proverbial pants off of your brain.
i mean it.
pant's brain.
yes.
---
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Monday, January 09, 2006
" the year 2549 "
---
she looks at me.
the blurred girl, with bruised knees.
the way she walks is so free.
the way she speaks, echoes with a palpable weight.
and in that instant,
the moment passes on.
she blinks her eyes.
the missing girl who never lies.
in her absence, everything cries.
in her absence, the leaves fall to the ground.
---
she looks at me.
the blurred girl, with bruised knees.
the way she walks is so free.
the way she speaks, echoes with a palpable weight.
and in that instant,
the moment passes on.
she blinks her eyes.
the missing girl who never lies.
in her absence, everything cries.
in her absence, the leaves fall to the ground.
---
" abdul looks silly "
---
Go to google.com and type in, "(your name) looks like"Don't forget to put it in quotes, otherwise it won't work.Add yours to the bottom of the list and repost this.
1. "Kellen looks like he has mustard in his diaper" oh no it gets better.."Kellen looks like he is getting pissed off that the snake eyes won't go down" apparently i'm a man.
2. "Scott looks like a major force." okay.... but this next one is amazing: "Scott looks like a chinese pig with worse facial hair." i wonder if that was really written about me. damn my beard must suck hard and i'm ugly to boot.
3. "Aww, Jared looks like a reject from Devo.""Jared looks like a pirate because of his eyepatch.""Jared looks like a representative from the planet Adorable..."
4. "Debbie looks like the evil spawn my parents had, mistakenly named Cinderella.""Debbie looks like an ugly hag-corpse.""debbie looks like shes 100 month pregnant!"
5. "Adam looks like he's cheering for his favorite team! ""I don't remember if I've said this before, but Adam looks like such a poser!""Adam looks like withdrawal ain't happening anytime soon." YES I'M A JUNKIE ACCORDING TO GOOGLE
6. "Jesse looks like a hedgehog.""Jesse looks like he could revert to his school self in a moment.""Jesse looks like something from the Venture Brothers.""Jesse looks like he is fighting off a case of downs syndrome."
7. "Kala looks like she's undecided as to whether she should be indignantor scandalized."
8. "Max looks like someone who would sweep you off your feet into an early marriage proposal""Max looks like a wonderful kitty!""Max looks like the offspring of a.. ahem... drunken sexual union between an Ewok and a Wookie""Max looks like the kind of guy I want to party with""Max looks like a child sincerely asking forgiveness for having done something wrong"
9. "Jen looks like she's gonna stab you with a fondue stick."
10. "I have No idea what Abdul looks like , I figure ALL oriental people Look alike, so this will do."
and so, here is my own personal foray into the wilds of googlelandia:
11.
"Bay looks like the end of route 66 in the year 1960"
"Bay looks like an extremely vivid huge drawing"
"Bay looks like somewhere in Barbados, with white beaches,crystal emerald seas and bright sunshine"
"Bay looks like the place they went to where the freaky wee hippo things sailed around in the funny wee boats"
...but this one is my favorite:
"Bay looks like a blue jewel carved into the jagged coastline of O'ahu's North Shore"
it's nice to be described as a blue jewel sometimes, innit?
---
Go to google.com and type in, "(your name) looks like"Don't forget to put it in quotes, otherwise it won't work.Add yours to the bottom of the list and repost this.
1. "Kellen looks like he has mustard in his diaper" oh no it gets better.."Kellen looks like he is getting pissed off that the snake eyes won't go down" apparently i'm a man.
2. "Scott looks like a major force." okay.... but this next one is amazing: "Scott looks like a chinese pig with worse facial hair." i wonder if that was really written about me. damn my beard must suck hard and i'm ugly to boot.
3. "Aww, Jared looks like a reject from Devo.""Jared looks like a pirate because of his eyepatch.""Jared looks like a representative from the planet Adorable..."
4. "Debbie looks like the evil spawn my parents had, mistakenly named Cinderella.""Debbie looks like an ugly hag-corpse.""debbie looks like shes 100 month pregnant!"
5. "Adam looks like he's cheering for his favorite team! ""I don't remember if I've said this before, but Adam looks like such a poser!""Adam looks like withdrawal ain't happening anytime soon." YES I'M A JUNKIE ACCORDING TO GOOGLE
6. "Jesse looks like a hedgehog.""Jesse looks like he could revert to his school self in a moment.""Jesse looks like something from the Venture Brothers.""Jesse looks like he is fighting off a case of downs syndrome."
7. "Kala looks like she's undecided as to whether she should be indignantor scandalized."
8. "Max looks like someone who would sweep you off your feet into an early marriage proposal""Max looks like a wonderful kitty!""Max looks like the offspring of a.. ahem... drunken sexual union between an Ewok and a Wookie""Max looks like the kind of guy I want to party with""Max looks like a child sincerely asking forgiveness for having done something wrong"
9. "Jen looks like she's gonna stab you with a fondue stick."
10. "I have No idea what Abdul looks like , I figure ALL oriental people Look alike, so this will do."
and so, here is my own personal foray into the wilds of googlelandia:
11.
"Bay looks like the end of route 66 in the year 1960"
"Bay looks like an extremely vivid huge drawing"
"Bay looks like somewhere in Barbados, with white beaches,crystal emerald seas and bright sunshine"
"Bay looks like the place they went to where the freaky wee hippo things sailed around in the funny wee boats"
...but this one is my favorite:
"Bay looks like a blue jewel carved into the jagged coastline of O'ahu's North Shore"
it's nice to be described as a blue jewel sometimes, innit?
---
Sunday, December 25, 2005
" somewhere tiny tim is dreaming of thumbellina "
---
dear all,
by now, it's 21 minutes past what would be christmas if it truly existed in this 90% buddhist country.
i think that since i don't have a house or a stove or any sort of chimney type thing, he just won't make it to my bangkokian apartment. and that's cool.
if you're alone, don't worry, a new year is around the bend. go get a nice xmas-type breakfast with a stranger.
if you're with a loved one or family or both, take this day off to remind yourself just how wonderful being with each other is.
whatever your preferred religion or holiday sensibilities, be safe and take care.
and if santa also doesn't show up at your house, i'm willing to be the packaged recipient of your "wasted cookies.
milk might prove more difficult to send by post though.
merry chrisannukwanza to all!
love,
bay in bkk
---
dear all,
by now, it's 21 minutes past what would be christmas if it truly existed in this 90% buddhist country.
i think that since i don't have a house or a stove or any sort of chimney type thing, he just won't make it to my bangkokian apartment. and that's cool.
if you're alone, don't worry, a new year is around the bend. go get a nice xmas-type breakfast with a stranger.
if you're with a loved one or family or both, take this day off to remind yourself just how wonderful being with each other is.
whatever your preferred religion or holiday sensibilities, be safe and take care.
and if santa also doesn't show up at your house, i'm willing to be the packaged recipient of your "wasted cookies.
milk might prove more difficult to send by post though.
merry chrisannukwanza to all!
love,
bay in bkk
---
Sunday, December 18, 2005
" always down for the hometown "
---
Herb Caen once wrote:
"It's the indescribable conglomeration of beauty and ugliness that makes San Francisco a poem without meter, a symphony without harmony, a painting without reason -- a city without equal."
Walking its streets reveals this truth. It's no surprise that other cities -- like New York, London, Sydney and Minneapolis -- offer similar realities. City streets are a time capsule that take us back in history, give us a glimpse of the future and help us capture the moment.
They provide context -- a place where we can put our lives into perspective. A place where we can explore who we once were, what we've become and what the future might hold.
---
tonight's homework:
get out into the streets with your camera of choice. prepare food and weather-appropriate clothing. walk around your neighborhood and photograph the things and people and animals and objects and everything and anything that catches and commands to be documented. only a sense of exploratory professionalism is needed.
develop the photos (or download them into your computer if you are a digital-photog), then print them at the lab (off of your desktop printer). affix them in a poster-size design on a main wall in your living quarters/house/apt/studio/domicile, scrapbook them, flip-book them, exhibit them, share them, cherish them.
this is where you are right now. the place where you are, and where you are existing. you exist. and the love you have for the place you exist in, reflects in the way the place you exist in will love for you.
---
Herb Caen once wrote:
"It's the indescribable conglomeration of beauty and ugliness that makes San Francisco a poem without meter, a symphony without harmony, a painting without reason -- a city without equal."
Walking its streets reveals this truth. It's no surprise that other cities -- like New York, London, Sydney and Minneapolis -- offer similar realities. City streets are a time capsule that take us back in history, give us a glimpse of the future and help us capture the moment.
They provide context -- a place where we can put our lives into perspective. A place where we can explore who we once were, what we've become and what the future might hold.
---
tonight's homework:
get out into the streets with your camera of choice. prepare food and weather-appropriate clothing. walk around your neighborhood and photograph the things and people and animals and objects and everything and anything that catches and commands to be documented. only a sense of exploratory professionalism is needed.
develop the photos (or download them into your computer if you are a digital-photog), then print them at the lab (off of your desktop printer). affix them in a poster-size design on a main wall in your living quarters/house/apt/studio/domicile, scrapbook them, flip-book them, exhibit them, share them, cherish them.
this is where you are right now. the place where you are, and where you are existing. you exist. and the love you have for the place you exist in, reflects in the way the place you exist in will love for you.
