just got back from watching “August Rush” with my bdubb.

it’s been awhile since a movie touched me the way this did.

faith. music. hope.

“The music is everywhere. All you have to do is listen.”

in boston

click here.

went out with the bestfriend tonight.. he came out even though he just flew into town and was tired from a long week of meetings.. we ended up deco and ran into some old friends who i haven’t seen in awhile.. it was nice being able to catch up..

on the way home.. it was really really foggy out.. we could barely see anything.. dru thought it was a good photo opp.. so we went back to his place to get his camera and headed back out for a night photo session… he took quite a few nice photos of lights in the fog.. then somehow we ended up at cvs where we stood in the parking lot taking shots. he ended up taking some ugly ones of me and someone walked by and made a comment.. it was funny b/c that guy probably thought we were really having a photoshoot on a windy, foggy night at 2am in the cvs parking lot on purpose. hahaha

on my drive home.. it was so foggy where you could not see the street.. all the drivers turned on their emergency lights so that the car behind them could see where they were going.. i know it’s a small thing.. but it really made my heart happy.. seeing people work together to help eachother. it doesnt matter in what way.. it all makes a difference..

i love nights like these..so random yet so memorable.

not only today, but everyday.. i am thankful for good friends like you.

 

VIA COLORI

brings together artists, volunteers and businesses with non-profit agencies in a unique community project to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for important social causes.

The festival will showcase more than 175 artists who will create original masterpieces on the street in a pastel medium.  From creation to completion, festival-goers will be able to watch as artists turn asphalt into art.  Food, beverages, entertainment and children’s activities will round out this spectacular fall weekend in Sam Houston Park and the surrounding streets of Bagby and Allen Parkway.

 

11.17.07 with annie, phuc, & david

:: somehow i convinced them to enter this lipsync contest.. it was quite embarassing, but fun. thanks annie for “stepping out of your box!” the video isn’t up on the web yet.. but perhaps that is a good thing! :: 

 

TONY & MIMI’S WEDDING

:: big bro kiet, groom’s lil sis – rosemary, & me ::

:: me and the groom – his mom, my mom, and kiet’s mom have known eachother since they were kids.. somehow they all ended up in houston and found eachother.. we all went to family events together since we were little… it was awesome seeing how much everyone has grown ::

ps. i went to a wedding in the morning as well with my omgbffs but i haven’t gotten pics from dru yet. gomen.

(10.20) OUT LOUD FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA @ BO CONCEPT

first big fashion show working backstage

:: backstage! ::

:: awesome new friend – ross ::

:: jj. anna. ross. me – we all helped out backstage ::

:: male models and menswear designers ::

:: designer – lizzi london & me (i met her while working this show and now i’m working as an assistant designer with her) ::

:: the designer that designed these clothes won the competition ::

:: the models that i was in charge of ::

:: super cool designer from sf (mun soo kwon) – his clothes rocked! ::

 

(11.03) MELISSA & JOE’S WEDDING @ CHATEAU POLONEZ

first wedding as an assistant wedding planner

:: they made all the decorations themselves! ::

:: i ended up being their photographer pre-ceremony b/c their professional photographer bailed out last minute – they got another one, but he didn’t make it in time for shots of her getting ready so i took them ::

:: super cool dj – grady ::

(11.10) PAGE PARKES SCOUTING AT THE WOODLANDS CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL

first event as a model scout

:: ross & i worked this event together.. we were scouting for kid models ::

 

(11.11) VISIBLE CHANGES FASHION SHOW

first show as an assistant designer

:: the designer, lizzi & her male models ::

:: there was a contest going on for all the people that work for visible changes ::

:: i helped make this shirt.. i cut out/sewed all the pieces and added all the rhinestones ::

:: finale ::

7 new ways to be a gentleman

By Phineas Mollod and Jason Tesauro Think pulling out chairs — or, better yet, laying cloaks over puddles to prevent needless muddying of a lady’s footwear — is the way to woo women? Alas, gentlemen, that’s old-school chivalry. Such classic gestures are nice, but charm and etiquette in the modern age need an update, and this is where some lesser gents fall short, losing valuable chances to impress that special someone. To update your panache, here are seven tips for the modern gent’s arsenal.

Be a man with a plan
“So, what do you want to do?” Seemingly considerate to someone else’s desires, it’s really just a lame line identifying you as a lazy suitor. Thus, during the all-important date-planning call, smartly assertive chaps offer a well-thought-out, multiple choice of outings (“Tapas and tunes, teriyaki at the dog track, or pomme frites and a foreign flick?”). And in the event of a booked bistro, weather outbreaks, or a date that’s going so swimmingly you’d like to continue the fun at a follow-up venue, the forward-thinking man scopes out a few more bars or cafés in the neighborhood. That way you can suavely say, “Hey, I know this great place around the corner where we can go for some killer carrot cake. What do you think?”

