Kahit Na Ano

Where's George!

2010-05-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

I got a dollar bill as change from a restaurant that had this website written on it:

http://www.wheresgeorge.com/

I was curious and updated it, then registered my own dollar. After a few months of not getting any reports from "my dollar", I got bored with it and forgot all about it. Camille recently mentioned about coming across the website and got me thinking about the one I registered. I checked and still no reports.

Today, I received a notification in my email that someone updated my bill.

It took 2 years, 265 days, 20 hours and 11 minutes to reach Maryland. I wonder what it bought? I think I'll register another bill... now where's that twenty?

Final Climb Report and a Video Shoot

2010-04-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

Final Climb Report
I got to the Aon Building at 7:45am and I'm still not sure if it was such a good idea to get there that early. My start time for my climb wasn't until 11:00am but I wanted to meet up with a couple of friends (one new , one old). But as I waited my anxiety level started catching up to my excitement level. Looking up at the building, it was starting to look very daunting and all the "what did I just get myself into" questions kept popping up!!

So I tried to keep busy looking at the booths people were still setting up and check out the VIP tent, which I qualified for through many friends and family who were very generous in sponsoring me. I thank you all!!

At 8:45am the first wave of climbers started getting ready for their 9:00am start time! These were the serious climbers who race up! This year's winner came in with a time of 8 minutes and 9 seconds! Incredible!

Met up with Rita (new friend),

and Edwin (old friend) and his friend Tina. I hadn't seen Edwin in over 25 years! He is still the same funny guy!

Hahaha!

Then it was finally time to go!

I started out enough fine. Everyone told me to pace myself and not burnout, "which is a mistake many people make." Every 5 floors I would take a couple of minutes then tackle the next 5 floors. By the 35th floor, I was dying! When I got to the 40th floor, quite honestly, I was considering quitting.

Then 5 Los Angeles Fire Fighters, in full gear!! started to pass me! As they passed me, they told me "c'mon! don't quit!" That's when I started taking a break every 2 floors! When I got to the 50th floor, I got a second wind and tried to get back to 5 floors at a time, which was stupid!! I had the breath, I wasn't breathing too hard but my legs were burning!! went back to 2 floors at a time.

When I got to the 60th floor, I knew I beat this building!

Then only 3 more floors to the roof and the end!!

I was so excited that I made it to the top!! I doubt if I would do it again. I would like to do more of this type of activity. Not the run of the mill marathon, 10 or 5K. Edwin suggested that I join him for the Irvine Lake Mud Run in July. That looks and sound interesting! Hmmmm. I'll have to think it over, for now I have a date with a very soft pillow!

Thank you again everyone for all generosity, your support and all your words of encouragement leading up to, during, and after this milestone in my life and the my pursuit to a healthier second half! When I get out of the hospital I will thank you all properly!

Video Shoot
My sister, Celia is the producer for a short film directed by the Oscar nominated writer Iris Yamashita for her screenplay of Letters from Iwo Jima. Celia had asked me if I would help and be part of the crew loading/unloading and maybe driving the van. I was able to help with picking up equipment all over town (Friday), loading and unloading sound and lighting equipment (Friday and Saturday), and general help during the Saturday afternoon shoot.
After the Climb, my brother in law, Jim and Wonton headed straight to the location. It was fascinating seeing what went into a production. I sort of had an idea what went into one but to actually see it happening was great. It can get tedious just by the sheer number of times scenes had to be shot but seeing the changes in camera angles to me was new!
The video featured hip hop dancing artists dancing in wheelchairs. There were two faces in the cast who were familiar only in face. I did not know what they looked like but I was familiar with their names or the groups/show they were in and they were Phillip Chbeeb from So You Think You Can Dance fame and Yuri Tag from America's Next Best Dance Crew, season 1.
As the day wore on, I was starting to really feel the climb but I had to get a picture with some of the cast during one of the breaks!
The video will be shown during the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on May 2.
Here I am with Phillip Chbeeb, Arielle Coker, Di "Moon" Zhang, and Yuri Tag.

Well, it was more than a full day! See you when I come out of the coma!

Twas the night before Stairs

2010-04-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, it is the night before the big stair climb and I am nervous and excited! I am scheduled to start my climb at 11:00am! I've been saying that I should be able to complete the climb in an hour and a half. My left knee has been a little stiff this week but I think as I start the climb it should loosen up.
I will be updating my climb (signal willing) through my Twitter account and I've set it up so that my Facebook will also be getting the same updates. So I apologize in advance for all the updates you will all be receiving tomorrow from both sites.
I will post the picture from the roof!!!

Because it is a fundraiser for the American Lung Association, my sponsorship page will remain active throughout the day!

Thank you again for all your support and encouragement! See you from the top!!!

Angels Game

2010-04-20T09:31:00.001-07:00

The American Lung Association sent me 4 tickets to an Angels Game for the funds I've raised for my Fight For Air Climb on the 24th. So, I sent out a "Who wants to go?!" shout. After a couple of "I'm in" and "Oops, I can't go now", we ended up with Stephanie, mom and me! Mom and I have never been to an Angels game as we aren't baseball fans. In fact, the last time I went to a baseball game at the park/stadium Steve Garvey and Ron Cey were the focus of the team (did I just date myself with that one?).
Any way, we had a great time. I must say I was not expecting the tickets to be the best seats in the house but 2 more rows up and we would have been on "top of the world!!"

Me on first!

Me stealing second!

Stephanie, mom and me from the third highest row in the stadium(see the 2 rows behind us?)!

We had a lot of fun! So the season is just starting? *gears turning*

One more WEEK!!

2010-04-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, everyone! It is almost here! This week, I've gotten to the 75% mark in my training for the Fight For Air Climb. I've logged 1035 steps on the stairs twice last week! This coming week, I'll be concentrating on stamina. 100% will happen at the actual event this Saturday!

Thank you everyone for all you support and encouragement these past 4 weeks! Yes, it was exactly 4 weeks ago when I decided to do this! I will be letting my legs rest this coming week so I won't be at my usual spot at the stairs in Long Beach.

I will be headed out to the Aon Building Saturday morning, I plan on getting there for the 8:00am check in and find out which wave I am assigned to for the climbing order. The Climb is scheduled to send up the last wave of climbers at noon, so the whole climbing event should be over by 2:00pm or shortly afterwards. The ground level streets will be blocked off for a party with food and entertainment for everyone so if you can come down it would be great!

Depending on whether there is signal in the stairwells, I will be updating my climb on Twitter and since they are connected, on my Facebook page too.

Again, Thank you everyone for all your support! I am told that my American Lung Association sponsorhip page will remain open up to the day of the event (hint, hint).

Cross training

2010-04-06T23:54:00.000-07:00

Concrete Bashing

I have been getting some great progress with my preparation for my Fight For Air Climb with regards to my training. My recovery time from have been faster and I must admit I'm starting to enjoy it! I know! Me! Enjoying exercise!
Today, instead of hitting the track, I opted for upper body strength training (at the higher floors I will be using/relying on the rails more). My neighbor was removing a driveway that he had installed for a trailer he no longer owns. So he was trying to reclaim some lawn space. So this is what we did...

Using a 10-lb sledge hammer, we broke up about 2 tons of concrete, loaded it on his truck and unloaded it on another neighbor's yard at the end of the street who wanted/needed them. I was feeling pretty good until this evening. I was starting to feel where I will be sore tomorrow. I hope it doesn't last too long. Tomorrow morning is stair training day.
I will be at these stairs tomorrow morning.

I've done it 10 times twice last week and on Monday (which would put me somewhere between the 32nd and 33rd floors of the Aon Bldg). Tomorrow morning, I'm shooting for 15 times. Too bad going down doesn't count otherwise I'm all set! Oh well!

Thank you again everyone for your generosity and "atta boy" support! It really helps quite a bit! 18 more days!!!

Fight For Air Update

2010-04-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

Training update

Well, there are only 3 weeks left for my Sky scraper Climb! I’ve been steady with my training for this and I have to admit it hasn’t been easy! The main thing that has been keeping me going is all your generosity! I’ve raised my donation goal 3 times just to keep up with all of you! To date, I’ve raised over $800 with only 19 sponsors! I’ve also gotten tons of emails and texts of support and “atta boys!” that spurs me on.

Last Wednesday, I was able to do 690 steps (which would put me between the 32nd and 33rd floors) in 45 minutes. At least a third of that was going back down the steps (longest stairs I could find are the steps at Bluff Park in Belmont Shores with 69 steps).

So, I’m thinking that I should be able to get to the roof of the Aon Building in 1.5 hours (I’m taking in consideration more breaks as I get higher).

The Fight for Air Climb will be taking place on April 24th. The first set of climber will start at 9am and the last set will start at 12. There will be a Post Climb Festival at street level with “for a fun celebration with food, entertainment, exhibitors, and much more!” So, if you can join me there for the party/celebration it would be fantastic! Don’t forget to bring an oxygen canister for me!
The event address is:
Aon Building
707 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Corner of Wilshire Bl. and Hope St.

See you all there!

Fight for Air Climb Status

2010-03-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Continuing the training for the Fight for Air Climb on April 24th! I've been training in Belmont Shore at the strand. If you see me passed out on any of the stairs from the strand to Ocean Blvd between Lindero and Coronado, poke me with a stick to make sure I'm still alive!

Again thank you to everyone for your support, donations and encouragements! I've also put up the donations thermometer on the side of the blog with a link to my donations site!

Thanks again!!!

Birthday and Pancake Breakfast

2010-03-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

Each year the dancers from Le Polynesia hold a pancake breakfast fundraiser. They also put on a show to introduce their new dancers and showcase soloists. My cousin Joel and 2 of his kids, Justin and Emma, are members of the dance troupe. This year, the pancake breakfast also falls on Emma's birthday.
Mom and Anita

Justin on the Uke

Emma, birthday girl, new teenager! Watch out Joel and Kimi!

Joel and Justin

Justin

Pyramid, imagine the batons on fire...

The ladies

Kimi's raffle winnings with Aurora and Johana

Mom and daughter

Sisters

I know when this started, if you fall asleep at the family gathering expect one of these as you sleep!

or this...

Notice how Rolly and Andrew are in both pictures? Just sayin'...

Cousins and nephews

all da' boyz

Emma and her friends

Happy Birthday Emma!

Fight for Air Climb

2010-03-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

Fight for Air Climb
BACKGROUND:
I came across this event looking for marathons and similar activities that would help me get healthier and of course lose major "tonnage". I used to be a heavy (hahaha!) smoker, starting when I was in the 7th grade! I stopped smoking in 1999, when a dear friend told me that was what she wanted for her wedding gift! Believe me, I was already offering a complete kitchen Refrigerator, stove and microwave!
Luckily, I never developed any health problems from all those years but I do know others who weren't as lucky.
THE EVENT:
On April 24, 2010, I will climb 1,377 steps to the rooftop of downtown Los Angeles's Aon Center in the Fight for Air Climb to raise money for lung disease research and education.
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives, improve lung health and prevent lung disease. The American Lung Association is “Fighting for Air” through an integrated approach with advocacy, education and research. As one of the leading environmental health advocates, the ALA fights for commonsense policies to reduce both indoor and outdoor air pollution, address urgent public health issues like the asthma epidemic and spread of tuberculosis, and against the predatory tactics of Big Tobacco.
WHAT I NEED:
I need sponsors. If you would, follow the link at the end and sponsor me for the event, I would greatly appreciate it!

If you care to join me, there will be a street level party with food, entertainment, exhibitors, and much more! They say the climb can be done in 30 minutes! Anyone want to start a pool on how close I can get to that time?

