kenzonian tsutakonian

Brooklyn loves the craft

2009-02-25T08:43:00.001-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/dining/25brooklyn.html

This is a nice article sent to me by my roommate. It talks a lot about how brooklyn supports local high quality>

Rick Mast, 32, said he and his brother were initially attracted to the borough because it was cheaper than Manhattan. "But now I think the real draw is the creativity," he said. "In Brooklyn, to be into food is do it yourself, to get your hands dirty, to roll up your sleeves. You want to peek in the kitchen in the back, as opposed to being served in the front."

"There's an appreciation here for craftsmanship and people who work with their hands," Mr. Bukiewicz said. "I had no idea there was going to be this convergence of artists, artisans and food culture in Brooklyn."

"I love being a part of this community," said Mr. Sklaar, 28, noting that Fine & Raw's packaging was created by a lingerie designer paid with chocolate. "Brooklyn is always in beta testing."

Marketing Strategy

2009-02-23T22:02:00.001-08:00

Marketing Studio 1thousand is a delicate process in today's climate. Marketing and advertising in the design world is a delicate and challenging opportunity. When selling a high value item, many times it is important to appeal to the gatekeepers before the check writers. Due to opportunities on the internet, there are a lot of chances to shed light on the brand with little to no money. There are two main groups which S1k needs to interface with directly, which will lead to sales. We call the first group, "finders," and the second group the "choosers." These individuals or organizations are the people who will ultimately suggest and choose the fixtures for the final client, the "check writers."

The Finders, as a group, are design junkies. These people read lots of blogs, they might even have their own blog. They are searching for cool things, interesting projects, just neat things in general. These people and their blogs spread images, words, sounds, movies far and fast across the internet. They lend a variable amount of credibility to a product based on how much status the blog has. This blogroll includes: inhabitat.com, Notcot.org, core77.com, mocoloco.com, coolhunter.com, psfk.com, even Kanye West's blog.

To capture the interest of these taste makers, these idea merchants, S1k will work to provide content in short and long form. Part of this group is going to establish a small personal relationship with the brand. Through twitter, and the blog, they want to know what the company is doing and the trials and tribulations of everyday management of a company. Its a way to keep S1k in their minds at all time. This as a strategy does not necessarily reach people who will pass this information on to others.

To stop and capture the attention of people who might show this off to other people, even the next people, the choosers, S1k will create small vignettes which explore key branding points of S1k. The first movie short will show how a Constellation lamp is made in the USA. Short interviews with the people who make the different components of the lights, will show the diversity of people who live and work in the United States, and come together to make products. This is a way to show clients how their investment goes back into the USA. These people include a 20 year old railing company, and a group of immigrant woman who live in Massachusetts.

The goal of this type of abstract branding is to engage people in a web of different opportunities and time commitments. Some people may just see the image and decide they might like it, while others might like watching the video because they like seeing things made. The ultimate goal is to show the humanity necessary to produce this product.

Tools, How many do you need?

2009-02-18T19:58:00.001-08:00

In my tool box: hammer, lots of screw drivers, levels, tape measures, 4 kinds of tape, heat gun, screw gun, olfa knives-two kinds, rulers, vice grips, tweezers, 3x pairs of pliers, soldering iron, etc.

in my computer box: CS, FCP, office, iwork, ilife, xtorrent, adium, quicktime, quick silver, skype

in my internet box: im, gmail, twitter, facebook, google, google, google, godaddy, pando

in my pocket: keys, ipod, phone, pens, notebook, glasses, wallet

in my bag: something to read, something to write on, clif bar, biz cards, product cards

I'm missing a lot. both in the list, and in my knowledge. People ask me stuff. I either tell them the answer, or I tell them my best guess as to where I think they can find the answer. I have all these tools, but I don't really ever feel like I have all the answers. I feel like I know a lot, never everything, and there is always room for more. I feel like my brain cross-links all sorts of things. I don't think that makes me smarter... Is there one tool that is going to get me there? I wish I could say that in the kitchen I only use my knife for everything, and I wish that I could say that I don't need anything else in my kitchen, but I need a fine mesh strainer. To make ginger ale.

When everyday is the same, what is interesting?

