Saturday, December 30, 2006

American Express Ad -- my version

American Express Ad

Well, one of my friends filled this out and told me to do the same... i'm doing this because he bets I won't do it because I never respond to emails... Ha! I'm posting my results...
Please feel free to comment on my list or your own responses

From the American Express Advertisement in Entertainment Magazine:

Point of view #1-the public mask

1. My name - Derek
2. Childhood ambition - Travel to Mars
3. Fondest memory - Sitting at the beach in Marina by myself
4. Soundtrack - My life soundtrack or from an actual film, hmmmm... So I Married An Axe Murderer; "Home Sweet Home" and "Here I Go Again"
5. Retreat - Fort Funston when there aren't too many people around
6. Wildest dream - the Nobel Prize for Literature... no, wait, that's still possible... winning an Olympic gold medal in the discus
7. Proudest moment - waking up everyday
8. Biggest challenge - waking up everyday; seriously, taking care of myself
9. Alarm clock - is set too soon... except now it's off for winter break
10. Perfect day - knowing my purpose in life

11. First job - scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins
12. Indulgence - time
13. Last purchase - the DVD collection of Six Feet Under for 50% off
14. Favorite movie - Hard Boiled; Eternal Sunshine...; Star Wars; The Saddest Music in the World;
15. Inspiration - "The Touch" Transformers Sdtk; Maggie Gyllenhaal; Barbara Mori; Ennio Morricone
16. My life - has too much static cling and requires a tune up
17. My card - Is rejected

point of view #2- personal mask
From the American Express Advertisement in Entertainment Magazine:
1. My name - Psychoverse
2. Childhood ambition - become a Greek or Norse god
3. Fondest memory - first kiss
4. Soundtrack - "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" Nanci Griffith
5. Retreat - escaping to Marina... if I can't get there quickly... section 138
6. Wildest dream - "to need" and find love
7. Proudest moment - admitting it was over
8. Biggest challenge - overcoming myself
9. Alarm clock - are the devil's instruments
10. Perfect day - wake up next to her at no specified time, sit at my desk and churn out the poem of the day, get together with friends over dinner to share anecdotes, and cuddle back up in her arms
11. First job - in a previous life my mother believes i was a priest and thought i would become one again in this life... apparently, teaching is close enough
12. Indulgence - a tub of strawberry cheesecake ice cream on a foggy night at the beach and everyone dipping in
13. Last purchase - paid for with my soul
14. Favorite movie - Cinema Paradiso, In the Mood for Love, Somewhere in Time; Love Me If You Dare
15. Inspiration - the themes of #14
16. My life - is semi-fulfilled, well more like a quarter-fulfilled
17. My card - Is empty and on the run

point of view #3-the teacher mask

1. My name - "P"
2. Childhood ambition - be an astronaut; but now that has kinda evolved into that moment in Contact when Jodie Foster sees the universe and says that they should have sent a poet because that's the only who could describe what she sees.... this way i can be both writer and scientist
3. Fondest memory - my first day in the classroom when a student was shocked to see me and asked if I was actually Filipino
4. Soundtrack - "The Touch" from the Transformers sdtk; "The Measure of a Man" from the Rocky V sdtk;
5. Retreat - going out of town
6. Wildest dream - teach my own children one day; maybe opening up a Comics & Collectibles store so I can sit and read and escape a few more times a week
7. Proudest moment - when a student says thank you; Eloquent Graffiti
8. Biggest challenge - overcoming student attitudes toward reading/learning/writing/life
9. Alarm clock - Is currently set for 6:00 a.m. ...
10. Perfect day - everyone turns in their homework; we have a great discussion that reminds me why this is not all in vain; and my veins don't hurt from standing all day
11. First job - My first day substituting and the class I had was at Westborough and my sister was in the room next door and asked me why it was so loud and crazy in my room
12. Indulgence - Breathing; " "
13. Last purchase - Little Miss Sunshine DVD; Lost soundtrack
14. Favorite movie - Un Chien Andalou; Shawshank Redemption; Rashomon; Say Anything; So I Married an Axe Murderer;
15. Inspiration - my fellow teachers and students
16. My life - on track
17. My card - needs credit

if you would like to see other masks, it will have to be in person...
if you want to see the true mask...
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Wednesday, December 06, 2006

the past month

so here's the reader's digest version of the past month

plenty of out-of-town buddies swung through town even before the Thanksgiving holidays...

