The Sound of Music

I didn't even know what the Sound of Music(SOM) was before I got married. When my wife first found out I had never seen the movie I think she almost thought she married the wrong man. First of all, if the SOM was on TV on Sunday and there was a Raiders game at the same time, clearly the SOM was not watched. But, I have learned over the years that I really have no excuse. I am an uncultured and ignorant man.

I, however, have made up for it by going to the Hollywood Bowl Sound of Music Singalong! I never knew the SOM had such a following. Amazing. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of people dressed up as characters and inanimate objects from the movie. People were even dressed as metaphors! The winning costume actually won a fully paid 5 day cruise to Mexico. And the winning costume was....drumroll please...an 8 year old boy who dressed up as "how do you hold a moonbeam in your hand" from the song "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria." Look at the pic. And, I know, my wife had to help me a lot with this blog entry.

By the way, I have learned how to play Edelweiss on the guitar just like the Captain.

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist

Every year we like to go to the Hollywood Bowl at least 5 or 6 times. This summer, the kickoff to the bowl season started with the opening KCRW concert headlining DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist.

The most interesting part of the evening was taking the subway from Pasadena all the way to Hollywood. Being good citizens, we paid the fare both ways. I later learned that paying the fare was "optional." Actually, it's required, but there is no person or machine around to check if someone has actually purchased the ticket. Interesting. So, anyways, the subway is NICE! Reminds me of a mix between San Francisco and Hong Kong without the crowds. Try it sometime.

I've seen Cut Chemist perform live at a small venue in San Francisco, and he totally rocks the house. I've also listened to several of DJ Shadow's compilations and really liked the mixes he throws down. Their performance at the Hollywood Bowl, however, left something to be desired, as their intro melodies and vaguely familiar overtones set me up for a climax that I never received. I kept waiting and waiting to hear a driving bass line or drum loop that got me out of my seat...but it never came. I think the reason is that this show was meant to be more of an artistic duet of sorts, with the Shadow & Chemist showing off what is possible when all you have to play are found 45's, eight turntables, and an effects processor. Yes, it is amazing what small snippets of sound can be milked from a 45 of Etta James and mixed into a 45 sample of Bizarre Love Triangle, but when you take the parts of a song that are so obscure that they are almost unrecognizable, it doesn't make for very discernable listening. But I will say that the concert was much more interesting after a couple glasses of wine and a very strange and strong German Beer.

Roy & Holly Leave for NYC...Boohoo.

Our good friends Roy & Holly are leaving for NYC for at least two years. Take a good look at them, cause when they come back to LALA land, there may be a bun in the oven!

Lobster Night!

When my brother comes home from China, my mom gets real excited. The baby of the house is back, which gives her an excuse to, well, baby somebody. Besides the fact that it makes my mom revert decades back to her 30-40ish maternal self, it also brings on the traditional "Lobster Night," whereby my mother goes to the chinese market with the cheapest and largest Lobsters, and proceeds to buy more than any mortal family can eat. Yippee for Lobster salad for the next week! So here it is, Lobster Night.

George & Amy wed in the OC

Went to a wedding at the St. Regis in Laguna today, and it was nice. No expense was spared...beautiful wedding ceremony at a beautiful hotel at one of the nicest beaches in all of California. The only thing that got a childish giggle out of me were the floral decorations on pillars that lined the aisle...you see, they were tall cylindrical glass vases filled with water...and as you can see from the pictures, if you bumped the pillar...needless to say, I saw a poor woman take a "flower shower" just as Amy and George said "I do."

But, I have to compliment this young couple on a beautiful wedding otherwise. Here's to you! George & Amy!

By the way, beautiful photography at the wedding was done by: Jessica Claire Photography.

http://jessicaclaire.net/index.cfm?postID=137
http://jessicaclaire.net/index.cfm?postID=138

Where Am I?

One of the recurring themes on this blog will likely be the abundance and variety of ethnic foods in LA. I would have to say, and my wife is in agreement with me on this, that LA probably has the best all around food experience in the world. I know a lot of people will disagree with me right off the bat, but hear me out...

