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October 10, 2006

San Francisco, CA Mission Branch Library "Dreams"

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

San Francisco, CA Mission Branch Library "Dreams"
They say you should be careful what you wish for. Not today, I get to dream. I dream of far away places. I dream of being with someone who loves me deeply. I dream of hang-gliding, riding motorcycles in Vietnam, taking a romantic train ride through Russia, playing a guitar, making meals for friends, making small contributions along the way. I dream of having lots and lots of money, just swimming in it, like scrooge mcDuck, without the scrooge, or the webbed feet.
Life is good for me now, I have lots to be grateful for. 70-degree days, nice friends that surrond me, living as free as a gander of geese. Still I yearn for something. In the immediate future, my roommates will be moving into a collective and I have decided to look into my options. Something bothers me, I can't quite put my finger on it. I guess I'm a little afraid that if I decide to stay here in SF that I might bore of it soon and yearn for far away places. The truth is I yearn to be abroad. Somewhere really foreign. No other US city will do this time. This traveler wants a taste of what's out, out, way out there. Well, for the time being, I will continue to explore my various hobbies in hopes to turn them into passions.

August 01, 2006

San Francisco Photos 2










To the beach on a day off








Hippie wannabe rides sf public transit

March 29, 2006

Urban Animals Don't Wear Shoes

~~~Houston Hostel. Houston, TX. Review days 10-14 and 2 Week Review~~~

~1~ About a week into my time here in Houston I was driving home from a massage, tired, hungry and wanting to get home to call it a night. I was but two blocks from the hostel when I witnessed, what I believed to be, a UFO, except these where not flying saucers with gliding neon-green monsters. They were humanoids, decked in full rollerblading gear (helmet, pads, and one with a hockey goaltending stick) flying down the streets in a huge pack - very alien to me.
Unidentified sightings will give me a jolt more than expresso and I acted immediately, turning right instead of left, and following; tailgaiting (or tailblading, rather) them with my car, just admiring the lunacy of it all (it was well past 10 PM). Who were these nuts? More importantly, how could I join? I didn't want to be rude and scream out these questions from the safety of my car so I ditched it at the nearest street curb and ran after them on foot trying to catch up with the slowest of the group, a beautiful, 30'ish, woman with very long flowing blond hair, who I later find out is Kimber, one of the pack leaders (apparently, tail-enders are the most gallant of the group, he/she being the first to get run over in the unfortunate case a driver goes crazed at the sight of 30 and 40 year olds enjoying, in what most "adults" think, a pubescent activity).

I find out info from Kimber and decide to meet with them the following week. The following Thurs. (yesterday) I did meet up with them at an inconspicuous tavern (Big Easy's) and set off on my big adventure, a course totaling 10 miles of Houston asphalt. The team was the nicest bunch you could find, especially Harold who helped me immensely even showing me how to tandem-blade, something I have never seen done. I was thrilled, ecstatic, focused on how good I would feel at the end of 10 miles! Instead, I made it to the Walgreens down the street, and was already flirting with the idea of heading back. It was REALLY hard, these middle aged guys were animals!

After 6 miles, and lots of self-denial, I made it to the heart of downtown, happy, but in much pain, especially from the blister in my right foot (which, at the time, felt like a balloon, but after inspection the day after, turned out barely noticeable -- what a wuss!). I decided to bail out and take the train home, the only problem was that I did not bring any money with me and not even my telephone, thinking I might lose either along my trek. I didn't want to impose on Harold, my super-awesome-nice guy of a roller mentor, so I decided to wing it instead. The worst thing would be to walk bare-footed home 3 miles.

So there I was at the station weighing my options:
A) Call my sister -- oops no phone
B) Freeride the train -- potential fine: $70
C) Walk home -- potential mugging: this is the seedy part of Houston
I decided to spange (ask for spare change) instead (despite hating to impose on others). I found my first "target" a very approachable looking 20-something black girl. She was reticent but after I told her my sob story and tried to flash a winning smile, she couldn't help but give in. I asked for her name - Britni, and I realize there and then, it is the same Britni who responded to my personal on Craigslist! Holycowsonofabillygoat! Just then the train arrived and she took off, disappearing from my life...forever.

But forget romance, I was focused on getting a ride home. A thuggish-looking bunch of Latino guys approached the station, and there I was, decked fully, still, in roller-blade gear (helmet and all, minus the hockey stick) approaching these guys (now I realize how rediculous I must have looked). Somehow I was blessed that day and they gave me spange to by a ticket home. I thanked them by giving one of them my rollerblades. It just felt right, and besides, Urban Animals don't wear shoes.

March 03, 2006

Model Minority

Got pulled over for having too dark a tint on my windows and a "suspicious amount personal belongings". Not shi*, sherlock. I'm living out of my car at the time trying to make an adventure of my mundane days. He gives me a ticket, impounds my car.
~~~Policeman's exact words~~~ "Man, I've never met a Vietnamese so fuc*ed up." "Thank you for the, er, compliment, officer."