2009-02-13T10:43:00.001-08:00

I have been waiting for a check for a long time from client 1. I think, like anything, it takes a long time to get the first one out, and needing this money BAD, I am not going to give up on this. But man, waiting for money is hard, and even then, there is so much to do. I applied for unemployment today. relatively painless, and very fast. But I don't think I am going to be getting anything. The way that system is set up right now is not going to work in this current situation (shitty) that we are in now. Talk about all the options, I'm interviewing for unemployment at the same time I am applying for a job at Condé Nast. Good news is that I made $240 this weekend on a fashion show. I got some Plyboo laser cut. its really amazing how nice that stuff cuts. I get the ply at www.bettencourtwood.com and I get things laser cut at www.nydesigns.org. ask for Mike.

The constellation is moving along, It looks like I might do the bulk of the soldering myself, I have to see if the numbers work out for making these things. I went to talk to the NYSBC in brooklyn on tues, and my man JM de Jesús gave me a lot of resources. the #1 on my list. the group of library sciences masters and PHD candidates up in albany who you can ask research questions. I fired of my first list today, its a full sheet of questions. I cannot understate how amped I am at having those types of people helping me, even if they are anonymous.

I think next week is going to be time to start asking for money, jsut a couple thousand here and there to keep me going. even in the downturn, there are people who have money, and this round its going to be the just to pay some expenses to keep me going.

What is a company overview?

2009-02-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

How do you explain to other people that the company that you are starting is basically physical manifestation of yourself? How do you tell your investors that you have been told for ever and ever that you are not supposed to litter, that salmon are dying because of you, and that driving your car around is something you should think about? Am I ahead of the curve? Are kids just starting to learn this now? Perhaps its because I got a paid education. But fuck that.

Ostensibly, you write a business plan because you want people to give you money, and in return, after a couple years, you are going to give them their money back. But are they giving you money because they are looking for a good investment? what is a "good" investment? Because I want them to get their money too, but that is not at the top of the list. That is probably third in a triple bottom line. 1. giving back to the communty, 2. Don't mess up the environment, 3. Make money.

How do you explain that to people? Perhaps the people who I am asking for money will have similar goals or perspectives. I think I need to search for those people...

Being in DC 1.18-1.21

2009-01-25T07:28:00.001-08:00

Being in DC during this time, both MLK and Inauguration is pretty amazing. Like the Election itself, I think there will be some time tomorrow where I will just feel overwhelmed.

There is so much emphasis on his blackness but for me it is not his blackness as much as his upbringing, his community activism, his struggles with identity, and his struggle to fit in. These are the things that draw me closer and closer to his story. Of course I identify with many things in the black community - and the black community has suffered the most and the longest out of any of the colored communities - but it is the sense that he has had to cobble together his own life, and community, from disparate and often far flung parts which really brings it together. It is a testament to his mother, that she was such an interesting person. You can tell when he talks about different things, or when I watch his choices, you can tell that each word that he speaks holds volumes of information behind it. A lifetime of nuaced observations inform him. He has spent a life trying to fit in, be in a group. He was lucky to grow up in Hawaii, where there is almost complete tolerance for people of all types. Perhaps it was on this small island where he was free to examine who exactly he wanted to identify with. Perhaps if he had gone to school in a big mainland city, he would have spent his whole childhood trying to decide between white or black, probably coming out oreo. (esp. with a white mom, shout out to Bryan.)

I get the same feeling about his cabinet, people all seem to think that he has set up his cabinet for failure, bringing all sorts of people together to work, who may but heads, but in the same way that he has had to cobble together his own life I think he expects his staff to work it out as well. I think most of these people will fall in line when they realize that they are expected to tough it out and perform. That is, in a sense what forms the core of my personal connection to him. Observe, understand, synthesize, edit. This has been his whole life.

The strangeness of it all.

2009-01-14T10:26:00.001-08:00

It strange starting a company, especially one where there the product is so expensive. On one hand, I am expecting to get a big check for the first order. On the other hand, I signed up for public assistance today. That's right, food stamps. How are these two things part of my life? how is it that I am seemingly riding high, and asking for handouts? I feel like there are a lot of people, and designers who could be in this place.

After food stamps, three offices in two seperate locations, I went to see Wilsey Wolf over at Greenhouse over on Atlantic. She was super excited to get one and show it. She says that business has been good, and the word has been getting out. So I feel like its a good Brooklyn home for the Constellation.

I went to a thing at DWR last night. It was called Product placement. We saw some interesting work in textiles, and wall coverings. Some times I don't really know how the people presenting get chosen, but they are interesting, and the come from a range of experience and experiences, and I ran into my friend Scully who I have been half heartly working to get in touch with. I am going to apply for the next one, "Sustainable."

