A scene relating to a strange penthouse August 31, 2007

 

I am known by my close friends to be the one who has vivid color dreams with music. 

I am proud about that and it makes sleeping so much more a therapy to me.

I have lost my ability to dream interesting dreams and remember the content of my dream, ever since I am here in NY.

 

Today, the good dream came back to me.

Despite a horrible day of work yesterday.

And client meeting waiting for me today on my Summer Friday.

And my subordinate saying that she needs quality of life and that it’s insane to stay late

and it’s my choice to stay behind and finish her work if I choose to.

Oh well, I guess there is a higher power up there afterall.

 

---

The dream evolves around this strange penthouse. Kinda like a ghost story but it’s really cool.

 

The building I lived in in my dream has an odd architectural structure. It is cut into two different entrance.

But every floor has only 1 apartment.

It’s old and beautiful but only a few stories high.

I live on the floor right underneath the penthouse in the dream, with a man who looks like my bf, but I call him "bro".

(don’t scream pervert yet!)

 

So from one entrance of the building you can enter in the each floor into each apartment and from inside the apartment you can exit to the other side of the building getting out from the other building entrance.

Kinda like one entrance is the main, the other is supposed to be the fire escape.

But somehow both entrance looks like main entrance to the building and the apartments.

 

So this man I live with decided he will enter the building from one entrance, and claim that half of the house to be his.

And me from the other entrance and claim the other half of the apartment mine.

But we both live together and use the space.

 

So the dream goes on with me shopping around this strange bazaar near the building and find some oddities.

I can almost smell the incense.

It’s all very gypsy like.

And then I go back home feeling tired in the dream, and try a new adventure of going up the penthouse.

 

It seems to have been empty for a long time.

From my side of the building, I can’t bust open the door.

So I go to the other side of the apartment, exit from my "bro’s" door, and go up the very nice wide steps (like in old elegant building).

The penthouse’s door is unlocked and I step in.

 

It is furnished as if there are still people living in it.

The air is quiet and there is sun flooding in from all directions through the big tall windows.

The only thing is that some furnitures were covered by white cloth.

And I lied and I ran back upstairs again.

Then I woke up just when I was staring outside of the window in my secret room…

 

 

Wednesday is a nasty day August 29, 2007

 

Monday is painful. We should have a winter Mondays traditional as well.

Tuesday is bearable.

Wednesday is nasty. Two more days to go and stemina going down.

Thursday is hopeful.

Friday is a blessing. Especially with summer Fridays.

 

So today is Wednesday and I collapsed mentally.

On top of flu and everything else, my will to work just died.

So I’m home today…and it’s not even fun to be home.

 

Isn’t that annoying?! What should we all do when we are on sick leave for the sake of mental health?

I used to love playing Final Fantasy on my playstation in HK.

Or sometimes sleep through the day.

What else is good to do on a day like this? hmm…

 

 

Picnic is still ranking #1 August 28, 2007

 

Early this month I posted "Good Things in Life" – things I do that put a smile on my face.

And I got to hit 4 things at the same time at Central Park.

 

Two weeks ago (yeah I’ve been lazy with blogging) during the couple of days that weather was good and cool, I went picnic after an exciting exhibition at MOMA.

 

BTW, if you are in New York, really go check out Richard Serra’s sculptures at MOMA.

It’s not the usual type of sculpture but rather installations.

He is a master of metal and space. Walls of lead were molded and put up to create sculpture of space. And you can walk through it and experience the change of the space and relativity to yourself. I actually couldn’t walk a straight line in the maze of walls and lost my sense of balance!

Check out at http://www.moma.org/

Those that cannot see for yourself can also buy this book about Richard Serra (you can see it on Moma’s website but it’s a lot cheaper on Amazon.)

 

So back to the picnic… 

 

After an inspiring hour or so for free, thanks to Y&R corporate membership, we headed to Central Park and spent a few hours there soaking in sunlight, reading, listening to music, watching people play softballs and then scrolled out to the west side and walk around some more. And I had a very delicious mint chocolate cupcake…I’ll try to do it once more before autumn hits.

 

See, it’s uplifting to think about good things in life waiting for us on the weekends…

Three more days to go till my summer friday and a 3 day long weekend thanks to Labor Day!

Yep, 4-day of no working for me!

 

 

Beautiful Commercials (2) August 26, 2007

 

So following the lovely "Balls" is the spectacular "Paint."

Can’t belive you can make liquid explode like fireworks…

And how much effort goes through an advertising to make this happen?

 

First, imagine how any client would buy a crazy idea like that?

Second, to get permit to shoot such a gag.

Third, to pull together a great production.

Salute to everyone involved.

But I can’t believe the spot wasn’t air in US or Asia with tons of media. What a waste.

 

Again, go onto www.bravia-advert.com to check out the high-res. quicktime movie version.

A low res. version really doesn’t do justice.

Also, there is a 5-min behind the scene footage. Can’t miss.

 

(Scroll to the bottom under Blog section to see both commercials)

 

 

 

Beautiful commercials August 21, 2007

 

So I’m sleepy and I’m still typing.

Not that this is a new campaign but it’s evergreen.

Sony Bravia TV commercial series is coming up with a new episode.

The one you see here is Balls. And the music track for this commercial is "Heartbeats" by José González. Check out his album "Veneer".

