Excursion

After a month of intensive staring contests with a computer screen (against my own will), a nice brief backpacking trip back into the wild was long overdue. Our destination had to be in close proximity as we only had the weekend, yet far enough that we had no cell reception whatsoever. The logical choice was obviously Pt. Reyes National Seashore just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the few things I like about California is the diverse terrain, having cloud covered mountains right next to the beach, two things that I can never choose between so why bother? We left Berkeley at 6am with backpacks holding sleeping bags, tent, 3 gallons of water, beef jerky, trail mix, and of course the whistle (for the black bears, they're shy).

The first day involved hiking to our campsite right next to the beach, pitching our tent (we had rehearsed this a week before and completed it within five minutes), a search for an imaginary safeway (Vitamin Water, and some dvds), hitting a few dead ends (MUDDY HOLLOWWWSS!!), a nap on the beach, and a sunset at "the Three Kings". We covered about twenty miles.

I somehow managed to injure my right leg and had trouble walking, let alone carry a full backpack another twenty miles. We woke again at 6am, this time at our own accord, and left immediately for arch rock, which was beautiful. It made me quite pleased with myself as a photographer to see the lengths I would go to for a good shot. After that it was another 4 miles back to the trailhead where our ride to our 6 dollar burrito was waiting. I could barely walk afterwards.

Studio

The concept of an art studio has always been a luxury in my eyes. One equipped with a seemingly endless supply of blank canvases, colors, windows, and a stereo. I enjoy those rare oppurtunities in which I am able, not forced, to work hours on end, oblivious to the passage of time. The concept of a studio at home is even more foreign to me, and is something that I can only hope will materialize as my resources do; having to pay for materials is also unreasonably difficult, mentally. Up to now, I have been confined to converting the bedroom, garage, and everynow and then, the living room. I'm sure it annoys my housemates much more than myself.

As some of you might know, my mother has recently purchased a brand new Mini Cooper. I was amused to find a Mini care package in the mail the other day. Notebooks, code readers, pens, brochures, trading cards, 3d glasses, window stickers. A car company that loves its customers. And its marketing scheme.

SLVR 111. This angle makes my leg look like I ought to roast it in honey mustard.

Analogy

Massimo Vignelli compared the role of a designer in society to that of a doctor, explaining that both are meant to cure. The doctor seeks to cure people of sickness whereas the designer seeks to cure the world of ugliness. I truly appreciated this statement as it reinforced the resolve that I had when I began to pursue a creatice direction in the first place. If you are going to make anything at all, why not make it beautiful. Right God? I think everything humans do is in response to a problem. Engineers cure the world of inefficiency, scientists cure the world of ignorance, entertainers cure the world of boredom, Christians attempt to cure the world of sin. This is why civilization thrives, because we will be here as long as there are problems. It has been said before, we are the problem.

Immortal

Singular

I must give my respect to the Clot crew for expanding their presence to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one of the frontiers of street culture that was arguably non-existent before Clot's retail venture. The effort was carried out through their second installment of Hong Kong's Juice flagship. The city they chose for this very selective project is indeed unconventional for a brand with such an international following. Most other's might have chosen cities already heavily invested in such as Tokyo, New York, even EDC's hometown of Vancouver. This definitely separates them from the rest.




I visit the bookstore weekly, on the lookout for any inspirational print material, mainly magazines. One publication I always look forward to seeing is Esquire. The images they present on their covers are nothing less than iconic and the type design integrated never fails to impress me. The articles and short stories deliver a rare sense of classy and refined humor that is hard to find elsewhere. This month featured a new short by Stephen King on the front cover, painted on the body of Israeli Fashion Model Bar Rafaeli. Text on the human body is nothing new, as we can see from Stefan Sagmeister's work for example. But I really liked how clean and modern this looked, and the way the words were intended to fit perfectly with her pose. This wasn't digitally added, it was hand painted.

En Route

This movie looks fly. It's been on my watch list even before it was ever in production. Tim Burton is perfect pick for the job, not Disney. Even as a child, Disney was not able to mask the undercurrent themes of sex, drugs, etc. that amused and horrified me at the same time. Those of you who know me well know how intrigued I am by the craftiness of Lewis Carroll in his wonderland series. I wrote a high school term paper on it. This film will not disappoint me, at least not visually. Johnny Depp is looking sick.





Another preview of upcoming attractions. Southern Heritage is back in business. Impending visits are inevitable. Cousin Jon with the towelette.

Another note, currently reading the book of Samuel. Currently listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn. Currently working on my new website in which I will import this blog. And currently making pot roast with buttered noodles for dinner.

Reminisce

As I progress further into the future, my childhood dissolves just as rapidly. This week has been a busy one, going down a list of car repairs, meeting up with old friends, but mainly working as a designer and consultant for my good friend and former high school tennis coach Erik at Foxit PDF, where he was the head of marketing.

I decided to take Wednesday off and treated myself to a quick run back to the City. It just so happened to be Wachovia Wednesday for the California Academy of Science at Golden Gate Park when admission is free. This has been my favorite museum since my first visit in the 1st grade. I haven't been able to go since their remodeling. As expected, parking was a long and unpleasant ordeal. When I got out of the car, I happened to walk right into the end of the entry line. The bad part was that the museum was nowhere in sight. The wait ended up being 2 and a half hours, but that's what I get for being cheap. I had hoped to line up next to some fine lady but instead landed a trio of baby mamas and their strollers. The line was actually twice as long as i had imagined it when the building came into view. I felt fortunate that I hadn't seen how far away I was from the front. Sometimes its good not to know your distance from the top, in anything you do. You tend to do better. At the front, there were still people arriving and realizing that there was a line. I couldn't help but think, "You ain't seeing sh*t my friend". Spending leisure time alone like his also lets you notice other people more. People are so interesting.



The main exhibition was a four story sphere enclosed around an artificial rain forest. If i was
Citizen Kane, this would definitely be in my backyard.



Simulating the rain forest included a replication of the humidity. I felt like I was back in Taiwan again. There was a walkway that spiraled to the top allowing you to see every layer of the rain forest.



Then you took an elevator down below the pond into the aquarium. Question, are their laws against having penguins as pets, because I would give my third testicle to have one.



Before heading back home I stopped by North Beach to pay a quick visit to my favorite store TheDarkSideInitiative. Talked a while with the owner and picked up some new Neighborhood.
Traffic on the way home was unwelcomed. When it let up, my front right tire exploded out of nowhere. The damage was surprisingly ridiculous, but I swapped it with the spare with some extra cover provided by the CHP who arrived shortly after.