Finally, I talked to my Dad for about 30 min today. He's helping with bookkeeping for S1k, and he had a lot of good things to say about dealing with money.

I'm still looking for a job, but S1k is riding high today.

Test post, this is how I email the world.

2009-01-13T10:38:00.001-08:00

I find that Gmail is taking over my world.
If I can text my calender to remind me of things to do, or email this
blog to post, so there can be a record of what I am looking for. Does
another person need to spill their guts online?

When you write, you write about yourself.

2008-12-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

Don't tell me that I don't get introspective. I introspect all the fucking time. Perhaps I only talk about it when I am depressed. Maybe I journal, diary, only when I want to see my depression on the page. Hey, its better then Luis, he takes pictures of himself when he is really sad. I want to see those pictures, they sound like they would be really fun to look at, if I wasn't sad.

I also don't have a good memory. What kinds of shit do I need to remember? I remember my birthday, I remember what I have to do tomorrow, mostly. But what draws people to write about things? Who fucking knows. But if reading this, you will hear about how depressed I am right now, and if I only write when I feel depressed, Then this is going to be one sad ass blog, and not sad in not updated, and measly, and anemic, but sad like: shoot me, please.

How do you know when you are a good writer? when other people tell you that you are a good writer? Most of the people who know if you are a good writer are being flooded with requests from people that need to get told they are a good writer. and want to get paid.

I want to get paid.

But here, I just want to write about things that happen to me, specifically things that make me depressed. Being a positive person, I think I feel like I never want to dwell on things that make me depressed, but where are those stories when you need them? How do I get myself to remember what stories I have, which I can tell to the people reading this nonsense, which will spark interest in a way that I find interesting, which makes some sort of interest loop?

I think the best writers are people who sensationalize everyday life. Its easy to go to the ends of the earth, and then talk about things that your friends have never seen, but what about all the things that people see all the time, and make those things interesting? Let's try. Here are the things that were interesting in my day today:

Waking up early, is starting to be something I lust after. I want to be able to, have to wake up early and go to work. I want to be able to pay bills on time. This morning I did both by waking up early and writing an invoice. later they told me that I had charged them too much, and now they weren't gonna pay me after this one. I understand. They are the ones asking for all the research.

I went to work, I forgot my red ruler. its nice because it has a center measure. its also long and makes people get out of the way because I walk around with a huge red ruler, which says, "hey, I'm a big ruler which will hurt when I jam into your nuts, or crotch or whatever."

I wore my new patagonia hat today, I love this thing, but it makes my ears hurt. The plum trim makes the whole thing worth it.

People are continuing to get depressed about the economy. I figure I need to be making things for Walmart at this point. Maybe I should sell lights at Walmart, maybe I should have taken that job over at that boring place, but man that place was not sexy.

Things that are interesting to me today...
I saw this girl in black leggings and black glasses, sexy.
I like the construction lifts at the place we were working.
I wish my computer would start working again.
I got my Tizio lamp back, found on the street, $80 of repair.
Made some new lampshades, when you are depressed, making things is a good way to feel successful.
Fried chicken soup didnt really fill me up.

Goodnight.

Back, japan, drunk

2008-08-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Someone told me before I left, that coming back to NYC from Tokyo, was like coming back to a third world country. So true. There is a certain, unavoidable comparison that happens when you travel between cities of comparable size or spectre. There is also a bizarre acclimatization that can happen. For instance, NYC to Hong Kong. Crazy, but not that crazy. Chinese city to Tokyo? You can only stand in amazement at the difference a couple hundred miles can make.

This is the first time I have really thought about the possibilites of living in a different city. There is something that is now so familiar about the NYC way of life. The way you order a bagel at the deli, the endless restaurants which offer a skirt steak, a roast chicken, a fish, a pasta, 4 salads, and some brucetta.

Japan is an island of painful exactitudes. I don't really know where all of the precision came from, there must be some sort of paradigm set in the momoyama, or asaksa, or edo period or one of those, when they started to just be more accurate than anyone else in the world. Its pretty ridiculous. I got these two earthenware cups from my mom. By my standards, they are about the same size, and are a set in my mind. They came in individual boxes, which were about 5mm different in width.

When I walked around in Japan, from Tokyo to the smallest town, I kinda walked around awestruck. Especially as someone who has spent the last couple years learning about how things go together, how they are made, and what it takes to make an object. Its not even that they have this intense pride for what they do, or make or what ever. It's not even a question. Electrical lines are strung with a huge amount of parts, there are fittings for sliding doors, manholes, street cars, just seem to make more sense.

