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December 31, 2004

Hold On

I was about ten years old when I made a prediction that the year 2002 will be one of great hardship, challenges, and personal growth. My prediction came true, and for that entire year I had to dig deep inside myself to find the strength to carry out my daily life. I won't go into details, but if I had to describe that time of my life in one word, I would say the year 2002 represents 'maturation.'

'Uncertainty' comes to mind when thinking about my experiences in 2004. I am going into 2005 with a lot of doubt and confusion in my life; my future isn't as tunnel vision as it used to be. The Aquarian side of my personality tells me to embrace the freedom of spontaneity with jubilation; the Asian side of my personality is telling me to settle down, invest in a house, raise 2.5 kids, and work until I'm set off to pasture. I'm still young and am still allowed to make the same mistakes as everyone else my age. But it's sometimes hard to convince parents that you're being responsible when your younger sister, with her insanely-ridiculously-high-paying-job, is house shopping with her potential husband.

I'm the perennial optimist, however, and I trust myself well enough to know that whatever decision I make now will have positive consequences for me in the future. 2005 is going to be a blank slate, and it's going to be fun to know where this journey called life leads me in the next year.

Posted by Charlie at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2004

International Response Fund

Please make a contribution to the International Response Fund to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunamis in Southern Asia.

Posted by Charlie at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)

December 25, 2004

My Brain Just Farted

I had this dream where I was eating gyudon at some Yoshinoya chain somewhere in the bowels of Omotesando. The gyudon was really good but what I really wanted was a bowl of katsu curry. The day was bright and warm; a perfect day for shopping. The slacker youth of Harajuku were lining up for a grand opening of the latest MUJI store across the street, and I was admiring their eclectic choices of attire. I was with James and we were talking about nothing in particular; random musings and stories of the like while eating our bowls of gyudon. Even though I knew I was dreaming, I remember thinking that this was a perfect day and became slightly nostalgic about Japan.

Posted by Charlie at 04:22 AM | Comments (0)

Good To Go

We took the world's longest shower together. He left the bathroom light off since the sun was already starting to rise from behind the mountains, and with every shampooing I could slowly make out a little more of his splendor. By our third rinse-and-repeat he asked me if I wanted to be his boyfriend, and I, drunk from staring into his eyes, answered, "sure, why not..."

Posted by Charlie at 12:45 AM | Comments (0)

December 24, 2004

Chop Suey Pictures

A random assortment of photos that Louie took of the concert at Chop Suey.

Posted by Charlie at 05:53 PM

December 20, 2004

MANPLUS @ Chop Suey

MANPLUS' last concert this year is going to be at Chop Suey this Tuesday, December 21st. Come out and support your local Seattle music scene!

Posted by Charlie at 01:57 PM

December 18, 2004

A Different Shade Of Gold

Today was one of the prettiest days in Seattle in recent memory. The skies were clear and the air crisp, and there was a slight mist blanketing the city. The buildings, bathed in sunlight and mist, became silhouettes of gold and blue. I wish I had my camera then. Driving around Seattle with Ireneo and listening to The Postal Service, I became a little wispy-eyed at the prospect of leaving this beautiful city.

Then Ireneo burst into song, and then everything that was perfect became even more so.

Posted by Charlie at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)

December 16, 2004

Like Him

...and I totally need a haircut, it seems.

Posted by Charlie at 01:00 AM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2004

The Latest Must-Have Accessory

Want a way to really stand out from the crowd? The Next Big Must-Have Fashion Item isn't the RL581-0300 jeans from Levi's; nor is it the latest line of Neighborhood T-Shirts. This season's biggest fashion revolution are the Harajuku Girls. They're short, have black hair, and will follow you anywhere. Of course, to take full advantage of the visual effect of this fashion accessory, you're going to have to be a tall platinum blonde with a lot of privilege and street cred. The visual contrast that stems from a difference in height, body shape, hair color, and race will definitely make you pop out. Give them five minutes to imprint themselves onto the back of your thighs after purchasing and they will be yours for life.

Posted by Charlie at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2004

Drinks With Jake Shears

This is what happens when you're bored; you buy things that you don't really need. Or want. I'm currently the highest bidder for the chance to have cocktail hour with Jake Shears, the lead singer of the Scissor Sisters. I love the Scissor Sisters, but I could really care less about hanging out with a musical prodigy right now as I'm preoccupied with other matters, namely Taiwan. But this is what happens when you have free time.

Posted by Charlie at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2004

Deck The Hall Ball

Snow Patrol. Keane. The Shins. The Killers. Franz Ferdinand. Modest Mouse. All in one venue. One night. Be still my heart! And to top it off, Phil's friend Nate had two extra tickets for the box seats, so for most of the night we were livin' it in style and laughing our asses off at the body surfers getting ejected from the concert.