I ate at some of the top restaurants around San Francisco... you must eat the butterscotch pudding at Scott Howard... that dessert made my "what would I want for my last meal!" list...

had a birthday...
the club was great
even broke up a fight
cuz some drunk woman tried to attack one of my guests

my birthday was a day off from work "officially"
had lunch at Bettie's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley
had dinner at Koi Palace (first time there, actually)
had dessert at Lucky Chances... (official sign i'm getting old)

took my students to the Warriors game
where I was almost arrested for scalping tickets
because they saw me handing out 30 tickets
and a little cash in my hand

strange atmosphere at work lately
seems that the students, the teachers, and myself are all extremely emotionally disturbed...
too many details that can only be divulged in one-on-one conversations...

and now for the pics...


celebrating my sister's and my birthday at Rouge


mikey comin' out to party with us


teachers have lives too

a rainbow above El Camino... look how distinct it is from the camera on my phone.. you can even pick up the reverse second arch

i think raph actually likes to draw me more than himself...
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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

taking a moment to reflect

so Saddam is convicted and it's announced just prior to our elections
as soon as the republicans lost... gas prices beginning to soar back up

SNL: Weekend Update:
in an ironic turn of fate, Iraq has caused a regime change in the United States

i've been blessed of late having friends near me... actually going out nearly every weekend to rediscover what makes life so worthwhile

and here's why it should be appreciated

i just found out a former student of mine who graduated in 2002 just passed away...
22 years old from a heart attack...
his funeral is tomorrow
it seems like a student at school or one i've taught has passed away each year for the past few years...

in a moment of respect & prayer
here's a bit about him



Peter Justin Manubay

MANUBAY, Peter Justin, born June 28, 1984 in San Francisco, to Dorothy Jeanne de Castro of Sacramento and Numeriano B. Manubay of Quezon City, Philippines. Peter passed away peacefully in his sleep in Berkeley on November 7, 2006 of a heart attack.

Beloved brother of Michael (Rian) Manubay. Devoted grandson of Meneleo (Nel) and Fe de Castro of San Francisco and Rosario B. Manubay and the late Pedro Manubay of Utah. Loving nephew of Imelda de Castro, Eymard de Castro, Rafael de Castro and Susan Anderson, Jocelyn and Alex Quintana of the Bay Area, Jeremias and Susan Manubay of San Diego, Generoso and Jenny Manubay of Las Vegas, Ponciano and Marieta Manubay, Ignacio and Julie Manubay, Pablo Manubay and Victoria Manubay of Utah, Ruben and Luningning Manubay of Idaho.

Peter is also survived by his adoring cousins, Isabella de Castro, Alexi Quintana, Kim Manubay, Ever Manubay, Arra Manubay, Julius Manubay, Samantha Manubay, Jasmine Manubay, Jeanine Manubay, Genson Manubay, Troy Manubay, and Tara Manubay.

A graduate of El Camino High School in S. San Francisco, he earned a coveted Gates Millenium Scholarship and was a senior at U.C. Berkeley. Peter was devoted to his family, cherished friends and fellow members of the UCB Asian American Association. A creative soul, talented writer and poet, he also played the saxophone and flute. Peter loved gaming, anime, and monkeys.

Loved ones are invited to join the family at a Viewing and Vigil Service on Monday, November 13th from 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm at DUGGAN'S SERRA MORTUARY, 500 Westlake Avenue, Daly City (650-756-4500). Please plan to briefly share a happy, memorable moment about Peter. A Rosary Service will be held at Duggan's at 7:00 pm on Monday. Duggan's is a few blocks from the Daly City Bart station.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 14th at 11:00 am at MATER DOLOROSA, 307 Willow Ave., S. San Francisco, (650-583-4131) followed by a Committal Service at HOLY CROSS CEMETERY, 1500 Mission Road, Colma. Please contact the family for donations in lieu of flowers.
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Thursday, November 09, 2006

Time to celebrate

Time to celebrate

I noticed I didn't have emails for some of you who subscribe to this. If you are 21 and over and didn't receive an evite from me, i have the wrong email for you.

http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/psychoverse@hotmail.com/scorpio
www.rougesf.com

here's the info by the way...

other more important things to celebrate...

Mostly good news for Election Day...
woo hoo... take back congress... California better start having a voice now... you'd think being the most populous state would count for more but it's only 1/50th of a vote

there's one change on our school board... ugh!!!!!! i was dreaming of two... maybe i'll go another 4 years without a real raise... i don't even get my yearly increments...

