hairy hotter.

I've decided to grow my hair. The last time I shaved my head was just before leaving for Los Angeles on September 4th. So that makes it day 26 today. Miguel, Zack and Craig all agreed today that if I lost my braces and glasses and grew my hair, they wouldn't recognize me. Well... We'll see about that.

I've never had my hair longer than a #2 on the sides and back, and a bit more than 2 inches at the top. Though, back in 1995, I was sporting the good ol' undercut, which the top was probably 4 to 5 inches long. But my sides were always cleancut, cause I couldn't stand the sideburns touching my ears... And as many of you already know, I've also always wanted facial hair. But alas, I'm Asian, so I can only grow those 3 or 4 hairs on my chin. Gross.

I'm thinking growing my hair long this time. I probably won't cut my hair until Christmas, probably longer. Maybe go for a trim here and there. To speed up the process, I've photoshopped myself with longer hair.

So... What's the verdict?


I'm kinda diggin this... Not so much the clothes though... Now if only I had that much hair.


Um... No thanks...


Jackpot!


Ice Ice, Baby.

so you can cry.

Taking a quick break from some sketching and planning a side project. Haven't really drawn in a while and it feels pretty good, actually. It's only been a week and already I feel like I need another vacation, haha. I came back to a pile of work and a couple of get togethers with friends, so I haven't had time to clean up that dump I call my room.

I got the Ne-Yo's new album Year of the Gentleman off of Migz, and I'm really digging the tracks. My faves: So You Can Cry, Fade Into The Background, Nobody, Miss Independent. And because I listen to quite a bit of George Michael, I noticed that Ne-Yo's song Nobody had this very George Michael feel to it. A while later, I realized that the background beat sounded very similar to George Michael's Cars and Trains. It bothered me for a while that I didn't know where that came from.


So You Can Cry - Ne-Yo >

Oh another discovery!! I don't have to play my music from my shitty laptop speakers anymore! I can plug in my iPod to my XBox 360 and play it off my sweetass TV! Wait til I get surround sound, baby... So much to shop for, so little money, haha. Time to start saving. El sigh...

coming home.

Home again to rain... My 9 day vacation ended with Eshwin picking me up from the airport and hanging out in Markham. Having lived in Little Tokyo for the duration of my trip, hanging out at a Starbucks in Markham and being surrounded by Asians made me feel like I was in Los Angeles still. As Esh drove me downtown, Toronto felt a little foreign to me, if only for that first few minutes. I guess it was the combination of the rain, the highways, and streets I haven't seen in a while.

I've realized that Los Angeles really doesn't have much to see and do. I kind of felt like we did it all and we really didn't need that 9 days of vacation to see L.A. We did Universal Studios, Hollywood, Santa Monica Beach, outlet mall shopping, the Grove and Culver City, and some drinking around town. In hindsight, I wish I would've driven out of the city itself to see the California redwoods and spend some time in San Francisco. A lot of time was spent stuck in traffic and getting lost because the freeways and road signs are so brutally designed.

Don't get me wrong, I still had an amazing time. Hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones was definitely worth this trip. Of all the things we did, I loved Santa Monica the best. The open space, the sand, the ocean, it was all so relaxing. Not to mention the building of Sandy Ho version 3.0. I wish I was ballerific enough to own a beach house by the ocean.

Aside from the sightseeing, I tried to be as diverse as possible with the food. I had a little bit of everything: bento box, Japanese curry, mochi and mochi ice cream, seafood enchiladas, In-'N-Out burgers, Cheesecake Factory, pasta, pho, and lots of beer... Well, not that much beer. Mainly due to the night of my arrival when the Welcoming Committee decided to haze me. It was a rough morning the next day... Oh the memories. Special thanks to Tessar, Yoskay, Scott, Yuta, Nimit, Rachel, Heren and Jason for the great hospitality and bitchin time!!


watch the L.A. experience >

Now back to the cold weather and routine life. Yes. New desk location, at least. I guess that's something to look forward to. Oh Toronto, how I've missed you...

fresh faces in los angeles.

Day 3 on my trip in L.A. and already I've climbed on top of a traffic light on Central Avenue, woke up hungover with writings on my legs, attended sick art shows, danced with a random old lady, and of course, had pho. The pho wasn't as good in L.A. as Toronto. As soon as I got here, we went out to Zencu's in Little Tokyo and had $1.75 pints and a delicious dinner. After Zencu, we went for more cheap beer. The result? An action-packed night full of craziness.

The next morning, we were all hungover as we prepped ourselves to attend the Fresh Faces art show at Project: Gallery where Nimit, Yuta, Dom, and Martha were showing. They worked hard during their two month internships here in L.A. for Fresh Faces and it really shows. Congrats, guys and girls!

Down the street were a couple of other art show openings, including Alexander Lee's and Ian Francis' shows. Truly amazing and inspiring. My traditional painting is pretty bad, so I stick to digital, but seeing Ian Francis' work makes me want to learn painting all over again... haha.

Outlet mall shopping tomorrow!! Universal Studios and Santa Monica beach are also in the itinerary.


Los Angeles from the sky


Fresh Faces Opening


Yuta Onada


Nimit Malavia


Martha Chan's work


Yuta's work


Dominique Fung's work


Nimit's work


Nimit, Martha, and Yuta


Alexander Lee's massive sculpture


Close up of Alexander Lee's sculpture


Ian Francis' work


Close up of one of Ian Francis' pieces


More Ian Francis


My favourite

hold your own, know your name.

I think 2008 is a year of personal reflection for a lot of us. It seems as though quite a few people I care for and love are going through some rougher times this year, especially nearing this summer's end. I'm glad I can be there for you as you have for me. Whatever your troubles are, you have to believe and think positively. We'll get through this together. Take care of yourselves first. You deserve it. Thanks for all your support.


Details in the Fabric - Jason Mraz

I wanted to write more. I've been really hooked on this Korean drama series called My Girl that Nataly showed me... But I'm not in as good of a mood as I was when I first started writing the above. So needless to say, I don't really feel like sharing right now.

right into the... danger zone!

Went karaoking Saturday night after a semi-awkward dinner with friends. We went to XO Karaoke at Bloor and Clinton, just east of Christie in Koreatown. I haven't k'ed in what felt to be a long while, so it was really fun. I liked some of the song selections they had there, but I didn't like their controls. We couldn't turn the singing pitch on for some reason, so it totally relied on our voices alone. I still preferred BMB over XO.

I had an awesome time singing Guns N' Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine. I think I did an alright Axl Rose... 2.25 hours later, I was the only one left singing. Nataly, uncle Siu, Rachel, and Lisa were all tired and ready to pass out... On our way home, Nataly and I found 3 pieces of chicken wings and a fry on the streetcar floor. It looked extremely appetizing...

The Canadian International Air Show was at the Ex this long weekend. All weekend I had to listen to sonic booms from jet fighters soaring through the skies by the waterfront. It was cool at first, but eventually it got loud and annoying. Then I thought to myself that it must be what the citizens of Middle Eastern countries at war hear every day and night, but without the feeling of security and safety...


The chicken wings and fry.


Rogers Centre. Walking my way home from Union Station


F-18 Hornet above the Toronto Island Airport.


Same F-18


F-18 Hornet flying right into the Danger Zone!