isn't this a beautiful hall? it's the rose theater @ jazz@lincoln center.

a few things tonight:

1. i saw this on the subway. someone's actually transporting a bookcase on the R train

2. just cuz one can at 10:05 PM, one should not eat a big piece of rice krispie treats. it's quite gross (like how i feel right now)

i just wrote a big one and deleted because suddenly i realized that blogging really is a waste of HUGE time. unless i'm steadily providing some insightful information, except for my own record-keeping, it's not worth any time for anything, really.

should i stop?

i love them. if i were a smurf, i'd be a...moody smurfette (or a Crazy Smurfette)

Happy birthday, Smurfs!
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The Smurfs -- led by Papa Smurf and Smurfette -- kicked off a year of 50th birthday celebrations Monday with Smurfberry cake and sasparilla juice.
The late cartoonist Pierre Culliford -- best known by his pen name, "Peyo" -- first introduced the tiny blue figures in a comic strip in October 1958. He called them Schtroumpf; they became known worldwide as the Smurfs.
The Smurfs, forest dwellers who live in little white-capped mushroom homes, developed their own "Smurf" language in which nouns and verbs were interchanged.
Their debut on U.S. television in 1981 launched their global rise to stardom and made the Smurfs a household name. A Smurf is a Pitufo in Spanish, a Schlumpf in German, Nam Ching Ling to the Chinese, a Sumafa in Japan and Dardassim in Hebrew.
"I think that if he could see all that has been done with his characters since his death and the success and interest that the Smurfs still attract, he would be very, very, very, very happy and very proud," said Peyo's son, Thierry Culliford.
To mark 50 years of Smurfdom, organizers are planning everything from a 3-D animation feature film expected to be released next year to new comic book collections and a remastered release of the popular 1980s television animated series, Peyo's family said.
Peyo's widow and two children will help kick off a European birthday tour in Brussels. The Smurfs celebration will continue in Paris and Berlin.
The Smurfs also will team up with the UNICEF to promote children's rights and education worldwide, said Yves Willemont of UNICEF Belgium.
"The Smurfs and UNICEF have a lot of values in common -- values about joy, happiness and respect," Willemont said. "We also have in common the fact that we are dedicated to the cause of children and to the promotion of every child and the right of every child to survive."
UNICEF and the Smurfs joined forces two years ago to raise the plight of ex-child soldiers in Africa.
Born in Brussels, Peyo worked as a movie projectionist before entering the world of comic strip drawing.
The Smurfs appeared as a supporting cast of characters in Peyo's 1958 "Johan and Pirlouit" cartoon, which was set in the Middle Ages.
The Smurfs quickly grew in popularity and by 1960, the Smurfs had their own comic strip series and. With the help of the Hanna-Barbera Productions, the Smurfs became an animated cartoon in 1981.
Thierry Culliford said the Smurfs promote love and friendship. He said many who grew up watching the Smurfs on TV during the 1980s and 1990s now are parents and want to introduce the Smurfs to their children.
Demand for Smurf stories continues, said Hendrik Coysman, managing director of IMPS, which controls the rights of the Smurf brand worldwide.
"Thousands of fans are asking for more stories and these will be based of course on the fantastic asset that Peyo has left us," Coysman said.
Peyo, who died 15 years ago, "would be very happy if he were here today" to see Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Handy, Jokey and the troop of 96 others celebrate 50 years of Smurfmania, daughter Veronique Culliford said.

i was at a conference last night and afterwards was a dinner at tavern on the green. it was okay. but i was in a hot seat for about 5 minutes, at a table of 10 people.

a good colleague, who is about 60, (well, basically i was the youngest person there, unfortunately) asked me:

"so seapea, who is your favorite presidential candidate" and everyone at the table turned to me and stared. mind you, there were a bunch of people from SF, CA, Chicago and of course NY.

so i answered: "unfortunately - actually fortunately - i can't vote, because i'm a canadian!" and everyone laughed. and this man said "if you could, who would you vote for? you seem like an obama kind of a person."

at this juncture, i'm very annoyed because i feel that this is a pretty personal question. and what does an "obama kind of a person" mean???

i replied: "sure...but i do have some very conservative values and views so i really can't say" and i had hoped this would closed the discussion.

and then he said "what about your american friends?"

i said: "well, i don't know about them, but all i do know is that a lot of them have joined a group called 10,000 strong against Hillary on facebook!"

and then this woman from SF, a bigwig (who is also gay, and incredibly high & mighty) said "what is the world coming to? what's wrong with the young people? don't they know that Hillary's the way??"

and with that exclamation, everybody went back to their fillet mignon/sea bass.

people, really - stop categorizing people. just because i'm in the arts does not mean i'm super liberal. just because i'm asian, does not mean i'm a republican. i will say this about all the candidates: i don't like any of them. and if i like something about someone, then i don't like the rest of what he or she has to say.

moral of the story: DON"T go there at dinner tables!

went to a dance film festival last night in tribeca. it was pretty interesting! a friend of mine was showing her film as a selection and it was a study of the relationship of dance and music. it was really good to see her and other fellow J alumns (but dancers). i brought friend H to the fest and she enjoyed it - EXCEPT! we really hated the avant-garde crap they showed at the end. the fun item, aside from my friend's work, was the viewing of feist's music videos. click here to see both which we saw last night, introduced by the choreographer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Z-DIAthbM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWrNCCx2p5U

Job 1:21

..."Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman
- - -
Blessed Be Your Name In the land that is plentiful Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name
Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name When the sun's shining down on me When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
You give and take away You give and take away
My heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be Your name