Here is the link: Sponsor Me or here is the address: http://lafightforairclimb2010.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=327269&lis=0&kntae327269=8675DB43FD254C41B926CA42B3ECDE90

Thanks everyone!

1st Annual LA Street Food Fest

2010-02-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, My first post of the year is about food! I wonder if this is a sign? Raw Materials was one of the sponsors of the 1st LA Street Food Fest, so when Celia had asked me if I would be interested in helping out at their table, I said yes (but in my head I was saying "HELL YEAH!").

The event was at the LA Center Studios and thank goodness for VIP parking! Last minute, they had me pick up 11 reams of paper/cardstock! I was able to fit them all in an IKEA bag!

Anyway, all the food trucks I've been hearing of from time to time from Celia, Jim and others were there and quite a few more I've never heard of! A few of the trucks adjusted their menus, paring it down, for quicker service. Too bad not all of them made that adjustment. More than a fwe of the lines were just insane!

Some of the Trucks present:
The Cool Haus truck had a number of Ice Cream Sandwiches

Uncle Lau's Island BBQ Truck had Hawaiian style BBQ in sandwiches. I tried the bbq pork and the rib sandwiches, they were ONO-licious!

I've been meaning to try The Grilled Cheese Truck for some time now. Unfortunately, I was not able to sample their food today. The line was too long, so I will catch them later on the road.

The eatfrysmith Truck basically had french fries with different toppings. I tried the Kimchee fries and I liked the kimchee but the fries were no longer hot by the time I got it.

The Ludo Bites Truck adjusted their menu to only one item so their lines flew! The truck is run by top Chef Ludo Lefebvre. I was not a big fan of the fried chicken dish the truck prepared. Hard to describe.

He was frequently asked out for interviews.

Celia brought a few things back to the Raw Materials table from the Sweets Truck. I did not try any of it but everyone else gave it "yummies"

The Phamish Truck. I wanted to try this truck but by the time I saw it, I was already full! I guess I will have to chase them at a later date.

The event was cleared for 10,000 people and by 3pm they had to stop letting people in. One event organizer, had to tell the people still in line to get in that they had exceeded their limit by 5,000 people and could not let anymore in the grounds. I believe him.

Raw Materials had their DIY Den table where people and make Valentine's Day Cards.
The kids enjoyed it.

So did the adults.

Food Trucks Photo Links

So now, when I call my friends telling them I want to chase a food truck, they won't automatically assume that I am talking about the Kogi Truck, who btw wasn't there today.

Let's eat!

The last of 2009

2010-01-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

2009 went into overdrive right after Halloween. Before I knew it, 2010 is well on it's way. Here are the last of the 2009 pictures.

Malibu Hike
Jolene took me on my first hike in Malibu. We took an easy trail called The Escondido Falls. It was easy once you get to the trailhead but it was already a hike just to get to it!

The Trail ended at a waterfall. Since it was the end of summer, the waterfall wasn't what it could have been (red arrow pointing at the fall). I was looking at the markings around the fall and the pool of water there, it definitely can get bigger.

The Huntington Library
Grace organized a few of us to spend some time at the Huntington Library. I've always been wanting to go but never had the opportunity so this was another first for me. I was not able to explore the gardens at a leisurely pace but a friend told me that as a member she can sign me in any time.

Thanks to Tony and Grace for getting people together for this!

That's about all for 2009. This is the last of 2009!

West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval

2009-11-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Last year, Glen told me that I should checkout the Halloween Carnaval in West Hollywood. Glen participates every year with very creative costumes and is called to the Main Stage for the costume contest. Last year, Glen and Stanton ended up with third place with this entry...

This year they came up with this...

There was definitely more people there this year. I brought James along to experience the madness! As always, the costumes ranged from the elaborate to "what's in the closet" to "stop by CVS on the way".
A lot of people opted for the paired or group theme.

I guess the Burger Wars are over.

The guy in the Iron Fist costume was happy that somebody actually knew who Iron Fist was!

This couple rocked! That plus I like Mario Kart!

Right after I took this picture the girl in the bee costume (yellow and black) saw three other guys wearing the same costume she had on and ran after them!

There were a great number of people dressed up as zombies but the make up on these two were awesome!

There was a lot of these type of costumes too!

This guy was hilarious!

Then there were the guys who lost bets!

Ok, Glen gave me two passes already but next year I am supposed to wear a costume. I have one year.

James Adams is in a Show

2009-10-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

This Friday, my brother in law, James Adams is taking part in an Art Show in Long Beach. He will be among several other artists at the Expo Building in Long Beach. The Show runs from Friday, October 9 and closes November 6. This Friday is the Opening Reception.

If anyone is interested in going, let me know or I'll just see you there!

Where did the summer go?

2009-09-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

There is no way I will be able to catch up on everything this summer. There was a lot of things that kept me busy and honestly, I was being very lazy.
I did have a board exam that took up a lot of tme as I was really worried about it. As it turned out ( I passed it by the way), it wasn't as difficult as I was led to believe but it wasn't as wasy as I had hoped. The test is actually in three parts and I have 2 more parts to go but I am not worried about the remaining parts.
It wasn't all studying though. There was time for fun too! My first darts hat trick!

There were more Kogi Runs!

Allison, Rachel and Christopher were infected with the Kogi virus in July!

Christopher receives his Eagle Scout pin! He had asked me to be on the interviewing panel. His family was very proud!

Berda had some minor complication with her Breast cancer reconstruction that required her to return to the hospital for a few days in July. She is much better now!

Celia and Jim introduced me to this place just west of Egypt. It is a good thing that it is not very near or else I'll never lose the tonnage that I've been trying to lose! The thing is last time someone mentioned peaches the first thing that came to mind was not "Hmm peaches... fruit!" no it was more like, "hmm Peach donuts from Donut Man!" Well, we went...

And yes those twists are that big! They're called Tiger tails!

I blame it on the full moon!

In August my cousin Joel performed with his kids Emma and Justin at Belmont Shores. They are members of the Le Polynesia Dance troupe.

Joel

Emma

and Justin on drums!

My cousin, Amado called asking me if I wanted to check out his son's band, Silversun Pickups, at the San Diego Street Scene Festival. I was going to say no? Christopher had VIP passes waiting for us at the gate and I have to say, COOL!!

Flava Flav getting ready to take the stage.

On stage watching Silversun Pickups, Amado the proud father!

Christopher on drums just a blur!

The crowd rockin to the music of Silversun Pickups.

Thanks to Glenn, I was able to go to the D23 Expo in Anaheim!

Plant a tree, get VoluntEARS hat!

Bumping into Eric!

and an old favorite!

Ok that's definitely all but all for now. There was a time when I was considering ending this, I guess I just needed a break. See you all later!

Losing the Tonnage

2009-07-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

I had a New Year's Resolution last year to lose 50 lbs. I didn't even come close! I lost 20 lbs and really did not see any real results form that weight loss. I considered it a FAIL.
This year I am trying again for 50 lbs. I had a slow start with all the weddings, get-togethers, eating out....[excuses]. I've been making some headway the last month or so. I got into an exercise regimen that I can follow (grudgingly) and have been eating out less and less.
I've found that I've been a mindless eater for a long time. I am not mindful of the amounts I shovel in and that's where I get in trouble. I found an online program [Dailyburn] suggested by Dave. I supplement that with an app I downloaded into my iPhone [Lose It]. I can still eat everything I 've always eaten. There wasn't anything wrong with the foods I ate, just the amounts.
I am trying to lose 1-2 lbs a week. I've tried the "lose a ton of weight" diets only to gain it back when I find that I could not sustain the lower calorie intake in the long run. I did not gain all this tonnage overnight and I am sure as hell not going to get rid of it that way.

Now, where did I put that Icy Hot?

Nathan's quick visit

2009-06-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

My cousin's son Nathan came for a quick visit. The last time he was here was when he was 2 years old. He was only in town for 2 days as he was going to meet up with his mother in Kansas and then on to Toronto for his cousin's wedding. While in town, I took him on a quick highlights tour of Los Angeles.

John and Joana's Wedding

2009-06-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

John Place finally found his "one"! I wish them the best! It was held at the Universal Hilton at Universal Studios. It was also a reunion of sorts for many who used to go to Cornerstone Church.

:::photo interlude:::
The wait

The kiss

The Newlyweds

The guests

Vegas x 2, an Accident and a Wedding

2009-06-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

Vegas Twice
My Aunts Luz and Aida from Hawaii were in town for their birthdays. Of course since it was their birthdays, they HAD to try their luck at Vegas! They had planned to go to Vegas twice. The first week was for Aunt Luz's birthday and the following week for Aunt Aida's. They did not want to "dilute" their luck by combining their birthdays in one trip! So My mom and I accompanied them (by accompanied, I mean drive them) to Vegas.
As usual, Aunt Luz started winning as soon as we got there. She has always been very lucky at Vegas. I don't think I know of a time when she did not come out a winner. Some winnings were bigger than others but she always left Vegas a winner.
On an earlier trip a few years back, Aunt Luz saw me checking this bike out which was the grand prize atop a bank of slot machines. She told me that "we" were going to try to win the bike! Before I knew it she chose two machines and slipped a $100 in each on them. She said that we either win the bike or lose it all! We were playing for a good 20 minutes when the lights on my machine started flashing and bells rang. No, we did not win the bike but we came VERY close to it! I had to ask her if we should keep playing until we "won the bike or lost it all" and without batting an eye, she said, "no, I think you should take the money!"

I guess either no one won the bike or they just opted for the money. There is another bike on top of a different bank of slot machines now.

Here are the slot machine trio!

As it turned out my aunts qualified to be entered in a slot machine tournament.

Unfortunately, they didn't do too well but they had a lot of fun!
We were there from Wednesday and left Friday morning.

Vegas Drop off and accident

Their second trip to Vegas was only a drop off for me. The plan was a turn-around drop off on Tuesday for me and an uncle would bring them back Friday. The trip to Vegas went off without a hitch, we were even ahead of schedule. We got to Las Vegas Hilton just before 6:30pm. I still had time to hit a buffet for dinner before heading back! As long as I left before 8pm, I would be alright.
On the way back to Los Angeles, I pretty much had the freeway all to myself. Around 10:0pm a half hour past Baker, my car hit something big. It happened so fast that I still have no idea what it was that I hit. The water emptied out of my radiator so fast that by the time I pulled over the engine was already conking out.
So there I was 40 miles from Barstow, in the dark, intermittent cell phone reception, and no clue as to what to tell AAA where I was located! I ended up walking 200 feet to the next sign using my cell phone as my only source of light (did I mention it was dark?) in order to get a reference to tell AAA. The tow truck took about an hour to get to me.
Thanks to Berda, Kathy and Stephanie for keeping me company (calls and text) while I waited. Celia, Jim and Wonton then came to the rescue and picked me up at Barstow, by the time they dropped me off at home (with a little detour to Jim the Donut Man for some donuts) it was already 5am.

:::UPDATE:::
My car is still at the shop in Barstow being fixed. The insurance company said that it is repairable so they are going to replace the radiator and repair the head cylinder. I don't think that it will be as reliable as it was. The car already had 140,000+ miles on it and was still going strong but now with this I'm afraid that I will not reach the 200,000+ miles I was hoping to get with it. I think I may have to start looking to trade it in soon.

James is out of the hospital

2009-06-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Release
James was released from the hospital today! He still has a long road ahead of him to recovery but this is still progress! He has regained much control over his left side. He just needs to work on the "fine tuning". He says that the strength is returning as well, though the endurance isn't quite there yet.
James is going to a Rehab House in Orange to help him get the finer control over his left side. David and Andrew (his brothers), Christine (sister on law) and I were at the hospital this morning to see him out. The staff at Mission Hospital were awesome, they had to be, putting up with James and me (a little...). Michaela, his head nurse and Veronica were very nice and if you ever find yourself in their ward/unit, you are in good hands! Michaela processed James' release and wheeled him out to the car.

