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17th October 2009
My adorable MBTs
Everyone, please meet my MBTs. They’re produced with Masai Barefoot Technology. They are orange, a bit quirky, and endlessly amazingly wonderfully comfortable… except when you need to jump/hike/walk on mountain paths (but that can easily be overlooked). I find that because they are more rigid than your typical shoes, flat surfaces work best for them. But once I got used to them... I just wore them everywhere.[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="They go with me everywhere!"][/caption]
The reason I got these was because my Sifu said: if you are really serious about learning WingTsun then you should get a pair of these. So… after much mental struggle (these shoes usually go for over 200!), I finally kicked myself into getting a pair.
I got my pair back in May and started wearing them almost every day since my move to SF (June). My legs were extremely tired when I first started wearing them but now they are the most comfortable shoes in the world. I get called out randomly in the middle of the street/store/greyhound station (?!) by people who are interested in getting a pair or just thought I looked really funny (kidding). I seriously think they should hire me as their spokesperson and pay me commission.
Amusingly enough, after I started showing them to the people at Studio WingTsun (SJ), two of them each got a pair and another one has a pair on the way. I basically said that if this trend continues, we’re going to become the MBTWT school! Which… I don’t mind at all. I’m definitely getting another pair once this pair wears out (which I hope will not be any time soon). But if you are planning to get a pair, I suggest you get them at a online shoe retailer (like Zappos or Footwear etc.) on sale. Generally they run a bit small so get your size or half a size bigger. I do recommend trying them on at a store first (if you can) because the fit is slightly different than your normal shoes.
But if you’re interested in some nice cool shoes that "rock", these would be IT!
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11th September 2009
Yosemite-Mono Lake-Bodie Pt. 2
Sunday 8/30/09
We finally made it to the tufas in the South. They were magnificent (if somewhat smelly). The alkaline flies were… well… a bit nauseating, but at least the only swarm around the lake. There were many varieties of birds there, and the most wonderful thing was that at every different point the lake has a different feel. It was eerier, serene, and mysterious at the same time. It was much larger than all the lakes that we saw in Yosemite. The feeling was completely different. We went on the Touloume Grove trail this time but was only able to get to the first great Sequoia before we had to head back so that we can make it in time for our appointments in SF. The funny thing was, Zhou (he did most of the driving after we got out of Yosemite) drove so fast that we ended up back in the neighborhood much earlier than expected. So being Berkeley graduates, Wendy and Zhou took me on a tour of Berkeley, where I found their lovely new East Asian Library <3. I will be sure to pay it a visit sometime. We all agreed that we would plan another trip for the Spring because we weren’t able to see the waterfalls this time around. We also have quite a long to-do list to go through… all for the next trip![caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Kick-@$$ travel partners!"][/caption]
Wendy and I got back to the city and after dropping her off at her apartment and changed there, I went off to the Miss Asia Pageant at the Palace of Fine Arts to join people from WZRC in NYC. It would have been fine if Ed (my GPS) didn’t almost take me across the Golden Gate bridge. But finally I made it to the pageant. Knowing how the station operates, I went to find S+S and sure enough, ended up being draft to work the pageant. I ended up counting the votes for the contestants and also running around trying to figure out where everyone was. It was most amusing. Interesting enough, I discovered that all the contestants were wolfing down pizzas backstage because they were so hungry. Aye. I guess it works for some people. I personally like working backstage much more.After the pageant I went to dinner with the winners/contestants/backstage people. The drive down to Daly City would had been uneventful if not for the fact that I got lost in the 750239849 parking lots. But when, at the end of the evening, I finally parked Claypole back at his little station, I was so very thankful that I was able to go on this trip, everything turned out wonderfully, and I was even able to see people from the station and get a nice dinner and get a glimpse of the world of glam (ahem).Regardless, I think everything is a valuable experience and I treasure every moment of it.
There are a few things that I learned on this trip:
1) Zipcar is the BOMB! I LOVED my little Claypole (he’s BLUE)! Though… I might still get a Yaris if I do get a car…
2) Do not EVER assume that parking lots are easy to navigate… EVER!
3) Even if you think it’s not possible for you to reach your goal (like how I thought quite a few times when I looked at the “impossible” trails)… if you keep at it… you actually will reach it. You may be deathly exhausted, but it’s possible to get there. This from the person who, looking across the desolate desert land, thought it was impossible to reach the second lake… but we did.
4) TomToms are very nice little GPS devices. Zhou had a Garmin but he said the timing on my Ed was better. :D
5) Don’t mess with ladies driving a truck with a freaking BOAT on it on a VERY curvy mountain path.
6) When a mattress unexpectedly drops in front of you on the highway, maintain your cool (no it wasn’t us, but we saw it happen) because there’re a lot of other people behind you.
7) There is almost NO reception around the YMB area… at least that’s the case if you have T-Mobile.
8) Hiking in MBTs… may not be the best idea. -
21st August 2009
VAMPS in SF!
Well when I heard that VAMPS was going to have a concert, there was no question that I was going. The problem was finding out when I would be where (considering all my traveling) and then booking my tickets for that. When I confirmed that I would be in SF on 7/25, I immediately bought tickets to their concert.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="216" caption="The line down Sutter."][/caption]
The line was INSANE! I didn't bring a camera because at the MUCC concert they asked people not to take any pictures and there was a LONG line to check your camera in (we skipped it.. cough). I didn't want to have to go through that again.
