Anyone want to collaborate on a project with me? I'm building a website and it'd be fun to cooperate with some talented people. Writers, developers, artists, etc. All people with the will to create something unique will be much appreciated. It's not a paying gig yet... Since I'm fronting all of the costs, there really isn't much to lose.
The plan thus far is to start simple. Apple, Inc. and Burton Snowboards started in a garage. Hugh Hefner typed out the first issue of Playboy by himself. Yahoo and Facebook were created in college dorm rooms. We may never know for certain what the future holds, but tomorrow will always be the result of what was done today. If you would like to be a part of a beginning or know someone that would, holla at ur boy.
- J
Looking for Collaborators!
Perfect Mornings
He wakes a little earlier to steal a moment of her resting beautifully. Leaning slightly forward, he gazes with admiration. Her mascara is smeared between her eyes. With a drooping mouth, she gives a snort and shifts away from her spot of drool. He chuckles at how she still insists on sleeping with her make-up on. As she starts to wake up, he closes his eyes and pretends to be asleep to protect her insecurity.
She opens her eyes and looks over in relief that he's still sleeping. Gracefully, she eases out of the bed to freshen her breath and lightly touch up the smears on her face. She returns to his side and flips her pillow with the drool side down. He turns over and greets her with the flattened side of his hair exposed. Doing well to hide the shocking waft of his morning breath, she smiles and repeats with her own minted morning.
=)
...tired
I'm suffering through a pervasive state of tiredness, and it's only going to get worse with time. Strange how I'm looking forward to it...
Some Reflections
I just don't understand the decisions some people make...
At what point in our lives do we learn:
"What you say about other people speaks more about yourself."
Why do some people give up before even trying?
When will some people grow up and learn to stop pointing their finger?
Why is it so difficult for us to see the content of people's character? It's so simple. All you have to do is ask around for honest opinions.
Women, accept what your man says but don't believe his shit. Seek a second opinion. Ask his friends. Or ask your friends to ask his friends. Face it...no one is ever 100% to your face. By the way, if you're not friends with his friends, you've already lost.
Fellas, there's a reason why every girl you date is always 22 yrs old...it's because we men never grow up and older women can see through our bullshit.
The moment a girl calls me a nice guy, I know my chances are zero. LOL.
Picking your friends ain't about being dazzled by the show - you've gotta look at the strings.
I don't understand why you let other people set your limitations. Everyone has talent. Make the time to get good at something and feel good about yourself.
What we do on the job is the same for most people. Learn to smile while working. No one is going to pick you up when you're always dragging your feet. Not your husband. Not your wife. Only your mom will, but we can't live at home forever.
Kollaboration 2009
Synopsis by John Kim
OMG, were you there? February 21st marked a historical moment in Asian American entertainment as 6,300 people from all over the United States filled the famous Shrine Auditorium to capacity. The previous host to the Academy Awards, several Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, and many more saw for the first time a unique collection of professional, rising, and amateur entertainers with a single mission…to “Empower through Entertainment.” The 9th annual Kollaboration show grasped the reins of an eager audience and cemented its position as the premier Asian American event.
The night began with a video skit starring the charming founder Paul “PK” Kim and executive producer Roy Choi as they embarked upon an endearingly misfitted journey with a mysterious briefcase. Beautiful actress Moon Bloodgood, from the upcoming blockbuster Terminator Salvation, demonstrated her self-deprecating comedic side as she confidently belted out vocals to some of today’s popular music for an eye-rolling sound engineer. The audience roared in laughter to Bloodgood’s off-key karaoke close-up and her admittance that at the very least she was “good enough for an actress.” While always delivering moments to remember, it’s often hard to believe that Kollaboration is a not-for-profit organization due to the draw of support from internationally acclaimed artists as well as the contagious air of enthusiasm from thousands of adoring fans.
Laced in between the performances of the show’s seven competitors, several of America’s best dance crews tantalized the eyes with precision moves and grooves. Team Millennia was the first to take the stage and sweated something spectacular that lifted the audience to cheers. Moving as a single idea in multiple bodies, Fanny Pak’s dance routine teased and pleased with each member ending by hanging into the orchestra pit. And not to be outdone, Kaba Modern’s tribute to Michael Jackson thrilled the screaming auditorium with high energy grooves felt from the first row to the last.
Most people come to watch a great show, but some arrive to step up as part of an event that truly empowers. Unique to Kollaboration, members of the audience are offered an opportunity to take the stage for an impromptu freestyle competition. And it always makes for awesome entertainment. Judged by audience cheers, freestylers brought plenty of personality and proved that talent can come from anywhere.