James was getting restless and wanted to leave already!

Nurse Veronica

Michaela getting her final shot in! What a big baby!

Wheeling out to the car!

Finally in the car!

James is now in a rehab facility in Orange. The facility is actually a converted house and is fully equipped to get James well on the road to recovery. His routine there will be just as intense if not more than in the hospital. He will have 6 hours of therapy throughout the day ranging from physical, speech, occupational and some counseling. The staff are very positive and were all set to start his session that same day.
For those who want to visit him leave me a separate comment (I won't publish email addresses) and I will send you the visiting information.

He is anxious to "get back to his routine" and "go for a drive". He knows that he is looking at a lot of hard work in his therapy. He complains that he didn't work out as much when he was healthy!
Here are some pictures from the hospital...
Thank yous go to everyone for their prayers, your visits, words of encouragement and overall good vibes sent.

John's Bachelor BBQ

2009-05-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

A good friend is getting married in a couple of weeks and tonight was his bachelor party. The party actually started earlier in the day. Seven of them went to Flight Deck, in Anaheim for simulated flight combat. Turns out the real pilot in the group wasn't the best "stick" out there!
The rest of us who couldn't make it caught up with them at John's house for some fun, food and fellowship.

Steve did a great job on the grill!

Of course, with this many guys together fire had to be involved! We kept it sane...

Later on, a Wii with Rock Band was brought in and John was designated singer for most of the songs, until he wanted to give the drums a try.

Hank and Derrick

John's Best Man, Robert had this cake made. The "grapes" were brownies.

Can't wait to witness your wedding John and to help you celebrate!

Snubbed by Denver, WWE comes to LA

2009-05-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

The WWE was scheduled to have their show at the Pepsi Arena, the Home of the Denver Nuggets tonight but because the Denver Nuggets made it to the playoffs against the Lakers, Denver's Pepsi Center cancelled their booking [story here].
So they took their show to the Staples Center and devoted much of their show making fun of the Denver Nuggets and E. Stanley Kroenke, the Nuggets' owner.
Since the show was scheduled with only 3 days notice, the WWE flooded the area with ticket deals to fill Staples.
I've never been to a WWE show. I remember my uncle being such a fan back in the day and had some of my watch it with him back in Guam. When Celia told me that Blogdowntown was giving away tickets, I tried to win a pair with the following story:

Back in the early 70s my uncle would get a bunch of my cousins together to
watch wrestling on TV. There was a certain "old school pride" when we would name
off some of the wrestlers from those days like Victor Rivera and Man Mountain
Mike to some of the fans of today. Until they say "who?" reminding us how old we
are... ouch!

Anyway, I didn't win the tickets but Celia did and gave them to me. So I called a friend who really enjoyed watching WWE so I asked him to came long. Unfortunately, he couldn't go, so I called Joey, kidding. Joey watches the show with his mother, most times he has to translate some of the cultural differences in vietnamese but she enjoys it, though she says she can do without all the commercials.

The WWE started the show making fun of the owner of the Denver Nuggets and the Pepsi Center with an obviously fake E. Stanley Kroenke.

Our seats were not bad. Definitely, not nosebleed seats!
Here is the "Big Show", all 7 feet, 400+ lbs of him stomping on John Cena.

The current champion, Randy Orton.

The Main Event of the evening was the "good guys" in the Laker jerseys versus the "bad guys" in the Nuggets jerseys.

and of course the "good guys/Laker" team won! After the show, we found out that the real Lakers didn't do as well.

After the Main Event, there was a match, an extra one, that isn't shown on the regular broadcast. A sort of extra for coming to see them live. Here a crowd favorite, at least to many of the kids and the women, John Cena is thanking the crowd for coming out to see the show on Memorial Day and on 3 days' notice.

After the show Joey and I walked over to the Pantry for a late dinner. Surprisingly, we were seated right away, we were worried that there would be a crowd. After a while more people trickled in from the show. We overheard the waitress talking to a table with some kids, it was obvious that they were at the show with their t-shirt and other souvenirs, she told them that the "Big Show" character (the one wearing jersey 99) was here for breakfast.

"He ordered 2 hamburger steak plates and 12 eggs!!!"

It was a fun show. I'm not sure if I would go to another show but I had fun. I can cross this off my list now.
Again thanks to blogdowntown and my sister Celia for winning the tickets!

James' Sunday visitors

2009-05-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

James had a great day off physical therapy with a bunch of visitors. David (brother), Suzie (sister-in-law) and Nick (nephew) was with him in the morning. We sat with him as he had his lunch. He is still complaining that hospital food sucks! I don't think it is so much the hospital food but what he is limited to as far as his food is concerned. He is still suffering from Dysphagia, from his stroke, because of this all his foods have to be finely chopped or pureed.
After he had his lunch he got a little restless so we took a little cruise around the hospital. For most of the trip he "walked" himself on the wheelchair but after a while he got a little tired and we helped him a little.

After he got settled back in his bed and his family left, he got another visitor in Bentley. There is a team of four legged volunteers that work the hospital. Bentley is deaf so he is always looking to his owner for commands. He is a very sedate dog and took to James readily and no Bentley did not think James' pants were "tasty".

Then James got rocked with a ton of visitors! The first ones were Ken and his family. Ken works at Western Digital, the company next to James' in Lake Forrest. Ken had his wife, Michelle, and their daughters Jasmine and Hannah with them. Jasmine and Hannah entertained "Uncle James" with stories and jokes the whole time they were visiting.

Soon after, I get a call from the Kathy asking for directions to James' room. After flagging them down in the parking lot...

The visits were doing James a lot of good as he was in great spirits.

But being Mr. ADD, it wasn't long before he started answering emails on his Blackberry! Aiyah!

With 9 people already in his half of the room, I get another call from Mike and Maria, telling me that they are in the Lobby and they are also looking for his room.

After a while the Ken and Michelle left and then the Lais. They had just closed the door when Cherie from James' work came by with her husband, Constant.
Here is James pretending to be asleep when Cherie arrived...

Just as the introductions were made Emily, a friend James had not seen in over 4 years, comes through the door.

By 4:00pm, all his visitors had left and James was totally wiped out! He drifted in and out until his nurse, Michaela came by to get him ready for dinner. She had him changed, cleaned up an on his wheelchair. He had his dinner in the dining room. He was still complaining about the food but he ate more than he did at lunch.

He had a great day off from his physical therapy, not sure if he is going to get tomorrow off too, I doubt it though. They need to work him so he can get back in shape and mobile.

580.2 miles, 22 hours and 48 minutes

2009-05-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

I made a turn-around trip to Vegas yesterday. Hank and Berda told me that they were going to Vegas to celebrate Ada's birthday and asked me if I would be interested in joining them. I thought it was the perfect quick road trip/turn-around trip opportunity! Hank told me that Derrick might be interested in coming along for a turn-around as well. So after a couple of phone calls and checking with "the boss" (his wife Kathy), it was all set!

I got up at 6am, Friday morning, got a few things ready and picked up Derrick. We were worried that the traffic to Las Vegas would get very bad if we left later in the day. As it turned out there really wasn't any traffic until we got to the Vegas Strip.

Stateline

Ada's friend Bruce had set up a suite at the Trump Tower. It was on the 59th floor and the view was NICE! I would have to say that the room had one of the coolest bathrooms I've seen in a hotel room. All of us spent a few minutes checking out the bathroom for a good while. It was VERY spacious and the bathtub was huge!

Killer view from the bath tub!

All of us fit in the bathroom!

Ada playing in the shower.

Berda got lost in the tub.

I could spend a lot of time in this bathroom. It even has cable TV! The TV is in the mirror.

[Click here for a larger version]

Connie and Ada trying to make drinks.

View out the bedroom window.

Hank nad Derrick planning a poker game. I was just lounging, those chairs were comfortable!

After we relaxed a little, gambled a little, walked for a bit, we hit the buffet at Planet Hollywood. It used to be a favorite when the hotel was The Aladdin. I remember my sister, Laura, and I taking a similar turn-around trip just to go to their buffet (after dropping off the mom and aunts). We initiated Ada into the Lemon Butter Club.

Ada's birthday funnel cake. Where did that candle come from?

After dinner, the crowd split up to change, gamble, and shop (yes to shop!). We all met up at the Orleans to watch a band called Volume Six. The singer was in a band that Hank followed and had put together a new band so Hank "HAD to see them!"

Niki made sure our beverage needs were met! Except for Hank and Derrick's Smirnoff Ice orders.

Tony and Letisha (Vegas transplants) joined us there. Tony didn't like being trapped between Letisha and Berda!

Hahahaha!

Derrick and I left Vegas around 1:oo am. There were times my car was the only car on the road, but it was bright enough because the Memorial Weekend crowd was on the other side of the freeway! The traffic that Derrick and I were worred about on the way to Vegas was taking place on the other side of the freeway. At 2:00 am, there was still a steady stream of cars going to Vegas... steady stream!
I dropped off Derrick and I got home a little before 5:00 am. Tallied up, it took 580.2 miles round trip and 22 hours & 48 minutes (from driveway to driveway).

Who wants to try a San Francisco turn-around?

James recovery

2009-05-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Went down to visit James earlier today with Berda. When we got to his room, he had just finished his lunch and sitting up in a wheelchair.

He had a physical therapy session in the morning and his next one wasn't until 1:30.
A few of his friends showed up and visited for a while. Great meeting you Joe, Art, Diego and Melina!

After James' friends from work left Michelle, one of his physical therapists, came by for his 1:30 PT (physical therapy). She invited me and Berda to come along to the gym. Michelle was having him do some exercises focusing on his left side. He needed to practive moving things from one side of the table to the other using only his left hand, a lot harder than we thought (at least for James)! At one point he was supposed to take some clothes pins from a box, open them, then place them in another box to the right using only his left hand. As soon as she turned around, I caught him cheating! So we made him do over!

Before he got done two other friends, Wayne and Jolene arrived. Instead of going back to his room, we visited in the Acute Rehabilitation Unit Dining room/rec area. There is more room there to visit and not have to worry about being to loud for his roommate. Here we are in the Dining/rec area.

I asked James how he was handling the PT and he said that he can't believe that they expect him to do 6 hours of PT throughout the day, he says that he has never worked out that much when he was healthy (relativey)! Yeah, we told him to quit whining and take it like a man!

Dining area/Rec area for the Acute Rehab Unit
Visiting and chatting.

Discussing what type of motorcyles each of us were going to be getting.

After a while he was starting to get tired so we all went back to his room so he could rest a little for his 3:30 PT session. Just as we were getting ready to leave, Andrew (brother) and Christine (sister in law) arrived bringing him some workout clothes and shoes.

So things are looking up. James is regaining his warped sense of humor but knows that he has a lot of therapy ahead of him!

James is out of the SICU

2009-05-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

Last night James was transferred out the SICU wing of the hospital. He is doing much better these days and he is in looking forward to getting out of the hospital. Right now arrangements are being made to either transfer him to the Acute Rehabilitation Wing or the Skilled Rehabilitation Wing. We are told by the Care Manager that he qualifies medically for either, it is up to some paperwork and his decision as to how intense he wants his therapy.
He is thinking the faster the better but worried about the intensity... He will be consulting with his family on that decision.

Tonight, we just hung out talking about what still needs to be done, made plans for gaining some of his weight back, a couple of road trips for this summer... We watched a little of the Laker game, though he switched the channels quite a bit. James is one serious channel surfer!

His brothers and sisters in law were visiting earlier.

