Brown Cows

Im back from chicago. My best memory is this:

Freddie invited me to his show, "Improvidate". I took my co-worker (a dude) with me. The show's format goes like this: sketch comedy (about the dating scene) followed by an intermission in which all the single people in the audience walk around grab a drink at the bar and mingle. We are given questionares with things like "whats the best pick-up line you've heard" or "what's the most unusual place for a date" The second half is all improv based on the answers to the questions.

Sounds like a good idea for, ya know, normal, healthy people. But I'm straight awkward, yo. So before the show I start drinking in my hotel room. I catch a cab with my co-worker, who I barely know, and continue to drink from my bottle of coke zero and jack.

We get there have a drink, and enjoy the first half. Its real funny. And its weird to see your friends perform in front of an audience. It's like I'm star struck or something. As in, oh my gosh there's Freddie. I want to be with him. I think he looked at me. sweet.

Ok. Intermission. go time. The room is full of 30 something chubby white chicks. And they've been drinking. awesome. I manage to meet a few people but for some reason I'm annoyed. Maybe its the lack of carbs and the 4 drinks I've had or maybe because I feel real awks-nard right about now. Maybe its being in a room full of white folk. I got mad love for all peoples but, ya know, sometimes those issues and insecurities come up.

This girl asks, "Are you related to Freddie?" I'm like, "Why because I'm brown!?" She's all, "No no no no...its just you have the same smile." Then I'm all, "Mmm hmmm." Then she's all, "I work with Freddie at the apple store." Then her roommate and her roommate's mom come and join us. And I was like I'm outta here, I go gotta talk to some more lay-tays. peace.

I get back to my seat and I'm all worked up (loud and vulgar). I'm telling my co-worker: "Man, some girl just axed me 'Are you related to Freddie?' I'm like, 'Why because I'm brown, bitch!?' then she's all 'No no no no...its just you have the same smile.' So i was like just give me your phone number, you dumb broad. bwhahaha....fart" We have a good ol' laugh. As the second half starts I turn around and I realize she's sitting behind us.

After the show they leave right away and I scramble to find Freddie and tell him that I basically accused his co-worker of being racist. I told him the story and he's like, "Oh man, thats tight. Thats why we're friends."
Cheers, Freddie.

Been Awhile huh

It's been awhile. I took almost 2 months off from working. It was great. Visited my sister in SF, spent lots of time at home, worked on the figueroa, which is nearly done.

I also started teaching at a local design college. Its exhausting. I hope I'm shaping up to be a good teacher. Its hard to tell.

So I'm back in Chicago. Its cold. And there's lots of putis. Good thing Freddie's here. My dad got sick right before I left. It didnt sound good. Turns out he has this viral infection similar to chicken pox. It's real painful and strangely effects only one side of the body. It could be real dangerous. I spoke to him the other day on the phone. Its a strange thing. As a minister for our church, he's real charismatic and amiable. He's a loud guy. It's strange to hear him reduced to a whisper; hearing a tremble, when I used to hear him rumble. For a few moments the world is inverted, nahmean? Knowing your parents aren't invincible is a sobering thing. I've been having dreams about my dad.

My mom left a message saying that my dad's feeling better. Apparently the virus is past its acute stage. So he just has to wait it out and manage the pain. He sounded a bit better, when we spoke last. So we'll just wait and hope it'll soon pass.

I went out to this fancy restaurant to have dinner with the client. It was aiiighht. Waiters were kinda snooty but we ordered hella food. The client, this ad agency director, is a big dude. Looked kinda like tank abbot from ufc, but with more tattoos. He was real fun tho. Kept talking about comic books.

I found this bouldering pit in the city. Its pretty small, and hidden away in the basement of this gymnastics academy. The people I met there were real nice and easy to talk to. The pit was kinda ghetto but in a charming way. I hung with Freddie at my hotel's pool. He tried to teach me how to swim. Was not pretty. Later we met up with nina and her friends for korean food. That was pretty fun.

Line Check and fine-ass pixels

On cyber-stalking girls on myspace

Me: I dunno what she looks like. The jpeg is too small.
Nato: Dude, you can can tell if a girl is attractive no matter how small the image is.
Me: Really?
John: Yea like, man, those pixels are fiiiine.

Then we digitally zoomed in on some more jpegs. *sigh*

true.

Corn, Cheese, and the Force (of love)

I was home a few weekends ago to help pack up stuff into the new house. My mom and I were in my old room, which, after I left home, became my grandmother's room until she passed away. My Mom showed me a piece of paper she had found folded into my grandma's journal. It was an essay I wrote nearly 7 years ago. It was my personal statement used to apply to the design program at UCLA. It took me 3 tries to get into that program...and this essay was from my last attempt.

I read it and felt immediately embarrassed. It seemed so corny and optimistic. Did I really feel like that when I was 20? God, its so cheesy. How did Granny even find this...I don't even have a copy of this anymore. I quickly put it away.

My Mom was beaming. I left the room to go poo. A poo of shame.

Last night I shared this story with John and Connie. I told them about the corn, cheese, and general embarrassment I felt. Connie said, ya know, your grandma probably thought that was really special, and in her old age, to read something so idealistic and passionate really meant something to her. When you wrote that you were just being honest, right? She prolly treasured it. Or she would use it for a good laugh before going to bed.

Man, word life.

John then told us about how he was cleaning out his brother's room and found his old storm trooper action figure. He ran to his room and showed it us. That's tight too, yo!

Corn

A couple weekends ago John and I had our first shoot for our new project. Many thanks to Miles, Noelle, and Miles' grandma for all their help.

LAW-dee daw-dee

This woman you see here is my sister. She just passed the California bar. She a proper lawyer, yo! We are all proud. Congratulations to her. You did, dude! You rock harder than my abs! Now thats hard.

Now here's a quote from Tom Cruise in "A Few Good Men":
"You and Dawson, you both live in the same dreamworld. It doesn't matter what I believe. It only matters what I can prove. So don't tell me what I know, or don't know. I know the LAW. "

Thats tiight. Too bad he's a crazy gay. Again, congrats, happy.

Shooting in a lynwood garage

A conversation with a freelance producer and Art Director

So today I wore a sweater over a white undershirt. It gets hot in the office space they have me in so I start to peel off my sweater. Just then the new slightly annoying producer walks in, sweater only half off.

Blonde freelance producer: Whoa.

Me: Huh?

BFP: Um, ch---, why are you so dark?

Me: I'm filipino that how we are.

BFP: No, but you're really dark.

My art directer walks in.

AD: Chiaow! What are you showing off, ch---?

Me: It gets hot in here! And this sweater is chaffing.

AD: You're really dark.

Me: You wont believe this, but my pants are chaffing too.

true...cept for that last part