- art studio/art space (ASAP)
- artwork for CLR (before Dec. 2nd)
- artwork for ASC (before spring event)
- website for NDCAAI (?)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Project to Tackle Before Spring 2009
Monday, October 20, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Tim O a short film by Ben Shearn
A couple of months ago I found a short film he made on Tim O'Malley in regards to Tim's sobriety (you see, Ben is a recovering drug addict as well). One thing that I found curious about Ben, (via internet stalking, I had a huge crush on him you see, and I won't deny it, but he knows that; We're facebook friends now) is that he seemed to always be probing for answers to deep questions. Like any good creative, artist...
He is wonderfully multi-talented and am happy to know that he is out there being productive in L.A. (These words seems to me, too light, but I have much to say, and I don't know how to type my words right now without going on and on and on...)
Some of of Ben's genius can be found here: http://www.bitterjester.com/tct/picsvids/vids.aspx
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Angel Hearts Mandy
(Angel loves Mandy and she wishes she was taking another Simon Anderson Fluxus class with her and Alyce.)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Mkl.
Je hebt opnames gemaakt met artiesten als Rivulets en Angelica Busque. Wie is die Angelica Busque precies? Er is heel weinig informatie over haar te vinden.
Michael: I know. Angelica is een soort van geluidskunstenares uit Chicago. Ze maakt ook tekeningen. Onlangs heeft ze trouwens een award gewonnen voor haar tekeningen. Angelica lijdt aan een spierziekte en die vormt het thema van de tekeningen waar ze die prijs voor heeft gewonnen.
Angelica is eigenlijk een ex-vriendin van mij. Destijds hebben we opnamesessies gedaan voor De Avonden op de VPRO. Tijdens het optreden van vanavond heb ik nog een paar soundsculpturen afgespeeld die zij gemaakt heeft.
Wat de samenwerkingen met Rivulets betreft: Nathan (aka Rivulets, nvdr.) en ik zijn een nieuw project begonnen dat Infinite Life Limited heet. Ik denk dat het een logische combinatie wordt van Rivulets en Drekka.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
artbabe
http://www.artbabe.com/comicsandart/diy/diy_make.html
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Randomness Within Reason
- Randomness within reason:
_______________________
This just isn't random. It was supposed to happen. I was working the night shift at one of the side gates at Midsommarfest last weekend. i was working at a gate where hardly anyone passed through. It was the last 30 minutes of my shift. This boy passed by me and started talking about the bands being so loud. And I told him that I usually carry around earplugs. And he asked me what I do to be carrying those around. I told him my ears get sensitive, I studied in the sound department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It turns out that in the 80's he was a student at SAIC. And he is an experimental sound artist as well. YOU DON'T JUST RANDOMLY BUMP INTO ANOTHER EXPERIMENTAL SOUND ARTIST THE WAY I JUST DID LAST WEEK. We talked on and on about my favorite instructor Nic Collins and started getting into depth about living as an artist, for my need to read "The Long Emergency" and about getting into our own rituals to start the day in creating. We talked back and forth recommending things to read, to listen to, to check out. We talked about the pros and cons of being an artist in both the a small city and big city. His ex-boyfriend passed by and he was really funny about it and was happy that he was a like a chameleon and could not be seen.
The two things I took away in my 30 minutes of talking to this stranger that I needed so badly:
1. Damien, the boy I met, told me that Detroit has always and will always have one of the most powerful artist communities he has ever seen. There is a sense of healing in Detroit and rebuilding in Detroit that most cities have never experienced because they haven't been through the struggles that Detroit has been through. Detroit is a very, very important and powerful place.
2. "If you are an artist you have the responsibility to live out your visions."
As artists you have a voice, the ability to heal and reconstruct.
And then we introduced ourselves and departed. I know that I won't ever see this guy again, but he is exactly what I needed when I came back from Detroit just 48 hours before I met him and he is exactly what I needed to be strong, knowing what I need to do when I go back to Michigan and I didn't lose a thing about myself by moving back.