 

I tried to post a higher resolution version (I have it on my youtube) but it just doesn’t load very well. But you can see it on the Bravia website :

www.bravia-advert.com

 

Check out the next version "Paint" (I’ll put it up here after I am tired of Balls) – which is actually a stronger spot. It’s just a crazy production.

 

The new spot is coming out soon. And guess what, Bunnies!!! In NY too!!!

 

Oh and BTW –

you can buy three of the balls you see on the spot in Moma store in NY – they have green+blue, yellow+orange, pink+purple. 

😉

On a super boring Friday…there is Natalie Dee August 17, 2007

 

This is a super funny website. Natalie Dee is my new found gem.

 

Had a hysteric laugh for a few minutes scrolling through her drawings. So frigging funny and you can order T-Shirts of her comic!

You have got to check her out.

Here are a few funny ones – see my album.

 

HAHAHAHA…

 

http://www.nataliedee.com

I can’t pull myself up to work August 15, 2007

 

Grumpy about myself right now.

I woke up early just to sit around and chill, trying to delay going to work.

I don’t even want to wash my face. And it’s only Wed.

Despite I have my evening planned out, I’m still sitting in front of the laptop typing away.

With mice in the house, it still seems more like a place I want to be than my pretty comfortable and big office room.

Sucks.

Just heard from my coworker yesterday that if I change company I would need to still get the company to sponsor me for my H1B visa.

Same drill. That sucks big time.

That means I’m still going to be stuck with relevant industries to justify getting the work visa though quota is not a concern for me now.

It’s like I’ve sold my freedom to devil when I decided to move.

I really need to properly consult someone for my situation.

WAH…I should probably just take a sick day.

 

 

Mouse – 1 pt. Bunnies – 0 pt.

 

OK, this is creeping me out.

 

I have some new friends at the apartment. Mice.

It started off with one little baby mouse on base 1 – not too bad.

Then the mouse (or another mouse) hit base 2 when it ran across my living room and disappeared.

Then it hit base 3 reaching the kitchen and start making noise behind my stove.

Now on to my nightmare – I couldn’t remove a piece of meat with bone and vegetable which fell off and caught between the stove and the wall.

Today, I realised that mouse got a home run cos the meat and the veggie are gone.

 

On the one hand I can see the convenience of having the cracks around my stove cleaned.

On the other hand, I am disgusted by the fact that these critters ate meat.

Now they are going to come back for party.

And the noise in the kitchen went on at night. Damn it.

Charcoal my bunny boy, maybe you should stamp some more at night and scare them off.

 

Guess it’s fate that I have to move out of this place soon.

Chie Ohishi August 9, 2007

 

Thought I’ll properly introduce my new favorite artist – Chie Ohishi.

 

Years ago when I first saw her art I didn’t pay much attention. Her drawings make you smile. 

They are warm and young. And back then I didn’t appreciate these qualities as much as now.

What you like in life reflects what you yearn for. And most of time, they are what you are missing.

 

Recently I came across Chie again when I was looking for new images to post.

I saw her work on NY (You can check my album "More on Chie Ohishi") and I discovered that she is a great photographer as well.

You can see the pictures I posted here on the album.

So I went back and reviewed her other works (which I have actually posted on album earlier as the "Introduction to Chie Ohishi") and discovered a new sentiment that I missed before.

 

Underlying the cuteness of the images is a light melancholy, like a sour candy with sweet coating.

The type of undertone that only a person in the same state of mind is able to recognize.

 

---

 

It’s funny how you see so much more about yourself by looking around you at things that are irrelevant.

 

Like sitting at a cafe watching the streets, the cars and the shade of trees moving.

 

You mind clears up and you can see every little shred of your life making up happiness and sadness.

You can see it though you may not be able to do much about it.

And you understand why things have become the way it is.

And to where it is possibly leading you.

 

Knowing why sometimes can be really comforting.

Or rather, understanding and having knowledge of the situation brings you to a slightly more logical state of mind.

And there is a curing effect to your injured emotions.

 

Anyways, I have strayed so far…hm

 

What’d you bring during emergency? August 5, 2007

 

After the recent explosion in NY, I have been thinking about what I need to do in order to ensure the safety of my rabbits and myself.

 

The explosion happened 1 block and 1 avenue away from my office. I could literally felt the glass windows shaking when the thundering sound continued. We all went out in the street and I decided to cross the streets where explosion affected, in order to get home to my rabbits.

And all the while I was thinking what if more manholes exploded along the street or avenue affecting where I live?

I would have to evacuate the rabbits to where my bf lives.

 

And recently, I have been thinking more about it because there are mice problems in the apartment too.

 

So, here’s what my emergency package would include –

1x carrying cage per rabbit, with bedding and empty water bottles already inside

1x big bag of hay

1x bottled spring water per rabbit (optional)

1x smaller bag of pellets per rabbit (optional)

A bag including the following:

– My passport

– My checkbook

– A flash drive with all my pics on my laptop

– ID, credit card, cellphone and keys (which I’ll throw in last minute)

 

When I was in primary school I had this habbit of practising what I would do during emergency. How I would be carrying my toys with me and I had to make a decision what to carry because I was small and I couldn’t take everything. 

I would show my mom and she would say that no one would be allowed to carry anything when they were asked to evacuate.

True but I don’t think I can leave my rabbits right?

 

What you carry other than ID and money of sort are probably things that you cherish the most in your life.

What is the most important thing in your life?