- I need to layout my thoughts because I still processing everything that happened during my San Francisco adventure.
- People are going to ask me how the trip was.
- I feel like I haven't done anything for myself art wise for a long time, which is why this exhibit was important to me, which is also why I feel the need to document this in some way or form.
So, I am pretty tired and wiped out. I find it hard to come back to Chicago weather and trying to recoup all day--completely forgetting that it was also daylight savings--and be prepared to work again with children the next day (which I am not prepared) and not feeling anywhere near on top of things. A huge part of me wants to isolate myself from everything and everyone and hibernate until spring--when the Chicago Winter is gone for good--and when I have restored all of my energy to focus and think. If I had the money and time, I would afford more time to rest and enjoy San Francisco.
But overall, I have to admit... San Francisco was very good for me and gave me enough time to start re-thinking many things in my life. Which also is why I feel it is so hard for me to even begin to explain how San Francisco was, because I am just processing what had just happened. Needing time to reflect on things is one of my top priorities, but over the last few years I have found myself not being able to for some reason or another. Many times I feel less of a human and more like a robot doing things to get things done more than anything. I am stressed a lot and very tired.
I cannot do anything creative without having some sort reflection process to occur. Once I am able to express--by writing, more or less--what I want to put out there, I feel more confident in myself, and my piles and piles of things I have to do become less and less--so I can actually breathe again, feel functional, useful to others, be a part of loved ones lives... I never can find the energy and time to think I am being a part of life. When most times I feel stuck trying to dig out a mess of things I need to do that are not art related/or creative at all. Something is killing me. Or... there seems to be yet another turning point in my life that is just around the corner. Thinking about things that I have to give up in order to keep living, to be able to feel again. I want to be mentally aware. I want to be able to focus on concentrate. I also what to re-discover that part of me, before I disappeared from many loved ones lives. But for the last 4 years, pushed more and more people away from me--because well. I've been too tired and no energy--and something is mentally wrong with me that I just can't figure it out. I feel I haven't been making art. I miss when I used to feel great awe of every living thing and being around me. I have closed myself off ; selfishly shut off everything and something in my heart has turned real cold. I value God's spiritual life giving gifts tremendously and time and time again it has been these gifts that keep me alive and living. And yet, in the last couple of years watching the roots of bitterness, and hate, being jaded, impatience, jealousy, paranoia, etc. etc. start to grow in me--that is ultimately destroying me. I would like to cut those roots off. Art and creating art makes me feel like I am living again. Human and fully aware and alive.
I love traveling by myself. My soul has been begging me for away time from my life in Chicago to figure out and think about what is really important to me.
I had spent from Thursday, March 6th 4:27 p.m.-Saturday, March 8th about 1:30 p.m. in San Francisco, CA.
Here is a list of things I would like to highlight:
I think it's pretty ironic that I couldn't find my medical i.d. stating that I have a metal hip replacement going to an orthopedic surgeons conference.
Figuring my way to my hotel room I took the BART System. At the Daly City stop, I noticed a restaurant that I have been dying to try out here in Schaumberg, Illinois and immediately took out my camera after freaking out about what I saw for 10 seconds:
I stayed at Hotel Astoria which was located right at the Dragon Gate entrance of Chinatown on Bush and Grant.
I have a great affinity for dive hotels:
My window with the blinds down...
...and another window with the blinds down when you decide to put my window blinds up!
During the first evening of my stay I was welcomed by artist Michelle Rose. My orthopedic surgeon, David Mendelson, MD told me about this painter living in San Francisco. She has been good friends with the Mendelson family since childhood. We met up at Sushi-Man Restaurant
Only having met for about 45 minutes, my first impressions were: that she reminded me a bit of my one of my kindred spirits--who is also one of my favourite painters and artist friends-Emily Rapport. I think it is because she seems to me during our first encounter, to have that quiet manner and humble nature. Very thoughtful and seemed to have full of wisdom that only life experiences can give you. Even though I feel myself always being naturally socially awkward and shy, with my words to me not being clear and always fumbling and stumbling on them... I think it wasn't until this dinner, where I felt like I haven't really talked about me doing my artwork and what I do as an artist in long while. I feel like I haven't found someone in along time to talk about any sort of artist progress, even though we only touched on this topic very little. I think that may have been why I felt like she reminded me of Emily. The short amount of time I was with her, I felt since it was about 2 1/2 blocks away from where were currently at on Bush Street. Michelle had completely unexpectedly treated me out to my first meal in San Francisco--which happens to be one of my favourite kinds of food. During dinner, I am not sure if she noticed, but she was able to witness me almost relapse from my cold after coming off from the plane; getting a stuffy nose over my miso soup and trying to hold back my coughs as we talked to each other about ourselves.encouraged.
I also love the way that she welcomed her food; breathing in the miso soup, taking her time with each bite of yummy sushi nigiri. Taking it all in; Being aware of the meal in front of her and enjoying it and watching her drink cups of green tea one after the other.