February 05, 2006

Time For a Change

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Two things I will miss from Austin, TX.




I woke up to a beautiful onion of a booty today.


Too bad it belonged to this guy.


February 02, 2006

Urban Ninjas

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Austin International Hostel .::New Friends::.
In my earnest desire to prevent my nagging boredom, I went collecting trash from the lake. My ADD prevented me from keeping it interesting until my two new friends Marc and Nathan came out of the hostel and joined me. We made up a challenge to see who could collect the piece of trash furthest from the shore putting us in a situation to fall into the lake. In my attempt to be the winner, I almost found myself in the lake, That's when mark volunteered to hold me arm outstretched to keep me from falling into the lake, and then Nathan jumped in to keep Marc from falling in.

We also went to Cici's pizza, or what I like to call Le Cici's. The order of competition there was of course to see who could eat the most pizza's the loser would have to do public pushups amongst strangers. I finished off 10 slices and a salad, Nathan, 14, and Mark did a measley 6 slices. Now Marc is a 6'5" dread-locked, gangly, black guy, so the image is funny. We had a good time walking to and trying to avoid being run over by the traffic on Riverside.

February 01, 2006

Austin Charms

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Austin, TX Austin International Hostel

The hostel is located along Lakeshore by Austin's Town Lake so there's an abundance of wild lake animals, one of the more popular being the male swan (anyone know or care what's the correct term for the male swan?). Well one of these guys came all the way up to the porch of the hostel to greet a new friend I've made, David. David was too busy taking it's picture when he was sucker-punched in the scrotum; okay, so I made that up but it would have made for a good picture.



On my way back to Thuan's place I dropped by Mcdonald's for a bite to eat and felt a familiar longing to hit the road again; to see new sites. Perhaps sometime soon. In the meantime, I'll try to appreciate the little charms Austin continues to impress upon me

January 27, 2006

Hostelling International - Austin, TX "Reasons"

I need money, or so I think. There are some things that I love that require money and I need to be reminded of these things. I want to travel as I have today to the Hostel International here and good ol Austin, TX. I love meeting new people and such. The things that require money are the need of a car. It would make things just so much more convenient. And money to buy groceries so that I can cook good, hearty meals for my new friends and myself. And gasoline money so that I can continue traveling.

It would be sweet to win like a year's supply of groceries or like a year's supply of gasoline or like win a new car, all SWEEEEET fortunes that will likely not happen so work it shall be until I stumble on that meal ticket.

Went hostelling yesterday and enjoyed it very much in my opinion. Met a real interesting fella named David, the consummate freelancer. I wanna be a consumate something, and a freelancer sounds very sexy, adventurous, and...er consumate. I think I would like to continue hostelling until I find an even better lifestyle. Hostelling is great because you are always surrounded by people. And if you want your privacy, you can always go back to your room, like a dormatory for grown-ups, but a little better because you have a community kitchen to use.


Secondly, the ebb and flow of newcomers always keeps things interesting. You can meet awesome girls! But I noticed only one yesterday :( Haha, yea! it's like a dating service without being so blatant! I mean, imagine waking up and having neighbors to talk to!!! Awesome, I just love that, there is something magical about it all.


Thirdly, hostelling especially helps with my motivation. To be surrounded by people, I am rarely bored. There is always an invitation here and a new idea there. What I need now is to save up money for two things to make my hostelling experience much more convenient: .::1::. a laptop with wireless capability and .::2::. a better working car.














Hostelling International Lounge - Austin, TX















Fellow Bunkmate who cycled from San Marcos


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