office oceans night
Friday, July 29, 2005
we had a mellow office night out at ocean club yesterday. a good closing to a busy month. we rocked the house as usual with RH's crazy antics and TV's humor. 'boiling' beers and chilled-crown shots were the theme of the night. these pics were actually taken by sweet AV. thanks a bunch!
obnoxious home-theater guy dream
Thursday, July 28, 2005
i dreamed that i was shopping in the audio section of some big electronics super store like fry's or circuit city. we sit down to a home-theater demo room complete with many rows of theater seats and a big screen tv. for some reason a big fat obnoxious guy comes and sits between us. i try to keep my cool. we are waiting for the demo movie. he is barking out rude comments to the ladies in the first row. my blood boils... what should i do? WAKE.
shower concert
boy, i had a pretty good shower concert this morning. i was singing like a pro. belting-out some old tunes in english and thai (a little careless whisper, a little 100 years, a little nuvo). there must be something in the air. it's going to be a good day~
the 'tgif' meme
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
i was tagged with this 'tgif' meme from sister consuela. so here goes:
"TGIF meme"
What are the things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play?
# sleeping-in til noon
# vegging-out with a dvd or tv
# hit the gym
# starbucks coffee reading
# roaming borders bookstore for goodies
# eating comfort foods (mmm.... coco curry, zippys)
# blogging at coffeetalk
# go out for a drive with the music blasting (karaoke=caraoke!)
# day-dreaming, planning, reminiscing (life is good)
What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level?
# chatting with CY
# going starbucks/drinks with close friends
# blog it
# make love (not a current option)
# shop-therapy (dangerous during stress)
# hit the gym
# go out for a drive with music blasting
# travelling
# jumble's hugs :)
Tag 5 friends and ask them to post it in theirs.
let's send this to: jumblemind, clearcandy, all@sea, letti, and mandy!
i'll be reading you :)
revenge ballooning: happy birthday KM!
we had a revenge ballooning for KM's birthday this past monday. it was an ugly scene: balloons, packing peanuts, bubble-wrapped desk, streamers, floating turtles, and a sponge-bob pinata. revenge is a terrible thing. a never ending cycle. i wonder what the next office birthday will hold~
and i drove
Sunday, July 24, 2005
in the old days, i used to just walk the ala wai canal or kapiolani park. it cleared my head and calmed my heart a bit. it kept me moving. but tonight i drove. cause men think better on moving wheels. or maybe they just don't think at all when driving. driving to nowhere and everywhere at the same time. where does this road go? the streets are so different here at night. especially under this moon-less sky. i make my way to town, through hawaii kai, up to kaneohe, turn on the pali, back through chinatown, pass pearl city, and back to waikele. it's 2:18 now. my only regret: too bad i can't drink alone. there's not one damn soul on this island that i can call in this unGodly-hour for a late night drink. * sigh * i drive back home to more: nothing. no mail, no response. just questions and questions. my imagination is too vivid. darn this monkey mind.
goodnight, love.
ok, it's midnight
ok, it's midnight here in honolulu. it's 7pm there in japan. my head is pounding and my heart is breaking. i check the inbox a few more times (my 29th time today), but there's nothing there. just like everything else here: there's nothing there. left the past and care behind us: cause there's nothing there. let the space and world divide us: cause there's nothing there.
it's just me here.
and you there. * sigh *
movie talk: braveheart vs. gladiator
Saturday, July 23, 2005
i had a chat with AM recently about epic movies and the classics: 'braveheart' and 'gladiator' popped-up. both are good movies with strong stories and strong performances. AM is a strong braveheart fan. i loved both, but if i had to choose the better movie: i think i would pick gladiator. it wasn't as emotionally deep as braveheart, but being a bit shorter in length, i thought the film was more focused (plus it had a happier death ending). so instead of screaming ' freedom! ' in agony to braveheart, i shall agree with gladiator and say that: 'we will meet again. but not yet... not yet.'
which would you choose?
