Super K Board

I'm outta here

Will be steppin' on that plane tonight for Paris. Really looking forward to getting away for a bit. So peace to everyone and I will resume when I get back...unless I have enough time to write a bit while I'm on the road.

More memories knockin'

Funny how things just happen in bunches. I had dinner with an ex that I dated for a very long time a month ago, another just moved into town, and I came across an unopened letter from a girl I dated years ago.

And this morning in the office, I get an e-mail out of the blue from someone else that I haven't thought of in a long time but that was always special. She's actually someone that I wouldn't say I know too well, as our friendship pretty much stems from my senior year in high school (good lord that's a long time ago).

In fact we didn't really know each other at all, although we knew of each other. Half way through the year, someone asked me if I knew this girl, and I said not well at all (It's really pretty strange to be re-telling high school stories at this stage in life, but it's kinda nice). Plus I was "going out" with someone at the time (haven't used that term in a while).

But for some reason I got the chance to hang out with her one weekend, as she became good friends with a friend of mine. This girl had a reputation of being an airhead, and just kinda off. But we really did get along very well for some strange reason. It was one of those "we were lost in our little world" situations, talking about silly things that we'd find interesting but if anyone else was overhearing us would think we were nuts.

Unfortunately a relationship was never meant to be, as she met a boy in Australia over winter vacation and began seeing him long-distance. However, we became very close friends and I ended up spending a huge chunk of my last half year in highschool with her, which did not sit well with my friends. We went to the prom together as well, and her company made the last bit of highschool that much sweeter.

We pretty much lost touch after highschool, although I tried to meet up with her in Germany when I was backpacking through Europe. She wasn't back yet, and that was the last time we spoke. I heard that she eventually moved to Australia.

Anyhow, this morning I received an e-mail from her, but via another guy's e-mail address based in Australia. Good chance that she actually is married and living in Australia, but it would be interesting to know what she's been up to over the last decade. It's especially weird that the last time we talked those long-haired trolls were still the hip thing, and one of the most-played songs on MTV while I was in Europe was Madonna's "This Use to Be My Playground" (funny the things you recall).

I look forward to her writing back, and I hope she's doing well. It's just cool to hear people that were once very close to you doing alright. But all these things lately are getting me nostalgic, and reminds me of the chorus of a song by Spearhead:

"memories come down and me once again, caught without an umbrella"

Two more days to go

Before I'm off on holiday. Haven't been so looking forward to holiday in a while. Between the musees and food in Paris, and the beautiful natural scenery that I'll see at Mont Blanc, and the good 'ol bubbly that I'll be tasting in Champagne, it will simply be nice to get away.

Video: U.S. Gunship Kills Iraqi Civilians And Journalist

Video: U.S. Gunship Kills Iraqi Civilians And Journalist

It's a sad thing that over 1,000 US troops have been killed in Iraq since the begin of the US invasion, especially for most of these soldiers they are fighting someone else's war, a war based on lies and personal gain.

At the otherside we have the Iraqi people, with a rough estimate of over 30,000 killed since the invasion and occupation. But rarely do we hear about these nameless masses. Nor do we hear of the Middle Eastern journalists that routinely get murdered. Here's a link to the video of a Palestinian journalist getting blown up along with a group of Iraqi people who were gathering around an already burnt out US tank. The US response, they did it to prevent looting of the tank.

You tell me why the Iraqis want the US troops to get the fuck out of their country.

Feeling Brain Dead

I'm taking my annual leave this Thursday, and I am completely brain dead at work right now. The only thing I can think of right now is getting on that plane.

After moving to Hong Kong I've spent most of my vacations in South East Asia, so this trip to France and the UK will be a nice change. The plan:

Fly into Paris for a few days, then take the train down to Lyon. Rent a car and drive from Lyon to the Alps, Swiss border, Mont Blanc, up to Dijon and the Champagne region. Hit the major champgne houses and then drive back to Paris and fly over to London. Spend a few days in London then back to HK.

I am so looking forward to the trip. One of my favorite museums is the modern art museum in Paris at the Centre Pompidou. Needless to say I'll be gaining a few kilos along the way.

Unfortunately, there are tons of things to do and each minute I am wasting means more chaos while I'm away. But man, I cannot stay focused.

Unopened Letter

I have a big cardboard box where I keep all my personal stuff: pictures, mementos from the past, letters, etc. Since my passport is running dangerously low on visa pages, I needed to dig out my birth certificate to apply for a new one. As I was looking through my stuff I came across an unopened letter from a girl that I dated briefly many years back.

I was really quite excited to find the letter, as I can't say that I've spent much time over the last few years thinking about this person. Naturally I was curious as to why I hadn't opened it, and when it was sent, kinda like a kid finding a message in a bottle. Even more exciting because when's the last time I opened a letter from someone I know? When's the last time I've written and sent anyone a letter? I don't even write in notebooks anymore. As convenient as e-mail and the internet is, it just can't compare to a good hand-written piece of paper...there's nothing like receiving a letter, opening it up, and seeing the actual writing of someone you know or care about. Man, I really miss letters.