Give her a joy ride
Some occasions find the gent acting as chauffeur, and in these instances, car-side manners are a must. They begin, of course, with the gracious opening of her passenger door before your own. Then, consider your sedan’s interior a mobile living room, requiring you to drive safely while playing host. To set the mood, put away your so-titled Kick-Ass Road Tunes mix. We’re not advocating lily-limp Kenny G light jazz, just tone it down a notch until her tastes are determined. And while showing off your indie band cool, mind the climate control. Is she panting for fresh air? Similarly, wow your date with handsome features and toned biceps, not your drag-racing ability. “Drive real fast, speed turns me on,” works in Will Smith lyrics, but your date should be embracing your hand, not gripping the chicken bar with white knuckles at every hair-raising turn.

Nix the interruptions
We’re sure you’ve heard this before but it bears repeating: Few things are a bigger turn-off than the lout who’s thumbs-deep in his cell phone texting away with friends while pretending to be “interested” or answering calls mid-date like an annoying social butterfly with the raised index finger (“One sec… I gotta take this”). The simple rule is no cell phone activity or “Crackberry” checking on a date. A quick call might be had during a bathroom break, but no more. If you’re expecting an important call or email, inform your escort early on, and rudeness will be averted.

Try a new form of flattery
It’s well known that warm words of praise defrost the iciest of personalities. But the type of compliment you concoct can make a big difference. While nice to hear, predictable compliments (“Your hair looks nice”) lead nowhere (“Thanks. I just went to the salon”). Instead, try something less superficial, like a perceptive bon mot about her wicked sense of humor, distinctive voice, or contagious laugh. This proves to her you’re interested in more than just her arm-candy potential and paints you as a deep, intriguing sort she’ll definitely want to get to know better.

Use physical contact to show you care
Of course, getting too touchy-feely with a date will only convince her you’re a cad. But the right amount of bodily contact can show the opposite—that you’re a lionhearted fellow who’s interested in her not just as a friend, but as a love interest as well. So when a rendezvous has produced some sparks, go ahead and take her hand. A tenderly treated lady revels in the public view that she’s out on a date and can say in so many words, “Yeah, he’s with me.”

Master group dynamics
A rollicking party breaks the same-old, same-old night-on-the-town ritual and exposes your budding romance to the glamour (or specter) of your friends and you to her mingling skills. However, manners are more than stowing her coat and showing the way to the loo. For the first half hour or so, keep by your date’s side and make sure she’s comfortable, rather than leaving her to fend for herself while you catch up with old buds. Once her comfort is assured, you can steal away now and again, though not for too long, and only after leaving her among an engaging circle of friends. Lastly, until exclusivity is established, steer clear of awkward introductions like, “This is my girlfriend” or the slightly denigrating, “Meet my friend Sophia.” Instead, just put your arm around her and say “This is Gaby.” People will easily take the hint, and you’re spared the awkwardness of trying to classify the relationship as something more or less than it actually is.

Call her the day afterwards
The “three-day rule” or other such nonsensical delaying tactics are out of vogue. Grade F dates or lukewarm experiences might warrant polite goodbyes, but a gent makes positive intentions known at the close of the date (or even sooner), and the next day, follows up with some telephonic feedback (“Last night’s pad thai was killer… and so are your eyes. When I can feast on both again?”). Let the so-called players leave a gal in the lurch, while you swoop in and proceed to the glories of dates #2, #3, and beyond.

kindness in people make my heart happy.

it’s the little things that matter most.

i love people.

so this is really dru’s post.. but since he’s thebestfriend.. we’re kinda like the same person.. but not.
ok so i’m just really lazy and decided to ‘borrow’ his post.. but hey i’m giving him credit for it.
this is his point of view on the night.. mine may or may not differ.

Who was that masked monster?

Saturday morning,the BestFriend and I made last minute plans togo out for Halloween weekend, the most scantily-clad night of the year.The only party I knew of was at 702, located across from the parkinglot that I parked at downtown for work. 702 consists of an inside bararea surrounded on both sides by patios. The BestFriend had bought me aSulley outfit from Japan while she had a Mike outfit, and she had beenwanting to wear it out for Halloween for quite sometime.

Bao called, her other BFF, and I felt bad thatwe did not have another Monster’s, Inc. outfit for him to wear when Idecided that, hey, he could be Boo. Bao shot down that idea quickly andwe thought up Issa as the best candidate. I doubted shewould come out, but she surprisingly agreed and began hunting for a Boooutfit.

Later that evening, about 15 minutes beforeIssa and Jeannie arrived, I decided that I should learn the moves toThriller, just in case they played it at the club. The Roomie helped megoogle some links and I learned what I could of the dance (i.e.nothing) in those 15 minutes.

We arrived at 702 at 10:15 PM andpaid the $20 cover to get in- a small price to pay for the hoochiestnight of the year. Once we get in, Issa and Jeannie stand aroundlooking bored immediately and I am in no mood to have them kill thefun. On a whim, I suggest entering in the costume contest for fun, justto spice things up, and immediately I am pooh-poohed out of thatsuggestion. Bao & Co. arrive after a little while and whileIssa and Jeannie are distracted by socializing, a girl comes by with aclipboard asking if I want to sign up for the costume contest. I enterthe team leader as “Jeannie” and the group as “Monster’s, Inc.” Itwould be a thriller night, indeed.