The core of the show has always been providing a platform for Asian American artists to showcase their creative expression through friendly competition for large cash prizes. With the spotlight on, Kollaboration’s seven competitors certainly seized the moment. Kenichi Ebina deceptively danced in a robotic fashion that would have androids throwing in the towel. Jazmin proved that sometimes songs sound best when tuned to a four sister harmony. Paving a new way to hear violin, Paul Dateh bowed his strings toward emoting the true artistic voice within instruments. Kina Grannis might not have been strong enough for a man’s inconsistent love, but her live performance highlighted that she is more than another pretty face on Youtube. Although arriving as the under-promoted underdog, Lilybeth Evardome’s vocals garnered a winning position as the audience’s voted favorite. Jane Lui silenced thousands into admiration with some smooth strokes on the piano and the warmth of a touching voice reminiscent of a comforting mother. Finally, all of the competition came to a rest as David Choi strummed his acoustic original “Youtube (A Love Song)” with the same skillful fun previously featured online.
Kollaboration’s broad mission of empowerment through entertainment was further seen in the mixed medley of special guest performances. Magician Norman Ng conjured bowling balls from sketchpads and cell phones from Pringles cans. Comedy Central Comedian Jo Koy told ridiculously hilarious stories of his Filipino family life. The entire event concluded on a climax as the much-anticipated international superstar BoA debuted a couple tracks from her first American album.
Although the competition’s prize winners went to first place Kenichi Ebina and second place Jane Lui, extra honors should be endowed upon the entire movement’s leaders Paul “PK” Kim and Roy Choi as well as the hardworking volunteer staff. Nine years ago, no one ever thought that a simple show with a big dream would evolve to become so dynamic in its entertainment and influence. It is unbelievable that all proceeds go into helping fellow nonprofit organizations and expanding the movement. I’m definitely looking forward to next year…Kollaboration 10 is going to be amazing.
Special thanks to our judges, Printz Board, James Kyson Lee, James Ryu, Teddy Zee, and Welly Yang. And a huge thanks to our sponsors!! And of course this would not all be possible without our fans, supporters, and staff!
Korea vs Japan - World Baseball Classic
I lost my voice as Korea lost the championship in last night's World Baseball Classic. It was an awesome game that stretched into a 10th inning. The scoring was so close that I hugged the strangers around me as Korea forced an extra inning and reinvigorated an opportunity to earn the top title that was stolen from them the previous competition.
A tip regarding stadium etiquette:
Don't tell the crowd in front of you to sit down if you can't see. Stand up.
The dozens of rows in front of me were standing and cheering for their respective teams. So like any individual proud of his national heritage, I was on my feet roaring on the Korean team. I got a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and some girl asked me to sit down at the request of another person the row behind her. She nicely asked, "I'm sorry but they can't see." "Tell them to stand up," I responded.
I might have replied like an asshole, but I don't give a fuck. It's a baseball game. Beer is flowing like wine. And, tens of thousands of people are on their feet. Don't ask me to sit down and miss the game simply because you don't want to stand up to enjoy it. Shiiieeett...
Job Opportunity: Only Qualified Sign Twirlers Need Apply!!!
I found this...
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/csr/1079467628.html
Looking for a fun opportunity to work part-time and outdoors? Have great energy and enthusiasm?
StorQuest Self Storage is seeking a qualified candidate to work as company Sign Twirler for our StorQuest Self Storage facility located in Sunland. We offer competitive hourly rates with a lot of growth opportunity within the company!
This is a fun position fully equipped with a StorMan costume (envision Batman but our mascot goes by StorMan) and visual advertisements for the public. You'll be working in a heavily trafficked area on main sidewalks for the duration of your shift. This is not an office desk job. A vibrant and exciting personality is a huge must!
Qualifications:
•Goal-orientated and dependable
•Tons of energy and spirit
•Self-motivated and an independent worker
•Neat appearance and friendly demeanor
•Able to stand on your feet for the duration of your shift
•Required to pass a background test
If you would like to have the opportunity to work with a growing self storage company such as ours, please email resume to sunland01@storquest.com or fax resume to 818-352-7025.
If you would like more information about the company, check out our web site at www.williamwarren.com and www.storquest.com.
Thoughts:
I didn't know that people only qualified enough to twirl signs could afford to have an internet connection...
Goal-oriented??? For reals??? They're twirling a giant plastic arrow with handles on busy street corners. If they had a habit of orienting themselves by goals, they'd be flipping burgers and not signs. Maybe StorQuest is asking for too much.