a matter of chores
Thursday, July 21, 2005
while i sit here (with my stinky hands) waiting for the laundry to dry, a question popped into my head. what household chore do you most detest? is it: laundry, dishes, cleaning the bedroom, raking the yard, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming the rugs, etc, etc?
being the great procrastinator here, i must say that i am torn between two hates: cleaning the bathroom and washing dishes. i've gotten much better now, mind you (a courtesy to AM), but there was a time when things were pretty bad. being a bachelor, i seem to have a very high tolerence to dirt and grime: epecially in the sink and the bathtub.they use to compete with eachother for the most neglect. dark mildew/soapscum tub vs. stuff growing in unwashed dishes. the tub usually wins cause i will eventually run out of eating utensils, but it's a close race. the re-hab process is slow but encouraging...
true honesty/openness are overrated... now that i've grossed you out: what chore do you most dislike? :)
my gloves stink
my gloves stink. and its only been 2 months since i started the muay thai classes. my hands are rotting in those things twice a week, two hours a day. it's getting deadly. the smell just sticks with me after the class. a sweaty, leathery smell with a hint of old sneakers. i lather up good with some bath&body works anti-bacterial soap and handwash after the session. i wash about 5 times. but the cucumber-melon cannot win against this unholy scent. it's a tough battle. sniff, sniff...
i got 70~
an interesting (myspace) tag from sweet lisa of hawaii time. she had 61 x's on her answers. so did i win here with 70? :)
(x) I have a cell phone.
() I am an only child.
(x) I have smoked a cigarette before.
(x) I have done drugs. (pot a few times a long while ago)
() I smoke
(x) I have been drunk before.
() I am an alcoholic.
(x) I love cold weather (for sleeping)
(x) I cannot live without the computer.
() I have shot a gun before.
(x) I can not live without music.
() I have no tolerance for ignorant people.
(x) I have ridden on a motorcycle before.
(x) I will be in this town forever. (let's hope)
(x) I have been to 5 other countries.
(x) I get annoyed easily. (lately)
(x) I eventually want kids. (i guess)
() I have neat handwriting.
(x) I have more than a few horrible memories
(x) I am addicted to chocolate. (actually addicted to people that are addicted to chocolate- does that count?)
(x) I have a sibling/siblings.
(x) My parents are strict.
(x) I love airplane rides.
(x) I love taking pictures.
(x) I hate people who are fake.
(x) I can be mean when I want to be.
(x) My parents care about my grades.
(x) I am easy to talk to.
(x) I hate when people are late. (2 rules for me: be on time and be there)
(x) I procrastinate. (majorly)
() I love springtime.
() I have too many clothes for my closet/dresser.
(x) I love to sleep.
(x) I wish I were smarter. (einstien smarter)
() I am afraid of flying.
(x) I hate drama. (some people just love to be complicated)
() I bite my nails.
(x) I have been on a 7 hour car ride or longer. (a bus)
() I never fight with my parents.
() I love the beach.
(x) I have had the chicken pox.
() I have had pneumonia.
() I have gone out in public in my pajamas.
() I can not control my emotions.
(x) I have a best friend.
(x) I have moved more than once. (3 countries, 4 cities)
(x) I truly love my friends.
(x) I love to write.
() I have broken a bone.
(x) I love my computer. (lulu my faithful notebook)
(x) I am a happy person
(x) I love to dance. (with good company)
(x)I love to sing. (big time car-aoke!)
(x) I love to act crazy and be funny. (somebody has to be the monkey)
(x) I love cleaning my room (clean room = clean head)
(x) I tend to get jealous very easily (about a loved one)
(x) I like night better than day (i stay up late)
(x)I have been on the phone for over 5 hours at a time
(x) I don't like to study for tests.
(x) I am too forgiving.
(x) I have horrible sense in direction.
(x) I own an odd pet (snakes, insects, etc) - a scorpion before
() I miss elementary school.
() My eye color changes.
(x) I become stressed easily. (love group harmony)
(x) I hate liars.
() I can play the piano
() I love to play in the rain.
(x) I love my family.
(x) I hate needles.
(x) I'm afraid of snakes (if i happen to bump into one)
() I am a perfectionist.
