i am, because we are

February is a very busy month, with Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, friends’ birthdays and a concert. The weekends aren’t long enough to do all my errands and get enough sleep, and yet the weekdays fly by so that the weekend arrives quickly. I made a note to myself last year to slow down, and to enjoy the things that are going on in my life. It gets harder to reflect, when there are so many things going on at the same time. It’s been said, that the times when you are most busy, are the times when you most need to reflect.

(taking a deep breath)

Last Sunday and Monday were my Valentine prep days. I wanted to make something creative for Jennie, so those two days were spent brainstorming and making the gift.

That Tuesday was Chinese New Year dinner with my mother’s side of the family. Among my cousins, I am one of the younger ones. Because my older cousins are married now, they are obligated by Chinese tradition to give lucky money (red packets) to their younger unmarried cousins. As they gave me the lucky money, they said, “This had better be the last year I give you these (smirk).” The tone is that of an unsubtle suggestion that I should get married soon. I responded, “Jennie’s standing right here!”

On February 13, we went to the SUCCESS concert at GM Place. Two of my current favorites were there, Hins Cheung and Justin Lo. Two of my older favorites were there as well, Edmond Leung and Eric Suen. Out of the girls, my favorite was Fiona Sit. The performances were good, but something about the entire show was lacking, when compared to last year’s show.

On Valentine’s Day, we went to Fuel Restaurant on 4th Avenue. It won best new restaurant of 2007, so I had high expectations. They didn’t disappoint. The décor was simple yet elegant. The servers were attentive. The food was inventive and unique, and delicious and filling. A high recommendation from LC.

On Friday, we went to Moxie’s for John’s birthday dinner. It was a late dinner, so I was famished by the time my Philly Cheesesteak hit the table. After Moxie’s, we went to Myles’ place to play Rockband. I had heard rumours about the addictive nature of the game, but it didn’t become reality to me until I played with them until 3:30am. I slept in on Saturday morning.

There was a study done on why males like video games more than females. The pleasure centre of the brain activates in females while playing games, but overflows in males for the same stimulus. Males may not even particularly like the game, but winning the game gives them a sense of completion, of fulfillment, of achievement. Last weekend, I finished Mark of Kri, an unopened game that came with the PS2. The weekend before that, I finished Onimusha 2 in three days. I received this achievement rush, more for the fact that I finished a game that was sitting on my shelf for months, than for the quality of the game.

On Sunday, I met up with Tim at Blenz. I wanted to try the Blenz Matchachillo, and I can give it an undisputed win over Starbucks Green Tea frappuccino. The Matchachillo tastes like real matcha, and I imagine them using actual matcha powder. The Green Tea frappuccino tastes like green Creamsicle, and I imagine them using liquid mix. The frappuccino is made in two minutes, while the Matchachillo took about seven minutes. Quality matters. Drink Canadian!

On Sunday night, we had family dinner with my dad’s side of the family. My uncle gave me lucky money and said, “This had better be the last year I give you these (smirk).”

(sigh)

We’ve been watching Japanese comedy clips from youtube. Do a search for Human Tetris, Silent Library, ダウンタウン(Downtown), and ココリコ(Coq au Rico). These guys are masters of slapstick, of deadpan and of comedic timing. These clips are funnier than any movie I’ve seen in five years. I laugh out loud at every clip, and I feel really good afterward. The funniest clips are of the punishment games, and often star the same comedians:

Masatoshi Hamada (浜田雅功) and Hitoshi Matsumoto (松本人志) are the boke (funny man) and tsukkomi (straight man) of the comedy duo Downtown. They are the sensei of the Manzai stand-up community. Manzai is a lightning-fast tag-team comedy that consist of mutual misunderstandings, double-talk, puns and other verbal gags. Maybe my brother and I have found our calling.

Shōzō Endō (遠藤章造) and Naoki Tanaka (田中直樹) are the boke and tsukkomi of Coq au Rico. Hitoshi Matsumoto found that this young duo had promise, and asked them to join the show. Hōsei Yamasaki (山崎邦正) fills out the regular cast.

I attended SFU’s Summer Hiring Fair, to recruit students for Canadian Direct Insurance. It would have been nice if more students were aware of the fair, and came prepared. We did manage to meet some good prospects, and I hope that some of them eventually work with the company.