One of the weirdest things to me, and I tried to explain this to some people, who were not in design, and they looked at me funny. But especially after studying Taxis, convincing the public to do things in a certain way is impressive.

Anyway, here goes. In every city I have been in before that has a subway, the subway has stairs. The subway stairs are divided for rush hour, into the up lane and the down lane. The stairs are generally 50% up, and 50 down. These percentages, I assume, come from wanting equal amounts of space for people to move. In Tokyo, its %30 down, 70 up. Someone watching people go up and down these stairs, realized that people going down the stairs go way faster. So in fact, the same number of people are going in both directions. People going up the stairs need more time and space.

I'm not sure why this is so genius to me, except to say that no stone is left unexamined. It reminds me a lot of Denmark, or vice versa in the sense that the planning is so well done, that there is no reason to buck the system.

Opposite to this carefully measured stairway is the Chinese roadway, where there is no center line at all. There are almost no road markings on a Chinese road, no crosswalks, no signs, in larger cities there are traffic lights, but in small towns, people are lucky when there is a curb. There are people walking, bicycles tricycles, battery powered tricycles, electric scooters, scooters, minibuses, buses, tour buses, taxis, scooter taxis, tractors (articulated engine exposed), trucks of all sizes, and everyone drives slow enough that you just pass people when you need to, you drive where there is space, and crossing this street is a very tricky proposition, especially at night. There is this level of common sense that pervades the people and the culture that encourages them to do what works in the absence of higher authority. There has been much scholarship, which I have not read, but a lot of discussion on why the Chinese accept communism as a government, and one of the conclusions is that the Chinese government has always been very big and bureaucratic.

There is a level of tenacity which the Chinese have, that the Japanese seem to have lost. Perhaps it is in some part due to the scarcity that is China.

This survival instinct that pervades China, has been replaced in Japan by what seems to be an endless childhood. Ola thought that the warning signs departments in Japan were either a room full of 1st graders, or aimed at 1st graders. From high voltage warnings, to dog poo signs, to drowning warnings, they all seem to be signs which are ready to be animated into the next pokémon movie. When you look at them, you start to understand better, what Murakami is talking about. You might even think that he designed all of them. This cuteness is perhaps what has infantilized the whole country.

I have to say that I drank a lot of whisky in Japan, and I spent a lot of time looking at the ice they put in my drink. In a certain way, This ice, is one of the ways I characterize Japan. You have never seen ice cubes, so large, irregular, and so PERFECTLY clear in your life. its like a small water clear iceberg was dropped into your glass. If I drank whisky 7 night in ten nights of Japan, I spent 7 nights trying to get a good picture of this ice. I don't know how they do it, but I went to have some nice cocktails with Silvia last night, and while the drinks were nice, the ice was incomparable. This is why Japan will always be at the forefront of aesthetic things in this world. They take the time to figure out how to make something as pedestrian as ice, PERFECT.

Just remember, in Japan, the sound of trickling water makes silence more silent.

Observations

2008-07-20T05:42:00.001-07:00

That last post where I tell you about what I did and didn't editorialize very much felt kinda boring.

This one I am just going to tell you things I find interesting. what ever that is

We're back in Gui Lin now and at an internet cafe, but its more of an internet nightclub. Its sunday night, the place is packed, there is a glass floor, with neon underneath, and its all dark and smokey. There is this really hot bikini girl on the sign, and it took us 10 minutes just to get a computer. Oh, and there are waiters.

Outside is the main square, where on a huge screen, like times square size, they play music videos about how the olympics are coming, and everyone should get ready, and also videos on how to do the official Chinese cheer, Which is pretty boring, and I will not demonstrate, even when I get back, even if I am inebriated. All the videos are pretty slick, and include Chinese pop stars, and cool panning, helicopter shots on the top of mountains, and people who are in the square, which is about the size of bryant park, or the parking lot in front of seahawks stadium is full of people chilling, shopping, and of course, if they are bored, watching this thing like people watch tv at home. They got that weird stare on.

Also today I finally took one of the moped (moto-che 车) taxis, because I wanted to get one of the helmets that they use. Its just injection molded abs plastic, but its cool because it's yellow, and has a visor. Riding those things are tight, and I did not take a picture.

