Public Announcement - I’m in Bali

Tuesday, 31 July, 2007

I’m in Bali with my dad and mom. I’m fine other than the fact that a naughty monkey at Uluwatu had my glasses’ nose bridge for dinner.

A little scribbles here and there

Tuesday, 24 July, 2007

I have come to detest tropical climate. Here in Cirebon the air is so humid and warm that I have to put on half a bottle of baby powder just to make sure that my you-know-where is dry and not itching.

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I have been reading through 30 volumes of Death Note comic strips, hehe. Thanks to Margaret for leaving it on my desktop when she’s clearing some space off her flash drive.

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I’ll be gone to Jakarta come Thursday for some medical check up, then Bali and maybe Lombok. I tried convincing Wenny and Diandra to go, but none of them are interested, so I didn’t even call up Sam because obviously she won’t go if neither of the two went. Now I’m dragging mom and dad instead.

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I need more hard drive space! The other day I had only 300MB left on my hard drive that I’ve got to delete original jpeg photos just to clear off some space. Now I’ve got around 14GB of space, and no original copies for my photos. The horror!

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Lightroom is hopelessly slow. Maybe I’ll be more interested to learn if I have a computer fast enough that rendering previews won’t take a lifetime and browsing photos won’t take an eternity.

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My family won’t be able to attend 3 weddings while we’re traveling. That’s 3 events when I can make new Cirebon friends. Dang!

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Maybe it’s a good idea to get me some protective filters for the lenses before we leave for Bali.

I am planning to get me a 50mm f/1.8 before we leave Jakarta too. I’ll need it for the dark shots.

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Cirebon got a pretty decent harbor, but how come the only thing I see them unloading are coals?

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I don’t want to come back to Cirebon next year and I don’t know how to let Dad knows. He’s pretty down already now that I’m so indifferent about the store and wake up so late everyday. I have to get out of here to stop myself from thinking I’m a 20 year old failure.

Nothing weird or anything, but…

Sunday, 22 July, 2007

“OMG she’s so pretty!”

“She is only 11. You are 20. Oh and let’s not forget, she is your little friggin’ cousin!”

“But she’s so pretty!”

“She’s got two older brothers and both of them are younger than you are.”

“But OMG she look like Hsu Qi! So pretty!”

“Fucking pedophile.”

This conversation did not happen in my head this evening when I met with my cousin in the supermarket, and I was not distracted and most certainly did not swerve the shopping cart onto the fat lady not far away. The fat lady’s ass was sucking the cart in, I swear.

Close encounter of the 3rd kind…

Friday, 20 July, 2007

My dad, out of the sheer randomness of the day, suddenly suggested that I have my birdie circumcised.

I know!

We argued the whole day on the necessity of this, but we went ahead anyway to the most reputable circumcising master in the province.  No kidding, even the doctor’s roof spells “CIRCUMCISE” in Bahasa Indonesia. He’s got glorified photos of his days cutting little 5 year old weeners, which I think is disturbing. I thought Indonesia is very strict on photography? but on pedophilic  bondage pornography? Maybe there’s a little allowance there. *shrugs*

Well we found out that there’ll be a lot of blood loss, and it’ll be messy, and I’ll have to wear a sarong for 2 weeks. But I’ve heard that things like this make your boner look bigger. So there’s definitely voters for both sides.

But maybe not.

Dunkin Donuts

Friday, 13 July, 2007

Uuuuh… Did the Dunkin Donuts Cashier tried flirting with me? I think she just did.

I love Indonesia.

In Indonesia

Friday, 13 July, 2007

I arrived safely in Jakarta yesterday afternoon. Apparently my bad diarrhea has stopped at the same time his started. He’s now in Singapore and hopefully he’ll recover soon.

I was so busy leaving for Indonesia that I didn’t even have time on the significance of leaving Seattle. Will have to do some thinking in the near future. Meanwhile, we have traveled to Bogor to see Grandma, had Bagan Kwetiow and there’s free internet in Dunkin Donuts.

Wicked.

“小姐,我肚子有一点不舒服。。。 请问有没有比较轻弹得食物?“
”有。清等一下。“

“哈哈,对不及我好久没讲华语了。“
“不会啊,你讲得满不错嘛。。。 你是哪里人?“

“我是印尼华侨。 哦,介绍一下,我叫Su. 你叫什么名字?“
”Cherie.”