(x) I've always wanted to learn to play the guitar or drums. (took classes but got lazy)
(x) I hate the feeling of failure.
(x) I have friends in other countries.
()I know how to cook
(x) i can speak another language
(x) At times, I can be very selfish.
(x) At times, I still act like a little kid.
()i have allergies
() I love little kids
(x) I love to read
() I wish I was more motivated for school.
(x) I like getting stuff in the mail
(x) I have problems with letting go of old feelings/memories. (living in the past)
(x) I hate being alone.
(x) I love myself (a bit)
(x) I like summer. (longer days after work)
(x) I like weekends.
(x) I can type with one hand. (no comment)
(x) I can swim. (not great)
() I go to church
(x) I sing in the shower. (i have mini-concerts there)
()I have never been camping.
() I hate cheerleaders
() I usually get what I want
(x) I have been on stage before. (backup jazz dancer - miss thailand world 1991)
(x) I love roller coasters.
(x) I am close with my parents...
new office wallpaper
'are you special' pic from explodingdog.com
(disturbing but fun)
the submarine pyramid knot dream
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
1. i am working on atlantis submarines. the water currents 100ft under were especially rough today, and the sub was rolling violently in the water. all the tourists were nervous and i was started to get nervous too. the sub rocks and the lights flicker. we need to get to the surface soon. can we make it? yes we do. we reach the surface and a tug tows us to the dock. everyone is releived.
2. i'm walking around a big old resort hotel of some kind now. i need to get back to the sub. a crazy old dog is chasing me through the resort. the hotel turns into a pyramid with a maze of passages and tunnels. i frantically look for an exit out of the pyramid. i need to get to this specific room on the upper levels. i find a small hatch that leads to an exit.
3. outside the pyramid now i see SG and CY sitting at a small coffee shop. i join them and ask for a favor. i need to tie this little rope into a strange knot handle. i was suppose to give the rope-handle to CY. SG assists with the task. i ask him to hurry cause that crazy dog is still chasing me. will i solve the puzzle? will the dog catch me? will i give CY the rope? WAKE.
lost in myspace
i've spent the past 24 hours totally lost in this 'myspace' thingy. it's quite addicting, but i still don't get it. it's part blog and part networking personals. ok, its mostly networking personals. what am i suppose to do with it? will it help me find my next coffee partner? you can add/find me there at: dreaming-neko @ myspace
any help is much appreciated :)
'dreaming-neko too' pics
Monday, July 18, 2005
dreaming-neko too
so it's sunday night in beautiful hawaii, and instead of catching up on some late work at the office this fine night, i cleaned-up my msn space: 'dreaming-neko too' blog and and turned it into an online photo album. i finally found some good use for that site. i love the flash slide shows. the latest vegas trip have been updated. the site is best viewed using internet explorer with flash. i'll be adding future pics to the page. so check it out sometime :)
technorati searches
Sunday, July 17, 2005
i just re-added the technorati blog search function to my page today. it queries your web blog for the search word. it's kinda interesting. here are some random word search results:
48 posts for ' dreams ' (i thought i had more)
100 posts with ' love ' (the most posts)
28 posts with ' food ' (only 28?)
30 posts with ' sad ' (30's not too bad)
45 posts with ' happy ' (more happy than sad!)
51 posts with ' CY ' (the second most posts)
the las vegas diet
i recently weighed myself at the gym on thursday morning and found that i had lost 3 pounds (down to 160 lbs). this is right after my 27-hr vegas trip! how could that be? i ate late night meals, had heavy foods (prime rib, stage deli pastrami, steak and eggs) and had many, many drinks? i think i may have stumbled upon something... i'd like to call it: the las vegas diet: go to vegas, pig out, drink booze, gamble all night, and lose weight! i think we might have a winner here ;)
eating-neko: fukuya's okazuya
strangely, the high-light of my weekend was not meeting the beautiful crazy realtor, or lunching with AT, or lounging with the boys on saturday~ it was eating at fukuya's. this hawaii okazuya is located on king street (across from sushi king) and is open only on wed-sun from 6am-2pm. they serve a excellent home-style local okazuya favorites like tempura, crab cakes, fried chicken, nishime, fried akule, shoyu chicken, and so much more. everything is a treat. i had to drive there 2 times today (forgot my wallet the first time) from waikele to enjoy this dish. KO was right on this one: for local home-style okazuya, it's hard to beat~
a party and a secret dream
1. i dreamed that i am hanging out with KO. we visit his new condo which seems to be in ward center. it's a really nice place. we walk out of the condo and join a dinner party at ryans grill? there were many strange and nasty people at the party. who are these people? i leave the table to see CY.