---
Saturday, December 17, 2005
" the ebb and flow of international commerce"
---
weederman23: some japanese dude bought all of my buttons at the weekend market
weederman23: about 40-60 of my custom buttons for a hundred bucks
mira0013: that's so cool
weederman23: i think so
weederman23: i started to feel weird about it, but it's cool
mira0013: feel weird, why?
weederman23: like, i think i intended for them to be sold and spread throughout thailand...and having a japanese guy buy them...
weederman23: i mean, they were getting really good. like i've been making them really intricately this time around, but i know in japan he can sell them for more
weederman23: and is he really interested in them? or interested in them as a commodity; just something to sell?
weederman23: aaaanyways, i got over it when i did a little math
mira0013: what was that little math?
weederman23: about $2.50 a button
weederman23: so i figure, "hey, that's a sandwich right there"
weederman23: and in total, that could potentially equal out to a lot of sandwiches
mira0013: yeah
mira0013: so many that you might even get sick of sandwichses
weederman23: maybe, but i don't think that would ever happen
---
weederman23: some japanese dude bought all of my buttons at the weekend market
weederman23: about 40-60 of my custom buttons for a hundred bucks
mira0013: that's so cool
weederman23: i think so
weederman23: i started to feel weird about it, but it's cool
mira0013: feel weird, why?
weederman23: like, i think i intended for them to be sold and spread throughout thailand...and having a japanese guy buy them...
weederman23: i mean, they were getting really good. like i've been making them really intricately this time around, but i know in japan he can sell them for more
weederman23: and is he really interested in them? or interested in them as a commodity; just something to sell?
weederman23: aaaanyways, i got over it when i did a little math
mira0013: what was that little math?
weederman23: about $2.50 a button
weederman23: so i figure, "hey, that's a sandwich right there"
weederman23: and in total, that could potentially equal out to a lot of sandwiches
mira0013: yeah
mira0013: so many that you might even get sick of sandwichses
weederman23: maybe, but i don't think that would ever happen
---
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
" i double-kong dare you " or " yes, spoilers ahead "
---
sometimes people forget about the entertainment factor. it's about the ride, the gasps of terror, the funny, the drama, the tears of joy, and about the experience of it all. king kong is a brilliant ride of all of these isms.
you have to take a guarded stance against the bullshit blockbuster movies that hollywood and hollywood-type studio systems are trying to sell to you. sure they may be gimungous and visually spectacular, but you end up watching a 15 dollar-a-pop-plus-popcorn-set piece of flashy poo. it's hollow. it's vacuous. it's wasted your time, and made some ass-muppet in tinseltown that much richer.
to get back to it, director peter jackson has created a cinematic feast to consume, not only with the eyes, but with the entire being. you can tell how much he loves this character, with the vast everythingness of the piece.
it's about powerful storytelling. you have to want to lend yourself to a film, to fully engross yourself and everything in the moment, in order to fully appreciate a majesty of this sort. and it does live up to the hype. oh yes. believe it this time; king kong will do it for you, in which ever way it needs to be done.
and okay, let's take a moment to discuss a few tics people have about such tales:
a) CGI creatures: people, you're all going to have to get over the fact that it's CGI. seriously. i mean, i didn't hear you complain when you went to see jurassic park for the first time. all i heard were gasps of delight and wonder. yes, i was there.
using the CGI technology has become old hat, so when you see one or many of these creatures, it's only human of us to automatically think to ourselves (and out loud. yeah i know who you annoying people are.), "gee, these CGI creatures look soooo CGI. i am actively and consciously going to not believe it/them."
and why? because you're better than the movie? because you're smarter than the filmmakers who only want to entertain you and tell you a story? what are they going to do but do their best to portray these monsters and ancient animals in the best way they know how?
i suppose the moral is, stop being such a smart-ass viewer. if you paid for the ticket to ride, you are going to have to exercise your imagination muscle. of course it's fake! that's the whole point!! it's called suspension of belief, and i say, look into it.
also, if it still looks fake to you, think of it as sort of a nod to the 1933 version of king kong, and the clay models they were working with then; how they moved and how they moved people with their at-the-time staggering realism. it's true, look into it.
b) film versus fanboy: no doubt this is a pet project of peter jackson's. it is plainly obvious that he loves the king that is kong. you can just imagine him in the screening room, going fucking insane at how it's all coming together.
he's writhing with excitement, the screen flickering to and fro, and he's rolling on the floor bawling out with tears of joy. okay maybe not, but you can see how hard he worked with his crew on this. it's no mere project, it's a fulfillment.
sometimes you meet these people who are called fanboy's(and they can be girls too, although i'm not sure that fangirl would mean the same stereotype as a fanboy), and they're passionate. i mean, they'll talk your ear off at length about the latest bit of cinema gossip, nerd fiction, comic book crossover spectacular, their theories on everything geek, and pretty much can either go one of two ways: cool, or really not cool at all.
you look at peter jackson, and you start to realize, this guy is a fanboy (the good kind) that made it! if any of you cannot believe how nerdy and successful this amazing at-one-time-pudgy and-hobbit-like man is, did you catch the sumatran rat monkey(dead alive reference) cage in the illegal live-animal capture hold in the brig of the boat? fantastic!!! that's what i'm talking about. and if you still are confused, ask a friend, because odds are you do actually know someone that is a fanboy, and you just don't know.
c) you know how it ends: c'mon people, pull it together. we all know that you know how it ends. it's the entire point of the movie. it's a reinterpretation. it's a fable, a fantasy, a tall tale, an adventure, and a story. it's beauty and the beast exemplified. it's magical. it's raw and vicious. it's period and somewhat campy and stylized and perfect.
of course king kong dies in the end. he has to die in the end. don't you ever get mad at me or make that face; i told you this in the title. and it's king kong, how can he survive in the city? it's just not going to happen. this is a tragedy. it's a fable of caution; of how we can let nature be wild in it's own environment.
and you see how truly along kong is in his jungle solitude; he fights for survival every day and overcomes it as the last of his kind. it'll touch you, or else you're not truly all-human in the way that king kong is not truly all-flesh-and-blood.
it's of how we ourselves become the monsters and destroy all of the beautiful things we try to uphold. this is a melancholy story about love and the nature of the world living in tandem with each other. it's all of this, and it's all told through the eyes of this 25-foot tall protagonist. i tell you, it's super-fresh!
d) it's 3 hours long in running time: can you handle that? can you even foresee how long this is going to be? i'm betting that your imagining the strain of a droning-on feature slumping languishly in places making the whole thing drag and strain under the weight of a story drawn out and killed.
in fact, this piece is 3 hours and 8 minutes long, and it only seems like an hour and a half or so. this is what we like to call, the magic of editing (also known as the power of pacing and storyboarding, but at a different point in time as per to the [post]production). i never lags or feels dialogue heavy. it's all about balance and choices; the choice here was obviously to make a kick-ass super fest, and it succeeds.
---
so use the restroom beforehand, tuck your store-bought snackies safely into the pockets of your bag, sip your drinks slowly, and get ready to not just watch a movie, but to be moved with an experience.
just trust me when i say you're going to love it. and if you don't you can write to me and tell me why, we can discuss it openly and truthfully, weighing the pros and cons over tea, and maybe even have a dialogue of our own. i know it's not perfect, but it's perfect enough to look past all of the little details you might be inclined to list and exploit.
i'm sure you can come up with a whole slew of other nitpicky things (billy elliot get all frustrated and small when he could've been a greater character antagonist, the "natives" on skull island and how come they had to be scary and darkly-skinned and then where did they all go later on? the use of slow-motion but in a strange way that takes you out of the action, andy serkis as lumpy the cook and how his eye wasn't really shut all the way [and kudos for his death scene. this boy gets got in one of the nastiest most savage ways-of-nature that one can think of], the dinosaurs-are-falling sequence and how did the characters run so fast and so far without getting lost? on and on and on and on STOP IT!!!), but you'd only actively ruin a superbly made film for doing so.
but in all fairness to your intelligence if you happened to dislike the piece, in light of mass-consumerism, brand-namerism, pro-republicanism, gaudy jewelryisms, and teenagers ruling them all, this is a perfect example of what your "money's worth" should look like.
