Friday, I'm In Love

• Johnnie Walker. Scotch whiskey? One of the best birthday presents. Ever. (Thanks, Dima!)
• Psych. Hilarious.
• Recent groupon-type acquisitions:
  - A dozen Beard Papa cream puffs ($11)
  - 2-hour long SCUBA lesson in a swimming pool in San Carlos ($10/each x 2)
  - 25 yoga classes at Funky Door Yoga ($25)
• My Halloween costume this year is very DIY and obscure, but here's the reference for you, Internet friends:

"Je m'appelle Claude"

A Friends reference? Yep.

Tell the Story

On November 1st, National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo) begins again. Every year - seriously, almost every single year since I've heard of this event - I sit down and briefly think, "I should do it!"

I don't know if you know this, but the thing that keeps someone from being a writer: actual writing. Crazy, huh?

So, here's my little friendly list of self-reminders as November 1st approaches:

• All you have to do is tell the story. Your favorite books and authors do this fluidly. Flush out what happens and tell it to everyone.
• Your writing will probably suck. Harder and more effective than any Dyson out there, and your writing, too, may not lose suction. But don't let that be a deterrent. Just do it.
• Keep writing. Seriously. Keep writing.
• Imperfect characters are wonderful. There are no perfect people out there, so don't design fantastic characters with unachievable traits. That's uninteresting.

Wish me luck!

Chung's Egg Rolls

Okay, I've seen this brand of frozen Chinese goodies at the supermarket many times but never tried it. Finally - whilst it was on sale - I purchased the box of frozen shrimp egg rolls for $2. They come with sweet and sour sauce, too, which was pretty delicious.

Cooked in the microwave? The texture was terrible. But when you put it in the conventional toaster oven? Super yummy. Patience - it pays off.

What's All This For?

Around 3 AM last night, I finally finished reading The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau. It's a really cool book that appealed to me from beginning to end. It made me ask questions about what I really want (what I really, really want) out of life and how I really want to live my life.

Most of us go through life in a manner that Chris would describe as "sleepwalking." I've been sleepwalking for years and even now on certain days, I feel like more zombie than human. And this is despite living a rather unconventional life without the usual soul-crushing trappings. And yet I still let those moments of self-confusion seep in because, well, I'm only human with perfect frailties that surface at imperfect moments.

I don't know. Maybe I'm extra contemplative and introspective recently because of an impending birthday (Saturday!). I'm not the type to dwell miserably over getting old; as it's been pointed out many times before, the alternative to growing older is not very desirable. Clarity comes and goes and you can't sustain it for a long time, so I embrace the hazy fogs that roll in every now and then. I mean, there's a reason why I live in San Francisco, right? Gotta love the fog.

Just Me

My friend, Gary, took these photos of me in August at one of my favorite spots in the world: Shakespeare Garden in Golden Gate Park. Yes, I'll go ahead and make a bold claim since it's Friday.

It's awfully funny being on the other side of the camera because the entire time I'm wondering about camera settings. And my attention span is that of a squirrel monkey (they have short attention spans, right? ...it's an actual animal... right...?). After just a few moments of having my photos taken and I notice myself drifting away mentally and with it, any sort of attention to making decent-for-public-exposure expressions. Imagine this O________o if you will. (;

But I think the photos turned out well despite my subconscious self-sabotage. :-D With that said, the weather is fabulous today and I think I will venture out to one of my favorite spots in the whole world to listen to some music and ponder life. And read. But probably not Popular Photography.

I always wear high heels in the park! Ha!