Are my reflectors working?

You've probably been to the Daiso in Japan Town, but I recently discovered there's a bigger one in the southbay! It's amazing how they can stuff a walmart sized store with $1.50 items. But to be honest not everything was $1.50, which was dissappointing. It's way cooler than the average joe "Dollar Store" because it's asian junk! You could practically find anything you want in there for cheap. I bought myself some dorm supplies as well as my halloween costume haha!

They even had a section for bike goods, so I had to see what I needed to Hulk Up my bike. I definitely needed some reflectors to blind those morons who drive like they're missing some chromosomes. At first I didn't believe they had any reflecting power so I needed a camera's flash to test them. They reflect right?

Tio Juan

I spent August 4th hanging out with fellow UCSD acceptee: Daniela V.

She wanted me to come over and help her with some applications that were due. I don't know about other UCs, but UCSD doesn't do a great job at informing incoming students about what is needed and how to prepare. The only reason I know is because there's a facebook group for the UCSD 2013 class. Such smart ppl out there....

I always begged her to take me to get mexican food cause mexicans know where to get thee bomb mexican food, chinese ppl know chinese food, etc.. So we headed down international and for a second I thought she was taking me to taco bell haha. We ended up at "Tio Juan". A locally famed taco truck parked on 40th Ave. and Foothill. It was literally my first time eating from a taco truck and it was actually really good!! I had a chicken burrito and she had steak. She claims their hot sauce is the best around and it was really good, nothing crazy but yummy spicy. So head over to "Tio Juan" taco truck today because apparently they got 5 stars on yelp haha!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-el-tio-juan-oakland

Funk & Punk #3

- First of all, Robyn's video of "Handle Me" is beyond mesmerizing. All those funky outfits and boxes and whakydoodles just does it for me. People say she can't dance, but I beg to differ. She's not trying to go Beyonce on America, she's dancing with her own style. Plus her song is really catchy, she's considered pop/electronica/R&B and I think she blends those genres really nicely. She's 30 years old and I think her Jojo sounding voice is gonna last her awhile. She owns her own record label "Konichiwa Records" which I believe goes hand in hand with her song "Konichiwa Bitches". Anyways, give her a listen and I believe you'll find many of her songs to stick in your head until dawn.

- City and Colour has been a reoccuring acoustic band for me. The first time I looked at the singer I thought some country smash was gonna vomit out his mouth, but it's quite pleasant eh? That's canadian for you I guess. "The Girl" is very interesting to me because it seems to be structured weirdly. Front man, Dallas Green, basically sings the lyrics twice in a completely different tone. The beginning of the song is very melow, but the middle picks up with an upbeat rockish tone. I really enjoyed the ending of the video because they added in a little blooper kind of thing. "I broke my string". Haha another song I recommend by them is "sometimes".

Kite Invasion (festival)

22^nd Annual Berkeley Kite Festival & West Coast Kite Championships

My first time attending the Berkeley Kite festival was an eye opener for me. You can't help but receive inspiration from the universe when you see millions of kites in the sky. It was extremely cool how 60 percent of the sky was filled with kites. It reminded me of an alien invasion scenario.

I was pretty excited when I heard they had a candy drop!! What is better than candy falling from the sky? Nothing is!! I went over to the section where the candy would be dropping from a huge kite flown by a creepy clown. Then I realized they only wanted 2-11 yr olds to participate, darn it! So I had to stay behind the lines and just hope for the candy to catch some turbulence and come my way...

There were "kite fighting" championships where people tried to cut each others kites in the air and whoever is the last one left wins. That part was actually kind of intense because the announcer was stating every little move of the kite fliers (apparently there's strategies). Still, overall the events were a bit corny. Such as the "kite dancers". They played some classical music and I guess the pair of kites were "dancing"? Anyways if you didn't go, I'd recommend you attend this event in 2010 because it's something everyone should see atleast once in their lifetime.

REVIEW: 500 Days of Summer

I was treated to the pre-screening of the new movie "500 Days of Summer". I'm glad my friend invited me because it's such a cool movie! Right when a cartoon bird appeared, I knew this was no ordinary movie at all. The movie was really quirky and kind of an indie chick-flick that guys would love. Zooey Deschanel displays an attractive character that Joseph Gordon-Levitt just can't get enough of. Yes, you've seen Zooey Deschanel before in the movie "Elf". I'm not gonna go into details, but you're gonna love this movie, I guarantee it.

Overall, it was really funny and both the characters have relatable personalities. It was really easy to understand the film because they weren't being "super-actors". They just acted like normal people would act, if your normal people acted like people who would take pictures of humping bunnies and then smile about it later... Wait you've never done that?!

The movie had a funny & mellow tone and felt similar to the french film: "Amélie", which you should see as well. It added a nice touch to my tiring evening and it's definitely entertaining. I'd strongly recommend you check it out because it's one of those movies where you want to buy it immediately if production moved at lightning speed. Coming out in theaters Friday, July 17th.

Promise of Eternal Life

Pan's Labyrinth is definitely my favorite movie of all time and one of the best parts is "the rose story". You have to watch Pan's Labyrinth at least once because Guillermo del Toro is a great director and producer. It's a magical story that teaches morals as well as the magic of imagination. Plus the story below would seem 20x better if you saw the visuals that went along with it!! ENJOY.

"Many many years ago, in a sad faraway land there was an enormous mountain made of rough, black stone. At sunset, on top of the mountain, a magic rose blossomed every night that made whoever plucked it immortal. But no one dared go near it because its thorns were full of poison. Men talked amongst themselves about their fear of death, and pain, but never about the promise of eternal life. And ever day, the rose wilted unable to bequeath its gift to anyone... forgotten and lost at the top of that cold, dark mountain, forever alone, until the end of time."

One Soul, Lots of Spirit #1

"Hope is the Thing With Feathers" by EMILY DICKINSON

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I always enjoy reading poems and quotes from famous writers and poets because a good writer is like a great politician. They'll know how to connect with their audience; without contaminating their work with fake intentions. I'm no writer and I barely enjoy reading, but I do have favorite authors and poets such as Emily Dickinson. She knows what she's talking about. She's been through so much in her life and seen so many close friends and family pass away before her."It seemed to me I should die too if I could not be permitted to watch over her or even look at her face anymore." It amazes me that such a depressed woman can write such uplifting messages. It goes to show that anyone can find peace within themselves if they look hard enough and learn to cooperate with their soul. Instead of giving up and losing spirit.

We can all learn from Emily Dickinson to never give up on hope because it's not something you can leave behind or stop. Hope is something that carries us in life and teaches us great lessons such as failure and not always getting what we want. But it's absolutely necessary to HOPE because it tames our soul to make us all stronger; to aim for something that requires such reach, inevitably makes us all stronger individuals with unbreakable spirits. Hope gives us more than anyone may realize, it is a natural stimulant. If someone stops hoping then the consequences are more drastic than simply failing at something. You are dying if you are not hoping; wasting away your life and making yourself sick thinking about all the things that should have happened.

I always remind myself when my vision doesn't come true, that I'm living my life for myself and if I'm not satisfied then I'm absolutely going to try again and hope for the best. And if that doesn't work then just remember that as long as you tried your best, then that should be enough to make you satisfied. It's finding satisfaction that makes life worth living. And hope is the part that helps you figure out what truly satisfies you in life. TRY IT TODAY FOR FREE!

Funk & Punk #2

- Duffy's album "Rockferry" has amazing songs such as "I'm Scared" and "Mercy", but I chose to blog about "Rain On Your Parade" because it's a bit weird. I enjoy quirky song lyrics such as those by Ingrid Michaelson, where the diction of the artist grabs the listener's attention immediately. "Rain On Your Parade" has quite a negative view point, but I like how she sings the song with pride and it has a nice rhythm.

Duffy was up against Adele for "best new artist of the year" at the 2009 Grammys and Adele ended up winning. Not many people know, but both artists are of Welsh heritage and Adele stated in "Nevermind the Buzzcocks" that Duffy is northern welsh, while she is southern....not a serious competition right? They're both from Wales, it's a win win situation since they're both great singers anyways.

- Shiny Toy Guns are one of my favorite bands since 8th grade and I can't believe Carah Faye isn't part of it anymore! You'll remember her voice from hit songs "You Are The One" and "Le Disko". I'm not sure why she left the band, but Carah definitely beats the new girl, Sisely Treasure (a PCD reject). Even so, I still support the Shiny Toy Guns because their unique and still cranks out great songs such as "I Owe You A Love Song". Check out their new album "Season of Poison" at http://shinytoyguns.com/

Summer 2009

[ ] Paint 3 canvases

[ ] Sketch future paintings

[ ] Yogurtland!

[ ] Eat at Osha SF

[ ] BEACH

[ ] Pack / UCSD

[ ] Exercise…”a lot”

[ ] SFMOMA - Georgia O’Keefe

[ ] SF Asian Art Museum – Lords of the Samurai

[ ] Get a driver’s license

[ ] Harry Potter: Half Blood Prince

[ ] Transformers 2

[ ] Stock up on green tea

[ ] Visit the Doctor

[ ] Re-pot Joshua tree

[ ] Finish painting Munny

[ ] MOCHA

[ ] Internship/ Job

[ ] Transfer desktop to laptop

[ ] Buy dorm supplies

[ ] Road Trip

[ ] Make shorts

[ ] Score a PETA t-shirt

[ ] ♀♪♂♫☼►◄↕1‼

[ ] Feed geese/ pigeons

[ ] Visit the animal shelter

[ ] Volunteer for AIDS Walk

[ ] Emerson: Nature Essay

[ ] BBQ

It Rained on End

I'm a pretty bad sleeper so I usually don't have dreams or even fall asleep for too long. But yesterday was a different story. Not that I'm complaining because it's good to have sleepy time dreams and fall so hard asleep that your mom's opera voice doesn't even wake you. I haven't had a dream in awhile until yesterday. It wasn't exactly a nightmare, but it was a freaky one. I don't think adults have nightmares do they? Or is it just me? I haven't had one since I was little. I only have freaky dreams these days, nothing that would make me scream...I have no clue which dreams scare me anymore.

My dream: It felt like I was in a room surrounded by four walls, but it was really outside in the open. The Earth seemed cube shaped instead of spherical (kinda like a fish tank). The skies darkened and it began to rain. My eyes were targeted at the sky the whole time and I didn't look at the ground, but I sensed there were others around me. So I kept staring at the sky and I noticed I wasn't getting wet at all, even though I was outdoors! The people around me began screaming and I realized the rain was falling up! It looked like one of those overdone music video effects where glass breaks and water spills, then they rewind the film to make it look cool? This was "reality" and it was really happening. The rain wasn't getting anywhere, it just compiled in our atmosphere, like a pool being filled upside down. I could hear people screaming and crying with fear and I knew it wasn't good because the rain was getting closer, inward. I thought to myself that if it kept raining our Earth would be under water and everyone would be doomed. I just stood there and kept staring like it was too amazing to stop. Water soon touched the tree tops and my eyes were getting tired. I stopped staring to rest my eyes and closed them. When I reopened them, the awaiting water of doom had begun to fall and break... It began pouring down like "normal rain" and the screams and cries became silence. You'd expect the compiled rain to hit the ground hard, but it made relaxing sounds that brought relief.

Rain: (http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/)

To dream that you get wet from the rain, indicates cleansing from your troubles and problems. Rain also symbolizes fertility and renewal.

To see and hear rain falling, symbolizes forgiveness and grace. Falling rain may be a metaphor for tears, crying and sadness.

To dream that you are watching the rain from a window, indicates that spiritual ideas and insights are being brought to you awareness. It may also symbolize fortune and love.

To hear the tapping of the rain on the roof, denotes spiritual ideas and blessings coming to mind. It may also suggests that you will receive much joy from your home life

SF Westfield + Winona

SF Westfield + Winona. Like grass hoppers we decided to walk around SF all day long….why we didn’t stop for lunch was beyond crazy. All I had for breakfast and lunch was a Naked: Green Machine Smoothie! I suggested we go to Haight halfway through day, but Winona wasn’t up for it and told me they had Kidrobot stuff at UO. Indeed that was the only store I was looking forward to anyways.

We wondered into Bloomingdales after the Vans store and were greeted by numerous amounts of scents. We realized we had hit the fragrance section and I remembered a cologne I wanted to try: Narciso Rodriguez For Him. So the dude: Chad Carreon greeted us and sprayed it on a paper square for me….ended up smelling like crap.

I think Chad had a thing for Winona, but of course she denies it (he gave us his card and Winona got some perfume samples, c’mon!!). He recommended us a few perfumes and colognes and my new favorite is Kenzo Power. The bottle is a little plain, but it’s designed by Kenya Hara and the scent is awesome. Kenya Hara is a Japanese graphic designer and curator who designed the opening/closing ceremony of the NaganWinter Olympic Games 1998. http://www.kenzopower.com/EN/KENZO-POWER.html

My loot of the day includes a Standard Cloth brand western shirt and a new necklace (I don’t quite get the theme yet, but it’s cool) from Urban Outfitters. They were having a “Yard Sale” and it really looked like one, junk piled on top of junk. Winona found a pair of Nike red suede blazers for half off. I wanted the Nike tweed blazers, but they didn’t have my size. It was a good day after all besides the tornado of hunger!

Funk & Punk #1

Nico Vega - "Iron Man"/Sarah Connor - "Under my Skin". Nico Vega's self titled new album features some great Indie/Rock hits such as "Iron Man" and "Be Giving". The lead vocalist Aja Volkman has one of the best voices I've heard yet. People compare her to Janis Joplin (who I admire as well), but I think she sounds like Ida Maria as well. Her voice is unique and it really sounds great raw when she sings 'Iron Man".

Sarah Connor is a German singer and songwriter. With a name like that, I think she would look more like Ingrid Michaelson, but apparently she's quite the stuff. She kinda looks old in certain angles, but great video right? I've recently discovered her, but she debuted her first album "Green Eyed Soul" in 2001. Some of her other hits include: "bounce" and "let's get back to bed".

Skyline Graduation - June 5th, 2009

"The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family." ~Lee Iacocca

June 5th 2009. It was awesome being late and wondering if I really needed that little index card (cause that was definitely not in my hands). I was excited to see how our Skyline graduation would go down because I knew all of us happy people were going to be even happier when we exit those double doors. I have to say it was a pretty sweet day, a sea of red & white, nice pleather diploma case, what more could a graduation have? One of the best parts was knowing how much culture was in the Paramount Theater that night. It's already awesome how we all got along with each other, but it was da bomb how our friends and families shared our happy moment together in peace.

It never seemed like high school would end, but faster than ever 4 years of my life had past. So many great experiences for everyone to remember, but I'll always remember my freshmen year, 2006? Reflection is such an important part in life because we look back in order to build our futures. I still remember my sister telling me how freshmen get thrashcanned and I was truly anticipating it, but I'm glad reality isn't a tv show. There's people that I met in freshmen year that I didn't talk to until now and it turns out we have many things in common. It goes to show that second chances are a part of life.

It's amazing how people can change so quickly. I know that I'm not the same guy who sat next to Ms.Tyla Brown in Ms.Napier's BIO class. Then there's those people who became smarter and even more unique as the years went by. I'll never forget the amazing individuals that I've met and it's best we end connections with people who were negative. My wish for my fellow 2009 SHS graduates would be to remember the fun times in life as well as our struggles because without struggles you would not know the difference between depression and true happiness! Don't forget it : )