29.9.02

[san francisco, california]
quick summary
because i am always so introspective when i am travelling, i wanted to jot down a quick summary of 'events' of my week in san francisco. mu shu blah blah will come later.

monday - rafael picked me up from the airport, and i met fides downtown for lunch. went and watched a matinee, quite a good movie, Le Fate Ignoranti (his secret life). fides, rafael, and angelo also took me out for dinner that night to a great italian restaurant in north beach (i forgot the name). i was truly spoiled.

tuesday - slept in. angelo took me out for lunch and then we went shopping. got my fill, and almost everything i was looking for at a good price. tuesday night, i met my friend from university politics (suzanne). we went to the very trendy luna park on valencia.

wednesday - met fides and angelo for lunch, right under under the bay bridge. chatted. walked around the embarcadero, making my way to fisherman's wharf. rudi then took me and jun (the technical director for the bayanihan philippine dance company) for korean bbq. met michael at harvey's in the castro for drinks and a bit of scoping :).

thursday - had lunch in the castro -- wandered around there, before my making my way around the nobb hill and financial district. went to the likha's dress rehearsal at st. patrick's church downtown. fides and i gossiped till the wee morning hours.

friday - george took me out for a great lunch at a great restaurant called 'blvd'. i would have to say it was one of the best days i had all year. great conversation -- he is so fun to be around, a great friend. he inspires me. that night, i watched likha's technical dress rehearsal at the palace of fine arts. i was amazed. chris, rafael's brother drove me home that night.

saturday - was at the theatre call at 9:00 am. hung out at the theatre, took notes for my show. i learned alot. the show was amazing. i almost cried. after the show, we all went out for some food and drink. i truly love san francisco.

sunday - airporter picked me up at 5:05 am. boarded the plane at 7:45. left my heart at the gate.

[surrey]
i left my heart...
woke up in the heart of the mission district in san francisco, and going to bed at home tonight. only two hours away by plane, but truly a lifetime away. i was without internet access for one whole week -- it was good -- so the next few posts will definitely be playing catch up.

22.9.02

[vancouver]
taking.
lately, i've been feeling that i've been pushing too much -- but really, i really want to start taking too. i know that it sounds selfish, and i do the things that i do because i want to, but sometimes, i think it would be nice to be the one that is focussed on. especially when the person i'm pushing doesn't want to be pushed.

20.9.02

[vancouver]
goin back to cali
only three more sleeps, and i'll be in one of my favourite places, the city by the bay. so excited!

[vancouver]
stag-o-rama
last night, i got together with my old friends from PIC (private investment counsel). the ocassion -- it was d'arcy's stag -- he and my friend tara are getting married next saturday. unfortunately, i won't be able to go, because i will be in san francisco. anyways, they are such a great bunch of guys -- one of the reasons why i stayed at my job so long, even though i had lost interest in the work for a long time. we had a nice dinner at the keg, plus a visit to the 'community ballet'. a few too many drinks and great conversation -- i had a blast.

19.9.02

[vancouver]
do they get any calls
on our way to work, we were behind a truck with one of those stickers -- "Like My Driving? If Not, Call 1-800-888-8888". like gary, i wonder if they get any calls.

18.9.02

[vancouver]
i'm getting excited.
the weather looks great...countdown begins.

[vancouver]
hand dealt
yesterday, instead of my usual work out during lunch at my gym downtown, i went after work at the gym i used to work out at all the time, which happens to be in on the corner of davie and howe (read: gay area of town). anyways, there was always a lot of attractive gay men working out there, yet it seemed like a clique (read: current stereotype of the male standard of beauty ). it was weird, because i always felt like there was something wrong with me because as hard as i would try, i could never break in. but my colleague trevor said something to me last week that makes total sense -- "why even bother playing when you aren't dealt any cards?" this is so true. i had a good work out -- it is neat how time and age adds both perspective and assurance.

16.9.02

[vancouver, waiting]
is that considered 'being cheap?'
three minutes until i can't take a three zone ride all the way home on the skytrain for two dollars instead of going right now for four dollars.

[vancouver]
i'm not the only one
i first got hooked on this idea of blogging by reading gary's blog -- and i don't even know him that well, but he always has something interesting to say. so kevin, to answer your question, i'm probably not the only one.