---
sometimes people forget about the entertainment factor. it's about the ride, the gasps of terror, the funny, the drama, the tears of joy, and about the experience of it all. king kong is a brilliant ride of all of these isms.
you have to take a guarded stance against the bullshit blockbuster movies that hollywood and hollywood-type studio systems are trying to sell to you. sure they may be gimungous and visually spectacular, but you end up watching a 15 dollar-a-pop-plus-popcorn-set piece of flashy poo. it's hollow. it's vacuous. it's wasted your time, and made some ass-muppet in tinseltown that much richer.
to get back to it, director peter jackson has created a cinematic feast to consume, not only with the eyes, but with the entire being. you can tell how much he loves this character, with the vast everythingness of the piece.
it's about powerful storytelling. you have to want to lend yourself to a film, to fully engross yourself and everything in the moment, in order to fully appreciate a majesty of this sort. and it does live up to the hype. oh yes. believe it this time; king kong will do it for you, in which ever way it needs to be done.
and okay, let's take a moment to discuss a few tics people have about such tales:
a) CGI creatures: people, you're all going to have to get over the fact that it's CGI. seriously. i mean, i didn't hear you complain when you went to see jurassic park for the first time. all i heard were gasps of delight and wonder. yes, i was there.
using the CGI technology has become old hat, so when you see one or many of these creatures, it's only human of us to automatically think to ourselves (and out loud. yeah i know who you annoying people are.), "gee, these CGI creatures look soooo CGI. i am actively and consciously going to not believe it/them."
and why? because you're better than the movie? because you're smarter than the filmmakers who only want to entertain you and tell you a story? what are they going to do but do their best to portray these monsters and ancient animals in the best way they know how?
i suppose the moral is, stop being such a smart-ass viewer. if you paid for the ticket to ride, you are going to have to exercise your imagination muscle. of course it's fake! that's the whole point!! it's called suspension of belief, and i say, look into it.
also, if it still looks fake to you, think of it as sort of a nod to the 1933 version of king kong, and the clay models they were working with then; how they moved and how they moved people with their at-the-time staggering realism. it's true, look into it.
b) film versus fanboy: no doubt this is a pet project of peter jackson's. it is plainly obvious that he loves the king that is kong. you can just imagine him in the screening room, going fucking insane at how it's all coming together.
he's writhing with excitement, the screen flickering to and fro, and he's rolling on the floor bawling out with tears of joy. okay maybe not, but you can see how hard he worked with his crew on this. it's no mere project, it's a fulfillment.
sometimes you meet these people who are called fanboy's(and they can be girls too, although i'm not sure that fangirl would mean the same stereotype as a fanboy), and they're passionate. i mean, they'll talk your ear off at length about the latest bit of cinema gossip, nerd fiction, comic book crossover spectacular, their theories on everything geek, and pretty much can either go one of two ways: cool, or really not cool at all.
you look at peter jackson, and you start to realize, this guy is a fanboy (the good kind) that made it! if any of you cannot believe how nerdy and successful this amazing at-one-time-pudgy and-hobbit-like man is, did you catch the sumatran rat monkey(dead alive reference) cage in the illegal live-animal capture hold in the brig of the boat? fantastic!!! that's what i'm talking about. and if you still are confused, ask a friend, because odds are you do actually know someone that is a fanboy, and you just don't know.
c) you know how it ends: c'mon people, pull it together. we all know that you know how it ends. it's the entire point of the movie. it's a reinterpretation. it's a fable, a fantasy, a tall tale, an adventure, and a story. it's beauty and the beast exemplified. it's magical. it's raw and vicious. it's period and somewhat campy and stylized and perfect.
of course king kong dies in the end. he has to die in the end. don't you ever get mad at me or make that face; i told you this in the title. and it's king kong, how can he survive in the city? it's just not going to happen. this is a tragedy. it's a fable of caution; of how we can let nature be wild in it's own environment.
and you see how truly along kong is in his jungle solitude; he fights for survival every day and overcomes it as the last of his kind. it'll touch you, or else you're not truly all-human in the way that king kong is not truly all-flesh-and-blood.
it's of how we ourselves become the monsters and destroy all of the beautiful things we try to uphold. this is a melancholy story about love and the nature of the world living in tandem with each other. it's all of this, and it's all told through the eyes of this 25-foot tall protagonist. i tell you, it's super-fresh!
d) it's 3 hours long in running time: can you handle that? can you even foresee how long this is going to be? i'm betting that your imagining the strain of a droning-on feature slumping languishly in places making the whole thing drag and strain under the weight of a story drawn out and killed.
in fact, this piece is 3 hours and 8 minutes long, and it only seems like an hour and a half or so. this is what we like to call, the magic of editing (also known as the power of pacing and storyboarding, but at a different point in time as per to the [post]production). i never lags or feels dialogue heavy. it's all about balance and choices; the choice here was obviously to make a kick-ass super fest, and it succeeds.
---
so use the restroom beforehand, tuck your store-bought snackies safely into the pockets of your bag, sip your drinks slowly, and get ready to not just watch a movie, but to be moved with an experience.
just trust me when i say you're going to love it. and if you don't you can write to me and tell me why, we can discuss it openly and truthfully, weighing the pros and cons over tea, and maybe even have a dialogue of our own. i know it's not perfect, but it's perfect enough to look past all of the little details you might be inclined to list and exploit.
i'm sure you can come up with a whole slew of other nitpicky things (billy elliot get all frustrated and small when he could've been a greater character antagonist, the "natives" on skull island and how come they had to be scary and darkly-skinned and then where did they all go later on? the use of slow-motion but in a strange way that takes you out of the action, andy serkis as lumpy the cook and how his eye wasn't really shut all the way [and kudos for his death scene. this boy gets got in one of the nastiest most savage ways-of-nature that one can think of], the dinosaurs-are-falling sequence and how did the characters run so fast and so far without getting lost? on and on and on and on STOP IT!!!), but you'd only actively ruin a superbly made film for doing so.
but in all fairness to your intelligence if you happened to dislike the piece, in light of mass-consumerism, brand-namerism, pro-republicanism, gaudy jewelryisms, and teenagers ruling them all, this is a perfect example of what your "money's worth" should look like.
---
Saturday, December 10, 2005
" condo panorama duece "
---
looking to the world outside; strange eminations from everywhere linger.
turning your back on the night, to lay down against the slow breeze of the dark lights.
---
looking to the world outside; strange eminations from everywhere linger.
turning your back on the night, to lay down against the slow breeze of the dark lights.
---
Sunday, December 04, 2005
" hey! where'd my movie experience go? "
---
nerdy regression:
sooooo, where'd the story go?
what is 'aeon flux-y' about this movie at all excepting the names and pseudo-artistically mad cinematic references to an obviously superior(albeit animated) creator-owned super universe.
it had everything setup: storyline, creator still alive (lookit the nerds of batman [only a few of them and you know which ones those are and in what order], superman[s], and LOTR!!! okay okay, that's not a fair comparison, but still...).
there is an Aeon Flux, yes to be true, but this isn't it. sorry.
i can't believe MTV just sunk to a lower (than they already can pour and instill shit to flourish in the minds of pop-culture and their minions) level with this adapted (tripe) piece. at the end of the show, i was sad to see peter chung's name mentioned; i mean you sort of have to, but it hurts to see it up there alongside his creation.
it remains valid that the characters and the creators (inclusive of petur chung, [was-off-to-a-great-start debut-ist] K-kusama, [fresh off of monster oscar and other lauded performances] charlize theron, fuckin jonny lee miller [sick boy hackers guy? c'mon!], [did you even catch dirty pretty things or the great modern drama hotel rwanda???] sophie O., and also the ill placed and surprisingly cast [usually brilliant and still great in a confused re-interpretation of aoen flux] frances mcdormand. it's just so sad is all; that so many creatives can come together and completely miss the point.
the shots are stylized without weight. the costumes are exquisite beyond a mere star trek voyager episode and nearly pret-a-porter in the real world...if the real world were a utopian-esque student fashion contest in singapore. the dialogue harks no clear references to the original snappy dark lusciousness that was the playful double-speak banter between aeon and everyone she encountered.
gone are the innuendos, the fun, the funny, and the quirkyness wrapped within real and intimate dangers. maybe it's just a fan-boy's ultimate job to criticize everything and shit on every attempt to adapt original fictional pieces and character-driven storylines, but there should've been more (creator) input?
perhaps, maybe? somewhere? anywhere other than a non-veiled reference to the fly-in-the-eye(lash) liquid televisioned intro of the series. it was confusing and made me sad ironically.
i suppose they'll get on, move on, creation-ing more stuff from existing [fan-praised]stuff, but this might've been one that they could have spent a little more time on story, rather than MTV's involvement on.
that said, it's like i said with the entire star wars prequels before they came out,
"if it's rad, it'll add the the awesomeness that is the star wars universe. if not, then it'll prove that you don't really have to mess with perfection of originality."
it's up to you ultimately i guess.