As most people have been telling me these last two weeks, "You know who you are and you will do really well in life because of this, no matter where you are."
It seems lately I have been accepting and letting go a lot of stuff in my life and receiving much mentally back. I keep getting giddy and happy about it.
Followed up talking to Damien, with sitting next to Emily at a bar. (She has majorly influenced me so many ways as an artist and has supported me greatly since I have known her.) She told me it will be good for me to rest. To not worry about bills and such that I have to maintain to keep my daily life here in Chicago. It will be good to be able to sit down and concentrate on my health and my artwork. I agree.
I am currently setting up my goodbye show. Contacting people that have been in my Chicago life in the last ten years. I feel loved, supported, and happy.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
ACCOMPLISHMENTS in the last 2 months:
SHORT TERM GOALS/TO DO LIST:
LONG TERM GOALS:
GOOD THINGS:
CURRENTLY:
- Learning how to cook my mother's pansit and lumpia. I can now cook my own version of pansit and it has become second nature to me to know how to cook it.
- Finished REACH PLATE for Boston's REACH Beyond Domestic Violence Annual Plate Auction.
- Created 5 "Take-Home Art Activities" and samples of activities for the parenting class to work on with their children.
- Created a 20 minute end-of-the-year video presentation for the After School Program.
- Designed an AmeriCorps brochure for the program to recruit new members.
- Designing/Designing a postcard for LEAF to announce our move to the new location.
- Created a sample scrapbook/artists book for the parenting class using my nephew, Owen as the example.
- Assisted in helping the parenting class make scrapbooks/artists books of their children.
- Created several lesson plans for the daycare and samples of the lesson plans.
- Created 2 huge paintings/banners for Global Youth Service Day.
- Taught 1st graders a lesson about Recycling.
- Created 3 posters on Recycle, Reduce, and Reuse.
- Helped in the food can drive that us AmeriCorps members donated to Cornerstone Community Outreach.
- Taught the parenting class how to make butterfly kites with sticks, colored tissue paper, and string--they may or may not have flown.
- "Co-taught" staff how to make sushi rolls w/Julie.
- Sold one of my art pieces at Feed the Beast to one of my friends.
- Exhibiting artwork at the Chicago Cultural Center.
SHORT TERM GOALS/TO DO LIST:
- Get my bike fixed.
- Do my laundry.
- Clean my room.
- Update resume.
- Add paypal to website so people can start buying my comics on-line.
- Get cooking tools to aid my discovery in my love for wok-cooking.
- Buy a sushi knife.
- Getting boxes for the move.
- Create a farm scene/mural for the daycare wall on butch paper so the kids can begin adding farm animals and other farm stuff to it for this week's theme.
- Mail REACH plate.
- Teach high schoolers in 2 afternoons in the beginning of July how to make a DIY xerox comic book.
- Create "TO DO BEFORE I LEAVE CHICAGO" list.
LONG TERM GOALS:
- Start saving up to have my own artist studio and/or turn one of the bedrooms in Michigan into an artist studio.
- Use my AmeriCorps Education Award to get a new laptop and to take beginning classes in website design, graphic design, print production and/or children's illustration.
- Thinking about moving out to California to be with my comedian and artists friends who have moved out there in the last couple of years.
- File every piece of paper in my bedroom.
- Starting my own business painting murals for nurseries, children's bedrooms, elementary schools, and daycares.
GOOD THINGS:
- Bone folders.
- Adam Snow's "mixtapes" on the internet.
- Finally watching all of Star Wars. (I TOTALLY remember of course watching this countless of times when I was younger, more as a memory, but I never really knew the storyline.)
- My art supplies.
- Finally losing weight.
- Darkstar Video.
- Living in Chicago for ten years exactly at the end of August.
- Lola from Dr. Katz's office.
- Getting my haircut from Tigerlillie.
- Finding my ring with the dove on it while cleaning my bedroom a couple of weeks ago.
- Wearing necklaces again.
- Experimented and wore lipstick for the first time in 16 years.
- Buying super, super, super cheap sashimi at the Korean grocery store.
- Jodi's booklist.
- Adam's Pixelated Reviews.
- Remember the Milk.
- Goodreads.
- Malbec red wine.
- Remy Martin XO.
- Devin & the Straights.
- Borrowing James laptop for work.
- Scorpio Sardo's drinks.
- Spending Mother's Day with James and Jeremy and a bunch of Jeremy's friends--where Jeremy made miso soup, salmon maki, and edamame, and I made pansit and lumpia--It was a hit.
- Going to Six Flags with James and his son for Memorial Day.
- Grocery shopping at Harvest Time with Steve.
- Hanging out at good ol' Beans and Bagels with Adam and Steve.
- Going to finally be a part of my nephew's life now that I am moving back to Michigan.
- Facing the problems/situations that I left behind 10 years ago like an adult.
- Talking to Sharry about Maxwell's Street Market and her need to cook even when she is not hungry, which that conversation influenced me in cooking more as well.
- Hiromi's (Japanese/Filipino family owned restaurant open until 2 a.m. with karaoke in Tagalog, Japanese, Spanish, & English, BYOB)--this is where I am going to have my goodbye party.
CURRENTLY:
- Starting to feel a bit more grounded.
- Being able to relax and read.
- Realizing how much I don't care that much about the Kids in the Hall anymore because I didn't even know they were here in Chicago a while ago or the fact that I am now 6 degrees away from them through the people in comedy scene in Chicago.
- Wanting to attack Kristy's bing cherries and mango.
- Reading Augusten Burrough's "Dry."
- Reading Jeremy's copy of Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet."
- About to go to Schuba's "Your Sunday's Best" with Kristy for pre-midnight celebrating/partying for her 30th birthday!/(It's been a long time since I've watched stand-up comedy.)
- Have artwork exhibiting at the Chicago Cultural Center until July 20th.
ESSENTIAL BLOG POSTS FOR ME TO READ
[Click on blog title to read more than the excerpts.]
Freed Om
"I had been hanging on and clinging to so much lately (worry, fear, anxiety, monkey mind), and this was like a smack in the forehead. — Hey Lope! Letting it go means freeing your spirit/god/universe/om and getting out of the way. It means connecting with something bigger than yourself and trusting in that instead of being closed off from it. Letting every outcome be what it is and trusting that it fits into a bigger picture that we are too close to see."
The Wind Is Blowing
"...with each of these choices I create my life. No one else does this. And I have been thinking about all these things lately… my choices. Sometimes we say one thing is important, and yet we do another. So is that really important to us? Or is it trumped by our actions?
Maybe it’s like steering a ship… you have to keep readjusting the sails to keep on course. And sometimes you have to put down the anchor and get the map back out to check your coordinates."
Personal Essay: Just Let it Roll
"I like to avoid stress. That is, I intentionally avoid adding stress, in addition to the everyday stresses I cannot avoid. For example, I can't avoid pain, no matter which way I dodge. I can't avoid the necessity of working or office politics. I can't avoid all family obligations and relationship strains, in fact, living with someone like me can't be easy."
The Gift of Receiving: Vulnerability Can Open to You to the Boundless Generosity of Others
"Several years ago, when I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hips, I read everything I could find about coping with chronic illness. I was amazed at how often I'd stumble on a paragraph that advised patients to "look for the gift in your pain." Pain is a gift? Where's my return policy?
Pain is a gift? Thanks, but no thanks, I'd mutter to myself. I had just turned 44 and hadn't planned on slowing down so soon. I still had miles to go with my journalism career..."
Top 10 Study Tips and Suggestions For Those Living With A Chronic Illness
"Coming from a lover of all learning and a future teacher, school and all of the studying it encompasses means everything to me. A true perfectionist, I wanted to prove that my chronic illnesses would not keep me from succeeding in something that was so intrinsically personal to me..."