Open Water by Thrice

- - -

Ten thousand men sleep down with Davy Jones, with stolen treasure they die

The open water chills me to my bones, but it's the only place that I feel alive

The ocean fog begins to disappear, I sense that terrible depth

The open water is my only fear, but I'll sail as long as I still have breath

I'm starting to believe the ocean's much like you- cause it gives and it takes away

Between the devil and the deep blue sea- I stare into the abyss

The open water is an awful thing, but I'm anxious 'till the anchor rests

I'm starting to believe the ocean's much like you- cause it gives and it takes away.

this is my theme for the year. this isn't new, but i'm really going to work on this:

...fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

today's the 5th day in boston - it's time to come home. this morning (and it's still morning), my brother started the rampage on how inferior everyone is, including my sister-in-law's friends. this is going to be one great household for my nephew to grow up in. i mean, i understand all families have problems and stuff, but how to deal with a dad (or in that matter, a husband) who'll constantly think all your friends are inferior?

this was a part of my parents' problems raising us: we couldn't even go to other kids' houses, because they weren't good enough for us. this is terrible of parents.

i can't wait to go to my tiny little apartment.

i'm laughing: my nephew's been running around for 30 min straight, screaming in happiness - totally randomly.

i'm scared.

i don't understand how most women don't wear rubber gloves when cleaning/washing dishes. i've been wearing a very "poor" one here in boston and my hands actually HURT - the skin feels like it's gonna tear and i'm very worried & sad. i've been applying a ton of hand cream but i don't know, it just gets sucked in and still hurts.

am i a princess?

poor hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

life is tough with a baby. my nephew is adorable but high-maintenance. he's the energizer bunny 24/7 and he started the tantrums and he's only 20 months old. actually, he started the tantrums awhile back, when he was about 12 months old, so we saw it coming but now he's much faster and harder when tantruming. yikes.

he's the sweetest baby too, always coming to kiss you or hug you and when he sees a baby or kids or toddlers, he RUNS to them and touches them and hugs them and most often, the parents go "what the @$)(*t#$)(*t!!!!!" but some babies & parents like it. weird huh?

life in the 'burbs continues here on day 3, with going to malls, watching tv, dancing to baby music, playing house with nephew, working periodically, dancing more to baby music and clapping, doing dishes, laundry, more dishes, more laundry, never ending baby bathes, etc...

i dunno if this is the life for me!

i read the new york times every morning as i commute to work. i can never finish as my commute is pretty short. so i continue reading it at work and then chuck them.

i'm thinking of not reading the paper for the next 2 weeks.

i'm sick of seeing ads after ads about this diamond ring, that diamond bracelet, this leather handbag, that boots, etc. it's all about sales, all about what you "need," and what you have to get. like any consumer (=suckers), sure, i'd love those too. i want them, because i keep seeing it in the paper: page 3, always top right hand corner, tiffany's. page 2, bottom middle, cartier watches and the list goes on. i can't stand it. i just may have to boycott news for the next 10 days.

but then, i guess i can't listen to 106.7 Lite FM for christmas music either because it plays josh UGH groban and andrea PUKE bocelli.

can't please 'em all i guess.

i like to put in staples into staplers.

i feel very blessed tonight - but also very vulnerable. having a good friend makes you feel that.

my friend L is visiting from her native mexico city. we talked for 3 hrs tonight: first 1.5 hrs about her life; then she pressed me for mine. i gave my usual tidbit: life is dandy, i'm blessed, love my church, life goes on.

she kept pressing.

what ended up happening was 1.5 hrs well spent, not just talking about myself but really being honest with myself. i realized a lot tonight: i am very good at truly hiding myself, what bothers me, what makes me joyous, what makes me....i don't know, just everything. it's been awhile since i've had to totally face myself in front of another HUMAN being. many years of practicing "life is fine," has turned into "everything will be fine, if i keep avoiding my own issues."

it's my pride that keeps myself "in check." it's my unrealistic perfectionism that keeps me "in line." but it seems like a house of cards right now.

i feel incredibly foolish right now, yet i feel more focused.

a poem by vera pavlova

If there is something to desire,
there will be something to regret.
If there is something to regret,
there will be something to recall.
If there is something to recall,
there was nothing to regret.
If there was nothing to regret,
there was nothing to desire.

i cry a lot while watching movies, even tv shows. friends know of this. family thinks it's a personal weakness. today i cried in the middle of the afternoon, because i saw a great movie: August Rush.

expectations were low, very low. i honestly didn't think it was worth $11.25.

okay, to be completely and brutally honest, i don't know if it's worth $11.25. it can be a small screen stuff.

i think it touched me - many times - because of the story. without spoiling the movie, i can just say that it has to do with music, quitting music, teaching music, playing again, on top of everything else that goes on. and i just plain liked the story. good music too. very touching. i highly recommend it.

feeling very up from the movie :)

went to the thrice concert last night, except it wasn't to be. tres disappointing. then sat through the brand new set, which wasn't as good as their studio recordings. overall disappointing on a bitterly cold night. might have to go some other cities to catch them! hmph. i got brand new on the video for a few secs but i don't feel like posting it, only cuz they weren't so great to begin with. do all bands use orange lights for "light show" or were they trying to immitate massive attack? if they were trying to do the latter, well...find some other idea, cuz it doesn't really work.

beautiful saturday morning sky in my neighborhood.

my annual advent christmas candle has been lit as of this morning, along with christmas carols. YAYYAYAYAY