---
nerdy regression:
sooooo, where'd the story go?
what is 'aeon flux-y' about this movie at all excepting the names and pseudo-artistically mad cinematic references to an obviously superior(albeit animated) creator-owned super universe.
it had everything setup: storyline, creator still alive (lookit the nerds of batman [only a few of them and you know which ones those are and in what order], superman[s], and LOTR!!! okay okay, that's not a fair comparison, but still...).
there is an Aeon Flux, yes to be true, but this isn't it. sorry.
i can't believe MTV just sunk to a lower (than they already can pour and instill shit to flourish in the minds of pop-culture and their minions) level with this adapted (tripe) piece. at the end of the show, i was sad to see peter chung's name mentioned; i mean you sort of have to, but it hurts to see it up there alongside his creation.
it remains valid that the characters and the creators (inclusive of petur chung, [was-off-to-a-great-start debut-ist] K-kusama, [fresh off of monster oscar and other lauded performances] charlize theron, fuckin jonny lee miller [sick boy hackers guy? c'mon!], [did you even catch dirty pretty things or the great modern drama hotel rwanda???] sophie O., and also the ill placed and surprisingly cast [usually brilliant and still great in a confused re-interpretation of aoen flux] frances mcdormand. it's just so sad is all; that so many creatives can come together and completely miss the point.
the shots are stylized without weight. the costumes are exquisite beyond a mere star trek voyager episode and nearly pret-a-porter in the real world...if the real world were a utopian-esque student fashion contest in singapore. the dialogue harks no clear references to the original snappy dark lusciousness that was the playful double-speak banter between aeon and everyone she encountered.
gone are the innuendos, the fun, the funny, and the quirkyness wrapped within real and intimate dangers. maybe it's just a fan-boy's ultimate job to criticize everything and shit on every attempt to adapt original fictional pieces and character-driven storylines, but there should've been more (creator) input?
perhaps, maybe? somewhere? anywhere other than a non-veiled reference to the fly-in-the-eye(lash) liquid televisioned intro of the series. it was confusing and made me sad ironically.
i suppose they'll get on, move on, creation-ing more stuff from existing [fan-praised]stuff, but this might've been one that they could have spent a little more time on story, rather than MTV's involvement on.
that said, it's like i said with the entire star wars prequels before they came out,
"if it's rad, it'll add the the awesomeness that is the star wars universe. if not, then it'll prove that you don't really have to mess with perfection of originality."
it's up to you ultimately i guess.
---
Thursday, November 24, 2005
" being global is rad "
---
hey, all the cool kids are doing it or have already
(dylan, brent again, gentry, greg, becca, petur at least once, patrick hates it, abdul hates it, colleen, daphna, and the rest of those albany kids)
; let's move to new york as was planned!
yippity doooooo!
or wait, should i stay in bangkokia?
seemingly it's the hottest thing since cubed tofu, and that ain't bad.
no, sir.
*if the link to the article doesn't work, hit this one up.
---
hey, all the cool kids are doing it or have already
(dylan, brent again, gentry, greg, becca, petur at least once, patrick hates it, abdul hates it, colleen, daphna, and the rest of those albany kids)
; let's move to new york as was planned!
yippity doooooo!
or wait, should i stay in bangkokia?
seemingly it's the hottest thing since cubed tofu, and that ain't bad.
no, sir.
*if the link to the article doesn't work, hit this one up.
---
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
" balls are funny, bleeding from your orifices are not. or is it? "
---
weederman23: i fuckin hate dialup
BTMBRKT: ugh
BTMBRKT: haha
weederman23: it's for assholes and dickwads and of course it's the only thing i have in my condo here
BTMBRKT: so man of 1995, what's it like back then?
weederman23: it's so interrupty
BTMBRKT: haha
weederman23: like a phone call while getting a hand-job
weederman23: and then you want to get it, because it might be important
BTMBRKT: haha
weederman23: but if you do, you'll never get rid of your blue-balls
weederman23: it's like that
weederman23: that anxiety of walking all around the streets full of blue-balls and the phone call ended up being your mom...uh theoretically speaking of course
weederman23: ...or something like that
BTMBRKT: haha damn that always happens to me
weederman23 : damn curiosity
weederman23 : damn it to hell
earlier bonus less adult humor:
weederman23: i'm getting bitten by mosquitos and i can't seem to find em
weederman23: they're like fucking ninjas
BTMBRKT: ugh i hate mosquitos
BTMBRKT: my arms swell up popeye style
BTMBRKT: sometimes
BTMBRKT: especially tahoe mosquitos. Those things are healthy and vicious
weederman23: yeah
weederman23: there are supposed strains of mosquitos here that have dengue fever
weederman23: so i could swell up and bleed out of my orifices
BTMBRKT: um. i dont' like the sound of that
weederman23: which would be gross
BTMBRKT: that's what all the hip kids are doing nowadays
BTMBRKT: no wait, those are "emotions" not "blood"
weederman23: right
---
weederman23: i fuckin hate dialup
BTMBRKT: ugh
BTMBRKT: haha
weederman23: it's for assholes and dickwads and of course it's the only thing i have in my condo here
BTMBRKT: so man of 1995, what's it like back then?
weederman23: it's so interrupty
BTMBRKT: haha
weederman23: like a phone call while getting a hand-job
weederman23: and then you want to get it, because it might be important
BTMBRKT: haha
weederman23: but if you do, you'll never get rid of your blue-balls
weederman23: it's like that
weederman23: that anxiety of walking all around the streets full of blue-balls and the phone call ended up being your mom...uh theoretically speaking of course
weederman23: ...or something like that
BTMBRKT: haha damn that always happens to me
weederman23 : damn curiosity
weederman23 : damn it to hell
earlier bonus less adult humor:
weederman23: i'm getting bitten by mosquitos and i can't seem to find em
weederman23: they're like fucking ninjas
BTMBRKT: ugh i hate mosquitos
BTMBRKT: my arms swell up popeye style
BTMBRKT: sometimes
BTMBRKT: especially tahoe mosquitos. Those things are healthy and vicious
weederman23: yeah
weederman23: there are supposed strains of mosquitos here that have dengue fever
weederman23: so i could swell up and bleed out of my orifices
BTMBRKT: um. i dont' like the sound of that
weederman23: which would be gross
BTMBRKT: that's what all the hip kids are doing nowadays
BTMBRKT: no wait, those are "emotions" not "blood"
weederman23: right
---
Monday, November 14, 2005
" condo panorama "
---
sometimes it's alright to be interactive with the world.
at other times, it's just enough to see it.
---
sometimes it's alright to be interactive with the world.
at other times, it's just enough to see it.
---
Saturday, October 29, 2005
" hiraku sulu is gay "
---
---
george takei is gay!!! yay!
and isn't it about time? even in the best star trek movie (star trek IV: The Voyage Home), who can ever forget when they're entering orbit around the greater bay area, and sulu waxes poetic about san francisco being his hometown. that's so rad.
i always thought that sulu had a whimsical smirk on his face. it's because he knew he was so hot on the series, and he most likely was james-t-kirk-ing all of the space mens on all of the intergalactic worlds. which is fine.
and so what if he's gay. it just goes to prove that intergalactic space love is just as diverse as terran love, and that ain't bad.
so let's put in the dvd special edition of ST:IV, and let our memories frolic down to the castro.
---
---
george takei is gay!!! yay!
and isn't it about time? even in the best star trek movie (star trek IV: The Voyage Home), who can ever forget when they're entering orbit around the greater bay area, and sulu waxes poetic about san francisco being his hometown. that's so rad.
i always thought that sulu had a whimsical smirk on his face. it's because he knew he was so hot on the series, and he most likely was james-t-kirk-ing all of the space mens on all of the intergalactic worlds. which is fine.
and so what if he's gay. it just goes to prove that intergalactic space love is just as diverse as terran love, and that ain't bad.
so let's put in the dvd special edition of ST:IV, and let our memories frolic down to the castro.
---
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
" blog spam?? "
---
i mean, i know that my blog isn't the greatest thing to ever hit the blogsphere, but c'mon you crazy people!!!
it takes a bold sort of uberdork with more than absolutely nothing to do whatsoever, to find out my blog's addy, and then post a fake comment advertising some sort of crappier blog within my already not-readership-prone.
this rampant and recent turn of events has both wasted my time and added another level of blah to the already threadbare commentry.
so hey, strangers and anonymous-ers, please stop making my small corner of online sanity worse by posting links to your blog on cowbells and nasal hair clippers. i just don't have the time, sir.
if for some reason, you do feel the inclination to comment, make it personal, or pertinent, or valid, and leave your name so i know who to blogspam later on if you're just a heartless bot trying to make me crazy; the fact that i blogged this entry in of itself being the keystone to my eventual downward spiral into technological madness.
---
i mean, i know that my blog isn't the greatest thing to ever hit the blogsphere, but c'mon you crazy people!!!
it takes a bold sort of uberdork with more than absolutely nothing to do whatsoever, to find out my blog's addy, and then post a fake comment advertising some sort of crappier blog within my already not-readership-prone.
this rampant and recent turn of events has both wasted my time and added another level of blah to the already threadbare commentry.
so hey, strangers and anonymous-ers, please stop making my small corner of online sanity worse by posting links to your blog on cowbells and nasal hair clippers. i just don't have the time, sir.
if for some reason, you do feel the inclination to comment, make it personal, or pertinent, or valid, and leave your name so i know who to blogspam later on if you're just a heartless bot trying to make me crazy; the fact that i blogged this entry in of itself being the keystone to my eventual downward spiral into technological madness.
---
Sunday, October 23, 2005
" please do not steal my random scene "
---
FADE IN:
INT – NEUNG’S APT - AFTERNOON
The couple is hanging out in his apt. lazing the afternoon away.
NEUNG
Can you feel this?
GIRL
Yes.
NEUNG
What do you think about it?
GIRL
Normal.
NEUNG
What do you mean normal?
GIRL
What do you mean, “what do you mean normal?”
NEUNG
I mean, what do you feel? Is it soft, is it strange, is it odd, is it nice, is it real to you?
GIRL
It’s real. And it’s nice. And it feels, pleasant. Like flipping through pages of a book, or breathing deeply inside an open space; fresh, constant, delivering.
NEUNG
Delivering what?
GIRL
Delivering you, to me, now, here.
NEUNG
Yeah?