Seeing as how my car can cause more bodily injury than the stupid arrow being twirled around, I fail to see much value in doing a background check. They're not much of a threat while standing alone at intersections. What would have to be discovered in the background check to disqualify a person from twirling a sign anyways? A conviction for giant arrow induced public nudity? Hell, even if something like that got disclosed, I'd still hire them for a day and grab some headlines.
So....it's really NOT an office desk job, eh? You mean I'll never get the opportunity to twirl a desk at the office while further showcasing my vibrant and exciting personality?
Neat Appearance??? Really??? There's a dress code? I can't spin advertisements wearing my favorite nipple-exposing tank top??? If I need to keep a neat appearance, what's up with all that Batman/StorMan costume wearing sweet talk???
At least StorQuest generously offers the "competitive" hourly minimum wage.
What twit approved this job ad anyway? The description only needs to be one sentence long...
Needed: Person to twirl advertisement on sidewalk without cutting off own head.
- J
Sides of Opposites
Girl's Life:
The eyes of men tend to glance at her breasts. Girl's response, "umm...my eyes are up here."
Guy's Life:
The eyes of women tend to glance at his shoes. Guy's response, "umm...my wallet is up here."
Girl's Life:
The dinner bill comes. She looks at how much he tips and judges if he's cheap.
Guy's Life:
The dinner bill comes. OMFG...I can't believe she ordered the lobster and didn't even finish it. There better be benefits after this $200 dinner.
Girl's Life:
I hope he talks to me after he sees me in this new outfit.
Guy's Life:
I hope she'll finally go on a date with me after she sees my new Mercedes.
Girl's Life:
He just doesn't listen to me. He just doesn't understand.
Guy's Life:
I don't know what to do. She yells about everything. I can't do anything right.
Girl's Life:
All of her friends know everything in great detail about the relationship. Although her friends will never let you know exactly what's up/down, they will judge harshly.
Guy's Life:
All is...."good" or "bad."
Girl's Life:
The keys to her heart - ambition, confidence, humility, giving, empathy, strength, assertiveness, humor, pleasing, chivalry, commanding, jealously, compassion, vision, consistency, joy, ethics, poise, proactivity, industrial, availability, romance, drama, diversity, exploration, articulation, compliments, appreciation, diligence, mindfulness, consideration
Keeping her heart - doing something, everything, and nothing all of the time
Guy's Life:
The keys to his heart - laugh at his jokes, ask him to hang out
Keeping his heart - laugh at his jokes, make a sandwich
Girl's Life:
Turn-ons have absolutely nothing to do with what she says she wants or likes. If she can explain why she likes him, she really doesn't and is merely playing it safe.
Turn-offs are everything a guy does/says when she's not interested in him.
Guy's Life:
Turn-ons are everything he says he likes and typically open to discovery.
Turn-offs only come up when he feels like too much time is being spent together.
Girl's Life:
Greatest asset is youth.
Guy's Life:
Greatest asset is assets.
Girl's Life:
Looks to see what he can offer.
Guy's Life:
Looks to offer what he can give.
Girl's Life:
I might be uncomfortable, but at least I'm cute.
Guy's Life:
I might be broke, but at least I hope she's comfortable.
Girl's Life:
No matter how much I hint, nothing gets through to him.
Guy's Life:
No matter what I say, she's going to get mad.
Girl's Life:
Dating is exciting and fun.
Guy's Life:
Dating is painful and costly.
FYL
Probably one of the greatest sites to rise up on the recent net is fmylife.com. Some people have some hilarious misfortunes shared on that site. It's not about laughing at other people's misery. It's about taking light of your own ill-gotten moments.
Although there are times when I am saddened by the many absences in my life, I admit that my life is great...for the most part. I love my days. I enjoy my nights. I can always have more, but I always have enough.
In the spirit of fmylife.com:
"Today, I woke up when I felt like it, read the news, learned more of the things that interest me, and smiled remembering last weekend. :D FYL."
Kollaboration 9: The Recap
I was asked to write a recap of the show, so here's my starkly different draft of the past Kollaboration 9. hahaha...Socrates did say that one should be able to argue both sides...haha.
OMG, were you there? February 21st marked a historical moment in Asian American entertainment as 6,300 people from all over the United States filled the famous Shrine Auditorium to capacity. The previous host to the Academy Awards, several Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, and many more saw for the first time a unique collection of professional, rising, and amateur entertainers with a single mission…to “Empower through Entertainment.” The 9th annual Kollaboration show grasped the reins of an eager audience and cemented its position as the premier Asian American event.