Chinese people take meat serrrrious. My sister, who has been here for 6 months, says that people do not consider it a meal unless there is meat involved. They do not understand vegetarianism. people on her program would tell waiters that they did not eat meat, and the waiters would then ask if they were going to only eat chicken for dinner. Today I see this very well dressed woman, young and sexy, and in high heels, and she has, what I think is, a pork rib in her hand munching away while she walks through the main shopping mall (outdoors, think stroget). Turns out, when she gets closer, she is wailing on a duck head. She is picking the thing to pieces. Amazing. She got it at this food stand, a little to go shop, where all they sell is duck parts. All sorts of gizzards, feet, wings, neck, head, basically, think of a duck, then subtract all the parts that don't have meat on them (feathers) and they eat the rest. Its logo is a duck that is dressed and like and in a Bruce Lee stance, which mystifies me, because any duck that ends up at this place has clearly lost the game of death.

When we were at Yang Shou, there is a tourist part of town, where the hawkers and skeemers are out in force. They are not really there to hustle you, but they are definetly trying to get some cash. I spent the day dreaming up ways to try to sell them things when they were trying to sell us stuff. Unfortunately none of them wanted my shredded pork bun, that I was trying to sell. I kept offering them a pork bun, which I paid 5 Quai ($.85) for, and they were not taking it. Then my sis and I talked about the nigeran scammers who were scammed into performing the dead parrot skit from monty python.

Which you can see here.

We also went to see a show which was directed by Yimou Zhang, who also directed Raise the Red Lantern, and Hero. It was pretty amazing, his control of light and cloth is unmatched. But I got most excited, understandebly, when the 200 women in dresses that had LEDs in them came marching out in the dark. Look forward to that video.

I have spent a considerable amount of time looking for bootleg copies of Polo shirts. Finally, today I found one. It of course smells a little bit musty, because it is kept in a dank, concrete room, but that does not detract from the fact that it is mint green, and has a giant pink polo logo on it. Quite amazing the level of Bootlegginess out here. We have been counting, and one of the most bootlegged brands is the adidas/Yhoji Yamamoto brand, Y-3. We have seen Y-1 all the way up to Y-8 shoes, and a considerable amount of them are pretty good. But it has been a long process to explain to my dad why I would want a bootleg copy of a famous shirt, or brand.

Times up, gotta go

I almost passed out today.

2008-07-19T01:17:00.000-07:00

I almost passed out today.

It was hot and we went riding bikes all over the place. I wish I could upload some photos. Here is a poem that was written by a famous Chinese poet about the area I'm in:

The river is like a blue ribbon, winding through the
mountains like jade hairpins.

I think there is something lost in translation. but it is nice out here.

A lot happened since I posted last, and I dunno if I am going to get through it. but we will try in this hot ass internet cafe I'm in.

Hong Kong.

We took the tram up Victoria Peak, and at the top? a mall. Chinese people love to buy things. also, in hong kong they like to make these malls where you cant find your way out. so we were in there for a good 20 min before we found the way out. from there, dad suggested that we hike up higher. we spent the next 30 min walking up this hill, where there are all sorts of rich people houses until we got to the gate of the weather station. that was nice, we were way above the top of the tram and there was no one there. It was possible to see the south side of HK island, and it was nice.

The thing about traveling with my dad, or, a thing about my dad is that he loves talking to the experts. He loves taking tours and tour guides and all that. so he reads about this tour called Hong Kong, the land between. which is a tour of the northern part of the SAR where there is not really any people. I mean there are villages and stuff like that, but its not developed. we soon realized that our tour guide was using the tour to talk his populist agenda. He hated speaking the actual text that the HK tourism board made him say. for instance, at this one lookout point, he made a point of saying, "here is what I am supposed to say," which had something to do with how the view was impinged by the fog and clouds, and not by pollution. By the end, he had taken us to this fish farming village, where the whole village is floating out on this bay, and had some nice strong words for the new three phase, multimillion dollar housing project going up on the hill overlooking the little village. It turns out that they are taking the fishing village out, so they can put a marina for super yachts in that place.

From there, I thought it was only right to go on a shopping trip. the places that I had gone looking for the day before, I had done some research and found the little street where they were, I dragged my sis and dad out to patterson st. in Causeway Bay, and found some crazy shops. There are some hipster ass shit out there, but when I asked if any of it was Chinese, the answer was always, "no." its all Japanese, American and European.

One cool thing about the subways in HK, is that they are all open air somehow, and the train is continous from one end to the other. So instead of having A/C they just have this cool breeze blowing through the whole thing. This also means that the stations are not blazing hot and nasty like the NYCT.