GIRL
Yeah. It feels private, and intimate.
The sunlight hits the floor and grazes their feet.
NEUNG
I wish every moment of every day could be this defined.
(beat)
GIRL
I know what we can do today; we can give you a manicure.
(beat)
NEUNG
We need hobbies.
---
FADE IN:
INT – NEUNG’S APT - AFTERNOON
The couple is hanging out in his apt. lazing the afternoon away.
NEUNG
Can you feel this?
GIRL
Yes.
NEUNG
What do you think about it?
GIRL
Normal.
NEUNG
What do you mean normal?
GIRL
What do you mean, “what do you mean normal?”
NEUNG
I mean, what do you feel? Is it soft, is it strange, is it odd, is it nice, is it real to you?
GIRL
It’s real. And it’s nice. And it feels, pleasant. Like flipping through pages of a book, or breathing deeply inside an open space; fresh, constant, delivering.
NEUNG
Delivering what?
GIRL
Delivering you, to me, now, here.
NEUNG
Yeah?
GIRL
Yeah. It feels private, and intimate.
The sunlight hits the floor and grazes their feet.
NEUNG
I wish every moment of every day could be this defined.
(beat)
GIRL
I know what we can do today; we can give you a manicure.
(beat)
NEUNG
We need hobbies.
---
Sunday, October 09, 2005
" essence of albany "
---
fits of momentary nostalgia:
choosing gordo's or zachary's
is it albany or berkeley, this part of solano ave?
neighbors and how it's possible to have them without distinct neighborhoods
do i hate this place or miss it, from 4000+ miles away?
becca's kitchen with beer and jazz; her parents smiling and passive-aggressively arguing over a spread of delicious foods
jamming with dylan even though it was in berkeley and getting sandwiches half-way through or hitting up the thai temple and then the ashby flea market for gold posing as choice junk
the shitty construct that is the new high school, and hating it still, even though i'm well out of high school now and shouldn't care but still do because it's ugly as shit
seeing my house on google earth, and wondering where my car's gone/been
those soccer uniforms of blue and yellow mesh back in the day which were interchangable; orange slices at halftime
playing my guitar even though i suck
my basement makeshift rad super darkroom
the constant groupings of pubescent snots at the seb-leb (7-11)
free movies at the albany twin
zarry's sandwiches with extra pickles
east bay trail behind the train tracks and through the costco entrance to point richmond
friends that understand why we love albany
if you pronounce it "all-bany" or "al-bany," and what that means in terms of location of origin
policeman trading cards
the humid smelly indoor public swimming pool
mary and joe's sporting goods
children center day-care
the village
making plans to go to tilden park for a hike, but ending up drunk at cougar field
not big enough for a BART stop, but not small enough to be considered a boon-dock rural town due to geographic location even when taking into account the square-mile aspect
the border of albany and berkeley at safeway's and how nobody cares except the berkeley half
asian mall and how it's somehow considered richmond (???)
the dive bars and when did they become hip...i.e.-ivy room, hotsy totsy, and club mallard, and why does everyone want to drink on san pablo when they can get a guiness and play chess at THE PUB?
knowing the difference between the old cool albany library and the ugly salmon-pink vomit posing as art deco architecture
dance nights at montero's and world music at ashkenahs
magnificent marin, corny cornell, and how no one really cared about the kids from vista
home, and where the heart is, no matter how fleeting or (inter)national
big up tiny town; the list goes ever on...
---
fits of momentary nostalgia:
choosing gordo's or zachary's
is it albany or berkeley, this part of solano ave?
neighbors and how it's possible to have them without distinct neighborhoods
do i hate this place or miss it, from 4000+ miles away?
becca's kitchen with beer and jazz; her parents smiling and passive-aggressively arguing over a spread of delicious foods
jamming with dylan even though it was in berkeley and getting sandwiches half-way through or hitting up the thai temple and then the ashby flea market for gold posing as choice junk
the shitty construct that is the new high school, and hating it still, even though i'm well out of high school now and shouldn't care but still do because it's ugly as shit
seeing my house on google earth, and wondering where my car's gone/been
those soccer uniforms of blue and yellow mesh back in the day which were interchangable; orange slices at halftime
playing my guitar even though i suck
my basement makeshift rad super darkroom
the constant groupings of pubescent snots at the seb-leb (7-11)
free movies at the albany twin
zarry's sandwiches with extra pickles
east bay trail behind the train tracks and through the costco entrance to point richmond
friends that understand why we love albany
if you pronounce it "all-bany" or "al-bany," and what that means in terms of location of origin
policeman trading cards
the humid smelly indoor public swimming pool
mary and joe's sporting goods
children center day-care
the village
making plans to go to tilden park for a hike, but ending up drunk at cougar field
not big enough for a BART stop, but not small enough to be considered a boon-dock rural town due to geographic location even when taking into account the square-mile aspect
the border of albany and berkeley at safeway's and how nobody cares except the berkeley half
asian mall and how it's somehow considered richmond (???)
the dive bars and when did they become hip...i.e.-ivy room, hotsy totsy, and club mallard, and why does everyone want to drink on san pablo when they can get a guiness and play chess at THE PUB?
knowing the difference between the old cool albany library and the ugly salmon-pink vomit posing as art deco architecture
dance nights at montero's and world music at ashkenahs
magnificent marin, corny cornell, and how no one really cared about the kids from vista
home, and where the heart is, no matter how fleeting or (inter)national
big up tiny town; the list goes ever on...
---
Monday, October 03, 2005
" makeshift boats "
---
the night beat its worn fists against the billowing skies as the open humidity permeated below; the thought of puncturing a sack came to mind.
tonight, there was a thrashing; a shower like none other, the low clouds hung heavy with the weight of meteorological arrivals.
the sounding of thunder rang and resonated throughout, like the vibrant clanging of bells from a high tower.
thin flexing shared hopes of remaining dry were lost amidst the guests at dinner; a wet and shared satisfaction of consuming foods while being consumed slowly by weather.
the waters lapped against the sides of out taxi; the machinery confused, as it meandered through the odd tides in the streets.
tiny boys and various people stood on stools against the walls of the buildings; these walls barely covered by the hanging eaves with wide slits in the spread cloth.
in the middle of the intersection, i saw a traffic officer in an orange raincoat; it shimmered bright and elegant against the surrounding vehicles' collective high-beams.
with a whistle clasped tight, his pants were cuffed in a high pleat well above his calves, and his feet were bare in the shallow waters.
---
the night beat its worn fists against the billowing skies as the open humidity permeated below; the thought of puncturing a sack came to mind.
tonight, there was a thrashing; a shower like none other, the low clouds hung heavy with the weight of meteorological arrivals.
the sounding of thunder rang and resonated throughout, like the vibrant clanging of bells from a high tower.
thin flexing shared hopes of remaining dry were lost amidst the guests at dinner; a wet and shared satisfaction of consuming foods while being consumed slowly by weather.
the waters lapped against the sides of out taxi; the machinery confused, as it meandered through the odd tides in the streets.
tiny boys and various people stood on stools against the walls of the buildings; these walls barely covered by the hanging eaves with wide slits in the spread cloth.
in the middle of the intersection, i saw a traffic officer in an orange raincoat; it shimmered bright and elegant against the surrounding vehicles' collective high-beams.
with a whistle clasped tight, his pants were cuffed in a high pleat well above his calves, and his feet were bare in the shallow waters.
---
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
" as if you have never been on a hike ever "
---
seedart trek to the upper mountainous jungle region above chiang rai: part 2
you awake to the sounds of childen running around outside and roosters announcing to the world that they are alive, the sun might be up, and the day is upon the wide world. breakfast is at the ready, and while eating, you make the observation that food here is not to be wasted; if you are hungry, consume as much as you want/need. this is life simplified based on necessity and sustenance, rather than leisure or preference.
you're preparing the camera equipment for the first "day of school." the project is getting started, and you don't know quite what to expect. it seems, as we pack the bags and prepare materials, that we're going to have a good time with this.
you're "walking" to the school. the hill slope has turned into a downward road into a wooden pole-bridge across a flowing river chasm into a cloven earthen first road made into mud by the rains flanked by the lushness of nature into one of the most unforgiving mountainsides you have ever had to climb.
your eyes are pulsating with an odd sensation and you feel as if you never quite experienced this raw level of natural green before. you almost feel as if you are blinded by nature, and it's sheer vibrancy drives you onward and upwards.
you're struggling up the last few man-made dirt steps to the base of the school. all of the school-children in the lower-level outdoor classroom look at you as if you are some strange animal about to keel over and die at their dusty feet. you take a moment to soak in the beautifully rural view from the top of the mountain, as seemingly all of the water content trickles out from every single pore in your pathetic body. it feels refreshingly great.
you're trying to use every available linguistic ability in your brain to make sense of the basic elements and concepts of photography to hill-tribe children, as they stare onward and through your thin veil of confidence. they see that you have laid everything on the proverbial table, and they know that for some strange reason, the fear you have in the back of your head, has now had the chance to present itself, allowing it in its entirety to be completely exploited. you're thinking to yourself that these pre-teens have got some nerve, but that since that's mostly all they actually have, you allow yourself to be the clown.
you're walking back down the mountain back to the village. the breeze helps to keep the heat off of your over-heated body. the air is fresh and clean, and smells of a deep jungle forest. the deep winds heave unto the hillside from across and through a vast thick valley, which meanders through the landscape. soon you're back down on the path and it seems that if you can have this walk every day back to the village, it'll all be okay.
