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...

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...