No other city has the variety and breadth of first generation immigrants that LA has. This is a fact. For instance, LA has the largest Korean population outside of Korea. Within a 30 minute drive, I can be immersed in Little Ethiopia, Koreatown, multiple Chinese/Cantonese/Vietnamese enclaves, Japantown, Thaitown, and Little India. I don't even need to begin telling you about Mexican fare. This is on top of hundreds and possibly thousands of restaurants which cater to every type of European palate. As a Taiwanese American, I can tell you that Monterey Park and the San Gabriel Valley have Taiwanese food that is consistently better than the actual food you can get in Taipei. Anyways, my point remains...LA has the best all around food experience.

Now that I've gotten that "schpeel" out of the way, I can tell you about a great recent find. Seoul Garden Restaurant in Koreatown serves up a unique dinner consisting of what can only be described as Korean Shabu-Shabu. Unlike Chinese or Japanese versions, the veggies are chopped and shredded thin and the sauces are uniquely Korean. Also, they serve up a tasty "jook" at the end made from the meat and veggie juices that have simmered into the broth. When you have something that tastes this good and wholesome, you almost feel like you can keep eating forever.

Who says you can't have a dog downtown?

Before moving downtown, I wasn't sure how easy it would be to find places for my dog to do his business. After all, the current downtown is not necessarily dog friendly. The nearest nice park to my loft is called Grand Hope park and they have a no dog policy. Who could turn away my cute puppy? So, when I first moved downtown I tried walking Ernie there. To my chagrin, a security guard asked me if I could read. Then he pointed to the sign that stated in small print "No dogs allowed." What? But there are statues of cast iron dogs inside this park, I exclaimed. He just shrugged his shoulders. With both of our tails between our legs, we shuffled out of the park to do our business elsewhere. So, we both quickly discovered all the little patches of grass around our loft where daily relief could be found. Unfortunately, so did the hundreds of other dog owners in the area. Pretty soon, the nice green grass became patchy greenish brown grass, and later, dotted with mini chocolate soft serve swirls everywhere. I mean, come on people! Who allows their dog to defecate and then just leaves the excrement lying around in plain site? I can understand the occasional accident where the owner is caught bagless, but this is ridiculous. Clean up after your dog people! This should be common courtesy, but I guess that's too much to expect from the average person. Ernie now splits his bathroom time between several patches of grass in the vicinity and pads on our balcony. It seems to be working out pretty good for him. The key is getting your dog to understand the daily routine...the rest will just fall into place.

I'm getting too old for this.

I know, I know. You can't start your first post with the title "I'm getting too old for this." You haven't really even started "this" yet, and you're already too old? All I can say is that after this weekend, I have returned to work this fine Monday morning with aching muscles, a sore back, and a real need to get some caffeine in my system so that I can carry forth with my day. Two green tea mugs later, I can tell you, I'm getting too old for this.

This past weekend, three things happened. My brother came into town from Beijing, China where he is working, a friend had a "last singles night out party before I get married" party, and the last singles night out party transformed into a post party at my loft. Seeing my brother only three or four times a year is always a special treat, and as we headed out to the Edison Bar on Saturday night, I was in high spirits. My spirit was quickly deflated when we arrived at the Edison and encountered a two to three hour line waiting in the alley. I hate lines. I really hate lines. So, our entourage headed over to Redwood, a pirate themed bar just down the street. After several drinks and walking the plank (7 shots), we were just about done with Davey Jones Locker, so we headed over to another interesting watering hole, the Far Bar, which was a hip space with great bands playing in a small, brick lined alley. So now it's about 12:45am and it's just about time to head back to the Edison to try and weasle our way in. Score! The guy who's getting married in a week (George) is able to coax the door man into letting all six of us in. There is still a one hour line in the alley. Once inside, the drinks start flowing, and many a shot is taken. Now, let me remind you that I'm 32 pushing 33, and my college and post college days of voracious partying are far behind me. The Gold flakes of many a past Goldschlagger shot are resting comfortably in remote parts of my colon, and I intend to leave them there.

The place is not totally packed, and I am reminded of the poor saps who are waiting outside. I hate it when bars keep a line outside on purpose. That's such an east coast/ Hollywood thing. Come on Edison, you're better than that. Be confident in your image! We close down the Edison and move to my loft for the post party. I haven't been invited to a post party in at least 5 years. With this many drunk people, I was super happy to know a post party was happening in my new loft!?! Thank god the people vomitting in my loft that night had "party aids" (ie. really good friends) to help clean up. As I lay down to sleep before the sun rose, I thought "I'm getting too old for this," and my age and experience commanded me to do two more things. Drink as much water as I can, then drink two glasses more. And, pop an Advil.