---
seedart trek to the upper mountainous jungle region above chiang rai: part 2
you awake to the sounds of childen running around outside and roosters announcing to the world that they are alive, the sun might be up, and the day is upon the wide world. breakfast is at the ready, and while eating, you make the observation that food here is not to be wasted; if you are hungry, consume as much as you want/need. this is life simplified based on necessity and sustenance, rather than leisure or preference.
you're preparing the camera equipment for the first "day of school." the project is getting started, and you don't know quite what to expect. it seems, as we pack the bags and prepare materials, that we're going to have a good time with this.
you're "walking" to the school. the hill slope has turned into a downward road into a wooden pole-bridge across a flowing river chasm into a cloven earthen first road made into mud by the rains flanked by the lushness of nature into one of the most unforgiving mountainsides you have ever had to climb.
your eyes are pulsating with an odd sensation and you feel as if you never quite experienced this raw level of natural green before. you almost feel as if you are blinded by nature, and it's sheer vibrancy drives you onward and upwards.
you're struggling up the last few man-made dirt steps to the base of the school. all of the school-children in the lower-level outdoor classroom look at you as if you are some strange animal about to keel over and die at their dusty feet. you take a moment to soak in the beautifully rural view from the top of the mountain, as seemingly all of the water content trickles out from every single pore in your pathetic body. it feels refreshingly great.
you're trying to use every available linguistic ability in your brain to make sense of the basic elements and concepts of photography to hill-tribe children, as they stare onward and through your thin veil of confidence. they see that you have laid everything on the proverbial table, and they know that for some strange reason, the fear you have in the back of your head, has now had the chance to present itself, allowing it in its entirety to be completely exploited. you're thinking to yourself that these pre-teens have got some nerve, but that since that's mostly all they actually have, you allow yourself to be the clown.
you're walking back down the mountain back to the village. the breeze helps to keep the heat off of your over-heated body. the air is fresh and clean, and smells of a deep jungle forest. the deep winds heave unto the hillside from across and through a vast thick valley, which meanders through the landscape. soon you're back down on the path and it seems that if you can have this walk every day back to the village, it'll all be okay.
---
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
" the air up in the 'there' you've never been to "
---
seedart trek to the upper mountainous jungle region above chiang rai: part 1
you're sitting on a plane with a new book in your hand. the pressurization has just gotten to your brain, and concentration is getting difficult. to your left, a new contact is sleeping the hour-long or so flight away, having invited you to participate in a very cool important project, resting away for the things to come.
you're getting an over priced taxi from the chiang mai airport to the overbrook hospital. you're going to meet doctor david, a man that for all intents and purposes, will be your guide through the whateverness of unknown trails and peoples yet to manifest. he looks like a hiker, a camping trekker, a man with the sort of boots that signifies he walks a great deal over great distances constantly and often.
you're sitting in the roadside meetingpoint/restaurant of the hill-tribe villagers, whenever they make it into town; there is a governmental restriction upon the actual entering of these 'illegals' into the city limits, but they are allowed to sit, eat, converge, meet, and peer into what the 'privileged life' might possibly look like.
you're walking at top speed, as if there were no time left in the day, through the local produce/goods market buying things like eggs, vegetables, tubers, ponchos, mosquito nets, and medicines. there is absolutely no catching up to doctor david, as his pace is that of a massive steam engine train chock full of coal. every few seconds he disappears around some corner, leaving only the wincing smile of an old toothless lady selling cucumbers arranged neatly in a pile.
you're on the back of a truck headed for somewhere. the wind smells fresh and clean, completely unlike the "air" in bangkokia. the winds of change, one might say. looking around, there are many faces that seem as if they might be familiar ones; the faces of workers, the faces of old hill-tribe grandmothers with their blackened teeth and red tongues from chewing too much betelnut, the faces of young couples with a baby; the teen-aged husband not really ready to be a father as he smokes a cigarette over the edge of the back of the truck, one leg dangling near to the bumper. all these faces surround you, as the wind pulls our collective hair up and back. the road nears to separate destinations, and these people start to disappear as if you never saw them.
you're getting off of a long-tail traditional boat; the motor supplied from the hollowed out truck engine, refitted for aquatic transportation rather than the road. the last three hours were spent at a hill-tribe school on the other side of the river; the side of the river attached to the road back to civilization. you and your three companions waited three hours for the boat. it was hot and long and boring (excepting the interaction between camera-photo taking and the smiling constantly amused children), and it seems that in all of the discomfort of waiting, there are some people here that have done this every week of their lives.
you're on a second truck. the road has turned to that of dirt and mud and river shallows and tall grasses and deep cloven slits in the earth. the branches from bamboo shoots arc over the road in defiance of man's divination through them, and they thrash the faces and backs of unwary passengers sitting in the back of the truck; multiple unexpected lashing from a nature too old to move out of man's way.
you are sitting in a Lahu village eating dinner. a simple meal of rice and vegetables and cooked meat. you forget for a moment that the reason you are here is to interact, document, teach photography, and observe the means of education that these villagers' children can be provided with a basic sense of elementary and secondary education. the small sound of the rush of bodies in anticipation of food accompanies the thoughts of making it to the village finally after five hours of transit. again, the thought that these people have to do this every week comes to mind, and you humble yourself before the hot meal, happy to have made it to the location of something very very real.
---
seedart trek to the upper mountainous jungle region above chiang rai: part 1
you're sitting on a plane with a new book in your hand. the pressurization has just gotten to your brain, and concentration is getting difficult. to your left, a new contact is sleeping the hour-long or so flight away, having invited you to participate in a very cool important project, resting away for the things to come.
you're getting an over priced taxi from the chiang mai airport to the overbrook hospital. you're going to meet doctor david, a man that for all intents and purposes, will be your guide through the whateverness of unknown trails and peoples yet to manifest. he looks like a hiker, a camping trekker, a man with the sort of boots that signifies he walks a great deal over great distances constantly and often.
you're sitting in the roadside meetingpoint/restaurant of the hill-tribe villagers, whenever they make it into town; there is a governmental restriction upon the actual entering of these 'illegals' into the city limits, but they are allowed to sit, eat, converge, meet, and peer into what the 'privileged life' might possibly look like.
you're walking at top speed, as if there were no time left in the day, through the local produce/goods market buying things like eggs, vegetables, tubers, ponchos, mosquito nets, and medicines. there is absolutely no catching up to doctor david, as his pace is that of a massive steam engine train chock full of coal. every few seconds he disappears around some corner, leaving only the wincing smile of an old toothless lady selling cucumbers arranged neatly in a pile.
you're on the back of a truck headed for somewhere. the wind smells fresh and clean, completely unlike the "air" in bangkokia. the winds of change, one might say. looking around, there are many faces that seem as if they might be familiar ones; the faces of workers, the faces of old hill-tribe grandmothers with their blackened teeth and red tongues from chewing too much betelnut, the faces of young couples with a baby; the teen-aged husband not really ready to be a father as he smokes a cigarette over the edge of the back of the truck, one leg dangling near to the bumper. all these faces surround you, as the wind pulls our collective hair up and back. the road nears to separate destinations, and these people start to disappear as if you never saw them.
you're getting off of a long-tail traditional boat; the motor supplied from the hollowed out truck engine, refitted for aquatic transportation rather than the road. the last three hours were spent at a hill-tribe school on the other side of the river; the side of the river attached to the road back to civilization. you and your three companions waited three hours for the boat. it was hot and long and boring (excepting the interaction between camera-photo taking and the smiling constantly amused children), and it seems that in all of the discomfort of waiting, there are some people here that have done this every week of their lives.
you're on a second truck. the road has turned to that of dirt and mud and river shallows and tall grasses and deep cloven slits in the earth. the branches from bamboo shoots arc over the road in defiance of man's divination through them, and they thrash the faces and backs of unwary passengers sitting in the back of the truck; multiple unexpected lashing from a nature too old to move out of man's way.
you are sitting in a Lahu village eating dinner. a simple meal of rice and vegetables and cooked meat. you forget for a moment that the reason you are here is to interact, document, teach photography, and observe the means of education that these villagers' children can be provided with a basic sense of elementary and secondary education. the small sound of the rush of bodies in anticipation of food accompanies the thoughts of making it to the village finally after five hours of transit. again, the thought that these people have to do this every week comes to mind, and you humble yourself before the hot meal, happy to have made it to the location of something very very real.
---
Friday, August 26, 2005
" international nerdery is rad "
---
BTMBRKT: yo man, are you still awake? What is it like early o'clock over there?
weederman23: it's like midnight 15 is what is be
weederman23: whaddup?