The guys group met for dinner at White Spot, which was nice because we didn’t meet at all last week. The English Congregation at VCBC is going through some growth changes, and I’m glad that there is a plan in progress.

On Saturday, we went to Café Luxy for Angela’s birthday dinner. The portions were enormous, and the service was friendly. Afterward, we played Sleuth and Modern Art at Wilson’s house.

Diablo Cody just won an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen! Congratulations! It feels good when a writer gets recognition for their work.

Recently I read Tim Madigan's "I'm Proud of You". He shares about his friendship with Fred Rogers, and about how one unique friendship can change the very fabric of your life. I am now reading Sidney Poitier's autobiography, which speaks of the racism that he fought his whole life and artistic career. And to keep things balanced, I read "Pure Drivel" by Steve Martin. He brings what he advertises, in an entertaining way.

I feel like two weeks’ worth of memories are clearer and more organized.

(deep breath)

Time to reset.


Justin Lo 側田 - 男人KTV - Live in Concert, Success Gala Vancouver

Gung Hey Fat Choi!

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Maybe that’s why I feel like I have so many things on my mind. It’s said that people think too much because they don’t write things down. Chances are, I only have a few things on my mind, but they repeat and repeat, so my mind feels like there are too many things going on. But once I put them down on paper, I can see what I’m actually thinking about, and take steps to tackle them one at a time.

Happy Chinese New Year! It’s the year of the Rat, which means that if you were born in 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972 or 1960, you are a Rat! We had a mother’s-side family dinner on New Year’s Eve, and a father’s-side family dinner on Sunday. We have another mother’s-side family dinner on Tuesday. Chinese New Year is an important time for families, if you haven’t already surmised. We eat the last dinner of the year together, because it is important to end the year with family. It’s also important to start the year off with family, so there’s also a dinner to commemorate the New Year. Maybe it’s a North American cliché to hate visiting the family during the holidays. I look forward to the holidays. For better or worse, these people are your roots, and it’s a chance to connect with the people who are a part of your history. I would like to thank my family for being a part of who I am. Uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, grandparents, mom, dad and brother. We’ve been through a lot together, and I thank you for the memories.

The fifty-year high school reunion was on Friday. Everybody who graduated from David Thompson Secondary School was invited to visit the school once more. It was nice to see my old teachers, but only 4 other people from my graduation year showed up. That’s a total of 5 people out of 250. This doesn't mean that there weren’t enough people at the reunion. The place was packed! The majority of attendees were people with grey and white hair. They were folks who graduated when the school was first built. It was nice to see all these people, but it definitely wasn’t something I’d jump at doing again. I do look forward to my next high school reunion. At that reunion, there will be more people who shared the same experiences.

Why is there Oscar buzz for “No Country for Old Men”? It’s a visually stunning movie, with great character actors. My opinion is that very little happens. It’s a very slow movie. I fell asleep for what seemed like a long time, and when I woke up, Tommy Lee Jones was still sitting at the same dining room table. Art? Yes. Exciting? No.

How is your New Year’s fitness resolution? I’ve decided to pick up yoga again. After a long day of sitting at your desk in the office, it feels good to stretch out your body the way it was meant to be stretched. When we were growing up, elders would always say that it would be the best to have a comfortable office job, where you don’t have to travel or do manual labour. I think having a job with some travel and some manual labour would be great. I am absolutely grateful for the chance to work with this company, and I look forward to the rare tasks where I get to leave my desk for an hour or two.

House is back on television! I missed the gang at the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. And I hear the writers’ strike is at an end. Rejoice!

Mike Huckabee became my candidate for the Republican Party. In public engagements, he speaks his mind, he has a good sense of humor, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He’s the kind of guy I would choose as my manager. McCain is a great guy I’m sure, but I don’t think he would listen to my point of view if we had different opinions. I would like McCain to represent the company at international meetings. And yet, I would like Huckabee to represent as well, because he appears as a good-hearted honest guy. If they were both capable candidates who could fulfill presidential duties, I would choose Huckabee based on his personality. On the Democratic side, I would vote for Obama. Clinton seems too "establishment", even though I’m sure she sees herself as an outsider, with her lack of Y chromosomes. Obama is articulate, thoughtful, and an outsider who seems to have a plan for how to change the establishment.

It's going to be a busy week. Busy with work, busy with relationships, busy with dinner plans. I'm already looking forward to my next yoga session. Breathe...