Some Highlights

Friday, 6 July, 2007

  • Had been hanging out too much with Allen
  • Got to hang out with Sam, Allen’s host parents’ son. He’s a great fun!
  • Still haven’t got started on packing up. My room is a licensed pigsty as of now.
  • I deleted all of the photos from the 4th July shoot. Fugly.
  • I passed my driving license test! *Skippy Doo!*
  • Body Splash are just addictive. I think I’m getting a bunch for my friends in Singapore.
  • I had Sushiland, Thai Tom, Indo Cafe etc. Fine Seattle cuisine I’m going to miss.
  • Cashier’s check sent to Ann Arbor. Only need Felix’s application.
  • God I haven’t been doing much of late. Focus Focusss!

SiCKO

Thursday, 5 July, 2007

I’m watching Michael Moore’s newest documentary on the American health system, it’s titled “SiCKO”. It’s just mind-blowing ridiculous how messed up is the insurance and healthcare system is right here in the States. Just ridiculous.

I’ll watch it to the end and will probably be late for dinner Kai. Review coming up later.

Happy 4th of July!

Wednesday, 4 July, 2007

I was planning to get some fireworks HDR shots this evening, but the moronic part of me just wasn’t savvy enough to tweak Denise. I ended up shooting stars just because I didn’t get the shutter speed right, and it took some recapping on the way home to realize that HEY OH SHIT THE PICTURES AREN’T SUPPOSED TO BE THIS WAY!

I could blame the chilly night wind, or that kid who keeps stepping on my tripod, or that chick with a generous cleavage, but no. I’m taking full responsibility for my stupid mistake. 600 shots of rubbish, off to the trash bin you go!

For that, good night and drive safe! I’m done pretending to be a photographer for now. =)

  1. I’m surrounded by republicans who are obnoxious, have limited creativity, no regard for the environment, elitist to some degree, definitely homophobic, racist, have limited knowledge of their original heritage, and are sadly boring pricks. And I’m in one of the most liberal cities in the States. Go figure.
  2. I don’t have any motivational role-model here at all. Refer to #1.
  3. I want to do rock climbing, kayaking, nature photography. They want to shop at outlet stores, have dessert at posh restaurants, watch movies in broad daylight (or at the comfort of their entertainment system), and take narcissistic photos.
  4. Because nobody here enjoy my company anymore. Most of them think I’m not the team-player material.
  5. Seattle rain can be romantic at appropriate moods, but most of it just depresses the crack out of everyone. Especially depression-prone types like me.
  6. Because I’ll only be around people who look just like me, speaks my native language and as conservative as my grandparents.
  7. A bit of Michigan chill might build my character.
  8. Friends here seem to go faster than they come.
  9. Friends here seem to be no where when the going gets tough.

Remind me again why I’m so bent on leaving Seattle?

Detroit Starbucks Girl

Wednesday, 4 July, 2007

Detroit is such a funny place. I was standing in line waiting to order a coffee in Starbucks when the cashier was just going on ranting to nobody in particular (I’m guessing she’s expecting 1 of the 3 baristas behind her to be listening to her), and she was so preoccupied with her ranting that she greeted me in the middle of her ranting.

“..Yeeah, yeeeah Keisha she gone without throwing the garbage agynn, I’m gonna whoop, how can I help you, I’m so gonna whoop that bitch’s ass! Yoo hear me…”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, ‘How can I help you?’ What can I get for you?”

“… …”

And then there’s the barista:

“Aeh, Aeh… you say no weep creem?”

“Excuse me? Oh… That’s right, no whipped cream please.”

“A’ight.  Eeh stop talking ‘bout that crazy bitch, girl. Yoo is cray-izy, sista.”

“Sorry, you’re saying?”

“I’m not talking to you.”

“Oh.”

The little thing we learn about other people on a day-by-day basis.

In the middle of the plane with a bad stomachache. We are currently 100 miles from LV. Think we should get us some dinner when we’re in LV airport. Stupid Starbucks girl must have put something in my double blended, no whipped cream Grande green tea frappuchino.

Climb up

Tuesday, 3 July, 2007

Alcatraz Stairs (shot by the awesome Uncle Su)

When you’re not sure of where you’re going, remember that you’re in the right direction as long as you’re going up.

Torn But Standing

Tuesday, 3 July, 2007

Torn but standing. (shot by the awesome Uncle Su)

Like the wound that’ll never heal no matter how you lick,
Like the bone you’ll never grow back…

I’m torn. But I’m standing alright.