Since the letter was sent from L.A., it had to be a while after we dated in Taiwan. The first line was her thanking me for my concern over her weight...apparently I had written to her to see how she was doing 'cause she was going through some tough times and was a bit anorexic. She said she was indeed going through a rough patch, but that she would definitely pull through it.

She ended the letter by asking me how I was, whether I've decided on the next direction in my life (I moved out to San Fran), and some other encouraging words. The letter was sent September 18, 2000, almost exactly four years ago.

It got me to thinking about my relationships in the past...all the lives that were for a brief moment in time so closely intertwined with mine...sometimes I wonder if it all happened, it seems like another lifetime of another person. But when I do think about it, it all comes back as if it were yesterday. I can remember exactly how I met this girl. She was a friend of a good friend of mine, and I met her during a night out. Though we barely talked the first night we were all out, the next weekend we began chatting at the club. It was good conversation and you could immediately feel the chemistry there. A few hours and more than a few drinks later, we had ditched our friends and was walking down a deserted Taipei street drunk and merry, and falling for each other.

But things didn't quite work out. We dated each other for maybe a month, but the honeymoon was quickly over because I just didn't quite feel like she was my type. As I've said before, I was never too good at keeping a relationship and especially in dealing with any type of personality incompatibilities...how much has changed in four years.

I've seen her a couple of times since, but we act as if nothing ever happend between us...or maybe it's because I never really got back in touch with her (since I guess I didn't even open her letter). But still, for that brief period of time we were an intimate part of each other's life, and I don't mean just physically. But then we both moved on in different directions. I wonder if we were in the same city now, and didn't have the history, would we be together? I don't think so, but then we've both changed a lot since. But what brought us together at the time? I guess everyone is constantly changing whether they realize it or not. Which makes me think how difficult it is to maintain a relationship. The person you started out with may be a complete stranger compared to who you are with now. The secret, I guess, is to grow and change together.

Easier said then done though, as I am still learning for myself right now.

I do wish I could have a chance to catch up with all the girls I've had a relationship with in the past, since they all own a piece of my life. But of course there would be no reason to...whoever we were and whatever we had have also disappeared with time. It's a sad thought, but reminds me of something I've read in the past. That people are always searching for love because we are desperate to find a way to escape the ultimate truth that we are essentially alone in this world.

Wedding Bells are a Ringin'...

but nor for me. Although it seems like they're ringin' for everyone else. Now that two of my best friends have just had a baby and the other is expecting, I also have a total of six and counting weddings to go to over the next four months.

It'll be nice as a few of the weddings will be a good excuse to travel abroad, but I just can't believe it. It doesn't help that my three-year relationship is on the rocks, and things really don't look good right now. All those stories that you hear of your friends all getting married and you find yourself the only one that's not seem to be becoming reality for me. Especially if I join the shrinking ranks of my bachelor friends soon.

Oh well, I'm happy for them. Both the ones getting married and the single ones.

Torturing the Tongue

ZNet | Politics | Torturing the Tongue

"In the extremely depressing times we live in we should be thankful for all those who make us laugh in any way and for whatever reason."

How true it is!

It's Football Season...

American football that is. Yes, I am a sports fan and football and basketball are among my favorites. Living in Hong Kong, football is obviously equated with soccer, but having spent a good chunk of my life in North America soccer has never really caught on with me, while unfortunately I've been assimilated into the football culture of America.

Tomorrow is kick off for the new season, and I am psyched. Not just because I enjoy the sport, but also due to my compulsion for fantasy sports. Fantasy sports has come a long way, and as the name suggests, indulges the sports fan's imagination of actually being a part of pro sports. Since most of us haven't got a chance in hell of becoming a pro, this adds an extra bit of excitement to watching the games. Kinda pathetic isn't it? But it's loads of fun, and since there is a nice little sum in the pool for the winner of the league, it's that much more interesting. So my annual league with my buddies back in the States is set and ready to go. God knows this is a nice little diversion to what has definitely been a horrible month in both aspects of my career and my personal relationship.

Go Seahawks and Vikings!

Self Mystification: An Essay by Sankara Saranam

An Essay by Sankara Saranam

I am not a religious person nor a particularly "spiritual" type, although I often discuss with friends and talk about the idea of religion and other philosophies on life. I won't comment too much on religion here except that I believe you should carry your faith and beliefs in your heart and practice it in real life, not flaunt it around, institutionalize it or use it as an excuse or screen to hide behind. For the religious, it would seem to be a relationship between yourself and your faith, and nothing and no one else.

Anyhow, I came across the writings of a yogi called Sankara Saranam. I'm not familiar with the practices and techniques of his yogic group, but have to say I enjoy his essays on current affairs and spiritual issues. This essay about self mystification touches on how people in general, quite simply, are full of themselves.

He also wrote an interesting essay on "an acceptance speech that we will never hear from Bush": The Bush Acceptance Speech We'll Never Hear

Religious or not, spritual or not, whatever labels you put on these things, I find the essays insightful and interesting.

On a side note, I have yet to try any of the types of Yoga that have taken Hong Kong by storm over the last few years. Physically, I have the flexibility of a rod of iron, and I'd probably pass out within one minute in a hot yoga session.