[westwood plateau, coquitlam]
at what point do you cry?
my friends, lisa and stephen got married this saturday. i remember when my friends started getting married, almost instantly when the bride walked down the aisle to the point when the vows were exchanged that i started to cry. i have been in and have attended so many weddings (not my own of course) -- last year i was in 3 and went to 6 in total; this year i've been invited to 4. it's weird how i react to weddings as i get older. now instead of crying during the ceremony, it is almost always now during the speeches. i've tried to think hard about why that is -- and i think it is because i long for the day when i can share my feelings to my friends and family about who am and who i love in a very public way. it, i believe is truly a privilege that i will not take for granted when i finally 'get there'.

13.9.02

[vancouver]
vintage shopping
it's funny how fashion mistakes of yesterday become today's hot ticket. yesterday, lou and i went vintage shopping -- picked up leather jacket, probably identical to one that my dad has hanging in his closet, designed in early 80s high style. lou picked up a peasant/western inspired black skirt that certainly found its way down the YSL rive gauche fall/winter 2002 collection for sure.

11.9.02

[vancouver via lou?]
what is ultimate frisbee?
quite frankly, it's exactly like open source technology -- basically an open source sport (i.e. see rules).

[vancouver]
spectactular.
instead of going to the gym at lunch, i was dining on the patio of the royal vancouver yacht club (kevin is a member), on probably one of the last nice days before we get into the throws of fall/winter. vancouver is truly a gorgeous city. i had a fantastic lunch with a spectacular view.

9.9.02

[vancouver]
long-suffering nation/the magic of song
an interesting opinion piece from the philippine star. in the past, i've tried to describe the dichotomy of being a filipino. teodoro c. benigno writes "Why can other countries, other nationals escape poverty and we can’t? Why can they be creators and builders, and we just can’t? Why are we Filipinos now like the ancient Jews, a diaspora scattered all over the world?". there is definitely a ring of truth there.

8.9.02

[vancouver]
melancholy
when i look at the things happening in my life, there is a lot going on, and there is a lot that i'm happy about and should be proud of. however, i have been very inwardly focussed lately, very reflective to the point of almost melancholy. i think a lot of it has to do with me 'taking stock' as i approach my thirtieth birthday. i've realized when i'm too inwardly focussed like this, i tend not to see what is right in front of me. in doing so, i end up missing experiences. i've got to be conscious of this.

6.9.02

[vancouver]
time
do you ever feel like your time is not your own -- busy with with work, with my upcoming show, rehearsals, behind the scenes stuff, along with trying to have time for myself -- there is not enough time in the day. i almost fell asleep in my meeting today after lunch -- haven't done that since university days. anyways, going to san francisco soon, so it will be good to get away from it all, at least for 6 days :).

3.9.02

[surrey]
hooked
justin or kelly? yeah, i've been watching the show (religiously). i know its a bit karaoke, but i still get choked up over a good performance. my vote is for tamyra (but she got kicked off two weeks ago). the injustice!

2.9.02

[vancouver]
me, a fluffer?
i went to go see the movie, "The Fluffer" over the weekend. although it can be debated that the movie was not very good by 'mainstream' standards, it was probably one of the better films when put up against ones with a 'gay' sensibility (i.e. maybe a bit better than "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss" and not as good as "The Wedding Banquet"). regardless, since sometimes as a gay man i feel i am becoming more and more part of a homogenized society, i think it is important for me to find 'voices' that speak to me, even if i could never see myself being a fluffer.

1.9.02

[surrey]
addiction
web design (or can i say) design in general is an addictive activity. i hope everyone likes the new look. what started out as experimenting with a new look for bill ended up in a a redesign for me, after a 'few' hours of getting things 'just right'. who knew?

[surrey]
simple things
i'm turning 30 in a couple of months -- defnitely a milestone in anyone's life. lately, i've been feeling that one of the keys to getting closer to happiness is for me to take a step back to enjoy the simple things in life. i remember when i was young when my mother gave me a quarter, and during the bike ride to the corner store, i already had thought of all the possible combinations of candy that i would buy once i got there. the smell of summer at dusk. the first time on an airplane. the applause of the audience after a good performance. i've got to get back to that state of mind, or else i don't think i will ever be happy.