Road to Recovery

2009-05-14T22:14:00.000-07:00

Morning Visit
This morning Berda and I went to the hospital to visit James. Linda, the nurse in charge, was the same nurse I had met last Friday. She told us that James is doing much better and he has been able to stay awake longer. He is still trying to make sense of it all. He tries to speak but can only manage a few words and mumbles the rest. His mind is still trying to regain control of his body. He was doing well with names but trails off soon afterwards in his speech. At times you can see the exasperation in his face. Assurances that it will all come together in time will help keep his anxiety level down.
As we were leaving one of James' oldest friend from college, Wendy and her husband came by to sit with James a while. They were with James for a few minutes.
James had a few of his co-workers show up, unfortunately they were not able to go in to see him. Linda felt that James was being overwhelmed with the visits at that point. So Linda asked them to come back another day, suggesting that Saturday would be a much better day for James to take in more visitors.

Evening visit
Around 6:00pm, I went back to the hospital with Stephanie. James' brothers, Michael and David and David's wife Suzie were aleady there. James had just come back from an MRI. They told us that James was very responsive though he was still having a hard time speaking. The nurse allowed all of us to come in all at once as James was more awake. We spent the time letting him know of all the well wishes and prayers being sent. I passed on all the messages from everyone minus the "give him a big hug from me". Sorry folks you are going to have to deliver those yourselves!

Hospital Staff Request
The staff is asking everyone to hold off on their visits until Saturday. They feel that James should be at the stage that he will be stronger for more visitors. They also ask to call first so they know who and how many people to expect during the day. That way they will be able to let you know if conditions were to change that would prevent him from receiving visitors.
The direct line to the SICU is 949-365-2173.

James has lost some weight. We told him that in order to gain it back we will have to schedule a bunch of buffet trips and BBQs to which he gave a thumbs up!
James' family wants to thank everyone for all the prayers and well wishes for James. They appreciate all the messages sent and so will James when he reads them. Keep them coming as it is a great source of encouragement to James to spark him on to the road to recovery!

More on James

2009-05-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

Facebook
For those of you who joined the "Praying for James" group on Facebook, thank you very much. The show of support and love you have all shown is greatly appreciated by his family. If you have the chance leave a message or a comment here or on the group. Comment if you went to visit him in the hospital to let people know. No matter how trivial you may think it is, the rest of us who can't visit him are starved for any and all information.
Caring Bridge
That also goes to the other sources of information such as the Caring Bridge Journal that James' brother, with help from the hospital, updates periodically. There will be a list of links for most information on James' condition at the end of this post. The family had left the site open, so no registration is required to get to the site or to leave a message or prayer.
Women's Group of OC
The Women's group that meets at Donna Quon's house on Mondays took time to visit James earlier this afternoon. The group (Berda, Donna, Grace, Kathy, and Lori) was able to see him and pray over him two at a time. According to Brian, the head nurse, they slowed down James' body warming process. There were some numbers they did not feel comfortable with and decided to slow it down even more. Otherwise, there isn't much change in his condition. Once James' temperature gets back to normal, the procedure to wean him off the medications will continue (that takes longer).
Even though James is still in a coma, his family encourages James' friends to visit. Just know that the visits are controlled by the nursing staff for the benefit of James' health. Until then, please your prayers coming!

Thank you!

List of sources:

Caring bridge Journal for James http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jameswong888/journal
This website (I will update often)
My emails - If you are not on the list to receive them, let me know to what email you want them sent. Leave a comment on this blog, I won't publish the email address.
Praying for James Group (in Facebook) http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=80898194491&ref=mf

If there are other sources that you know of or want to add, let me know and I will add it to the list. I place everyone's email address under the blind copy for their privacy, that's why you only see yours and mine.

James had a stroke

2009-05-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

“Hi Angel, my name is Nick and I’m James’ nephew… If you didn’t know, he has suffered a stroke and is in an induced coma…”

That is how the email started telling me that my best friend James had suffered a stroke. Once that first line finally sunk in, I got in touch with Nick. James’ family had no way to contact any of James’ friends. James does not have a phone directory and his cell phone requires a password since it is a company phone. I started a phone tree with the usual group from our old church and began a series of email updates for everyone, adding addresses as more people got in touch with me.

With a number of different sources [family, friends and co-workers] this is what we were all able to gather:
James had left work early Tuesday afternoon saying he was not feeling well. Wednesday morning, he did not go to work and his co-workers were worried as he had left his laptop, backpack and other personal items at his desk overnight. His friend and co-worker, Tony, worried about him was not getting any answers form James on his cell phone.
James was at a gas station when the stroke occurred. Fortunately, there were quick thinking people present and called 911. He arrived at the hospital about 2:00pm by ambulance. His family was notified a few hours later.

The hospital determined that James had a stroke. They determined that the course of action was to induce a coma to reduce the chances of brain and/or body damage. They had used a catheter, going up through his leg and removed the brain blockage chemically. In inducing a coma with medications, James’ body temperature was dropped to 33°C.
James’ nephew, Nick was finally able to find me through Facebook of all places and informed me what had happened and that’s where I finally came into the picture.

In calling and emailing all our friends, John Place accompanied me to the hospital. His family had already left when we arrived, so we got whatever information the nurse on duty was able to give us. Earlier that morning, a CT scan gave the neurologist the impression that James was ready for the procedure to wake him. The procedure consisted of weaning him off some of the treatments and raising his body temperature back to normal. They will be raising his body temperature from 33°C, 1°C a day.

Today, I met two of James’ brothers and their wives, and Tony and Ian from his company and together we were able to put together much of the events. With the family, we were able to consolidate much of James’ contact list.
As of this afternoon, James’ body temperature was at 34.9°C. To date here are some of the things we know:

Damage to the brain is not extensive and that is a positive sign.
The most recent echo of the heart shows that it is stronger than previous determinations.
Pulmonary edema has also shown signs of improvement.
The extent of any damage cannot be determined until James regains consciousness.
The blockage was in the right side of his brain.

The staff at the hospital told us that during the “waking up” process, it is important that James is subjected to as little stimulation as possible to promote reduction in the swelling of the brain. The whole regimen is very dependent on how he reacts and at any point in time the procedure is adjusted accordingly.

If you have not been receiving the update emails please leave a comment with your email address, so I can add you to the list.
Another source of updates would be the Caring Bridge journal that James’ brother set up with the hospital.
Thank you everyone for all your prayers. James’ family appreciate it and I’m sure James would be overwhelmed with all your support.

Project: Bananas No More

2009-04-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Part One: Remove Banana Trees - check
Two weeks (3 hours a day), half a bottle of Motrin and a tube of Icy Hot! That what it took to uproot 18 banana trees (saplings to full on trees) pushing on the wall threatening to knock it down! This morning, the largest clump of roots came out. Now I have to break up the pieces for the dump.

Part Two: Rebuild
The banana trees were pushing against the wall shared by the neighbor to the left. I didn't really see how bad it was until I removed the last huge clump of roots. I was using the wall as leverage to pull out the roots when I saw the wall move!
I am going to have to disassemble the wall and rebuild it. Looking at the parts that are exposed, I see that it is hollow and has no reinforcement.

Shopping list:

Cement
rebars
time
a book on how to build a brick wall

Maybe I don't need the last one but I will definitely need the third one.

Heavy Metal Bee Gees and the Silversun Pickups

2009-04-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

Tragedy
Stephanie had tickets for a "Bee Gees tribute band" playing at The House of Blues in Downtown Disney last Saturday. I was a late fan of the Bee Gees, really late. The disco era passed me by when it came through the first time. My family was moving at the time (Guam - Hawaii - Los Angeles) and I was preoccupied at trying to fit in at whatever new school I ended up in. I was still into the music that my older cousins were into when we had left Guam. I was just starting to appreciate Led Zepplin, Bad Company, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Eagles, Deep Purple and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I didn't see Saturday Night Fever until long after Staying Alive was finally being showed on KTLA's afternoon movie special on TV! My sisters were more in touch with the current music than me. I think it was Celia that introduced/re-introduced the disco era music to me in the late 80's. That's pretty much the timeline for my appreciating the Bee Gees.
So back to the concert. So, Stephanie told my she had 4 tickets to a tribute band. I had asked a few friends if they wanted to go. It was last minute and with the next day being Easter, there weren't a lot of takers. The group ended up being Hank, Berda, James and myself. The concert was at Downtown Disney at the House of Blues. I did not learn that the tribute band was a Heavy Metal Tribute Band! Hmmmm, Bee Gees songs played in heavy metal style! I was curious but I was a little worried about Berda. I wasn't sure if she would be able to take something like this. Unfortunately, there was an opening band and I did not care for them at all. Berda was enjoying their spectacle for a while but it wore off quickly. If there wasn't an opening band, I think Berda would have lasted longer as it was, I was surprised she lasted as long as she did. Having to stand up the whole time also took a lot out of her, so she told us she would wait outside after 3 songs and Hank went with her. James and I stayed for another 3 songs then rejoined the two outside. We walked around for a bit then went to Pho 54, a Vietnamese restaurant in Fountain Valley for some pho.

On the tram from the parking structure.

Tragedy

James wanted to tease our friend Casey by taking this photo.

Silversun Pickups
My cousin Amado calls and tells me that his son Chris has a ticket for me for his band's concert in Pomona. The last time I saw the band perform live was at the Troubadour in Hollywood three years ago. Silversun Pickups have come a long way since then. Their latest album (are they still called albums?), Swoon, will be coming out this tomorrow.
There were 2 opening bands, The Happy Hallows and the Deadly Syndrome. They were very good bands to warm up the crowd that was starting to fill up the venue. By the time the Deadly syndrome was wrapping up their set the place had already sold out. From the VIP section, above the floor, I can see the people outside who couldn't get inside. The singer for the Deadly Syndrome had a strong voice and very distinct.
When Silversun Pickups took the stage the place erupted. Their set had a lot of songs from their first album. When they played their new songs, looking at the crowd, I was amazed at how the crowd already knew the lyrics and were singing along. Chris' mom commented how she thought that many in the audience were going to have neck aches the way they were all bobbing their heads throughout the concert!
After the concert we went backstage to congratulate the band. I loved how the rest of the band all called Amado and Emma "tito Amado" and "tita Emma". I told Chris, "you know that you are doing well, when you have roadies packing up all your equipment for you now."
They are going to be at Coachella on the first day, Friday. Still not sure if I will be going.

With Chris backstage.

With his parents.

View from the VIP section. Only had my little point and shoot camera. Christopher on the left on drums.

Yes! We have no bananas!

2009-04-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

Banana Tree Removal
One of the "not on the fun list" things that has been keeping me busy is the removal of a bunch of banana... trees! Dad had gotten 3 banana tree saplings a couple of years ago and planted them in the backyard. I was actually excited about the prospect of growing bananas in the backyard until certain things came to my attention.

They grow like weeds (they spread out, other saplings grow from the original).
It was the plantain-type bananas, they have to be cooked.
They NEED a lot of water to produce fruit.

Dad planted one of the saplings a little too close to one of the fences shared by the neighbor and the wall is now leaning to the point of "uh-oh". The point of "uh-oh" have been known to turn into "^#$*&^%$*%"!!!! So, I'm digging up banana trees! I say banana trees because from that one sapling, I am now dealing with multiple trees (see #1 above). Here are more facts about banana trees.

They are like Yucca trees. If you didn't know, they have a high water content.
They do not die easily! See #1!
You can't take a chain saw to them. They are fibruous and see #1!
You can't take an axe to them. Axes are too think, they bounce off after the initial cut because see #1 & #3!
You have to use a machete! Fortunately, I had one of those! No self respecting Pilipino will not have one or four in the tool shed!
Their root system are tenacious! They hold on and they spread!