Anyone notice the cast of Roseanne is everywhere

Roseanne showed up on My Name is Earl--looking like a nun
Laurie Metcalf had a great part on Desperate Housewives... she said and did what you always think and wish you could do...
John Goodman just showed up on Studio 60, but his role looks to increase in part 2 of the storyline...

TV news
man,,, i gotta go 13 weeks without lost... the fall finale wasn't good enough for me
Heroes, however, is starting to escalate; by the end of the month we're supposed to find out the source of the powers... and what the hell is Micah's power...

Bell Game this Saturday... for some reason i ended up telling stories of old bell games to Ms. Berg in her office after school... she couldn't believe I was on the field when the bomb went off while I was on the field...
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Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Random Musings 10-03-06

yesterday's Garfield... Jon mentions it's weird having a girlfriend and Garfield spits his coffee out all over him...

this past weekend was probably the worst San Francisco Sports weekend ever!!!!!! at least the Raiders gave it up to and now we have the Bay Bowl on Sunday... one good thing... Budweiser filmed the crowd for a future commercial and the cameraman decided that 138 was worthy and he sat directly in front of us while we cheered... we had to sign a release and everything which of course my cousin who works in a law office critiqued... also, the Giants loss Friday is partically attributed to Cairo, Anthony Balunsat, and Javy practically jumping me and ruining the 138 focus which happened exactly when the Dodgers homered to tie the game... bastards... you boys are lucky 138 didn't kick your ass cuz you pissed them off

i'm really getting into the new shows Heroes and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip... quality TV... so what do I do when What About Brian returns next Monday... ahhhh.... the dilemmas...

and Friday Night Lights debuts tonight vs. House... just not fair...
but Lost premieres tomorrow...
at this rate I will never finish grading...

thanks to everyone who helped contribute to the Tanforan high school competition...
EC registered over $15000... creaming the competition
evidently, the mall stopped filling our thermometer because it didn't go high enough...
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Thursday, September 14, 2006

"Who are the people in your neighborhood?"

I'm back!
It's only been a month since my last entry. Since then, school has started, the Giants continue to be a roller coaster ride, a friend had a wedding reception, another friend gave birth to a son, another friend went to Austin, TX for the first time, and yesterday, my my fellow teachers and I met to form a co-ed softball team to play in next spring's South City league... hopefully South City is getting their staff together and we'll both challenge Alta Loma staff for their division title that they recently won.

Now this is a story about last Saturday:
Unfortunately, I did not attend my usual Friday night game at the ballpark due to the fact I had a rally and dance that night. Evidently, I missed some great 138 events--1. the dirty handed hot dog guy who puts the buns right on top of all the money and his sweat was yelled out by D--the vendor yelled back saying no one has ever complained before (the whole incident was caught on a digital camera video-which, come to think of it, I should put on YouTube); 2. the hot cocoa guy had his second bad night in 138 this year when he tripped going down the stairs, blew the top of his canister off which caused cocoa to spray all over the ground--the benefit to tumbling hard--everyone feels sorry for you and pay the $5 for what cocoa you do have left.

Mind you though, Saturday at the ballpark was not without incident. I wasn't planning on going to the game because I needed to grade my students' life soundtrack essays, but there was a special promotion going on--so I HAD TO GO. Why? The Giants actually created pins just for the season ticket holder bleacher fans. They actually made an OFFICIAL 138 cap pin.... my buddies and I started a trend and it only took 6 years for the Giants to realize they can profit from it. Here's what it looks like...

This is just about the coolest giveaway ever for us!
The Giants even made a 138 jersey that they gave out in a drawing of all the season ticket holders.










But trying to get my cap clip proved to be an adventure in itself. I start leaving my house for the game and I realize that my tickets are missing. All my tickets... were locked in my cabinet at school. I forgot them there because I brought them to school so that I could give Sam Paras my Sunday tickets. So it's 12:30, a half hour before game time, and I have to get to my classroom to get my tickets. The problem: my customer client representative who had my pin above was only going to be at the bleachers to hand them out until the end of the first inning.