After looking at some super expensive T shirts, Yaya and I decided that we wanted to go see if we could find some good ass bootleg shit. People were walking around all over with those fresh Polo shirts with the giant logos, but there were all sorts of fake versions. we went to the night market in Kowloon and never really found what we were looking for. But in anycase, the night market in Kowloon is like Canal St, but 10 huge alley ways of it.

The next morning we took the communter train to GuangZhou, which came into the smaller East train station. We took the subway back to the Bigger one, and it was really the first taste of how crazy China is. Unless you have been here, you have no idea about the scale they are working on. Its bigger, dirtier, more people, more people on top of those people, louder, and pushier then anything I have ever seen in the west. If you have ever experienced Chinese people pushing their way on to the D train, the B train, whatever, and think that they are rude, try doing that with a whole overnight train.

We took the night train out to Gui Lin, which is a big tourist town. we were in the six bunk section which has little sections of two sets of bunks which are stacked three high. apparently there is a section like european trains where there is four and a door to the compartment, but this was not that. Space was at a premium. Little seats were by the window on the aisle side, and if you were on a top bunk, that's about all you got. People walking around selling food, newspapers, beer, and to top it off, the whole time, state TV is playing. which was centered around the olympics. its pretty much all they are talking about right now. This program was about how to understand Greco-Roman wrestling.

In a tourist town, there are always people trying to sell you shit. trying to get over on you. Its a good thing my sis talks good enough Chinese. While we were at the hostel, waiting for a room to open, we went to buy some icecream next door. From these people, we learned that the hostel was overcharging by a grip and they had a hotel next door which they could rent to us for about a third. It was straight out of the Commie era. It had huge rooms, and a red carpet, a little dingy, but lots of space. It was way better then staying with all the stinky european backpackers.

That was a couple days ago, but now I have to go.
China is great. I have not gotten a bad stomach, I eating everything, and people are very nice. With the three of us, its possible to fly under the tourist radar just enough so we are not mobbed. In every place we go, there are stalls and shops to buy things, and the noodles are good.

Hope all is well where ever you are.
K.

Kowlooooon

2008-07-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

You can see by the time stamp that it is 5:34. the problem is that it is opposite, and my stomach is pining for that snack it usually gets before I ride home from work.

I'm here in HK, but really Kowloon, its on the mainland, and used to be the seedier side of Hong Kong, but these days its a lot harder to find the seedier side in the city limits itself.

Unlike my experience with BA last summer, the flight from JFK-NAR, left on time, with my baggage. I got to sit upstairs, which, 2 hours in, I was wishing was a bar instead. I think one of the hardest parts of long flights is the lack of communication and talking with anyone. I spent hour 6 talking to a couple young people who had sneaked up stairs.

At NAR I went to the new gate, watched sumo in HD on a beautiful 50inch Panasonic. This is not the sumo of the 70s. while the sport is probably exactly the same, watching each match on slow motion reply in High Definition was pretty amazing. every salt crystal, every fat ripple, every skin condition, every butt zit, HD.

From there, another 474 to HK, and pretty standard. One thing I noticed, the boarding times are a lot faster, somehow those little Japanese hands can board everyone a lot faster.

Movies watched:
21, *** (interesting story about MIT kids counting cards in Vegas)
Street Kings, ***.5 (Keanu in a wannabe Training Day)
weird JTV show about local oddities in Japanese prefectures,***( never really understood what was going on.
1998 Masters tournament where Tiger lost, **

Dad and Yaya were there to pick me up, yaya was having a ball watching people come through customs on these two huge jumbotrons that were setup so people could see when their people were coming out. If I had only known they were there, I would have done a little dance, or something just to entertain all those people who had been there all that time.

we took the train, had a hell of a time trying to get out of the Kowloon station, and then walked to the boarding house. The boarding house is amazing, its straight out of In the Mood for Love, but unlike the movie, its full of Indians, Pakistanis, white students, Arabs, and Africans. The bathroom is like my and Luis' in CPH, no shower stall in the bathroom, and a triple occupancy is a twin bed on one side, and a double on the other.

We went out to get some noodles, a beer and I think the whole thing was 3 dollars.
we went to sleep around 2:30 pm and I am up already, tired, but I think I am going to go out and take some pics.

Kowloon is amazing, its grimy, all the lights are fluorescent, all the AC units, of which there are thousands, drip on to the sidewalk, and I love it.

Its getting light out, I'm going out to take pics.

K.