So, with these facts in mind my tools are:

machete
shovel
pick axe
gloves (which get slippery if you handle the banana trunks soaked with its water content)
My aching back!

But it isn't going to win!

The start. At the corner!

Diggin in and the first root!

This one has a lot of roots!

8 down! Don't know how many more!

Playing Catch Up II

2009-04-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

So there were times I was able to get out while my dad was recuperating. A few times friends took me out for a spell. Now that dad is getting much better, though not fast enough in his opinion, I've been able to relax a bit more.

Tony's New Tank
I had lunch with most of the Wong family a few weeks back (sorry Bradley but you were in school). Turns out Tony got himself a new 150 gallon aquarium. This would make it how many Tony? Looking around their home, I told Grace that she had better watch out because if she blinks Tony will have the swimming pool filled with more coral and a shark or two!

Sam & Brieanna got married!
Last week Sam and Brieanna got married! The ceremony was small and very nice. It was held at the Clarke Estate in Santa Fe Springs. I would never had known that such a place existed! It was well hidden away section of an otherwise busy section south of Downtown Santa Fe Springs. The ceremony was in an open courtyard and the reception at the gardens.
Brieanna being escorted by her father.

Done!

The newlyweds

With Mrs. Brieanna Smythe

This will be all for now got more!

"I'm going to Disneyland!" - B. SooHoo

2009-04-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be playing catch up with the next few posts. Things have calmed down quite a bit since we got the great news about dad's cancer-free status. He is still recovering, having an 1/8th of your left removed is not something you get over from overnight. I was able to get away every now and then while mom took over watching after dad. One of those days, I was able to celebrate with another cancer-free diagnosis.

Berda's Going to Disneyland!
My good friend Berda has been fighting with breast cancer for the past year or so. She went through chemo, a double masectomy and radiation treatments. Through the whole ordeal, she managed to keep such a cheery disposition that it threw off many who did not know her very well, including some of us who did!
Last month, she completed her final radiation treatment, given a clean bill of cancer-free health and will be looking forward to reconstruction. She arranged to have her last radiation treatment as early as possible in the day so we can go to...

Yup! you guess it!

Disneyland!!!

We had a great time and even met with a galactic hero.

Congratulations Berda! It was a blast celebrating with you!

Dad's Birthday Party and Late Present

2009-04-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Dad is recovering from his lobectomy very well. He has been home for a couple of weeks and he has a hospital bed at home and is no longer on opiate-based pain medications. The pain is lessening in intensity if not frequency but he is managing it well.
Last Saturday was his birthday and we weren't sure if he was going to be up for a party or visitors for that matter so it was pretty much up in the air. Mom was going to be gone for the weekend at a church retreat. I told her that she should go and I'll take care of dad.
Wednesday, I asked dad if he would be up for the cousins and the kids coming over Saturday for his birthday. It was very last minute so I wasn't sure if people would be able to show up on short notice. I just called/emailed Celia, Jim, James I & II and the cousins to see if a get-together was do-able. By Friday, we all had it all planned out. I tried a new pork loin roast recipe that I have been wanting to try; Celia made her famous, at least it is now, mochi cupcakes, cousin Aurora had her patented pancit malabon, cousin Johana brought more pilipino food & a fudge oatmeal dessert and James brought HIS cranberries juice.
I had so much going on that I did not even think of taking one picture! Talk about busy! But it was a lot of fun!

Cancer Free Gift
This morning, dad got a late present. We learned from his Uncologist that he did not have any trace of cancer in him. He isn't going to need any chemo nor radiation treatments! He needs to go back in 3 months for follow up tests (x-ray, CT scan, blood work, etc) but for the most part he is "good to go"!

Thank you everyone for all your prayers and well wishes. It has been difficult for all of us and we, I would not have been able to get through this the way I have without your help and prayers.

Dad is much better now

2009-03-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

I woke up just before noon after getting home from the hospital early this morning. I was taking care of a few things around that house that needed to be done. Mom was already at the hospital and Celia was going to be there at 5:00.
Mom called, there were a few things that dad wanted me to bring with me to the hospital. That's when it hit me. "He asked for these things?" Mom told me that dad was so much better now. He is lucid and is aware of what is going on around him.
When I arrived at the hospital, he was listening to the Laker game on the radio. He asked if there had been any calls and we were able to talk about most every day "normal" stuff.
When the Laker game ended, he said that I should go home and get some sleep. He said he's depressed because the Lakers lost the game by a last minute three point shot, losing the game by one point. Well, maybe not depressed so much as disappointed.

It was like a ton of weight was taken off me. I was so relieved dad was back to his old self. It is a hard thing to hear your dad calling out for his mommy, hallucination or not.

Once again, thank you everyone for all your prayers.

Wait it was St. Patrick's Day yesterday?

Dad's operation

2009-03-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

Some of you already know this for many of you this may be the first. My dad had an x-ray done a month ago and they found a spot in his upper left lung. A CT scan pretty much showed the same thing. Two weeks ago they did a biopsy and the doctors say that it looks like lung cancer though they still weren't a 100%. Regardless of whether it is cancer or not, they have to operate to remove the spot, which was around 2-3 cms.
He went into the hospital Thursday morning at 5:45 am and his surgery was scheduled for 7:45 am. The operation was to take 3 hours ended up taking a little over 4 hours. He came out of surgery at about noon today and woke up from the general anesthesia at 2:30 pm. The surgeon came out and told us that the surgery was a success and that they removed a little under half his left lung. They will be keeping my dad in the hospital for 7 days.

Update:
He has been having a bad reaction to the whole procedure in that he wakes up confused and disoriented. Most times he does not know where he is or why he is in the hospital. My family and I are taking turns staying with him in the hospital so he sees a familiar face whenever he wakes up.
Many have been calling asking how he is doing. Thank you for your concerns, well wishes and prayers. I will update here when I am able.
Thank you.

Another Kogi Run

2009-02-21T23:53:00.000-08:00

It wasn't planned! Really!

We already had dinner earlier and we were enjoying the movie Seven Pounds. I mentioned (as a joke at first) that the Kogi truck was nearby in Venice if anyone was still hungry or curious about KogiBBQ. Next thing I know everyone was in the van and I was driving! Mind you, I'm complaining, I am a big fan of the Kogi truck and their food!
The Brig is my favorite of the Kogi stops. The lines are not as insane as the other stops (been to four others) and I never had any problems finding a place to park. We made a couple of new friends while waiting in line.

John and Meg came all the way from the Rosemead area. It was their first time for Kogi but it was their second time in line when we met them. Berda wanted to take a picture of the group when I saw Meg warn John back when she saw we were trying to take a picture. I told them to get in the picture anyway. We were comparing notes on where to go for food. I found it hard to believe that we hadn't bumped into each other earlier, we went to a lot of the same places and I am not talking about chain restaurants.
Anyway, the SooHoos, Angela and Maria are no longer Kogi virgins.
Just as we got our food, I get a call for a to-go order! Wayne, you had better pick these burritos up tomorrow/today, cuz they might not last too long...

Tonight's full moon

2009-02-09T23:20:00.000-08:00

It was really windy today. The clouds were whipping by in the afternoon and it was cold! One good thing about the wind and the cold is that it helps bring about the conditions to shoot the moon. The sky was nice and clear tonight. I had thought that the full moon was yesterday but Celia told me that it was tonight.
I took the tripod out back and took a few shots. This is the best I came up with, I need a better lens for this type of shot.

Chasing the Kogi (again!)

2009-01-30T10:35:00.000-08:00

Since I've introduced a Few friends to the Kogi BBQ Phenomenon, a few have wanted to "chase the truck" over again and I don't blame them. Last night Wayne wanted to go for another kogi chase so with Jolene in tow we "tried" to get to them in Little Tokyo. The operative word there is tried. Unfortunately, we got there too late and they had cut off the line in order to get to their next stop at the Miracle Mile on Wilshire. There is Wayne and Jolene coming back empty handed.

So, we hung out for a little bit in the Japanese Village. We were waiting for Celia, who just became a member of some Chinese lawyers association... yeah I don't know. I had to deliver the Hello Kitty loot that she had me pick up for her Wednesday. We decided to wait awhile and get our Kogi on at their next stop. It was a little harder to find parking in that area. There was not a lot of street parking on Wilshire and the streets perpendicular to Wilshire were either residential permits required (south of Wilshire) or taken by the residents of the dozen apartments north of Wilshire. There were a few pay lots and one shuts down at 10pm. And no one really knew which corner the truck was going to end up on. When we got there, there were people at each corner speculating/hoping that the truck will end up where they were standing. Then as the time came, everyone started heading to one corner and sure enough that's where the truck ended up. This was the line in front of us....

and the line behind us...

Anyway, we finally got our Kogi love and all was once again right in the world.

Hawaiian buffet to Hello Kitty

2009-01-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

Berda told me last week that The Loft in Torrance was celebrating their anniversary by offering their All-You-Can-Eat buffet for $4.98 for the month of January (she waited to tell me this!!) so we made a lunch date. For some reason I had it in my head that we were supposed to meet at 11:30am. At 10:45am, she calls to ask if I was ok the way and that she was at the restaurant already. She said that it has been busy due to the special so "you have to be here before 11:30am." I got there right on 11:30 and their parking lot was filled and there was a crowd outside and more inside waiting to me seated.

Luckily, Berda had gotten a table when she arrived. The buffet had everything!! There was chicken katsu, hawaiian fried chicken, char shiu, macaroni salad, even chili for your fries and/or rice! All I'm saying is you get a ton of choices for less than 5 bucks!!

Berda had an hour before her doctor appointment so we decided to walk off (yeah right!!) some of our lunch at the Target nearby. We didn't even bother with cart, the only thing on my list was those little paper thingies for cupcakes. Then we turned this corner...

Full of these tents!

Berda insisted that I had to call Celia because (1) it was Hello Kitty
and (2) it was 75% off! So a Twitter and a phone call later this is
what happened!

Quite honestly, it was all a blur!! I'm still reeling.

Sent from my iPhone

Sunday afternoon at the Marina

2009-01-18T16:13:00.001-08:00

Chilling and noshing at Schooner or Later restaurant at the Los Alamitos Marina with Jolene .

Sent from my iPhone

Walk

2009-01-14T15:01:00.000-08:00

I've been taking different routes on my walks going to make it "bearable". So far, it has been but something else too. On these walks I've been catching myself thinking, "If I turn here it I can get this over with much faster." Today, that thought wasn't as strong. Sure I started this for many right reasons - get healthier, lose weight, blah, blah, blah.. But there was a big part of me (haha) that resented that I "HAVE" to do it.
Today that voice wasn't as loud. I hope it lasts. Ok here are some pictures.

Sent from my iPhone

Today's walk

2009-01-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

Walking around my neighborhood, I see how some people decorate/model their front lawns, walkways and porches. Some are very nice, others are very tasteful. Then I saw this...

Sent from my iPhone

Chasing Kogi

2009-01-09T23:25:00.000-08:00

So Celia introduced me to the Kogi BBQ Truck yesterday during the Downtown ArtWalk.

So tonight Jolene was twittering how bored she was... so we went out to chase the truck. We caught up to them at the Brig in Venice. Now Kogi has one more follower!

Sent from my iPhone

Just another Thursday

2009-01-09T00:59:00.001-08:00

Well the Christmas lights and decorations came down today. In putting the stuff in their boxes, I had to figure out where to put them in the garage!
I had spent all summer emptying out the garage of junk (still not done) if anything was going back in, it was going to be organized!
I was going to put all the Christmas decorations in the "attic" of the garage. The problem was that I hadn't gotten to that part of the garage yet.
I wanted to clear just enough space for the Christmas stuff.... Talk about Blast From the Past! Here are a few things I found...