So I jet to school not really thinking much about what's going on. The band happens to have their car wash fundraiser that day in the parking lot. So when I park in my spot it also happens to be in the middle of their fundraiser. I go inside to get my tickets and I see that the band had just started to wash my car. I can't just leave and not pay now. I know I didn't ask for the wash, but now I felt obliged and I had to wait the next 15 minutes for them to finish. I finally leave school at 12:50 for a game starting at 1:05. The first inning will likely end by 1:30. By the time I park on 4th street, the Padres make their final out in the top half of the first. I have three outs before I lose my chance at the pin, so I run for it. From 4th/Bryant to Seal Statue. Now most of you who know, know I can't run because it causes my legs to get filled with inflammation, but I do it anyways. By the time I reach Borders across the street I hear a roar from the park--Bonds just hit homerun 731. Damn it. I missed a Bonds homerun, but it does extend the inning. At this point I can no longer run from pain. Before I can reach the portwalk behind the stadium, the inning ends. I can only hope that my rep decided to hang out a bit longer. For some odd reason, Sandra is walking out of the park and leaving the game. She has to make a friend's 50th birthday party and came just to see Bonds homer.... what are the odds? I dash thru the turnstiles and my rep is still there... I get my cherished pin. Thank goodness....

But the day is just beginning my friends...
In the area of too much information, my doctor gave me new medication and it makes me piss a lot. I hate to ever leave my seats during a game, but I had to go to the bathroom in the 5th inning. As I leave my seat and walk beneath the bleachers, I see a couple sleeping on the picnic tables downstairs. The guy on the main table is tossing and turning. The woman on the bench side looked way too comfortable. Hmmm... that hasn't happened before. Then... in the bathroom... I take a few steps and just STOP! A man is standing between two urinals with his jeans down to his ankles. At a quick glance it looks like he's "enjoying" himself, but I soon realize the man is mentally challenged by his gestures and the conversation he is having with himself. Everyone who walks in just kind of pauses at the entrance, looks at everyone else, then continues about their business.

I get back to my seat to let Gina and Ray know what I saw downstairs and they look at me in disbelief. They laugh a little and then we focus back to the game. A few minutes later they are rolling with laughter. I don't know what the hell is going on. Gina finally whispers to me look at the kid sitting in front of them to their right... which is away from me. I stare...and the teenager is eating his peanuts whole... SHELL AND ALL and he's chomping on them like there's no tomorrow. Ray is making jokes about the roughage in his diet and how he is literally going to shit out a 2x4... thw whole section starts rolling with laughter and the kid is oblivious...

just another day of getting to know the people in my neighborhood...
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Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Section 138 in the news again!

Section 138 makes the news

So, no one wanted to buy my Giants tickets... or flaked on buying the tickets...
but what happens... I miss one of the most memorable Friday night games ever... just look at my previous entry... I almost never miss these games...

albeit, i missed the game for an important reason... everyone... give their shout outs to the birthday girl Mary Anne, my bro's fiancee... also, the other half of the quarter ton battery combo of which I am one half as the pitcher... my partner/cousin, Macho Marlon is the catcher and it was his birthday also and he was at the game...

if you didn't see the news... my home in the bleachers went bezerk when Bonds was ejected on a horrible call strike by the umpire...

and my second home family members felt justified in demonstrating their displeasure by filling the outfield with litter from the bleachers... now, i don't advocate tossing things that can injure people, but if i were there, I wouldn't have stopped anyone from doing it because I would be just as pissed...

there was an 11 minute delay,,, the Rockies were called off the field for their safety...

now, I didn't know any of this was going on because i was in the East Bay and all I really heard was the radio host say that if you were at the game... you would never forget tonight, for it was one of the most memorable moments at AT&T Park...

it felt like that scene from Fever Pitch when Jimmy Fallon gets the call from his friend that he missed the greatest Red Sox comeback in recent memory...

I seem to always miss some of the best 138 moments...
the infamous moment when my brother carried away by paramedics.... (because I was chaperoning the farewell dance)

Moises Alou's 300th career homerun that landed in the seat in front of me... (but I was interviewing students to be in leadership during spring break this year...)

and this....
fortunately, I made the more significant moments like the Bonds homers, and world series, and the other more personal moments of 138 amongst the family...


here's a recent article in the Chronicle... that discusses the attitude that apparently until now was unbeknownst to its writer Ray Ratto, but that I breathe everyday i'm out there in the bleachers...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/06/SPGUIKC3U31.DTL&hw=ratto&sn=001&sc=1000


seriously, why aren't more of you joining me out there for one of the best interactive moments in san francisco... if you're visiting our city... your visit is incomplete without paying a visit to the bleachers where you can recapture that candlestick spirit...
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Finally! sacrifice for the greater good

Finally: the softball episode

Softball & varicose veins edition

A few people have been wondering what the hell are these varicose veins of which I speak. Let’s begin with some memories… I was 8 years old when I noticed an area of my right leg began to feel soft where my calf muscle should be. As the next four years ensued, the soft tissue area grew to look like I was turning into a plant/animal hybrid as a bunch of grapes began to poke through my calf. My brother likened it more to a snake slithering up or down my right leg. I began 8th grade (one of the worst years of my life) having to wear a white stocking on my leg. It did wonders for my social life. By the time I transferred to El Camino my sophomore year, I had to get custom made flesh toned stockings. I learned the important skills of having to stop runs in a stocking and shaving my legs (by that was also for tape jobs when I played football), although the hair on the left leg grows, whereas the right one doesn’t. I had surgery the summer before my senior but I still had to wear special pads to protect my leg, so try to imagine the ribbing a football player gets in a locker room when he had to slip on his stocking.


