No Rain On My Parade

It has been raining all week. I'm one of the people who doesn't mind the rain, as long as it doesn't happen on the weekend. I was stuck inside my studio on Saturday after doing my usual errands- doing my laundry and grocery shopping. I usually reserve Saturday afternoon to have lunch with my mom. However, she was visiting my grandmother who was recovering from ovarian cancer surgery in the hospital. I took the extra time I had to clean up the remnants of the party I had this past Monday- empty beer bottles, left over drinks bathed in melted ice-water in the cooler, and piles of dishes left drying in the kitchen sink.

When you're stuck inside the house, there are only so many things you can do to keep your mind occupied. You can read a book, watch television, play some music, surf the Internet, talk on the phone with a friend, and such. I really appreciate the freedom I have as a bachelor. I can come and go as I please. I'm not accountable to anyone but myself. If I make a mess, there is no one to tell me to pick up my things. If I don't feel like talking, I can just lock myself in my room and shut the world out. However, there are also times like today when you're rained in that you wish there is someone in your life that you can have company with. It would be nice to be able to lay in bed together, pop in a DVD, brew up some hot cocoa, top it off with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, and just chat about nothingness while the movie plays in the background.

Instead of being cooped up in my studio for another day, I decided to head to Chinatown. I needed to get out and get some fresh air, even if it meant getting wet while doing so. I took my point-and-shoot camera with me knowing that I might capture some interesting images in the rain. I first stopped by my favorite noodle house in the plaza. I ordered a hot bowl of beef brisket and tendon noodle soup with a side order of won ton dumpling. It really hit the spot, especially on a chilly day like this. Chinese restaurants are not known for the quality of their customer service. I had to ask three times before I got my cup of ice water. I thought about not leaving a tip at first, but I try to give the workers the benefit of the doubt. They're overworked and underpaid. To me, I won't miss a dollar or two, but to them, their tips are their livelihood.

After lunch I wanted to get some pastries at the bakery to satisfy my sweet tooth. But first, I stopped by a Chinese supermarket to purchase some ingredients for the curry chicken dish I had planned to make for dinner. I needed to pick up an onion and some mushrooms. I thought it would taste better if I used fresh mushrooms, so I went to the vegetable aisle. While heading there, I accidentally bumped into an attractive woman holding a shopping basket. I immediately apologized to her, and I noticed that when we made eye-contact, she held her gaze for a while. Just so happened that when I went to the check-out to pay for my food, she was the customer right ahead of me. When she realized who I was, she tried to start a conversation with me. As that was a happening, an old man in front of her came back in line with another item he had gone back to get. She muttered her disapproval under her breath. Instead of letting it go, she admonished him to get to the back of the line. I would understand it if the old man held up the line, but the cashier hadn't even gotten to him. Before the incident, I thought about the great opportunity I had to talk with her, but after what happened I had lost interest. I just couldn't see myself being with someone so impatient and inconsiderate.

As I left Wonder Bakery with my Chinese donut and soy milk in hand, the beads of rain covering the outside tables caught my eyes as did the abandoned Chinese chess pieces. Before I took the photo, I could imagine the players running for cover when the rain first fell, leaving the match in suspension. The plaza is usually bustling with tourists during the day, but on a damp afternoon like this, the only evidence of life were the merchants who made their living in the plaza, such as the fortune teller who sells not of souvenirs but he sells you on a bill of good just the same.

Any Reason is a Good Reason

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, my friends Jovy, Agnes, and Melissa came over to my place for a small party. There was no particular cause for celebration. No one had a birthday. Nobody had a graduation or work promotion. To me the fact that we all had a day off was good enough of a reason to get together. That's why I named the invitation the "Any reason is a good reason to party party." I had intended to have the gathering in my backyard, but it had been raining all morning. Because of that we decided to take the festivity indoor. Melissa was the first person to arrive. A couple of days before, she had convinced me to go ahead with the party as scheduled despite the ominous weather forecast of showers throughout the day. I was a little hesitant at first, but after thinking about it, I really liked her idea. Even if it rains or shines, whether one person or one hundred people show up, we were going to make our time together an enjoyable one.