These were Laura's, they've been up in the attic since 1989!

I never heard of this beer. Jim told me they had rebus puzzles in the cap, it did!

Laura was such a big Star Wars fan!

I have no idea why there are two of these things. They are pillows in the shape of shields from the Excalibur Hotel in Vegas.

Later that night I went to the Downtown ArtWalk. Dave Bullock was displaying photos taken by the Skid Row Photography Club. There were a lot of fantastic photos! Penelope, Dave's prettier half greeted me at the Raw Materials' door. She told me that she was reading this blog and got a kick out my 52 Weeks of Music project. Penelope made these incredible carmelized lemon bars that I will need to walk off for the next couple of days! Thanks a lot Penelope!
Kathy was also hanging out tonight. We got to playing with our new iPhones and hamming it up a little...

After Raw Materials closed for the night and Jim, Celia and Wonton headed home, Kathy and I thought we would check out the Association Bar next to Cole's. Just like Celia said it was a nice bar. The place is nice, cozy and still lively. The party we were next to had one girl so drunk that the place actually cut her off and told her friends that once they finished their drinks that they had to take their friend home (more like out of there).
So, who's up for the next ArtWalk?

Sent from my iPhone

Today's trot

2009-01-06T13:39:00.001-08:00

One of my resolutions this year is to walk more. Last year's was to do three miles everyday on the stationary cycle but I wasn't satisfied with the result (read FAIL) as far as losing the tonnage so...
These were a few things I saw on the trot.

Sent from my iPhone

52 Weeks of Music: Week 52 - Complete!

2008-12-29T14:24:00.000-08:00

I'll Still Be Loving You by Restless Heart

"I'll be yours until the sun doesn't shine,
'Til time stands still,
Until the winds don't blow.
When today is just a memory to me, I know,
I'll still be lovin',
I'll still be lovin' you"

I thought I would end this project the way I started it.

In - N - Out urge

2008-12-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

Haven't had one of these in a long time. Sunday night I just had to
have one.

52 Weeks of Music: Week 51

2008-12-22T23:33:00.000-08:00

Daddy's gonna pay for your crashed car by U2

"Daddy's a comfort, Daddy's your best friend
Daddy'll hold your hand right up to the end.

Aha, sha-la. Aha sha-la.
Daddy's gonna pay for your crashed car.
Daddy's gonna pay for your crashed car."

Prayers for Anicia

2008-12-19T02:52:00.000-08:00

The family received news that cousin Yani's ex-wife, Anicia had suffered a stroke and is in a coma since early November. No one had anymore information than that and it was spotty at best.

I was finally able to get in touch with Yani in the Philippines and he was able to tell me that Anicia had moved from hawaii to Northern California to be closer to her family there. I just received an email from Yani Letting me know of a blogsite started by Anicia's family and friend to let everyone updated on Anicia's condition.

Anicia Updates

Yani was able to tell me that Anicia had suffered massive bleeding on the left side of her brain. As if that was not enough, she developed some complications in the form of high fever and pneumonia. A drain had to be placed in her brain due to swelling. She regained consciousness right after Thanksgiving and on December 1st, she was able to breathe on her own. She was taken out of ICU and placed in a semi-private room on the 7th.

She is improving but it will be a long road to recovery. Please keep her in your prayers.

52 Weeks of Music: Week 50

2008-12-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

Sin City by AC/DC

"I'm going in to Sin City
I'm gonna win in Sin City
Where the lights are bright
Do the town tonight
I'm gonna win in Sin City"

Wonton poster

2008-12-14T23:34:00.000-08:00

Celia asked me if I can stylize a picture of Wonton similar to the Obama posters. She sent me a picture to Photochop and this is what I came up with... What do you think?

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 49

2008-12-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

Guitar Man by Bread

"He can make you love, he can get you high
He will bring you down then he'll make you cry
Somethin' keeps him movin' but no one seems to know
What it is that makes him go."

Visiting Berda

2008-12-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Berda got out of surgery pretty late last night so a few of us went to Torrance Memorial this morning. She was still in a little pain and according to the doctors she will be experiencing some discomfort for a while before her reconstructive surgery next year.
James and I picked up Sammi and met up with Stephanie at the hospital. Berda was in pretty high spirits as we were already the third(?) group of visitors that morning. Some people brought cake (Thank you Lydia for that delicious home-made rum cake), snacks and flowers. Hank has been there all night and all morning.

Berda seemed in good spirits, though in a little pain. Here was her reaction when instead of flowers I brought her a hula hoop and a paddle ball.

She is doing very well and in great spirits. Thank you everyone for all your prayers and well wishes!

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 48

2008-12-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

Learning To Fly by Pink Floyd

"Unladened, empty and turned to stone..."

52 Weeks of Music: Week 47

2008-11-24T10:37:00.000-08:00

Hands Up by Black Eyed Peas

"Hands high
Touch the sky
Get 'em up Get 'em up, get 'em up, get 'em up, get 'em up, get 'em up (get 'em up)"

Stephanie and Greg's Wedding

2008-11-23T23:57:00.000-08:00

Stephanie and Greg had their wedding down in San Diego Saturday. The ceremony was at Kate O'Sessions Memorial Park. It had a great view of the bay.
The Newlyweds coming down the aisle!

After the ceremony people there was the usual photo ops.
Kristen was the cutest bridesmaid.

Mom with Stephanie's parents.

The guys hamming it up!

Rare photo op: The guys aren't all wearing short!

Just for the record, we own suits.

The guys got so into it they wanted to do a jumping shot... I'm outta here!

With Jessica at the park.

Finally got to meet Anita's husband Amit.

Then the party continued on at the restaurant for the reception.

John and Joanna

Toasts!

They grow up so fast!

With Celia and Jim

Cake cutting!

Prior to the wedding, we've been teasing (ok, I've been teasing) Derrick that since his birthday fell on the same day as the wedding, I was going to bring a bunch of candles and "take" the wedding cake with the bride and groom figures and bring it to him at the reception. Of course he didn't believe me...
I spoke to Stephanie and asked her if we should (ok, I should) bring a cake for Derrick. She said that it was a good idea and that she wanted to do something similar. She recommended her baker. I knew that her wedding cake was not going to have the bride and groom figures so I asked the baker if he had one for the birthday cake...
After the cake cutting, Stephanie had arranged for the DJ to make the announcement that we had a birthday in the house. Derrick did not expect a thing!

Prepping the birthday cake while the cake cutting of the wedding cake was going on.

Derrick taking the whole restaurant singing "Happy Birthday" to him in stride but he doesn't see what Kathy is seeing.

Now he sees it!

Steve delivering the cake!

Complete with Bride and Groom "action figures."

Kathy! Stop Derrick! We want to eat the cake, not have Angel wear it!

Cornerstone tradition

With the newlyweds!

Ben & Casey

Amit and Anita
My hat sure got around that evening!

Got my hat back! With Jessica.

Anita wanted to take a silly shot of Jessica and me.

Ok, that's it Anita, no more pictures, the reception is over and it's time to take it somewhere else.

It was a great wedding. Lots of food. Lots of fun. Lots of friends, old and new.

I wish the happy couple the best! Stephanie, you have been my friend for the longest time. You've remained when others have fallen by the wayside. I am so happy for the next stage of life you and Greg are about to take. I will always be your friend!

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 46

2008-11-17T22:01:00.000-08:00

Where the Wild Things Are by Metallica

"You swing your ass all down
Call to arms, a trumpet's sound.
Toy horses start the charge
Robots, chessmen standing guard
We shall never surrender"

Elen's birthday

2008-11-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

A few of us celebrated Elen's birthday last night. The logistics for this get-together wasn't too bad. A few emails and we pretty much had a place and time set up. A few changes here and there but nothing major. The fire in Anaheim Hills delayed most everyone but thank God that everyone arrived safe and sound.
As I left the house this is what I saw over the house. There was such a contrast form the smoke!

While waiting for the rest of the people to arrive. Matt was looking so innocent while giving the classic rabbit ears to James.

I made sure his hands was where I could see them.

Lily getting hungry!

Everyone

Best Friends

With all the appetizers, ramen, drinks, friends and conversations going on at the table, James had time to point out that some guy two tables away was wearing one black sock and one white sock. Yeah, I took the picture!

With Elen and Carla.

Cutting her birthday cake.

Mike and Maria with Elen. If you look behind them, you can see all ramen dishes this restaurant offers, 31 of them!

After a weak attempt at singing "Happy Birthday, " polishing off bowls of ramen, appetizers, and catching up with old friends, we made our way outside to continue in the parking lot. It took 2 tries to get this last picture. I had set the timer too fast and I did not even make it into the shot the first time.

Happy Birthday Elen. Hope you had a good time!

November's ArtWalk

2008-11-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

Headed out to LA for the Downtown ArtWalk and the Grand Opening of Raw Materials. I was there earlier in the day and Wonton was busy trying to pick the week's special.

The store is looking great! The shelves are awesome if I do say so myself...

After hanging around at the store for a bit, headed out to check out what the galleries and the street had to offer tonight. First stop was to Bert Green's Gallery.

Afterwards we headed to the Continental Gallery. They always have a pretty good show every time we've checked it out.

As always there are bands performing on the street. Next door to Raw Materials at Main Street Tattoos, there was a band performing.

Then there was the travelling band.

Back at Raw Materials, customers were creating their own pieces of art.

Overall, it was a nice evening. If you haven't checked out the Downtwn ArtWalk yet, you need to go.

Crabs, sushi, chicken and waffles!

2008-11-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was an EATFEST!!! Berda had some old friends visiting her this weekend from San Francisco. They were initiated into the group's eating frenzy.

Lemon Butter Club meeting
First thing was to initiate them into the Lemon Butter Club! We had a meeting scheduled so they were dragged along. They really weren't putting up much of a fight anyway.
Derrick and I thought we would get things started and set a pace.

Kathy thought she would set a realistic pace... right!

After the crab, Robert showed us the right way to eat ribs!

Old members and the new members. Since they are from San Francisco, I guess we now have a Northern California Chapter!

After more than 3 hours (yes 3 hours!), we walked around the casino to "walk off the meal" (read: check out the gift shop, poker room and the main lounge...). The main longe isn't as busy since the night club on the 2nd floor had their liquor license suspended.

At the parking structure, James was checking out a security (secuity) camera taken out by a tall truck?

Tokyo Lobby and Downtown Disney
Then the next evening it was sushi at Tokyo Lobby in San Gabriel. The only picture I have is in front after we all chowed down.

Then we got to Downtown Disney just as the firework show was in progress. By the time we parked the cars it was already over. Among the sights and sounds in Downtown Disney is a band called Alturas, their repertoire mainly consists of Bolivian and Peruvian folk music. There was a large crowd enjoying their music and a few people dancing (very well if I might add). There was so much to see that Kathy and Derrick could not decide what to look at...

In front of the House of Blues and the Build-A-Bear store.

Of course you have to stop and get a bag of beignets at the Jazz Kitchen!

If Berda is not around, you will never get a normal picture of Hank!

Roscoe's and Chinatown
On their last day in town the visitors wanted to try another Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles (apparently they visited the one in Long Beach and Pasadena), so the one in Hollywood was next. They definitely prefered the Hollywood location. But Vince was still hungry after lunch!

Afterwards a final shopping trip in Chinatown.

No Berda!

This place is a maze!

After a few purchases, we made our good-byes and the visitors made their way to the airport. It was great meeting and making some new friends. We will definitely be keeping in touch.