2. i am in the car with CY now. i seem to be driving on the right side though, cause i am turning left to talk to her. she seems distant and far away. i try to talk to her but she is sad and cold. we drive up to a dead-end road. at the end of the dead-end road is a park. i wanted to park the car at the park and give hug her. maybe i can warm her up again. before we reach the park, she turns to me and says: 'i have to tell you a secret, neko. i've been helping out at the wedding school and i met someone new. i'm sorry...' my heart sinks. even before she says the second sentence i knew what she was going to say. it was bound to happen. i am sad... WAKE.
so many dreams these days. my head and heart must still be in a spin. vegas was only a passing escape. i had this vivid dream during my late afternoon nap. it was all so clear... from freud's dream interpretations, i've read that all dreams stand on 3 legs: 1. a desire 2. a past memory and 3. a current stimulus. the dream manifest hides the true dream content with symbols, transference, etc. my dreams are pretty straight forward, though. i just tend to mix-up the people a bit. darn it, freud! oh well, at least they make for some interesting posts~
happy birthday MC!
(this is what 400 balloons look like in a cubicle)
400 colorful ballons + 1 6-foot inflatable orca + 4 beach balls + 1 sun floater + 3 dolphin balloons + 1 small work cubicle and 1 birthday boy = a happy friday surprise! happy birthday MC (july 15t)! i just want you to know that i had nothing to do with this... cheers~
i never took back an ' i love you '
i've never taken back an ' i love you... ' and i don't plan to do so. unlike some people i know. how is this really done, though? i'm not quite sure. do they tie strings to their words and yank them back when it comes time? do they attach a small detonation device to the words and blow it up with a remote? do they just carry around fake ' i love you's ' and pass them about without care? i don't think it's possible to take back an ' i love you. ' time changes and relationships change, but a good ' i love you ' should have a lifetime warranty. love stays, but people change...
but maybe i'm just too naive. what do you think?
deal & slide dream
Friday, July 15, 2005
1. i dreamed that i was in vegas somewhere. MT was setting up some negotiating deal there. she had won about 5-10k gold chips in a locked vault and she wanted different guys to bid for them. i knew that she had secretly cheated with the gold chips: they were not all there. but the men started bidding like crazy for them anyways. should i bid too? is it worth it?
2. i am now in a strange large square room with a super-waxed floor. the floor is like ice. we slide back and forth and back and forth again on the smooth ice-like waxed floor. i remember chasing a really friendly dog on the floor. i am trying to pet the dog and play with it, but it keeps on slipping and sliding away. it is not too friendly, but i don't give up too easily. lost in my own pointless obsessions. WAKE.