For those of you more scientifically-minded… the diagram to the left here explains why my leg looks so gross/sexy. The stocking compresses the veins so that the blood doesn’t pool back so much.



So why am I discussing this again….

Sometime in mid-July, our softball team, the Lil’ Giants, played in a semi-final playoff game. During 4 of the past 5 seasons we have finished 2nd--which sucks, especially because the last time my brother was horribly scarred and a teammate's father passed away during the game (the friend was with his family and not playing, some things are more important than softball... 138! 138!). We began the game determined not to lose again. Yet, the curse of the Padilla brothers befell me this time.

The plan going into the game was for me to be the starting pitcher for the first 4 innings and rotate Lance in to be the closer, since our styles contrast greatly it tends to confuse the hitters. Pitching is something that most teams appear to not concentrate on. Lance is talented with his variety of pitchers. I am getting better... enough to have started most of this season (Lance, of course, was playing with a bad shoulder suffered from the championship games months earlier).

I walk the leadoff man... which sucks. The second batter popped out. I had the third batter or he had me at a 3-1. He took the next pitch on the inside corner and was shocked and he glared back and I smiled wickedly. Next pitch, he lines hard right into my varicose veins. The ball deflects to 3rd base, which I try to run after, but my leg swells twice the size immediately and I collapse to the ground. I lay there for a couple of minutes and I am helped off the field. Lance asks me if I was hit where he thinks he saw it and I painfully shake my head and hiss out a YES!

For the rest of the game I'm laying on the bleachers with my leg elevated. Fortunately the wonderful fans of our softball team took care of me by getting me ice, checking the injury, allowing me to lean on them, etc. The sight was rather bleak and everyone considered sending me to the emergency but me, but I can't leave my team during a playoff game, which we fortunately won... Lance picked me up by pitching like he usually does and holding the other team down, but it was a close hard fought game.

But I didn't watch it, I heard the game and I had to deal with this...


My leg is already grotesque in the romantic sense, but this just added a whole new level of pain.

This had happened previously to me when i was 16 and I was playing a pick up football game in a park and that time I did have to go to the hospital. And this did lead to me having surgery a year later.





Now keep in mind the sight you see was unknown to my teammates, because they needed to focus on the championship game and they didn't need to worry about me. However, Lance strained his back in the second inning of the game and he left the dugout to ask me if I was well enough to go back into the game and that's when he saw the leg and realized I would be useless to him. He sucked it up but did give up 11 runs. He wasn't able to finish off his pitches like he usually did because his back was killing him.

But my team wasn't going to go down without a fight... (a couple seasons earlier we lost a championship after having a 10 run lead with 2 innings to go---some of you might remember it from earlier blogs regarding softball redemption)

We put a rally together and came back to win 18-13 in the final 3 innings. It was a wonderful moment to see out of the corner of my eye the team come together near second base and celebrate the long sought reward after 6 years of softball in the south city then daly city league. Oddly, we won the D-8 championship after always falling short in D-9, which is supposedly an easier league.




Here's the first team pic, I was able to get there briefly...










here's the next pic with the 11th man in the stands along with mascots...

i was in too much pain to stand for this picture... it sucked to not really be part of the celebrating, but i knew i helped all i could to get our team there...

and if you check out our season stats... you'll see Lance and I gave up less runs by far than any other team... unfortunately they don't keep pitching stats and the batting stats are way off... i actually batted .400 (not according to the scorekeepers, though) http://www.bayareastats.com/aDaly/damd8leg.htm
if you click on our team Lil Giants, you'll see the individual stats of those on the team...




here is the trophy and the game ball signed by everyone... we celebrated afterwards at Friday's... and I was stupid enough to go, but I wanted to feel like part of the team so to hell with some extra pain...









you'll notice on the list of top friends on myspace.com/psychoverse that the first couple people are affiliated with the team...


here's the leg two weeks later... the actual spot on the leg where i was hit didn't turn purple into 3 weeks in...