After I sign up,I tell Jeannie and Issa, and they are mortified. “It’s soembarrassing,” they whined as I served them some cheese. “It’s mybirthday!” I exclaimed. “Besides, what do you guys care? You don’t knowany of these people, and I don’t care either!” Actually, my hiddenagenda for entering the costume contest was so Issa and Jeannie wouldstop looking like a bunch of rain-on-my-parades and give us somethingto do for the night. It was 10:45 PM, an hour before the conteststarted.

“Ok guys, we have to choreograph a dance,”I told them in a huddle. “We have to do something to stand out fromeveryone else who will just be bumping and grinding unoriginally onstage.” It was true- these costume contests usually consist of a bunchof scantily clad girls on stage winning solely on the basis of sexappeal. We were fully covered up. We stood nochance.

I looked secretively around andstarted thinking up stupid dance moves to fill up our 15-30 seconds onstage. The way you win these is through audience approval, yelling“Yay” or “Nay”. If you packed the crowd with your friends, it was anautomatic win. If you didn’t know more than a handful of people, youdidn’t stand a chance. And Jeannie knew only maybe 20 or so people outof the hundreds that were there.



Once 11:45 PM hit, we lined up andwatched the singles competition go first. I kept the head to my costumedown low so no one would tell who I was. Jeannie and Issa continued tocomplain about how embarrassing doing a dance would be on top ofentering in the first place. I refused to budge on my stance. “You knowwe’re only doing this because it’s your birthday, right?” they remindedme.

The best thing about knowing you have the sexappeal of an organic chemistry II textbook is that nothing you do couldmake you less desirable to the opposite sex. And a man with nothing tolose is the most dangerous man of all. My plan was to make the biggestfool of myself on stage for a laugh, and I was going to take my closestfriends down with me.

When the group event started,one by one, the hoochie girl groups were booed off the stage. I supposethe girls in the crowd were more ruthless than the guys cheering forthe hoochie girls. “It’s ok, no one had a semi-choreographed dance,” Itold myself. Everyone was just doing stupid bump-and-grindmoves.

The group right before us was called up tothe stage. We ascended the stairs to the stage, in wide view ofeveryone else. My stomach started to tighten up. Were we really doingthis? This is probably the stupidest idea I’ve ever had (and I’ve hadmore than a few in my lifetime). And I hadn’t even been drinking, giventhe fact that my costume lacked easily accessible bathroom openings. Imade this decision dead sober.

They called us out onstage and I ran to the middle, pulling my friends along with me. Andthen it started.

And the crowd roared.

I couldn’t believe people were actuallycheering us on. I felt like Napoleon Dynamite. I had expected to getbooed off the stage instantly, but people were actually LIKING it. Wegot the loudest cheer of the night and when the MC asked if we were“Yay” or “Nay”, we got a resounding “Yay!” We ran off the stage whereIssa and Jeannie replaced their gloomy bah-humbug-I-hate-you-Andrewfaces with wide grins.

We were called back up alongwith the 4 other finalists for another 30 seconds or so to perform, butby then I hadn’t given any thought to any more stupid dance moves as Ididn’t think we’d actually make it to this round. I did a little jigwhile Jeannie and Issa did their thing and we went back and waited tohear the results.

Third place went to the SexySailors. “Dangit,” I thought. I guess we didn’t quite make the cut. Andthen Second Place went to… Monster’s, Inc. And we went crazy! Threeguys dressed as the Teletubbies took first place, resulting in a majorupset. Fully dressed people beating out hoochie-mama-ness! The factthat we came in second without knowing much anyone in the crowd meantwe won on personality rather than looks.Sweet.


As we walked back into the crowd,people came up saying we should have taken first. We had the steak ANDthe sizzle. It’s ok though, I’m hoping maybe by next year, this willhave started a revolution and people will start coming up with stupidchoreographed dances instead of the tired and lame bumping andgrinding.

The rest of the night, I was too sweaty inthe fleece costume to do much dancing, except for when “Thriller”actually DID come on. I busted out the little MJ moves that I hadlearned, which was awesome because no one else knew the moves so itlooked like I knew what I was doing.

As for us,Jeannie and Issa collected our 2nd prize envelope at the end of thenight and ran out to the car. I chased after them, wondering what thebig deal was. The big deal turned out to be $500 cash in an envelope.We split the winnings and used the rest on a late night meal at LaTapatia.

Watching oneself dance is excruciating.Seriously, it’s excruciating painful. Some things are best left fromthe first person perspective. But Issa’s coworker went all out andedited this video and he did a pretty good job, so here itis:

everyone say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my bestestfriendo.

& let him know just cuz it’s his bday doesn’t mean he’s right. passion guy deserves to win, but doesn’t in the end.