eating-neko: stage deli
if you could put heaven between two pieces of bread, you would have made a pastrami sandwich from stage deli. this new york style deli located in the cesar forum shops is truly ' love ' in the form of a sandwich with pickles on the side. the pinnacle of any vegas trip. it's like going to kaui to eat hamura's saimin. another part of tradition. at the deli, i started with an excellent bowl of sweet and sour cabbage soup (pictured top left) followed by the pastrami sandwich. a beautiful creation that consists of bread, mayo, pastrami, pastrami, pastrami, mayo, and bread. sweet simplicity. i actually traded a half pastrami for a piece of KO's monster triple decker sandwich (bottom left in the picture) but was quite disappointed (nothing compares to pastrami). fortunately, AM's dad saved the day with an extra half pastrami, so i ate 1 1/2 sandwiches in total. yum. our vegas trip is complete. i can actually feel ' love ' again. cheers~
zzzzzzzzzzzzz's
so what happens after 27 hours of las vegas with no sleep and tons of caffeine? 16 hours of sleep! i slept from 6pm on wednesday to 10am on thursday! a much needed sleep that left me very dizzy and disoriented. i eventually got up for the gym, zippys, starbucks, and another nap. followed by a dollar-movie (sin city) with KN later that night. what a good sleep. what a good trip. what a good day~
las vegas in 27 hours
Thursday, July 14, 2005
doing las vegas in 27 hours is not an amazing feat. but doing las vegas in 27 hours when you live in hawaii is a bit more exciting (it involves very little sleep and lots of caffeine). i flew up on monday night and arrived tuesday morning to only fly back on wednesday morning. a special thanks to good friends ST, KO, and AM for making it fun and possible. here's the recap:
ST does an airport pickup and takes us to the california hotel and casino downtown. we head out to starbucks for caffeine boost #1. we walked back to the room to check up on sleeping KO. he's still out so we head out to fry's electronics and sit down to some red bull there (= caffeine boost #2). ST slept only 2 1/2 hours last night and i slept only 3 hours on the plane before. it was hard staying up. we next meet up with AM and company and head out to the aladdin's desert passage shops. we souvenir shopped at bath&body works, fcuk, and l'occitane. we then sat down at coffee bean and tea leaf for caffeine boost #3. we then drove to cesar's palace for the forum shops. first stop: stage deli for lunch (more on this later). a few more shopping stops and back to the hotel. back at the room, ST realizes that he needs to pick up more bath&body stuff so we drive back to the aladdin shops. a quick stop and we're back at the room. it's about 6pm now.
KO is feeling kinda restless and we walked down to the starbucks again for caffeine boost #4. i watched the fremont light show at 8pm and we meet AM again to enjoy a $6.99 prime rib dinner at the 777 restaurant (in main street hotel and casino). by 9pm it was time to get down to business at the crap tables, roulete tables, megabucks machines and poker machines. at about 3am we stop for a late late night snack at the 777 again. i drink a big coke = caffeine boost #5. at 5am KO is finally done gambling. we head up to the room for a 2 hour nap and drive out to the airport by 7am. here we have some burger king with coffee = caffeine boost #6. by 10am we make the stand-by flight for home sweet home... (and some much needed sleep!).
it was a great trip. everyone was pretty much a winner; minus some gambling losses here and there (i was down about $100 in 7 hours of gambling~ not too bad). thanks guys. let's do it again sometime~
what the heck~
Monday, July 11, 2005
well, it's been another crazy weekend here in the world of neko. my head is in a spin and my heart is totally exhausted. but such is life, i guess. so what the heck: i'm flying up to vegas for the week... see you in alittle bit... cheers!
waiting / escape dream
1. am hanging out in a hotel lobby waiting for to enter this big hotel room for some sort of party, but LC does not call. i can see people start to go inside the party room but i'm still waiting for the girl to come. should we stop waiting and just go inside too?
2. am now trying to on a small island beach with a partner (not sure who). we are in a rush and are trying to escape this place (like some sort of adventure game). we are not sure which way to go. we make our way to a small wooden dock. we realize that we have to swim to the next island to escape, so we jumped in the water and started swimming. ' this is easy, ' i think to myself. but suddenly we see other swimmers heading our way. they are in a panic! a huge crocodile is chasing them in the water! we hurry back to the dock out of the water. we need to get to the other island. i look around for some sort of a piece of wood to fight the crocodile. maybe i can pry it's mouth open with this and swim pass safely. is that the solution to this riddle? WAKE.
countdown zero
Saturday, July 09, 2005
the sad thing about last summer is that it was last summer. a thing of the past. and i was a fool to think that it was anything more. maybe i live in the past? i really thought there was something more. i really wish there was something more. at least some meaning to it all... but no. times change. people change. hearts change (but it's ok). some lessons have to be learned the hard way. and i had to learn it the hard way (i can be kinda dense sometimes). it's not easy being a dreamer (especially a foolish one)...
clearcandy-less summer?