Melissa brought a homemade pasta dish to the party. Having gone to school and lived in Italy for an extended time, she's not only fluent in conversing the language but also accomplished in the ways of Italian cooking. I wouldn't know the difference between linguine and fettucini, so I won't be able to tell you the name of the dish. What I can say for sure is that it was quite tasty. I liked the creamy, cheesy, tomato sauce with bits of sausages baked into the pasta. Besides, she took the time to make it from scratch, which made it even more special. One of my fondest memories as a child was coming home after school and finding my mom in the kitchen stir frying up a plate of noodle for me to eat. I remember being so satisfied to have eaten a meal that she had prepared for me. It wasn't so much the taste of her cooking that was memorable. More than anything else, it was the wonderful feeling of being taken care by someone you care about that I cherished the most.

My "bui mui" or cousin Agnes arrived about an hour later. Well, she's not my actual cousin by blood. It's a nickname I had given her because our last names share the same pronunciation-"Tam". I tease her that she is not from the true Tam clan, because the spelling of her last name has an extra 'h', which makes her "Tham". According to my uncle, it can be quite an ordeal to visit family members in China. In local custom, anyone who shares the same last name as you do in a village is considered your "brother" or "sister" whether you know them or not. As such, they expect you to offer them money and gifts when you visit from America. It is not unusual for total strangers to follow you to the restaurant, sit at your table, and order meals for themselves! I heard of the saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and apparently, it takes a brother/sister to raise a village too!

My friend Jovy was the last to arrive. I felt both surprised and honored that she came, because by her own admission she has commitment-phobia. The closest you will ever get to nailing her down on anything is a definite maybe. Jovy will be moving out of the area in the next couple of weeks, so I'm glad that we've all had the chance to hang out before she goes.

I had a memorable time at the party, from seeing the girls make homemade ice-cream with zip-lock bags to Jovy teaching Melissa how to do Salsa. Jovy also treated us to a wonderful piano performance that you see here.

Picture of Peace

My program had a family picnic this past December at the Santa Fe Dam in the City of Irwindale. I had gone there the day before to pick the best spot for the outing. As I walked along the sandy shore, I came across an empty life guard station. The picture you see here is from the view of the tower. As you can see, the place was deserted on that day, except for some ducks waddling across the lake off camera. It's a peaceful setting that most people would readily trade to be a part of- a welcome respite from the stress and daily grinds. As inviting and glorious the vista may have been in its natural wonders, it was meant to serve as a necessary but temporary need, which is a momentary escape.

Being in a serene environment such as this reminds me of a story I heard long ago:

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Today, my friend Josh and I went to Hollywood to do some people watching. He usually works on weekends between two jobs, so it's a real treat for me to be able to spend time shooting photography together. We made our first stop at Famima, which Josh described as a Japanese 7-11 convenient store. What initially caught my eyes was the unusual poster display outside the store of Chinese style steam buns. I expected to see something like that in Chinatown, yes, but in Hollywood?

Being a generous guy that he is, Josh treated me to a sparkling cider and a curry meat bun. For himself, he got a chocolate milk and a fried chicken bun. While we were enjoying our snacks, I noticed two girl friends having a conversation at the sidewalk table. I really liked the soft lighting on one of the them, so I took this picture of her through the glass window from where we sat. She looked so contemplative, lost in thought.

This is Rob. He is one of the many street entertainers on Hollywood Boulevard. I consider him a "real" entertainer in the sense that he actually has some talents. He plays the guitar and can carry a tune. While I was there, he put his own twist on John Mellencamp's Jack and Diane and other catchy songs they used to play on the radio. He also sang an original song he wrote called, "The Man". In contrast, the majority of street entertainers on Hollywood Boulevard only put on costumes of popular stars and movie characters like Marilyn Monroe, Dark Vader, and Elmo, and make their living posing pictures with tourists.

I'm not sure if this gal was trying to dress like Little Orphan Annie, but I love the huge 'fro' she's wearing. I took this shot of the sketch artist doing a caricature of her.

Josh is taking a short break outside one of many shops that lined Hollywood Blvd.

A girl in bright yellow pants walks by a mural of old time movies stars as Chaplin, Brando, Dean, Taylor, and others look on. Can you spot others?