To relieve you the pain of having to sort through my fangirl squealing, I have found this post by another fan which pretty much summarizes how I feel about Hyde. Below are some general thoughts on the concert itself.
The concert was held at the Regency Center on VanNess and Sutter, the inside of which actually looks a lot like The Fillmore in NYC, where I went for the MUCC concert last December.
It's been 10+ years since I fell in love with Laruku and STILL I am SO in love with them (Hyde). He still looks the same, acts the same (SO CUTE), and SOUNDS the same! His amazing voice has not been completely destroyed by his incessant smoking! His English is still... err... it has improved since Baltimore (Otakon) where he screamed out "Do you like CRA[beep]S!?" Everyone went into a O_O phase... until we realized that he meant "Crabs"... ahem. Then we laughed.
This time he managed to convey the following:
1) SF is his city because... dun dun dun dun - it has HYDE street! (whoot!)
2) The SF streets are pretty steep (wonder if he rode the cable cars...)
3) He likes the Castro (everyone laughed, not sure why, maybe I'm missing something), Fishermen's wharf... and...
4) He had to buy a lot of clothes because (he paused)... it was SO COLD. He turned to the crowd with a really perplexed look and said, in a cute, helplessly confused way: I don't get it... (yea... I think a lot of tourists agree with you)
5) SF is beautiful :)
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="216" caption="Crappy camera phone = =+"][/caption]
I had the same overwhelming feelings of joy when I saw this concert as when I saw the MUCC concert last year, except this one had HYDE!!! I LOVE concerts, or any live music in general. It just has so much... LIFE in it. And you can have direct reactions from the crowd around you. I guess this is the same as why guys like sports events. It's the spirit of the crowd and link with other people that's so awesome. My heart just soaked it all in (I physically felt tingling in my heart, though that's an illusion of course), despite that I was there alone, I enjoyed every moment of it.
VAMPS music is much harder than Laruku music, a bit more than what I like, but still good. I enjoy all music as long as it's good. They did covers of other songs, including a Beatles song. Hyde's English is not great, but his voice would make everything sound good. <3 (I'm obviously biased)
A few things...
1) When you're at a ROCK concert, trying to cover your ears whenever someone screams around you MUST be tiring... (DUH!) WHY someone would do that... beats me (I was having too much fun screaming).
2) Screaming and waving your hands show the artist how much you enjoy their music. The worst thing for a musician (band) is if they play their music and it's dead silence in the audience. You might as well not go to a concert then.
3) C'mon, when you are explicitly TOLD not to use a camera, don't wave your massive SLR around. No one will feel bad for you even if you have a broken nose (not from that day) and are escorted out by security.
4) People certainly take advantage of any/every occasion they can cosplay at...
5) My MBT shoes make it extremely hard to jump up...
6)And I missed my MUCC concert mates (cutie, Sarah, and Chun)... >_<While I still have the energy to jump around and cheer for people/bands/groups I love, I will savor and enjoy every moment of it.
P.S. Jack, they're certainly not Laruku, but it's still Hyde. and I loved it. K.A.Z. was awesome too!
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4th June 2009
It's never too late...
We've all heard it - "you're too old to..."Yup. Especially growing up in a Chinese family, I've had so many incidences when parents (although they are the sweetest) told me that I was too old to do something.Well, I sure hope that hasn't gotten you down, because I personally have decided to start with the basics - learn to walk and breathe.This is a good article on how to do some exercises while you're sitting around in the office. I do plan to get back into yoga when I can because it really helps with the pains and aches. Also, I splurged and bought myself a pair of MBTs (about 4-5 times more expensive than the shoes that I usually buy... sigh) that will hopefully help me to fix my posture and avoid back pain and foot pain. There is somewhat of a history in my family and really, if you don't take care of yourself, who will? My dear Eli (luv ya hon) also gave me some tips on what position the feet should be in and how they should look when you walk... I'm training myself to get used to it (HARD!).I've also started to do abdominal breathing a while back. It came about because I was feeling like I couldn't breathe sometimes, that no matter how hard I tried, I could not get in enough oxygen for my mind to clear or my body to function. I would get stressed and also anxiety because of lack of oxygen. After I started these exercises and eventually actually started breathing with my abdomen normally, without even paying any mind to it. I was lucky that it didn't take me that long to condition my body... but it's definitely worth the time you put into it. I can now breathe as deeply as I want whenever I want, feel less stress/anxiety, and also be less tired when I'm exercising or especially doing WT (which is a huge deal).Yes, walking and breathing... some of the things that we take for granted are actually not the easiest things in our lives. You may think you have no time to fix breathing and walking (you're alive, you're moving around = no need) but sometimes it's just about setting your mind to do something... and then getting rewards that you never even knew existed.So no, it's never too late. As long as you put your mind to it... even if you don't get the exact results you want, you always make a new discovery. If you're lucky, you may even get to know yourself a little better.
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Sze K. Aka Chan's Posterous
歸去，也無風雨也無晴。
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