Lupus and Social Security Disability Benefits
"I think probably the most common mis-conception about SSD is that your disability claim will be determined by your medical records and what your own physician has stated in your medical records. This is NOT how it works! You need to know that right up front. The SSD Administration has their own staff which makes the determination on each claim, and these people are not physicians! They are administrative employees whose job is to determine that you are not disabled by their definitions. It is therefore imperative that you educate yourself on the inner workings of this system prior to making your application..."
Freed Om
"I had been hanging on and clinging to so much lately (worry, fear, anxiety, monkey mind), and this was like a smack in the forehead. — Hey Lope! Letting it go means freeing your spirit/god/universe/om and getting out of the way. It means connecting with something bigger than yourself and trusting in that instead of being closed off from it. Letting every outcome be what it is and trusting that it fits into a bigger picture that we are too close to see."
The Wind Is Blowing
"...with each of these choices I create my life. No one else does this. And I have been thinking about all these things lately… my choices. Sometimes we say one thing is important, and yet we do another. So is that really important to us? Or is it trumped by our actions?
Maybe it’s like steering a ship… you have to keep readjusting the sails to keep on course. And sometimes you have to put down the anchor and get the map back out to check your coordinates."
Personal Essay: Just Let it Roll
"I like to avoid stress. That is, I intentionally avoid adding stress, in addition to the everyday stresses I cannot avoid. For example, I can't avoid pain, no matter which way I dodge. I can't avoid the necessity of working or office politics. I can't avoid all family obligations and relationship strains, in fact, living with someone like me can't be easy."
The Gift of Receiving: Vulnerability Can Open to You to the Boundless Generosity of Others
"Several years ago, when I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hips, I read everything I could find about coping with chronic illness. I was amazed at how often I'd stumble on a paragraph that advised patients to "look for the gift in your pain." Pain is a gift? Where's my return policy?
Pain is a gift? Thanks, but no thanks, I'd mutter to myself. I had just turned 44 and hadn't planned on slowing down so soon. I still had miles to go with my journalism career..."
Top 10 Study Tips and Suggestions For Those Living With A Chronic Illness
"Coming from a lover of all learning and a future teacher, school and all of the studying it encompasses means everything to me. A true perfectionist, I wanted to prove that my chronic illnesses would not keep me from succeeding in something that was so intrinsically personal to me..."
Lupus and Social Security Disability Benefits
"I think probably the most common mis-conception about SSD is that your disability claim will be determined by your medical records and what your own physician has stated in your medical records. This is NOT how it works! You need to know that right up front. The SSD Administration has their own staff which makes the determination on each claim, and these people are not physicians! They are administrative employees whose job is to determine that you are not disabled by their definitions. It is therefore imperative that you educate yourself on the inner workings of this system prior to making your application..."
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Brainstorming
With the projects thrown at me recently I'm starting to get a lil' brainstorming session happening; and with a little more practice and perfecting I think if I put a little more effort into it I could really make a business painting murals for children's bedroom walls and daycares, making "yearbook" videos for grade schools, making "yearbook" scrapbooks for grade schools, and doing children book illustrations.
Hmm...
Hmm...
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Long San Francisco Re-Cap
It's been almost 24 hours since I finally got back into my apartment from my very, very short San Francisco trip for AAOS's eMotions Pictures Exhibit. I am completely wiped out; my back hurts and my calves are killing me. But I wanted to find the energy to write about my trip in my Geli Girl Notes because:
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.
It was strange and awkward to finally see each other again. But in a way that was expected since I had been... not there or anywhere. I found myself at one point in a circle with other artists, with one of the artists who is also a nurse talking about her artistic process. She had mentioned something about when you are not working on your stuff, you seem to just disappear from the entire world and can be gone for years and years without any sign. And when you are doing your artwork something comes alive in you.
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:
- 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:
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