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
* sigh *
the 4th bbq
we had a small last-minute bbq at the house this past 4th of july. what could be more patriotic than steak, beer (samuel adams: always a great decision) and sports-talk? it's always good to get the boys together. everyone is so busy these days. good (salty) food, good company, good beer. we finished the night with a lesson in texas hold'em poker. til the next gather fellows! the chips will be mine... but til then: good luck in vegas!
countdown
the countdown begins! 2 days to last summer... my how time flies...
wish me luck :)
demons dreams and work
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
i had one of those strange ghosts-chasing-me-around-a-big-house-maze dream last night. it woke me up at 3:30am in the dark, all sweaty~ my heart racing. these demons were trying to catch me and all i could do was hide in a small dark room waiting, holding my breathe trying not to make a sound. they sift through all the rooms, i could hear them get closer, and closer. when i awoke, all i could think about was strangely work stuff. shit~ i've got to get alot of stuff done this week! worrying about work now, i could not get back to sleep. i toss and turn. it's too hot. should i head into the office now? it's a bit early~ i'll be dead tired for muay thai later. i got to sleep a couple more hours. i got up and groped my way into the kitchen for some water and fumbled back into bed. eyes closed. no demons. no work. no thoughts. sleep. WAKE.
happy 4th of july!
Monday, July 04, 2005
yeah, we definitely need more long weekends like this...
a new diet
my last bodyfat test (in the beginning of june) had me back at 21% bodyfat again (and 163 lbs body weight)! darn~ i thought i was making some progress here. got to push harder~ so over the past month i've been practicing my new diet. i call it: starving. well, actually, it's not that bad... snack bars for breakfast, heavy work lunch (chinese or plate-lunches with half rice), and a salad/saimin/or cereal for dinner (yeah, dinner kinda sucks). add alot of fluids and vitamins. i feel a bit thinner. i think i look a bit thinner. but the gym workouts have been kinda weak lately. i might need to take some whey protien shakes to the mix. will update~
that's odd
for the past 29 years i always thought that i was born on a thursday morning. i'm not sure how i got that information, but i always thought that i was born on a thursday. i started to even relate to thursdays. it was always a good week day for me cause i was born on a thursday. but last week i googled june 1st, 1975 for a calendar. i was born... on a sunday! was it still morning? i'm not sure anymore. sunday! what an odd discovery. well, i guess that explains this lazy side here... :)
airport pickups, old pics and souvenirs
there's just something so exciting about picking up a loved-one at the airport (especially if it's an international flight). i can see my dad pacing back and forth. it's been about 6 weeks now since my mom and neice flew down to bangkok. while my dad is the foundation of the family, i must admit that my mom is our heart and soul. the tension builds as we wait for those familiar faces to walk past the secured custom doors of the international arrivals area. there's so much love and excitement in the air. a hug here. a kiss there. smiles all around. a familiar smile emerges from the sliding glass door (with a new short haircut too)~ welcome back!
at home my mom brought back alot of old and new photos from bangkok: childhood pics of my neice and me, some pics of my brother who had passed away, our cousins and relatives, some pics of their trip to my cousin's farm in ayuthaya. my mom was so beautiful in her younger photos. a good looking skinny dad too. man, everybody is getting so old now! our family has come quite a long ways~ i'm bless to be here with them. i love you guys. in any case, in the pics above are photos of my cousin's farm (they grow jackfruit, lychee, and other exotic thai fruits), the cozy cabin, and some temple pics.
i asked my mom to bring back only two things for me from thailand. first, i asked for new muay thai trunks to replace those ugly tiger trunks that i wore (i have some nicer red-bull action trunks now), and secondly, i asked for a plastic takraw ball. this ball is used for basic juggling or played in a team volley-ball like sport over a net. it's pretty exotic here in the west. i'm pretty proud of it. this may be the only authentic takraw ball on the island folks! it's solidly hard when it's new. now if i could only find someone insane enough to play with me...