i finally went to the doctor and the swelling is no longer as severe but I do have a pocket of blood that apparently likes to live where it is and it may need to be drained...

it's been a month and the leg is almost normal... i hope to return to our new softball season on Aug. 20 after our bye on the 13th...

daly city bumped us up another division and we've lost our first three games this season but we still plan to take it all again...

unfortunately, chris paras tore his achilles' tendon in game 1

more sad news... the new school year starts in 15 days for me...

next episode: the ASB reunion/networking bash that was held just last Saturday...
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Friday, August 04, 2006

Pop Culture Overdose

So what do I do when the Giants have a night off and I'm supposedly working on a slideshow for Saturday night's gathering... I procrastinate with some guilty pleasures...

television being the main culprit... i haven't really had to explore my junk tv options this summer; however, i think i made up for it today and i loved every guilty pleasureable moment

the night begins with Who Wants to be a Superhero on the Sci-Fi Channel... if you grew up on comics this show is perfect for you... Stan Lee hosts the show and puts contestants through a variety of activities to judge their character and to determine if the integrity is worthy of being immortalized in a Stan Lee comic... tonight was the second episode and i must confess i caught the first episode as a freebie on itunes... damn itunes... the show just makes me laugh as contestants race to a site, fend off attack dogs, overcome a mole, and get a costume make-over...

then the night degrades further as i can't help but watch VH1's world series of pop culture-the championship round... i think i probably got about 75% of the questions right... what i really learned from tonight's show... remember academy and country music award nominees and winners... I am oddly pleased with how much junk trivia is in my head...

11pm... news break and Jay Leno monologue (Letterman was a repeat)

midnight- TLC airs 101 Strange Things Removed from the Human Body... it's captivating... you see some of the inspiration for Grey's Anatomy when you see the two real-life people who were trapped together when they were both pierced with a pole, a man whose uterus was removed, a maggot inside someone's head, and an industrial bit that bore through an eye socket... oh yeah, and the motor home that went through a policeman's chest... thankfully he was wearing a bullet proof vest to deflect the wooden shrapnel and aluminum ciding away from his heart...

1 am - 3 am
oh my god... i'm back to VH1... the top 40 most awesomely bad love songs... i just love list shows... i can't get enough of them... they're playing all these really infamous slow jams that are all really irresistible... then suddenly the commentators talk about what is really being said in the lyrics and it really makes you think what's being said...

example Survivor's "The Search is Over" discusses a man who's slept with every woman practically and it turns out the love is life has been near him all along... really makes her feel good as she pines at the moon every night waiting for his realization...

other songs
"You're the Inspiration" by Chicago
"Eternal Flame" by the Bangles
"Joanna" by Kool & the Gang
"God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You" (is that right?)
"All My Life" K-ci & Jo-Jo
"Get Here" by Oleta Adams
"Heaven" by Warrant
"This I Promise You" N'Sync
"Rosanna" by Toto (based on Rosanna Arquette)
"I Get Weak" by Belinda Carlisle
"When I See You Smile" by Bad English
forthcoming Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams...

well, you should get the idea
and those are only the songs on the bottom half of the list...
time for me to go watch the top 20


What are your summer guilty pleasures?
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Wednesday, August 02, 2006

I don't get the French?!?

So most of you should know all about the French soccer superstar Zidane who performed the head butt in a crucial moment of the World Cup Championship during overtime.

Well, the incident has no become so inFamous that two producers wrote a song about and it's topping the charts in the non-American world...

i just don't get it...

here's a link to the article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13830268/

and the song itself (which is about to be re-recorded in many languages)...
just look at how soccer affects our lives

http://www.downloadtaxi.com/d/1154064455/

this seriously scares me...
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Friday, July 21, 2006

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING

i know this is long overdue... but i was busy as you'll discover in forthcoming blogs... or maybe i can use the some excuse that the bride gave in her recent blog about taking time getting to things...

Psychoverse newsletter summer 2006 Part 1


So it's been like, you know, almost a year since you've received one of these I'm sure. If it you want your episodic bits then you need to subscribe to my xanga blog. Because some of you just can't wait for the annual psychoverse.

Let's get this damn thing rollin

My Best Friend's Wedding

For some reason I keep visualizing the scene with Cameron Diaz singing horribly at the karaoke place, as if I will eventually overcome my horrible singing voice and just let loose at a bar one night and the women will applaud me, yet be strangely attracted to this odd voice. OK, this has nothing to do with the actual topic

On Memorial Day weekend, my friend Emerson married Jen in Italy. If you know them, you've probably been reading their blog and their worldwide honeymoon. It's the kind of thing that makes you jealous, such as seeing the picture of Victoria Falls. Of course, I think they should have stayed in Germany thru the World Cup but that isn't exactly the point of their travels.