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 45

2008-11-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Change of the Guard by Eric Clapton

"All the signs are right this time
You don't have to try so very hard
If you live in this world
You're feelin' the change of the guard"

Shoes Everywhere revisited

2008-11-07T02:04:00.000-08:00

Back in July, on the way to Garen and Helena's wedding, Jim, Celia and I stumbled into this...

I asked a few people that if they ever saw something on TV or the movies that looked like this to let me know. A number of friends told me it was a car commercial but they did not remember the car, it was in Spanish or "just caught the tail end of it." Natalie was the first to tell me it was a commercial. Other hints came from others. Then my god-daughter, Amanda, finally came up with the car.
Here is the commercial.

The Bunny Hop

2008-11-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

Two Steps Forward!
I had a great night's sleep last night. I saw history in the making and America's path has once again turned for the better. I went to sleep thinking "Great job America!"

One Step Back
Then I wake to this. Prop 8 passes. The fear and lies worked. I wish I could have said the same for California.

I voted

2008-11-04T23:19:00.000-08:00

I am relieved, happy, excited, hopeful, anxious and expectant. Yet, with all that, I think I will be able to sleep tonight. Good night America, great job!

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 44

2008-11-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel

"she pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam
she pictures a soul
with no leak at the seam."

The WeHo Halloween Caranaval

2008-11-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

I hear about it every year and usually after it is over. This year, I learned that a friend, Glenn, participates in the Halloween costume every year and after I saw some of his past costumes I knew I had to go see it first hand.
It looked like it was going to rain but I went anyway and am I glad I did. Once I got there I lucked out right away and found street parking (parking and many places was at $20) right at San Vicente and Melrose, it was a short walk from there to Santa Monica Blvd. It was 6:00pm and there were a good number of people there already walking around in costumes.
There were a lot of great costumes, a lot of really bad ones, and a TON of risque costumes. You be the judge.

Sean Penn dressed as one of the cops in Reno 911, Michael Phelps and a dark angel.

She had a great costume and the guy she was with, the one with the bad skin just wouldn't get out of the picture!

This barbarian guy just kept grunting. I wonder if it is because of his thong...

Here is Glenn and Stanton with their "I can see Alaska" costume.

Bride looking for a groom.

Legalize me.

Captain America with Mz. Marvel on the right.

Scissorhands

Looks like Richard Simmons needs to do more Dancin' to the Hits!

I like this one! The bumper cars!

At first I thought they were in costumes but they were the real Hare Krishnas.

The Bailout Triplets aka the Financial Meltdown Boys.

Harlequins

Sheriff with a Palin look-alike.

Don't know, don't care!

Let's see... A princess, the Queen of Hearts and Snow White (Thanks Jim).

A zombie and two wenches.

Clark Kent and Batgirl.

vampires

Eggs and bacon!

The Telly Tubbies with a lady pirate and a bloody knife girl.

Superhero has-beens?

The Mad Hatter, Sexy Alice and a not-so-white rabbit.

Adam with 2 silver Steves

Devil and fallen angel

Ghostbuster and friends.

Smurfette and a sailor.

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker.

Olive Oyl and Popeye.

The NASA Dance Team and a sexy CHP officer.

The Costume Contest at the Bat Stage

The costume contest hostess/host...

Lady riding an ostrich (a huge ostrich!). She was on stilts the whole evening until the contest.

Iron Man

The Tin Man

Monarch butterfly. The hostess asked him how long it took to sew his costume. When he said 2 days, the hostess yelled out, "now this is a gay man! A professionl seamstress would take at least 5 days!"

Mars Attack...Again!

Mario Brothers

Adam and 2 Steves

Glenn and Stanton made it to the top 6!

Pair of cannibals. Now they were scary!

The Singing Bush. When the crowd was asked to vote a chant of "Say no to Bush!"

Gargoyle

Wall-e and EVE.

Palin stopped by after a "liitle shopping trip to Saks."

Then Obama came by to offer a change.

In the end, Girl on an ostrich won the contest and $1000!

I'm glad I went. I would go again next year now that I know what to expect. I might even wear a costume...
Turns out that Glenn and Stanton made the channel 7 and 11 news and made the 2nd page of the California B4 section of the LA Times!

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 43

2008-10-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Conqueror Night by End Zone

"Night- bird of prey who gazed below
In menacing shape, savagely
Up on an eminence, quickly saw
Prey that slept in it's fantasies"

I heard some noise while outside in the tree in front. I thought the two squirrels were playing up in the tree again. Instead, I saw this guy chasing one of the squirrels. The squirrel was running around one of the bigger trunks and this hawk trying to keep up flying around the trunk but the turns were too tight and the squirrel got away.

Lemon-Butter Club mentioned in OC Weekly

2008-10-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, it is official! The Lemon Butter Club was mentioned in an OC Weekly article. I had to go back to see when our first meeting took place. We were only five guys then. I wonder if our membership will increase? Too funny! Anyone know who spilled the beans?

CLEAR!!!

2008-10-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

Every 3 months or so I have to go to the Pacer Clinic at the hospital in Downey to download some files.
My hard drive is internal

My defibrillator stores a bunch on information about my heart that I can't even begin to understand. The download takes about 15 minutes and the technician will sometimes control my heart through the defibrillator. I still get a kick when he "paces" my heart, through a "laptop", he will speed up my heart.

Apparently, since I've had this defibrillator for 4 years now (Has it been that long?!!!), it is getting close to the time for an upgrade. So I guess in "3 - 6 months" I will be getting an upgrade in equipment.
So if your car ever needs a jump, I'm the guy to call. I'm thinking with the upgrade I'll be able to juice up my iPod on the fly?

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 42

2008-10-20T00:38:00.000-07:00

Gently Hurting by InMe

"Now time just stops.
Because you're next to me."

Jessica's visit

2008-10-15T23:43:00.000-07:00

An friend from Canada was in Los Angeles for a few days after taking a cruise down in Mexico. I met Jessica briefly back in 2005 when she came down to visit a mutual friend and we ended up keeping in touch.
When my family and I went up to Vancouver for a vacation 2 years ago, Jessica was an awesome guide! She took a lot of time out of her schedule to show us around and to warn us away from "problem areas" this is where she made the "bang bang hand motions." One evening she took us to this great Jazz club/restaurant, Capone's.

Jessica and her friend Wylie (sp?) had 4 more days after their cruise so what did they do? Shop, shop, eat, shop, shop, eat, oh yeah Knotts' Berry Farm, and shop. We were supposed to go to Universal Studios one day but Santee Alley got in the way and we shopped instead!
Shopping aside, it was great spending time and catching up a bit.

"where do you want to eat?"
"I don't know, where do YOU want to eat?"
"You tell me, where do you want to eat?"

South Coast Plaza parking structure at 5:30pm on a Wednesday and we need to get to LAX by 6:50pm and she still wanted to stop at Lee's Sandwiches in Westminster for a Vietnamese sandwich... We pulled up to terminal 3 exactly at 6:48pm!!

2008-10-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

The Rascal King by Mighty Mighty Bosstones

"A cocky swagger,
up the ladder
And could he ever talk
The last hurrah?
Nah! I'd do it again
The Rascal King behind the bars..."

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 40

2008-10-06T01:36:00.000-07:00

Light My fire by Train

"Come on baby, Light my fire,
Come on baby. Light my fire,
Try to set the night on fire..."

Cousin Angel

2008-10-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

Cousin Angel has been working at CSP (Convenience Store/Petroleum) Magazine for a number of years. Each year he gets to do on-camera reporting for their online TV. Two years ago he had some fun at the NAC (National Association of Cooncessionaires) with this "Lighter side of NAC"

He started to do more on-camera reporting again for their on-line site. He has two on-line reports on their website, "A Taxing Burden" and "Power Mart". Here are a couple of screen captures.

Aunt's 80th Birthday

2008-09-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Meding, my dad's only sister turned 80 last Sunday. She is visiting from the Philippines so of course we had to have a party.

dad, aunt and Uncle Ralph

mom, aunt and dad

Cousin Aurora with niece Julia.

The next generation of cousins. Emma and Julia.

cousin Joel and Kim

When parents fall asleep, their kids will play...

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 39

2008-09-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

Spiderwebs by No Doubt

"I'm walking into spiderwebs
So leave a message
And I'll call you back"

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 38

2008-09-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

Bicycle Race by Queen

"I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle I
want to ride it where I like"

52 Weeks of Musc: Week 37

2008-09-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

Somewhere In the City by Madcap

"We can run and hide
Through the day and night
New York or L.A.
Downtown's the place for hearts like ours"

The Nuns were in town!!

2008-09-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Angel (yes, we were both named after his dad, also Angel) brought his show Nunsense II: The Second Coming from Chicago last weekend. They had two shows Friday and Saturday at the Metropolitan Church in the Valley. He was in town 3 weeks ago to promote the show. I have to admit it was hilarious seeing him walking to all these different places in his nun habit promoting the show!
He flew into town Tuesday to do some last minute promoting, visiting with old friends and family. I volunteered for LAX pick up duties and somehow I became "the official photographer" (according to cousin Angel) for the show...

The Cast.

With Berda.

Cleaning, another birthday and a visit from friends

2008-09-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

August had me slammed! So many things were going on. The only thing I was able to do was to keep my photo project going. For a while there, I thought was not going to be able to keep that going. Some of the photos and music matches were a stretch.
A number of things, many of them little, popped up but with a few big stuff thrown in made August a scramble!

Cleaning out the Garage!
My garage has been called "The Black Hole", "The Bermuda Triangle" or the "Last Frontier". Things get sent there and unless it is placed near the door or the path it will never be seen again. The last car parked in the garage was my old Camaro. That car was sold back in 1993!
I had planned on emptying out the garage and turn it into a photo studio/recreational room. I had to make room for a pool table and August was the month that it was going to get done.

August 4 was the day the pool table was arriving. The emptying out of the garage actually started in July. Putting everything out onto the driveway was fairly easy. It's amazing how much junk accumulates over the years (20+). The hard part was throwing things away! Amazing how much Sentimental Value a bunch of "junk" can have for different people.

I went through 4 of these dumpster bins.

I am pretty sure that I will be needing more before this project is over. Yes, that's right, it isn't over yet. Not by a longshot!

Another birthday

Yeah, I had another one of those too. I had planned on doing something fun this year. I was thinking of going on a small road trip... but...

I don't think I did anything special this year... actually, I don't think I did anything this year. My parents took me out to lunch that was cool. I pretty much was kept busy with the whole garage project.

Mollie and family in LA

It was not a good circumstance when I met Mollie. She was in town for a friend's funeral who died in Iraq. I got to know her a little while she was in town and I knew I wanted to get to know her even more. We kept in touch through email and she managed to call me twice from Korea (she served in the army as a military police). Through her, I was contacted by her mother in Ohio and later on her sister contacted me through this blog. As it turns out, Mollie's tour of duty with the army ended and she moved to Africa. She has been working in a number of projects to clothe, school, feed and nurture children, specifically orphans in 3 different countries. I knew she was in Africa but I did not know that her tour of duty was over.

I was helping out putting shelves together with Jim and James over at Raw Materials when I got a call from Mollie's mother saying that she was coming to Los Angeles with her family for a little vacation and that she would like to get together and finally meet face to face. After making plans to get together, Mollie calls telling me that she will be coming along with her family! I didn't even know she was in the country! Cool!
So plans had to be made, changed and postponed.
Mollie's family at the hotel.

At the hotel...

In front of the Disney Ice Cream Shop in Hollywood.

Splash Mountain in Disneyland.

With her mom at the airport.

In the 4 days they were in town I got to meet and know her family. It definitely wasn't enough time but it certainly was full. They are a great bunch of people. Mollie will be in the states for now, Utah is not that close but not as far as Korea or Africa!