BTMBRKT: not much, just you know. working hard, surfing the net
weederman23: how's hollyweird?
weederman23: werd
BTMBRKT: same old hollywood
BTMBRKT: lattes and beamers
weederman23: oooo beamers
BTMBRKT: i've never been able to figure that damn thing out
weederman23: i saw some fake rubick's cubes at the chinatown market today and i was tempted to send that to him, but it looked all janky n shit
BTMBRKT: haha remember the weird rubick's cube, the non cube one?
weederman23: hell yeah
weederman23: what the hell was the thinking behind that?
weederman23: and i thought i have hella time to spare
BTMBRKT: i had that one, and messed around with it for one frustrating day
BTMBRKT: i wanna find that guy Rubick and punch him in the face
weederman23: i was always stuck on those weird knot, loop, and hoops get-the-ring-out puzzles
weederman23: i'll help you track him down, then i'll hold his legs
BTMBRKT: perfect. This will be a special feature to dylan's project
weederman23: i like it already
---
BTMBRKT: yo man, are you still awake? What is it like early o'clock over there?
weederman23: it's like midnight 15 is what is be
weederman23: whaddup?
BTMBRKT: not much, just you know. working hard, surfing the net
weederman23: how's hollyweird?
weederman23: werd
BTMBRKT: same old hollywood
BTMBRKT: lattes and beamers
weederman23: oooo beamers
weederman23: hahah
weederman23: did you happen to get dylan's prospectus on his rubick's cube project?
BTMBRKT: yeah it's a rad idea
BTMBRKT: i've never been able to figure that damn thing out
weederman23: i saw some fake rubick's cubes at the chinatown market today and i was tempted to send that to him, but it looked all janky n shit
BTMBRKT: haha remember the weird rubick's cube, the non cube one?
weederman23: hell yeah
weederman23: what the hell was the thinking behind that?
weederman23: and i thought i have hella time to spare
BTMBRKT: i had that one, and messed around with it for one frustrating day
BTMBRKT: i wanna find that guy Rubick and punch him in the face
weederman23: i was always stuck on those weird knot, loop, and hoops get-the-ring-out puzzles
weederman23: i'll help you track him down, then i'll hold his legs
BTMBRKT: perfect. This will be a special feature to dylan's project
weederman23: i like it already
---
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
" why is television making me sad? " or " no more confusey me "
---
i'm just sitting there in my room in my boxers. you know? relaxing as one does. cut up some rose apple and begin slicing it up; seems like a fairly regular night of internet and television is about to ensue, and so i go ahead and turn on the teevee.
aaand lo and behold! what the hell is on?? (is what i ask)
um, forgive me, but what the hell is there a biography-styled (complete with sappy yet supportive musical accompaniment) deconstruction of the rise of now secretary of state condoleezza rice on? a-buh??
not that thai television programming is necessarily all that spectacular (aside from the occasional b-movie that didn't get US release come dubbed at nine in the morning on channel 3...sheer comedy!!), but jeezlaroo!!
i almost couldn't finish the rose apples i was so awestruck at the sheer oddity of it all. my mouth hung half open and agape. oh, and there's bush, and hey c'mon in donald r. pleasure to see you on thai airwaves. whathtehellisgoingon!!!?
there's something to be said about the power of bypassing such strange broadcasting choices with the magic that is dvdvd's.
there really is.
ps- another real kicker is that following the show was a 59th anniversary commercial for yamaha and their kalaidoscopically-rainbowed array of quality products, full with their entire line of exports explained in japanese, all over a whistling redition of the toy R' us 'theme song.'
(insert blank stare here, and a collective crapping of a brick)
---
i'm just sitting there in my room in my boxers. you know? relaxing as one does. cut up some rose apple and begin slicing it up; seems like a fairly regular night of internet and television is about to ensue, and so i go ahead and turn on the teevee.
aaand lo and behold! what the hell is on?? (is what i ask)
um, forgive me, but what the hell is there a biography-styled (complete with sappy yet supportive musical accompaniment) deconstruction of the rise of now secretary of state condoleezza rice on? a-buh??
not that thai television programming is necessarily all that spectacular (aside from the occasional b-movie that didn't get US release come dubbed at nine in the morning on channel 3...sheer comedy!!), but jeezlaroo!!
i almost couldn't finish the rose apples i was so awestruck at the sheer oddity of it all. my mouth hung half open and agape. oh, and there's bush, and hey c'mon in donald r. pleasure to see you on thai airwaves. whathtehellisgoingon!!!?
there's something to be said about the power of bypassing such strange broadcasting choices with the magic that is dvdvd's.
there really is.
ps- another real kicker is that following the show was a 59th anniversary commercial for yamaha and their kalaidoscopically-rainbowed array of quality products, full with their entire line of exports explained in japanese, all over a whistling redition of the toy R' us 'theme song.'
(insert blank stare here, and a collective crapping of a brick)
---
Saturday, August 20, 2005
" hey mr. taxi man, you so crazy "
---
hypocrites come in all flavors. i especially like religious fanatics that go to the far reaches of the earth, just to spread their capitalistic endeavors in the guise of fanaticisms about god and love.
it's almost like 'yo, this place that is the end of the world to you guys [in your starchy white shirts and blue-black ties you bastards in slacks and male mary-janes shit for brains only speaking english because you give a flying shit about actually learning a second language coulda given me the money so i could develop my own work instead of wasting it so you can get your pasty girlfriend an ethnic trinket muthafuckas] is just the beginning for the inhabitants there...so doi?'
but yes. i digress. hypocrites. sometimes they come at you all sneaky-like. as if a ninja in plain sight. and that happened to me today, and i was flustered for only a moment:
i was on my way back to my heez from the airport today. usually, when you go anywhere from the don muang international airport, you have to pay a pre-fare payment of 50 baht ($1.25), of which i usually can bypass with a little finesse.
the trick is that when you are leaving the airport alone or with a friend with little to no baggage, you can pick up a taxi from the departures level, that happens to be dropping a person or persons off, thus bypassing the taxi-chartering cost. and in this manner, i was thusly off towards home.
mr. taxi man chopped it up a bit about the state of some of the taxis; the age and make of the older models versus the newer sleeker ones with the bio-diesel options (of which he had). he barked furiously over the need for the comfort of the rider and then the driver; a/c being his top priority. then he scolded the other (50 baht charger) taxi drivers for wasting time, space, gas, and the money of riders by merely existing.
we went on to talk about the weather, the nature of the modern thai person in the face of foreign infrastructure and influences, of which i was fairly impressed due to the fact that he seemed like a thinker, but perhaps not outside the pattering-on taxi-man drivel sort of vein. i remember feeling a little impressed and also, he didn't ask me once about my non-clearly-speaking thai language skills, which was refreshing. go him!, i thought to myself.
when we neared to the saphan kwai area we came to a stilted brake-rev-scoot-brake-rev pattern due to the engaging traffic. he peered over to the curbside pathways across the street and commented on how the buddhist amulets were placed on the ground. this disturbed him greatly because images of the buddha and revered monks should not rest on the ground.
he reprimanded the sellers of the amulets enraged and on the cusp of releasing a thread of curses, but as a civil man, remained collected and respectful. it was an odd mix of intense respect for the ideology that is buddhism, and the sordid regard that these vendors attributed to their wares. i almost felt a sort of vibrant respect for the man; working hard and high morals makes the best shoot-the-shitters-in-a-taxi-cab people.
when we pulled up to where i requested to be dropped off, i slipped him the fare. the next thing that happened momentarily struck me befounded and aloof. and it was something that i myself was not entirely prepared to hear. he leans over in a now-that-we're-friends way, and he asks me for the 50 extra baht taxi-charter fare on top of the cab ride fare, as if it were not going against everything that he seemed to be preaching. i mean, are you crazy guy? you gotta be fuckin' kidding me, fo' reals!
needless to say, i was dumbfounded and oddly enough, calmly amused.
beaming from the inside out, i gave him the money, because hey, even the strongest of us need to make that cheddar. i felt sorry for him, and knew that dude most likely really feel the way he did about things, and was more angry at myself for not realizing that he was entirely human altogether.
ah, the folly of idle chat. i gotta start filming this stuff. it's gold i tell you, gold!