The weekend after that (on my mother's birthday I might add) May and Gregg were married. I had the honor of being the emcee at the reception. Yes, I thought to myself too, Why would anyone let me hold the microphone all night? The lectern was especially cool because with a button I could make it rise or fall.

The days leading up to the wedding were nice. Why? Because I was in Hawaii. Although I didn't take advantage of it as much as I would have liked, I still was able to spend a few days away from the high school. Even though May fell asleep on me and was too tired to come chill with me, she deserved all the rest she could get prior to the blessed event. Plus, the next night I got to see X-men with Gregg and Ian and chill with the guys. I needed a testosterone infusion just to remind me that I was a different kind of maid-of-honor.

By far the best part of the trip for me was meeting up with people I met my last two visits there and getting to know other people important in May's life, such as Tom Brady and the rest of the bridal party. Unfortunately, I really didn't get to spend much time with Edem, Ezra or Chrissa, but I really should take advantage of summer and remember they live in the same state with me.

An unofficial theme of the vacation seemed to be let's see if everybody can get Ian a woman. There seemed to be constant reminders at the wedding that both Ian and I are available, but because more people know Ian who took the brunt of it. I admire him for being a good sport and for letting loose at night a bit more than I had ever seen him, especially after the reception. Sorry no photographic evidence of the evening after parties, unless a few really did show up in the Hawaiian social newspaper called the Midweek or something like that. Plus those pics would not be of Ian but of me with some other bride-to-be who happened to be at Gordan Biersch for her bachelorette party. I always do feel different on the dance floor almost like the real me gets unleashed for a few hours.

The second day I was in Hawaii, I was lucky enough to be Liz' substitute at the Rose Ball girl luncheon at the Pineapple Room. Excellent food. My brother and his fiancee ended up going there later in the week thanks to May's recommendation. At the moment of that meal, I began to finally relax. I truly felt away from California and started to focus on the event at hand. I can't even imagine the chaos that could happen with Lance's wedding next year, also in Hawaii and again a week prior to me giving senior finals.

After lunch I got to hang with Gregg and we ended up at a comic store, the movies, and this place called, Side Street Cafe, I think, which had some of the best damn pork chops EVER!!!!!!!

The next day things were more hectic. It was Friday, which meant rehearsal, dinner, and the last night to take Gregg out, despite some of the guys thinking I would kill things being May's friend and all. I think May is right I probably could have been the most corrupting influence, if it wasn't so much fun watching Mr. Tom Brady, May's co-worker who is her counterpart in Pensacola, Florida.

Side note: I got to crash in the groom's room the night before the wedding. Which means, the last person the groom slept with before his wedding night was the maid-of-honor. Ha ha ha ha

Finally, the blessed date June 3 my mother's birthday

Pictures were first. And I was so glad that I wasn't in a tuxedo. The cool part of the picture sessions I thought were when we left the premises of the hotel and took pictures walking thru Waikiki. I can't wait to see what they looked like.

Now the time between pics & ceremony was just agonizing. All I wanted was to drink, but I kept thinking I better not so that I'm fine during the reception. But, I really needed to relax. It was hot and I was stressing about what to say, especially when Liz asked me what I was going to say in my speech. Thankfully, Gene, May's brother, brought me to the poolside bar and got me some Remy to relax. Admittedly, whenever I saw Gene it was his house and I never really hung out with him. I ended up getting to know him a whole better after spending the better part of the next 15 hours with him.

The Buddhist ceremony was beautiful, albeit very soft in volume without a PA system. The nicest thing about it for me was that it was a nice departure from all the Catholic weddings I usually attend. The setting was the middle courtyard, and I just kept staring at all the people who were watching from afar. The moment drew many eyes as you’d expect with such a beautiful gathering of people.

Here is my favorite pic from the ceremony:

The happy newlyweds taking their first steps toward matrimonial bliss

So my part of the festivities finally began after a few more beers. Although I agreed to do the MC gig sans alcohol, I must admit to nerves. Because I just couldn't stop sweating, it took me hours to finally acclimate to the ballroom. In the video I'm sure you can see me constantly wiping the stress sweat off my forehead with my hanky.