Posted by Charlie at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)

December 09, 2004

Rise, My Brother, Rise

My friend's problem has been alleviated, so to speak. He just wanted everyone to know that he's up and running. ;-) We're still not exactly sure why he was unable to... aggrandize his stature, but all parties are happy, so there's currently no need to play Sherlock Holmes.

Posted by Charlie at 01:23 AM | Comments (0)

December 07, 2004

More Random Pictures

Here are a few random photographs taken last month to prove that I didn't just sit on my ass every weeknight staring at the wall. I learned the hard way that one must backup their data periodically or end up losing and entire gigabyte's worth of digital photos taken within the past year. The events covered above are, in no particular order: Sue Jean's little birthday get-together, Ellen's surprise birthday party, karaoke at the All-American, taking Jassi out for drinks, the Attack of the Killer Deep-Fried Tarantula.

Posted by Charlie at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)

December 06, 2004

MANPLUS @ The Central Saloon

There's an upcoming MANPLUS concert this Wednesday, December 8th at The Central Saloon. Come out and support your local Seattle music scene!

Posted by Charlie at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)

December 05, 2004

Operation: Get Him Hard

I just spent the entire day trying to get a friend of mine hard, without much success. A distressed call in the wee hours of the morning led to an entire day of questioning, theorizing, hypothesizing, researching and, ultimately, experimenting. He couldn't get it up, and was unable to for the past few days. He had tried to jack off three times this morning (once to the guys in Noodle Magazine, which I thought was pretty gross), but couldn't even pass Stage 1. This was a dire situation, and of course as a friend I had to do everything in my power to put the wind back into the sails of his schooner.

About 10% of all men have erectile dystunction, or impotency. About 85% of impotent men become so due to disease or accidents; 10% of men have psychological problems that prevent them from getting a boner, and the remaining 5% are 'unknown.' According to websites like www.phillipmorris.com and www.ash.org.uk, smoking is a leading influence in male impotency. If there is any reason to quit smoking, I would put this on the top of my list. Other detrimental factors include anxiety, stress, obesity, excessive drug usage, certain medications and, for some reason, prolonged bicycle riding.

We had assessed the causes and evaluated his symptoms, but we weren't going to solve anything just by identifying the problem. We still had to get him hard. Drug treatments like Viagra, penile implants, and vacuum pumps are several viable solutions to impotency, but given time and budget constraints I decided on a more financially pragmatic resolve. I took him to several sex shops in hopes that a dirty magazine would do its trick, but alas, not even the guys with their 12-inch dipsticks could lift my friend from his sorry state. We even downloaded porno clips onto my laptop. I have this one clip of a guy who looks like he's cumming and having a massive seisure at the same time. On any given normal day this would have probably perked up my friend. But today isn't any normal day, no. Far from it.

The day ended unresolved and with both parties frustrated. Well, more so for him than for me. I kept reassuring that this is only temporary, and I truly think it is. He's just getting over a cold. His boyfriend's out of town. He's an ex-smoker. He just finished his gig with the HRC and is looking for a job. The clues all add up.

Posted by Charlie at 07:54 PM | Comments (0)

December 04, 2004

My Holiday Wishlist

In no particular order:

• A Sony PSP
• 1GB RAM upgrade for my PowerBook
• Earmuffs
• Paul Smith socks
• A pair of Dolce & Gabanna jeans circa 1997/1998
• A Wacom tablet
• An Apple 23-Inch HD Cinema Display
• Cookbooks
• Visitor guidebooks to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo
• 60-minute massge
• A guy who can make a mean katsu curry

A guy can dream...

Posted by Charlie at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)

December 02, 2004

Warning Signs

I've been having trouble sleeping these past few days for some reason. I have no problem falling asleep, but somehow I always end up getting up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning. Sometimes I'm in the middle of a bad dream, or sometimes I'll just wake up because it's too hot in bed. Is it because I'm feeling subconscious pangs of anxiety stemming from my recent firing? Could it be because my body is yearning for the warmth of another? Or maybe it's because my old mattress is finally starting to die on me? Early symptoms of insomnia? Who knows.

Posted by Charlie at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2004

World AIDS Day

December 1st is World AIDS Day. According to the World AIDS Day website, 8,000 people every day die from complications stemming from HIV and AIDS. This is a worldwide epidemic and there has to be more global action to increase awareness of this disease. Even if you don't have the free time, please try to get involved by wearing the red ribbon, donating your services at your local health organizations, or at the very least, taking the time to learn more about HIV & AIDS and its global impact.

Posted by Charlie at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)