52 Weeks of Music: Week 36

2008-09-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell

"I always feel like somebody's watching me
And I have no privacy, whoa-oa-oa
I always feel like somebody's watching me
Who's playing tricks on me?"

Missing Laura

2008-09-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

Each year, it sneaks up on me. Then out of the blue, it hits me like a ton of bricks even though I'm looking straight at it. I knew it was coming, it's the reason for my parents' trip to Hawaii. They wanted to visit Laura's gravesite.

I debated writing all this here. I've so much I want to say... if only I had the words.

I've been cleaning out the garage for the last 6 weeks and for the most part it has been easy enough deciding what to keep (very little) and what to throw in the dumpster (most everything). The hard part is finding all these things that reminds me of Laura. Celia and I were digging through the "pile" and found some of Laura's old Cheerleading and Song Squad uniforms. We tried to sell them at a yard sale but there were no takers. We were trying to decide what had to be done, whether to keep, donate or throw them away... I don't remember what wat we decided. For all I know they are still in a box in the garage.

In cleaning out the garage, I've come across a few boxes of old family pictures. I smiled at a few pictures, laughed at others then found myself crying after a while. Here are a few...

This was Celia, me and Laura in front of the Tigers at the San Francisco Zoo. This was from our first year in California.

This was the whole family at Lombard Street.

Laura bringing home laundry.

I miss Laura.

52 Weeks of Music: Week 35

2008-09-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference by Gaither Vocal Band

"And the old rugged cross made the difference
In a life bound for heartache and defeat;
I will praise Him forever and ever
For the cross made the difference for me."

52 Weeks of Music: Week 34

2008-08-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks

"The taxman's taken all my dough
And left me in my stately home.
Lazing on a sunny afternoon
And I can't sail my yacht.
He's taken everything I've got,
All I've got's this sunny afternoon."

52 Weeks of Music: Week 33

2008-08-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

Why You'd Want to Live Here by Death Cab for Cutie

"Here the names are what remain... stars encapsulate the gold lame and they
need constant cleaning for when the tourists begin salivating."

Meteors and Squirrels

2008-08-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

Meteors
I read that there was going to be a meteor shower last night/this morning. The Perseids are pretty well known in the meteor shower world. The first time I tried to see them, about a year ago, I didn't see anything and ended up with a sore neck and a chill. Around 1:00am this morning, I went out back and not even 10 minutes had past that I saw 3 of them. I was debating whether or not to grab my camera and tripod but decided that they were too fast and too random in the sky that I would waste too much time trying to take a picture, besides what the heck am I going to do with it? I've seen pictures others have taken of the meteor shower and they were in near perfect locations. I'm in my backyard with wires, trees and houses blocking much of the view.
I stayed outside for about 20 minutes and saw two more. The Persieds are supposed to be visible from July through the end of August but last night and tonight are when they are most prevalent. You can expect to see 50 -80 meteors per hour. The peak times are in the hours around 2:00am.

Squirrels
I've got squirrels! I've gotten into the habit of walking up and down the street in the mornings just to get the blood flowing. Not a serious exercise thing just enjoying the cool temperatures and the quiet before starting the day. Last week, while walking I heard a bit of rustling in the trees above me. I saw a couple of squirrels chasing each other around the trunk of one the bigger pine trees on the street. I haven't seen a squirrel on my street for years and here are two of them playin around.
Since then, I've seen them every morning. I am sure one of them lives in the tree in front of my house. I've been leaving nuts and trail mix in one part of the tree higher up where the branches spread out from the main trunk. I like the idea of squirrels living out front.

Having a meal of nuts and trail mix.

52 Weeks of Music: Week 32

2008-08-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Organs by the Black Maria

"You're standing on the edge,
Looking down on everyone,
Wondering who loves you.."

52 Weeks of Music: Week 31

2008-08-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

Traffic Jam by James Taylor

"Damn this traffic jam
How I hate to be late
It hurts my motor to go so slow
Damn this traffic jam"

A Drink with a View

2008-07-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

I was having dinner at Jim and Celia's when I saw this out the window...

They were on top of the neon sign on the right...

Another angle, though just the corner of the sign. It is the one on the right.

Nice view for a drink but the climb is a bitch.

Blasts from the Past!!

2008-07-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Reunion
When I graduated from high school, many many many long years ago, I did not stay in touch with many people. Even though our yearbooks were filled with "K.I.T." and other promises of "Let's keep in touch!" All in all, I've kept in touch (more or less) with my buddy Eugene through the years and when I was working at Cerritos College, I bumped into another friend from a different class, Diana. Otherwise, I've not seen or heard from anyone else.
I missed both my high school reunions (10 year and the 20 year). Besides, there were only a handful of people I would have liked to have seen and half of them were in the classes ahead of mine. Last year, I had an opportunity to see some of those people with a small get-together. It was not about class years but organization, namely the music department (bands and choir). Unfortunately, the reunion was scheduled when a cousin was getting married in Kauai so I missed it.
This past Saturday, another reunion was scheduled and guess what? I've another wedding to go to at the very same time! This can't be happening! Luckily, I was able to have lunch with a few friends before the reunion and the wedding.
Luckily, there was a smaller get-together at Wilderness Park in Downey on Sunday that I was able to attend. It was mind-blowing seeing old friends. If I were to count all the people I considered friends in high school with my fingers, I would still have a few left over. They were not all present but those who were there brought up memories and a little regret for having lost touch with them all those years. I made promises of keeping in touch and I mean to keep that promise this time.

Tina and Jenifer re-creating a photo from high school.

A little older and a little wiser...

Eugene

Jenifer

Carolyn

Tina

Rick and Eugene

The reason for the reunion: Mr. Talenfeld, our music director and his wife.

Dale and Cindy with the Talenfelds

I am so glad to have re-connected with my old friends. They were a big part of a crazy time of my life and they joined in the insanity, made it fun or brought a little reality in the mix what ever the situation required. I am glad they are doing well.

52 Weeks of Music: Week 30
New Shoes by Paolo Nutini

"Oh hey, I put some new shoes on
And suddenly everything is right
I said
Hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling."

Shoes Everywhere!

2008-07-27T02:16:00.000-07:00

On the way to Helena and Garen's wedding reception we came across a filming in downtown. We did not know what the shoot was about but it involved a lot of shoes!

Thing was, I don't think there was a matched pair. If you come across a movie, TV show, commercial, music video, etc... If it looked anything like this let me know. I would like to know what this was all about.

Bolsa Chica Wetlands revisited

2008-07-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

I read in the newspaper that the Bolsa Chica Wetlands was once again thriving. A tidal inlet was reconnected to the wetlands and since then all types of sea life has been finding itself in the wetlands, attracting all types of birds, some endangered.
Last time I went to the wetlands, I thought there were a good number of wildlife present. I didn't realize until the other day how many there should be!

This guy was enjoying the papparazzi attention who were kept at a good distance.

I got lucky with this photo. This guy "buzzed" me pretty close.

This is the main trail as soon as you cross the bridge from the parking lot off Pacific Coast Highway. On the other side of the fence is a nesting area.

The other half were flying back an forth bringing fish from the other side of the wetlands. It was non-stop. There were so many birds it was almost deafening.

The birds watcher and photographers were kept at a good distance.

There was a feeding frenzy here. The birds were diving into the water, coming away with a fish in its mouth and headed back to the nesting area.

This pelican was also getting in on the action.

This was one group of many photographers there that afternoon. Talk about lens envy! I felt so "inadequate" with my tiny... lens.

Another trail.

I decided to stay for the sunset. It is a good thing I had my tripod with me. If you looked at the larger version of this photo, you can see the oil platforms to the left of the building on the beach.

Bridge back to the parking lot.

52 Weeks of Music: Week 29

2008-07-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

Peggy Sue by Blink-182

"You say you want to take off your shoes just to
Walk barefoot down the street
Just to be the things that you can be
Just live for one more week"

My photo is in a museum

2008-07-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

I was asked by the Flickr group, Water: A California Story, to add one of my photos to their group's photo pool 3 months ago. It wasn't one of my better photos (I like to think that I've been improving) but it was pretty nice to be asked so I added it. Then 6 weeks ago, I got received this message,

"Congratulations! Your photo has been selected to be on view in the Water: A
California Story exhibition at the San Diego Natural History Museum."

With an invitation to see the digital display and the rest of the Water Exhibit at a preview on July 18. Since it was a digital display I wasn't really expecting much, maybe a kiosk with a monitor and the photos cycling in. But still, in the back of my (swelling) head, I was thinking, "A photo I took is in a major museum! Cool!" So Friday afternoon I headed down to see what this was all about.
The drive down. I've always liked the way they put these freeway lights.

In front of the Natural History Museum there is the Casa Del Prado Theater. It has this awesome bas relief in the front over the main entrance.

The San Diego Natural History Museum.

Sure enough it was in an alcove just before the entrance to the California Waterways Exhibit room. There was a few plaques that explained where the photo collection came from and instructions on how to view all the photos online.

They also had an awesome dinosaur exhibit. This was cool so I though I would throw it in.

The museum had a few booths in the main lobby with a lot of information on California waterways. The museum itself had a few other exhibits, unfortunately, I was not able to see it all as I got there fairly late and they were closing.
In case you couldn't see it in the photo of the alcove, this was the photo they chose. Like I said it isn't one of my better ones.

Sunsets

2008-07-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've been on a sunsets mood lately. I used to take time out to watch the sun set but things have been a bit hectic and I haven't been able to for a long while.

This one is actually made up of two shots. This was from the Santa Monica Pier.

This is also from the pier but a little tighter shot. I like how the silhouette of the antennas over the Malibu Hills came out.

This one is from the Redondo Beach Pier.

I need to take time out like these more often.

52 Weeks of Music: Week 28

2008-07-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Gold in the Sunset by Bob Schneider

"all the gold in the sunset all the diamonds on the sea
all the gold in the sunsets all ill ever need
all the gold in the sunset all the diamonds in the sea
it’s all we need to set ourselves free"

Joint Aspiration

2008-07-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

So my ankle has been bothering me quite a bit lately. I've been limping along th whole weekend. I figure that I sprained something and that as busy as I've been lately (hahaha, lately...) Ijust have not been giving it enough time to heal. This morning, it was the worst it has ever been. It was so bad that I did not have any mobility in my ankle and that no position did not include pain... and I MEAN PAIN!
I thought, "ok, Ithink it is time to go to the hospital with this thing." Discomfort is one thing...

At the emergency room, I told the admitting nurse that I may have sprained it real bad and that I could not move it. So she had ordered a bunch of X-Rays to be taken.

Once a doctor took a look at the ankle, he said that it is pretty swollen. He suggested a joint aspiration to test for Gout and to evacuate the joint of some fluids. The word Gout didn't even register, all I heard was "evacuate the joint of fluids". I know that was going to involve a needle and more than likely a big one.
I like to think I have a high tolerance for pain but if a needle is involved I am as some people put it, "A BIG BABY!"

So the doctor had the nurse prepare an aspiration kit and it was not looking good!

Yes, that's my foot on top of all that.

The doctor said he has never taken so much liquid out of an ankle before. I wasn't sure it that was an accomplishment or how messed up my foot was, do I get the prize or him?

The kit.

Surprisingly enough, I was still conscious here. Then they gave me something called Dilandit for the pain (like they couldn't give it to me before!?). After that I was really loopy. That Dilandit stuff was really tripping me out.
Somehow, I was discharged and when I got home I was out like a light! What day is it anyway?

52 Weeks of Music: Week 27

2008-07-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

Speed by Billy Idol

"Speed
Give me what I need
Yeah White lightning
Let's speed, on speed
On wheels, on wheels
Speed"