After meeting with her I had decided to call it a night and get up early the next morning to study my San Francisco map and take a ferry to Sausalito and Tiburon. My plan was to walk all the way to Pier 39 with James laptop, get on the ferry and that by 9 a.m. or so I would be blogging at a cafe while enjoying the views over a good breakfast. Well after hiking up and down from Chinatown and managing to find my way to Pier 39 I found out that the first ferry wouldn't operate until 11 a.m. and that it would take 40 minutes by ferry. That didn't give me enough time to be there and back for the artist event at the Moscone Center by 1:30 p.m.. So I spent the majority of my time walking down the piers with nothing having really opened yet and carrying James heavy-ass Powerbook in my backpack on an empty stomach. In a way, it felt like a closed down Navy Pier. I finally decided to go back to Chinatown for some dim sum. When I walked into a few dim sum places I was intimidated by the regulars who seemed to turn around and give me strange looks and I didn't know that you could sit with strangers at the full tables as I declined two different times before walking out of the restaurant before realizing that it was normal to do that. I ended up eating at Hing Lung for breakfast and got Chinese Fried Bread wrapped in Steamed Noodles and Chives, as well as Shrimp Dumpling Soup w/Noodles. I had realized that other people got the dim sum breakfast menu that was only $2.50 and brought you more food, when the waiter had given me a regular menu with much higher prices. I was not happy with that. But I was happy to finally be sitting and resting and drinking tons of green tea.
Hing Lung Restaurant
I fell in love with the markets selling fresh fruit and vegetables walking in Chinatown I ended up buying a couple of oranges to keep in my backpack and in my hotel room. After wandering in and out of stores, I settled into the Starbucks across the street from Hotel Astoria for awhile to check e-mail, and then back to my hotel room to crash my body into bed for 15 minutes, before getting up again and showering and heading to the eMotions artist event.
After having spent the majority of my time so far in a different part of the city, I wasn't sure where the Moscone Center was and seen no sign of the AAOS 75th Annual meeting happening. But then walking closer downtown I knew I was getting closer by checking out the AAOS signs on all of the street posts; all of a sudden where ever you looked there where about a bazillion people with name tags worn around their necks showing that they were in town for the AAOS 75th Annual Meeting:
I was ecstatic to see that the Moscone Center had a Jollibee across the street. The last time I had seen was when I was Philippines in 1994, which was also the only time I had ever seen one. However, my stomach was not craving anything from Jollibee's the time I was there:
"Morning Star, Issue #3" and some of the original pieces from my comic at the eMotions Pictures exhibit:
Catherine Larson's piece:
Everyone was in love with this piece, by Montri D. Wongworawat, MD-including me:
Some pics from the exhibition:
Cathy and "The Iron Upright":
Me in front of my artwork:
Cathy has been one of my best friends since 1999. She has been there for me A LOT in my life and is one of the few who really knows me and my artwork. She has supported me in many, many things and in many, many ways. Somewhere a long the line about 2 or 3 years ago, she became one of the many, many, many people I have went MIA on for no real reason that I cannot fully even explain for myself and still don't know how. So it was both very, very good to see her and her husband and re-join for a while with close familiar faces. This is probably one of the first times I have seen her in a long, long time, aside from our brief time together when they visit me for AWR.
Also at one point in the event I felt awkward once again talking about my artwork, because I had realized that I haven't been creating artwork for myself in a real like time. Plus, I know that I am shy and socially weird anyways--and I think working with kids has given me an even short attention span.
Me with Herbert Mendelson, MD and my orthopedic surgeon, David H. Mendelson, MD:
I finally met Herbert Mendelson, MD, the father of the Mendelson brothers! (All orthopedic surgeons, including the youngest brother's wife, Alice Mendelson, MD, who I have yet still to meet!) I quickly fell deeply in love with Herbert Mendelson's charm! I think everyone I had witnessed, including myself, that he had talked to in the mere 25 minutes I was in his presence, was taken away by his charm, kind spirit, humor, his abundant energy, and love for life. I now see where all the Mendelson brothers get their charm from! I want to make it a goal to one day have dinner with all of them just to see the entire family interact the next time that I am in Michigan! I think at some point we were talking about one of the artists names, Maggie Mae and Rod Stewart, jazz musicians, my love for geeks and San Francisco being tech-based and how most people into tech are geeks, as well as how David wore a Fred Flinestone costume last Halloween and busted into a professional meeting at the hospital. You have got to love this entire family.
During the artist event it had also occur ed to me that I was in a room full of people that slices into the human body for a living.
After the artist event and evening reception I had about two hours to kill and ended up walking downtown, which just reminded me of a bigger Michigan Ave. in Chicago. Although, I ended up watching some street performers bust out some really nice moves; the robot, moonwalk, and a little bit of break dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." I purchased a couple of cheap and pretty necklaces from street vendors. I was hungry and ended up making the bad decision of going to a sushi place downtown that was too expensive that tasted like bad sushi from Chicago.
Servers setting up for the evening reception:
The evening reception at Moscone West:
Walking back to my hotel room after the evening reception:
My heart can't help but to swoon over street performers, no matter what city I am in:
The next morning--before my flight--I had decided to figure out the MUNI and as Michelle Rose had recommended...
...head to the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building Marketplace:
This is the Oyster Po' Boy Sandwich from Hayes Street Grill was the pivotal point during my trip that had made up my mind completely that I indeed had fallen in love with San Francisco:
This is the view I was looking out on while sitting on a bench at their pier while gobbling down the heavenly delciousness:
More pictures from Farmers Market:
Inside the Ferry Building Marketplace:
While at the Farmer's Market I had sampled some dried fruit, fresh honey, cheese, asparagus tempura. I had touched and smell lavender and contemplated if I really should shell out the cash for it. I had debated to buy a dozen oysters, but knew that it was a bad idea to carry to travel with seafood in my backpack until I got to my apartment in Chicago. I had also bought a small piece of artwork print from an artist who came to the U.S. in 1991 from Mexico. His name is Eduardo Guzman and his style reminded me a lot like my sketching style. He and I had talked about feeling the energy in our pens as we drew.
Hopping on to the BART at Embarcadero stop, heading back to the San Francisco International Airport:
Now steppin' off the BART. This was my last view of being outside of the airport before hopping onto the AirTrain to get me to my terminal:
