| Friday, August 24th, 2007 |
| 1:49 am |
Congratulations Lesley and thanks!
 I had the honour of being one of Lesley's ushers during her wedding almost 2 weeks ago. It was a beautiful ceremony and I was one of the many who were overjoyed at this Happy Event. Great credit must be given to the bride, groom and wedding party who put so much hard work into making sure everything ran as perfect as possible. Simply wonderful to see them enter the next stage of their lives together. Even though I alluded in past entries I wouldn't be posting anymore, it's more appropriate that I end my LJ tenure with this entry dedicated to Lesley, as afterall it was she that introduced me to the LJ community in the first place. I don't get to say this very much, but I value her and David's friendship a great deal and I feel blessed to know such an amazing couple who have such a love for each other that is deeply moving. Thanks Les...for everything :). Unbelievably, I went a little shutter-mad at the wedding and took almost 200 photos. Here are some of my favourites: ( Lesley and David's wedding photos ) Current Music: "Time to say Good-bye" by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli |
| Thursday, March 29th, 2007 |
| 2:58 pm |
|
| Thursday, March 1st, 2007 |
| 1:17 pm |
Beautifully Creative...and Old School...
My friend Stewen was part of a friend's digital project. It is really cool and you'll like it especially if you appreciate Chinese music from the 1960s. Check it out. Go to: http://www.2preform.nl/main.htmClick on "WORK" Look under "VIDEO" Then Click "RECOLLECTION VOL.1" Finally, clik the "Launch" button I promise you'll love it! |
| Saturday, February 10th, 2007 |
| 1:23 am |
not there yet
saw a patient with my best friend. we reviewed the same technique. there were serious holes in my methodology. moreover, my hands are still not strong enough...still not strong enough. |
| Thursday, February 1st, 2007 |
| 11:06 pm |
Feeling like death
I've only been in Taipei 2 days but I feel 90 years old. Fever. Vomitting. Joint pain. Extreme fatigue. I'm paying for all my overwork this past month. |
| Sunday, January 21st, 2007 |
| 10:52 pm |
Asian Avenue Death Watch
Like a lot of people, I had an Asian Avenue account in the late 90s. However, a few years ago I became bored of AA and deleted my account from there. However, as a curiosity I recently visited the site after years of absence. What I saw surprised me. They had totally revamped it. On the opening page they claimed to have over 1,400,000 members. However, when I looked right beside that claim, it said that only 35 people were online at that time. Wow, does anyone agree with me in thinking that this site will disappear completely soon? It was a free site so I believe a lot of its revenue depended on ads. But when you only have a measly 35 people logging in at a time, that bodes very bady for the internet traffic required to keep afloat. It's too bad. I met some really amazing people on Live Journal from Asian Avenue. If you still have a site there, you might want to visit it for Nostalgia's sake before that internet ghost town fades away completely. |
| Monday, January 1st, 2007 |
| 2:19 am |
Strange beginnings
Ok, that was like the most expedient and one of the strangest New Years celebrations ever. The venue was not as good as the Citrus event two years ago as it was WAY too dark. Saw a bunch of random people I had no idea would be there including my cousin. Ended up walking a crying friend to her ride because her boyfriend cheated on her. I am not so good with random tearful blatherings of "Why does he do this to me" especially without context. Still feel quite ill so this is one new years I think I'll sleep off. |
| Sunday, December 31st, 2006 |
| 9:41 pm |
End of year book review
Uuuugh..I still feel a little under the weather but I'll still be heading out to a New Year's bash in about an hour or so. A lot has happened during 2006...both good and bad. It hasn't been the best of years but it hasn't been the worst of years either(that honour goes to 2004). However, despite the wierd ups and downs of this year one thing I did notice is that I did get in quite a bit more personal reading than I expected this past year. So since I'm whittling time away until the New Years bash I thought I'd do a quick review of some of the books I've read:  "I am Charotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe Rating: 1/10 Please avoid this LONG and boring book. The book tries to be shocking but ends up instead being boring. The characters are not very believable and not very likable. Coincidentally, this book won "the bad sex award" for 2004. Seriously! If you ever want to read a long and tedious book that makes you want to chuck the book at a wall, this is one to read. The feeling of finishing the book is one of loss...as you know that those are precious hours that you will never get back for this waste of pulp.  "Pandora" by Anne Rice Rating: 7/10 This is Anne Rice's continuation of the "Interview with the Vampire" series. I found this to be one of her more interesting books as the main character is rather engaging. It may not be considered great literature but is still a fun romp to read.  "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck Rating: 8/10 A classic of American literature. Sad, heart-breaking and beautifully written. Many of the themes touched upon in this novel are relevant today...of hope, human greed, and lost dreams. Certainly not the most upbeat of novels but is still a worthy read.  "My life" by Bill Clinton Rating: 9/10 I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was well written and incisive. I have to admit it was a tad biased and self-serving and it lays out for all to see his tragic character flaw; he can justify anything no matter how wrong or how much he disagreed with it before. It did make me long for those simpler Clinton times as these Bush years have not been fun.  "The Chinese in America" by Iris Chang Rating: 10/10 The same author of the acclaimed "the Rape of Nanking." This book makes you realize that the author died too early as I feel this is one of her landmark works and wonderful summary of asian-american history. Even though this was read much earlier this year it still deserves an honourable mention as a captivating history of a people who have shaped North Amerian Culture for well over a century. Simply a mind-blowing book.  "Cosmopolis" by Don De Lillo Rating: 7/10 A brutal and unforgiving post-modernist take on the great upheavals of the financial world during the dot-com boom. The pace of the book is quite frenzied and provides for several brilliant moments...however, the ending leaves much to be desired.  "The Da Vinci Code" By Dan Brown Rating: 6/10 I guess a lot of people will disagree with my rating of this book as they simply loved the novel. And I have to admit, I liked the idea of the book. However, I found it poorly written overall. I guess it also annoyed me that for a book about female empowerment, the main female lead was often portrayed as clueless. Great story. Poor prose.  "Failed States" by Noam Chompsky Rating: 8/10 Not the most exciting book in the world and some parts are hard to follow. However, if you want to know how the world will possibly end...this book gives you a pretty good idea with ample support. Although a work of non-fiction, this book is scarier than any horror novel you will ever read...in the way that makes your blood ice-cold. Well..that's it...I'm off to my party. Have a safe and fun New Years Eve everyone! |
| Saturday, December 30th, 2006 |
| 10:54 pm |
I feel good...correct that..I felt good.
Crap. I hope I'm not coming down with something. Last night my friend Jo came back from Calgary and so a group of us had dinner. Later, they invited me to an Open Karaoke Bar at Queen and Gladstone. I was a bit apprehensive. When I do Asian Karaoke aka KTV it's always with a small group I know renting out a private room. This however, would be a very public affair in front of a large/drunken crowd with every age group between 19-65. And y'know what?! It was fucking great !!! A few of the people in our group started off singing some Counrty songs. Since today was the Funeral of one of my idols James Brown, I got up on stage and sang his tune "I Feel Good" in his memory. Honestly, I sucked. My voice cracked several times like a chicken getting an anal-probe. However, the whole crowd cheered and sang along and some people were even dancing to my dog-howling rendition. It was a GREAT experience and I have to give credit to the crowd for being very generous to any singer that tries regardless of skill. This was especially significant as I followed a girl with a Mariah Carey-like voice who sang "Natural Woman." Sort of like going from Fine dining to Taco Bell in under 10 seconds flat. However, not only did the great singers get praise but also the very bad ones who bravely did covers of Michael Jackson's "Rock with you" and a very very drunken rendition of "I have friends in low places." The only other song I did that night was "Red Red Wine" with the group I came in with and as God is my witness I had no idea there was a LONG-ASS reggae/rap line near the end of the song lasting four fucking minutes that barely any of us could keep up with. Oh well...good times!! Coincidentally, I met this REALLY gorgeous blonde there who looked like a cross between Britney Spears(in the good ol' days) and Leanne Rhimes. She was very cool to talk to and we subsequently gave her group our table when we left. A nice night overall except for the fact I think I must have caught something last night as I felt like total shit at work today. Oh well..hopefully I'll feel better for new years. Happy New Year Everyone!! |
| Wednesday, December 27th, 2006 |
| 2:24 am |
RIP JAMES BROWN
 Over the weekend one of my longtime musical Heroes died. I saw James Brown as recently as 2 years ago during his performance at Massey all while he was in his 70s!! There is no legend like him as he was a true pioneer of rock n' roll and best known as the Godfather of Soul. During my teenage days his "Live at the Apollo Theatre" album transfixed and greatly influenced me. Listening to it was like tapping into pure electricity. I will always remember the much quoted line from the Commitments movie..."Say it loud....I'm black and I'm proud!" However, this Holiday season most of his fans will be quoting other verses from him...most notably "Please, Please, Please.......Don't Go" |
| Tuesday, December 26th, 2006 |
| 9:27 pm |
Shopped out.
One good thing about living on a subway line is that I have the opportunity to not brave the crazy-ass mall traffic during boxing day. I went to Fairview and honestly, the "people congestion" wasn't half bad. I do think I broke my personal record for shopping...just under 6 hours. However I found a lot of great stuff from 50 to 75% off which led me to break another record in one day spending. I guess I see it as stuff I have to buy anyways and that buying now will save me in the long run. At least that's how I try to justify it to myself. I have never really gone into stores like Harry Rosen, Guess or America but jeez is some of their stuff ever expensive, even on sale. Looks like it'll be Winners for me until next boxing day. |
| Friday, December 22nd, 2006 |
| 1:52 am |
|
| Wednesday, December 13th, 2006 |
| 12:54 am |
Me and Wikipedia....the last loveboat Hurrah.
As God is my witness, I did not think I would ever contribute anything to Wikipedia. Some of you know that on went on this well-known Taiwan Study tour aka "Loveboat" trip many years back. MANY years back..think 1997. Anyways, it was the time of my life and I met some of the coolest and most influential people that I have ever known from around the world. I liked the experience so much in fact, that after I finished my California licensing exam in 2000 and had nothing to do, I became a medical Counselor for the Studytour. Hard work but also a pretty fucking good time. So all these experiences were many years ago but I still carry with me the great memories and friendships although I don't think of it much these days. However, I am proud to admit more than a year and a half ago I got together with some other loveboat friends and started 2 online commmunities for the Loveboat years of 1997 and 2000 to re-connect old Study tour friends. You can see them here as there's a good number of the people who joined the commmunities: http://www.friendster.com/loveboat1997http://www.friendster.com/loveboat2000So when one of the friends who helped me organize the site showed me the "Loveboat's" wikipedia(the online encyclopedia) entry I was a bit miffed as it was inaccurate and 2 only paragraphs long. However I was still impressed with whomever had the initiative to start the entry. But the inaccuracies and lack of detail bothered me so much that I started correcting and adding to it. I'm a bit embarassed as I added QUITE a bit of info and also changed some of their content. I'm hoping the person doesn't get too pissed and erase everything I wrote, it's just that I know a lot more about this subject than most as I worked for the organization. Anyways, here's my entry on Wikipedia. I think you might be able to tell the difference between my writing style and the other person. Mine has more grammatical errors. Ha ha! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Chinese_Youth_Language_Training_and_Study_Tour_to_the_Republic_of_ChinaBecause I'm so busy and behind in everything these days I don't get really a chance to keep in touch with a lot of loveboaters and they really haven't been a relavent part of my life like they had in my past. However I have to say I have been better than most that I have kept many of these friendships alive for almost 10 years. And I guess for me writing this entry is sort of like one last hurrah. It will always be the best summer of my life. |
| Friday, December 8th, 2006 |
| 5:48 am |
Blink Magazine Contents
In a previous entry I posted the Cover to Blink Magazine. Many were understandably pertrubed by the scary looking chick on the cover. However in fairness the contents of the magazine are not bad. Here is a link for those of you who are interested in seeing some of the Layout and photography: http://www.myspace.com/blinktoronto |
| Sunday, November 26th, 2006 |
| 9:16 am |
Back to lightweight status
Tonight was Elaine's Birthday. I had not the foresight to bring a camera this time. It was a simply great time!! So happy to see familiar faces and old friends again. And honestly I have not been so plastered since my time last year in Asia. It wasn't even that bad as I had 4 hard shots, a mixed drink, and a beer. Yet I was buzzed out of my mind. I was amazed by the nonsensical speech that came out of my mouth and I wondered if anyone really understood my jibberish. It was a buzz where you "couldn't feel your hands." Luckily I later took refuge at coffee shop and with some food got sober quite readily and went home. It was a great time. I will not get this tipsy again for awhile. At least not until January when I return to my Clinic in Taipei to see patients. Other friends are waiting for me there who look to bring me to "another stage of consciousness". However, I am not so interested in doing this. I had a great time at Elaine's birthday tonight although I don't think I'll repeat a night of "losing my brain." I have enough damaged brain cells as it is and must preserve the ones I have left. |
| Thursday, November 23rd, 2006 |
| 2:20 am |
|
| Tuesday, November 21st, 2006 |
| 2:02 am |
|
| Sunday, November 19th, 2006 |
| 6:19 am |
BLINK magazine is out...check out my little article.
 BLINK, a new Lifestyle and Culture magazine, is now out on Newstands in Chapters and Indigos across Canada. Believe it or not I was actually recruited as a Health Columnist by my friend Lisa who happened to be the Editor. My little blurb is on the rather dry topic of Ginseng but I try to make it interesting. It's actually a pretty good first issue and I think it is much better than previous issues of the now defunct "Yolk." They tried to emulate such successful cross-cultural magazines like W.E. MEN from Hong Kong. Honestly, people will probably like the magazine for its great layout, photography and well-dressed models. I only contributed as a bit of filler which I was happy to do. Anyways, they did a pretty decent job so check it out if you have the chance. |
| Saturday, November 4th, 2006 |
| 5:35 am |
|
| Friday, November 3rd, 2006 |
| 4:48 am |
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
hardpush's journal