Overall, I think I did a decent job. Some of the critiques I've heard are that May's co-workers think I'm in love with her, I forgot to explain the goings-on in Denver (which would just further me jokingly blame everything on Enterprise), and I didn't provide the full circle closure of the princess motif of my speech: I forgot the glass slipper and some of the fairy tale ending.

Some interesting things from the evening. We had two celebrities in attendance: Tom Brady (see above) and Sarah Lee (one of the bridesmaids). I became reacquainted with May's co-workers I had met four years earlier. In particular, Reiko and Richard were sitting at the same table with my family, and Lance used the opportunity to quiz them on wedding ideas. The lectern had a button that would allow it to be raised or lowered and I kept playing with it. Ian getting the garter, though he really had no choice. Two intriguing slideshows: one made of everyone that day, and the cool retrospective one of the couple with some very cool transitions (evidently the program was imported from Japan and not available here yet).

The reception moved along smoothly and quickly. Well, except for the moment, May went to change dresses and I had to lead a rousing game of Simon Says to determine who would win the table's centerpiece. One trouble gave me particular trouble. I got the final two to come to the dance floor and I couldn't get them out, until, a stroke of genius, I will have them settle it with rock-paper-scissors, Joyce turned to play, but Johnny gave in and gave up to Joyce. But you know what I didn't say Simon Says and Joyce would have lost. But Johnny is a gentleman and so ended my teacher moment that only reaffirmed why I would never be an elementary school teacher.

so here's what the prize centerpiece looked like thru my lens... incidentally my punk brother who knew my routine won a teaset.


One of the more memorable moments of my time in Hawaii was the party after the reception. I didn't feel like going back to my hotel. I kept pushing for let's do more and Gene was all for it. May & Gregg attempted to join us, but let's face it, they had to consummate their union. So, Keala, Ian, & Tiffany from Hawaii and Gene, Liz & I from California went to hang out. Duke's had closed, it was 1 in the morning after all at this point. We ended up at Moose McGillicuddy's.

Promptly, I felt wonderfully violated for the second time on the vacation. There was an earlier moment when I enjoyed a full body shake press with the waitress' bosom in my face at Gordon Biersch. Here though, imagine the bar and the dancers spilling into every available piece of floor as I stood next to the bar. A girl began to freak me and then turned and grinded her ass into my pelvis. Suddenly she keeps backing up and reaches around and grabs a handful of my jeans so to speak. Unfortunately she didn't appeal to me, but the people I was with had an eyeful and gave me a hard time the rest of the night, especially whenever she walked by.

For some reason I just wanted to down beers all night. I was trying to get Ian to down one with me but he wussed out, but Liz came to his rescue and took the beer and slammed it down with authority putting Ian down to a brief round of jeers and shame. All I wanted was to just to forget the stress of earlier in the evening and the fact that I had to go back to work and give finals. I was drinking so much and fast that people around me were watching just to see if I'd keep going, particularly some women around me. Much of the time Gene and Liz joined in the downing of Ale. Keala was trying to get me to slow it down and he kept commenting on how us Californians need to learn to relax and savor. But I needed to pound it to relax. The worst part, I never felt much more than a slight buzz and I blew about a hundred bucks and the beers weren't expensive.

After closing at 3am, we went to a small strip of beach near the hotel and we just sobered up with the sunrise at about 6am. Those 3 hours were great on the beach just talking and getting to know the other 5 people around me. I hung out with Ian on previous trips to Hawaii, but it was great to see him more carefree and nurturing. Although I've known Liz and Gene for years, we never really got to just chill out together. Tiffany & Keala are great people and I hope to get to see more of them on subsequent visits. I think there should be a one anniversary reunion of this gathering next May when I'm there in Hawaii for my brother's wedding. And this time my sister will be there, and she's the biggest lush in the family.

I rested on Sunday, waking up late and soaking in the ocean, hanging out with Lance and Mary Anne. I had to be at the airport at 5:30 am.

When I did arrive back at SFO, I saw this girl almost fall off the roof of her family's car, kinda odd that she was even there!

Here's the picture in which many people think I'm the groom


The old high school gang but after seeing it Edem really should've in it. I remember I only wanted to take this pic because our parents took one with each other








May trying to be Kim Cattrall in Mannequin

walking amonst the tourists


The calm before the storm and check out the beautiful www.halekulani.com

Check out the website and look at the views from the hotel suites' yours for 400-500 bucks a night


And the most awesome gift EVER! May and Gregg were able to commission and original work from artist Peter Gross of Books of Magic fame, here's his rendering of Death as an English teacher, woo hoo, make sure this is in my coffin when I go to see her

next issue: more varicose veins and softball incidents
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