---
hypocrites come in all flavors. i especially like religious fanatics that go to the far reaches of the earth, just to spread their capitalistic endeavors in the guise of fanaticisms about god and love.
it's almost like 'yo, this place that is the end of the world to you guys [in your starchy white shirts and blue-black ties you bastards in slacks and male mary-janes shit for brains only speaking english because you give a flying shit about actually learning a second language coulda given me the money so i could develop my own work instead of wasting it so you can get your pasty girlfriend an ethnic trinket muthafuckas] is just the beginning for the inhabitants there...so doi?'
but yes. i digress. hypocrites. sometimes they come at you all sneaky-like. as if a ninja in plain sight. and that happened to me today, and i was flustered for only a moment:
i was on my way back to my heez from the airport today. usually, when you go anywhere from the don muang international airport, you have to pay a pre-fare payment of 50 baht ($1.25), of which i usually can bypass with a little finesse.
the trick is that when you are leaving the airport alone or with a friend with little to no baggage, you can pick up a taxi from the departures level, that happens to be dropping a person or persons off, thus bypassing the taxi-chartering cost. and in this manner, i was thusly off towards home.
mr. taxi man chopped it up a bit about the state of some of the taxis; the age and make of the older models versus the newer sleeker ones with the bio-diesel options (of which he had). he barked furiously over the need for the comfort of the rider and then the driver; a/c being his top priority. then he scolded the other (50 baht charger) taxi drivers for wasting time, space, gas, and the money of riders by merely existing.
we went on to talk about the weather, the nature of the modern thai person in the face of foreign infrastructure and influences, of which i was fairly impressed due to the fact that he seemed like a thinker, but perhaps not outside the pattering-on taxi-man drivel sort of vein. i remember feeling a little impressed and also, he didn't ask me once about my non-clearly-speaking thai language skills, which was refreshing. go him!, i thought to myself.
when we neared to the saphan kwai area we came to a stilted brake-rev-scoot-brake-rev pattern due to the engaging traffic. he peered over to the curbside pathways across the street and commented on how the buddhist amulets were placed on the ground. this disturbed him greatly because images of the buddha and revered monks should not rest on the ground.
he reprimanded the sellers of the amulets enraged and on the cusp of releasing a thread of curses, but as a civil man, remained collected and respectful. it was an odd mix of intense respect for the ideology that is buddhism, and the sordid regard that these vendors attributed to their wares. i almost felt a sort of vibrant respect for the man; working hard and high morals makes the best shoot-the-shitters-in-a-taxi-cab people.
when we pulled up to where i requested to be dropped off, i slipped him the fare. the next thing that happened momentarily struck me befounded and aloof. and it was something that i myself was not entirely prepared to hear. he leans over in a now-that-we're-friends way, and he asks me for the 50 extra baht taxi-charter fare on top of the cab ride fare, as if it were not going against everything that he seemed to be preaching. i mean, are you crazy guy? you gotta be fuckin' kidding me, fo' reals!
needless to say, i was dumbfounded and oddly enough, calmly amused.
beaming from the inside out, i gave him the money, because hey, even the strongest of us need to make that cheddar. i felt sorry for him, and knew that dude most likely really feel the way he did about things, and was more angry at myself for not realizing that he was entirely human altogether.
ah, the folly of idle chat. i gotta start filming this stuff. it's gold i tell you, gold!
---
Monday, August 08, 2005
" some of my friends are bastards "
---
w1nd0z395182: Hey homie dont you ever sleep?
weederman23: who in the what now?
w1nd0z395182: i'll probably never know lol
weederman23: mm
w1nd0z395182: oh crap I forgot my dentist appointment :-\ oops
weederman23: dentist?
w1nd0z395182: really?
weederman23: what?
w1nd0z395182: thats an interesting question, isn't it?
weederman23: am i the only person who is confused?
w1nd0z395182: you are you, and i am myself.
weederman23: yeah, but then again, no one gave me any acid yet?
w1nd0z395182: o kthen
weederman23: right
w1nd0z395182: o hok
w1nd0z395182: where did u go? lol
weederman23: who is this!!!?
w1nd0z395182: :-P
weederman23: hahahahaha
w1nd0z395182: have u ever been skydiving? I want to sometime...
weederman23: skydicing
weederman23: v
weederman23: sky
w1nd0z395182: yae...
weederman23: diving
weederman23: nope
w1nd0z395182: i just got my new laptop today, i'm excited
weederman23: new laptop
weederman23: mm, are these hints?
w1nd0z395182: the stupid phone keeps ringing and i dont wanna answer it, haha
weederman23: ringing phones?
w1nd0z395182: have you tried the new coke with lime? it's pretty good
weederman23: what limeny coke?
w1nd0z395182: i dont remember anymore lol
weederman23: i just heard that in the states, there's coke 'zero'
w1nd0z395182: uh huh... sure lol
w1nd0z395182: where did u go? lol
weederman23: you're starting to worry me
w1nd0z395182: do you have a gf/bf?
weederman23: what?
w1nd0z395182: You have been talking to a computer! One of your friends is reading the whole conversation and laughing it up right now! GET EVEN! Have the bot prank all your friends by visiting imprank.ebaumsworld(dot)com
weederman23: jeebus
weederman23: some of my friends are bastards
---
Thursday, August 04, 2005
" so you've decided to not be an ass: part II "
---
presumably at this point, you are not an ass. this is a good thing, because i have another couple tasks for you.
if you are in the states, and nearer to one of the two great coasts, and in one of the three areas/art-cinemeccas that continue to define filmmaking distribution underdoggedness, then go see wong kar-wai's 2046. do it.
no, before you think, or think you know, or care, or care to know. just go. go now. it's a beautifully made film that is the end of an era. it is cinema. it is raw, and it breathes. if you come out of the theatre not liking it a bit, you can just be relieved that you spent the last couple hours or so not watching american television.
that's the first task.
the second is to note that maggie cheung is rad. it's true. i dare someone to prove me wrong. and if you actually have the skills to do so, it'll only mean that you haven't yet seen the film "clean," by director (ex-husband) Oliver Assayas.
and the thing is, these are simple things that will make you feel. i can only produce menial inconsequential refunds in the form of untruthful apologies, if you happen to dislike these pieces. but, i gather you won't regret it.
in any case, if you feel like watching them for free, albeit on a TV screen or on my laptop, you'd first have to a) fly to bangkok [rates are higher in august due to what travel agents oddly enough call the "high-season"], b) buy me some groceries [why? because i'm hungry, and you're a guest staying here for free], and c) strap your non-believing ass in for a luxurious ride, cause we're not drifting anymore; we're reeling with the feeling don't stop, continue.
---
presumably at this point, you are not an ass. this is a good thing, because i have another couple tasks for you.
if you are in the states, and nearer to one of the two great coasts, and in one of the three areas/art-cinemeccas that continue to define filmmaking distribution underdoggedness, then go see wong kar-wai's 2046. do it.
no, before you think, or think you know, or care, or care to know. just go. go now. it's a beautifully made film that is the end of an era. it is cinema. it is raw, and it breathes. if you come out of the theatre not liking it a bit, you can just be relieved that you spent the last couple hours or so not watching american television.
that's the first task.
the second is to note that maggie cheung is rad. it's true. i dare someone to prove me wrong. and if you actually have the skills to do so, it'll only mean that you haven't yet seen the film "clean," by director (ex-husband) Oliver Assayas.
and the thing is, these are simple things that will make you feel. i can only produce menial inconsequential refunds in the form of untruthful apologies, if you happen to dislike these pieces. but, i gather you won't regret it.
in any case, if you feel like watching them for free, albeit on a TV screen or on my laptop, you'd first have to a) fly to bangkok [rates are higher in august due to what travel agents oddly enough call the "high-season"], b) buy me some groceries [why? because i'm hungry, and you're a guest staying here for free], and c) strap your non-believing ass in for a luxurious ride, cause we're not drifting anymore; we're reeling with the feeling don't stop, continue.
---
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
" open window night-time "
---
---
it's 2:19am, and all along the wide skyline from my condo, i can see all of these blinking red lights adorning the tall metal spires in the distance.
they're all simultaneous and frenetic, like a visual representation of some phillip glass piece set to random.
it seems at times, that all of the red lights are autonomous beings embodied in the existent technology; lost souls residing within cavernous constructions. the ghosts in the machine.
and sometimes, if you let your vision blur a bit, allowing yourself to stare off as if in a daydream, it seems that they are all having conversations.
but, in their secret language of monotone blips and seemingly randomized pulses, inlaid there are glorious things going on, and everything becomes quiet and mysterious.
---
---
---it's 2:19am, and all along the wide skyline from my condo, i can see all of these blinking red lights adorning the tall metal spires in the distance.
they're all simultaneous and frenetic, like a visual representation of some phillip glass piece set to random.
it seems at times, that all of the red lights are autonomous beings embodied in the existent technology; lost souls residing within cavernous constructions. the ghosts in the machine.
and sometimes, if you let your vision blur a bit, allowing yourself to stare off as if in a daydream, it seems that they are all having conversations.
but, in their secret language of monotone blips and seemingly randomized pulses, inlaid there are glorious things going on, and everything becomes quiet and mysterious.
---
---
" everyone's having a better time than us "
---
weederman23: rusty indeed
rustynai12: whoaaaaa. yes!!!!
rustynai12: and the weederman legend lives on...
weederman23: supper duderman?
rustynai12: stuck in cubicle hell
Your buddy rejected the Live Video session.
weederman23: no live video dealy huh?
rustynai12: nope
rustynai12: firewall
weederman23: cubicles are scary
weederman23: i hate fires in walls
rustynai12: i'm contemplating stabbing my eyes out with one of these red pencils i have laying around
weederman23: ooooh, that'd be gross
rustynai12: it'd teach them a lesson though
weederman23: sure would, although, the cleaning lady'd be awful scornful
---
weederman23: rusty indeed
rustynai12: whoaaaaa. yes!!!!
rustynai12: and the weederman legend lives on...
weederman23: supper duderman?
rustynai12: stuck in cubicle hell
Your buddy rejected the Live Video session.
weederman23: no live video dealy huh?
rustynai12: nope
rustynai12: firewall
weederman23: cubicles are scary
weederman23: i hate fires in walls
rustynai12: i'm contemplating stabbing my eyes out with one of these red pencils i have laying around
weederman23: ooooh, that'd be gross
rustynai12: it'd teach them a lesson though
weederman23: sure would, although, the cleaning lady'd be awful scornful
---
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