Notes of a Desolate Libra

At 1AM on November 26 (Thanksgiving), I had the pleasure of watching Hins' concert at Atlantic City. Last year I also went to Hins' concert at Atlantic City, but the venue at Taj Mahal was much bigger and we also had very good seats so it was an amazing experience.

I think the trip itself was amusing. Since the concert (as wont with these Chinese concerts) is so freakin early (late?), we had to figure out how we would be getting there. Finally, I decided to drive down to AC, watch the concert, then drive back.

I booked a zipcar for the day. I'm not sure if it was because of the holidays, but it was extremely hard to reserve a car and the latest I could book up to was 12PM on the 26th. Regardless, we got the car and drove down to have dinner at Shogun Legends. It was an AMAZING dinner. We had some crazy fresh sashimi (the uni and paradise shrimp was out of this world!) and great cooked food. We were even fortunate enough to talk a little to the owner, who was extremely nice and gave us some insights on how they get their fresh food and their standards for the food. Yup, you get what you pay for.

It was misty and rainy and foggy that night, so the roads were a bit slippery. I only had about 6 hours of sleep the night before and it was the first time I had to drive this far in the dark on NY/NJ roads so it was a bit scary. Fortunately, the time spent in the city was very short and most of the time was on the highways... which, thanks to my training in Cali, I was ok with. On the way back, I was able to catch a nap at my friend's house before driving back to the city (we made it there 13 mins before the car was due - whew). By the time I got there, I was so out of it that when the guy at the parking lot told me to park on the right side of the ramp, I promptly drove the car to the left side of the ramp, with the 2 girls in the car staring at me and me staring back clueless. Then I got out and let the guy at the parking lot finish the job. Yep, it was bad (in a funny way). But WORTH it.

The concert was amazing. Simply amazing. Hins is one of my favorite singers, and I'm very extremely stupidly picky. There are very few singers I would pay money to see, and he is definitely one them. It's not just that I'm paying to see HIM live... it's also to show him support. I always think that if you truly love someone's music, it should be worth paying for because it's one of the few ways they know that they have fans out there. And clap for them when you're there. Hins has a beautiful voice that he has learned more and more to control and manipulate. I would say right now it's the best balance. He should not go even further with hitting those crazy high notes because albeit I like Mariah Carey, she does get my nerve with her showing off of those high notes. Moderation is the best. There are still some songs for which he cannot completely capture the feeling (perhaps from lack of personal relation), but I think that's a good thing. We always hope that we can go even further, and for him, who is superior even now, going even further would be an amazing feat.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Showing us his heart."]

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Vocal talent aside, I also love his personality. Now, I know that it's very easy to hide the true self and put up a good front, but he's doing a mighty good job of it if this is not his true face. His little habitual gestures, such as touching his ears and extending his arms (a bit stiff, but adorable), his half embarrassed laugh and smile after he said something that even he thought was a little too playful or silly, and the way he ran for his life back on stage after he was mobbed off stage while trying to shake hands, or his genuine surprise that everyone would wait and call for a second encore. Especially the way he knelt down on stage to thank his fans. Everything is so innocent and lovable, not just from the point of view of a fan who loves his music, but from someone who appreciates a person who can keep his true heart even after so many years in an industry that is known to be rather unkind to those who are in it. It's so very precious. It's only possible in someone who knows what he truly loves and is determined to pursue it his way. Yes, perhaps it's luck (And family background? Though I highly doubt it had much to do with it) that he was well protected and able to keep his true personality while pursuing his dream, but it's also to be able to not get distracted by everything that comes his way. He is confident enough to make fun of himself, which is a real sign of maturity, and can even brush aside comments that may have caused awkward moments. There's quite a soul and mind in there.

My friends and I stood up and danced for part of the time. Ok, Hins is not known for his fast paced songs or dancing ability (coordination-challenged? lol), but I think standing up shows him that he is loved and supported. Some of his songs that I like the most are ones that he wrote himself, including 無能爲力 and 斷點. It makes me wonder sometimes what kind of mind and heart there is in that petite body of his, that he is able to harbor such intense feelings and talent. He is truly blessed. And I'm grateful that he is still here to support music, and to crate beautiful music for us. The only thing I would ask of him is that he would write more music. I know he loves creating music as much as he loves conveying it. And I will always support him.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Hins, always my Prince."]

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One interesting note, I realize that a lot of stars do a great job at doing covers of other artists' songs, perhaps even better than their own. I think it's because whichever song you choose to sing (that's not yours), there must be something that makes you feel connected to that song, whether it be that you love the song itself or you can related to the feelings, and you spend time thinking about it. It's a good thing. Different renditions of songs by different artists really help to make the song and its hidden layers shine and sometimes remind us that this wonderful song is out there... I'm all about sharing good things. :)

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!"]

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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.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="360" caption="Love the reflection"] [/caption]

Friday 8/28/09
Zhou, Wendy and I met up around noon at the zipcar station right next to my place and we started our journey with Claypole. I drove part of the way until the road started curving so extremely that I just refused to put all our lives in danger anymore. The road to Yosemite was horrifying, especially for someone like me who has a deathly fear of heights, but Zhou was able to get us to Lee Vining without any incidents. We stopped twice at Yosemite to just see the sites on our way, then made it in time to get a glimpse of the sunset (which we weren’t able to catch again). Then it was dinner at one of the two restaurants in town (Bodie Mike’s). The food actually was better than I expected and I really did like the restaurant. Prices were… well… NY/SF level, but this is a tourist trap. I’d say probably 70% of the people who were eating there were tourists.

There was a fire in Yosemite Valley so the area was blocked off from visitors and hotel customers (fortunately the prices for hotels in Yosemite valley were way too high and we didn't book them), but the smell of smoke was prevalent in much of the rest of Yosemite that we roamed through. I know forest fires are necessary for the health of the forest, but it's still sad thinking about all the trees that are burning down.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="The Bunny Vantage."]

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Saturday 8/29/09
We got up at 6 to try to catch the sunrise (which was reported to be at 6:28), unfortunately we missed out on the part where the dark skies slowly turn light so it’d have to be Sunday. We planned for Bodie, then back to Yosemite. Bodie had the full setting for a western horror (or hero) film. It was desolate, eerie, and unrestored, which we really liked. We also learned about the Bodie curse, which was that if you take ANYTHING from the grounds of Bodie (nail, stone, flower!, etc.) as a “souvenir” you are asking to be cursed! It’s bad luck for as long as you have the item… so in the museum we saw boatloads of letters from people returning the items they took and begging the ghosts of Bodie for forgiveness. What I wondered was… wth would so many people take these nails!? A highlight was the ADORABLE bunny that came our way. Wendy and I ran after it (carefully) and took tons of pictures.

We then headed back to Yosemite and managed to do two trails: Touloume Meadows/Soda Springs and Gaylor Lakes (no jokes pls!). They were both beautiful and after Gaylor lakes, we persisted and crossed a dessert (no joke!) to get to Granite lake, which was another gem.
Dinner was again at Bodie Mikes (look we didn’t have much choice) but this time we totally took charge of the salad bar.