The night began with a video skit starring the charming founders Paul “PK” Kim and Roy Choi as they embarked upon an endearingly misfitted journey with a mysterious briefcase. Beautiful actress Moon Bloodgood, from the upcoming blockbuster Terminator Salvation, demonstrated her self-deprecating comedic side as she confidently belted out vocals to some of today’s popular music for an eye-rolling sound engineer. The audience roared in laughter to Bloodgood’s off-key karaoke close-up and her admittance that at the very least she was “good enough for an actress.” While always delivering moments to remember, it’s often hard to believe that Kollaboration is a not-for-profit organization due to the draw of support from internationally acclaimed artists as well as the contagious air of enthusiasm from thousands of adoring fans.
Laced in between the performances of the show’s seven competitors, several of America’s best dance crews tantalized the eyes with precision moves and grooves. Team Millennia was the first to take the stage and sweated something spectacular that lifted the audience to cheers. Moving as a single idea in multiple bodies, Fanny Pak’s dance routine teased and pleased with each member ending by hanging into the orchestra pit. And not to be outdone, Kaba Modern’s tribute to Michael Jackson thrilled the screaming auditorium with high energy grooves felt from the first row to the last.
Most people come to watch a great show, but some arrive to step up as part of an event that truly empowers. Unique to Kollaboration, members of the audience are offered an opportunity to take the stage for an impromptu freestyle competition. And it always makes for awesome entertainment. Judged by audience cheers, freestylers brought plenty of personality and proved that talent can come from anywhere.
The core of the show has always been providing a platform for Asian American artists to showcase their creative expression through friendly competition for large cash prizes. With the spotlight on, Kollaboration’s seven competitors certainly seized the moment. Kenichi Ebina deceptively danced in a robotic fashion that would have androids throwing in the towel. Jazmin proved that sometimes songs sound best when tuned to a four sister harmony. Paving a new way to hear violin, Paul Dateh bowed his strings toward emoting the true artistic voice within instruments. Kina Grannis might not have been strong enough for a man’s inconsistent love, but her live performance highlighted that she is more than another pretty face on Youtube. Although arriving as the under-promoted underdog, Lilybeth Evardome’s vocals garnered a winning position as the audience’s voted favorite. Jane Lui silenced thousands into admiration with some smooth strokes on the piano and the warmth of a touching voice reminiscent of a comforting mother. Finally, all of the competition came to a rest as David Choi strummed his acoustic original “Youtube (A Love Song)” with the same skillful fun previously featured online.
Kollaboration’s broad mission of empowerment through entertainment was further seen in the mixed medley of special guest performances. Magician Norman Ng conjured bowling balls from sketchpads and cell phones from Pringles cans. Comedy Central Comedian Jo Koy told ridiculously hilarious stories of his Filipino family life. The entire event concluded on a climax as the much-anticipated international superstar BoA debuted a couple tracks from her first American album.
Although the competition’s prize winners went to first place Kenichi Ebina and second place Jane Lui, extra honors should be endowed upon the entire movement’s founders Paul “PK” Kim and Roy Choi as well as the hardworking volunteer staff. Nine years ago, no one ever thought that a simple show with a big dream would evolve to become so dynamic in its entertainment and influence. It is unbelievable that all proceeds go into helping fellow nonprofit organizations and expanding the movement. I’m definitely looking forward to next year…Kollaboration 10 is going to be amazing.
Coming Soon...
I've been looking at various web hosting services, and I might be revving up for a new web presence. It'll be way more sophisticated than this blog and far more professional than the personal journal format I've been authoring here.
But alas, where do I find the time and energy for such an ambition undertaking? Oh yea...that's right...my romantic life is in shambles. I guess time ain't really the problem. Time to get to work.
See y'all in J version 3.0!!!
The Real Face of the Economy
I'm far from being an expert, but all common sense points to being in a depression. Today, we speak of the economy as suffering through a severe recession. Tomorrow, we'll be discussing why the economy was drudging through a mild depression.
The points:
The national unemployment number is still in the single digit figures, but there's blatant symptoms that the trend is to continue higher. Just take a look at California. I'm living here in one of the world's biggest economies, and the unemployment rate is over 10% (somewhere around 10.6%, if memory serves). This isn't even the worst of it.
What the media hasn't really told you about is that there is a severe hiring freeze. I keep a crude eye on the job market, and the rough evaluation shows the near absence of available positions. Even in recessionary periods, companies still continue to hire employees despite massive lay-offs. The business reasons are many...one of which is to prepare for the next boom cycle with a re-energized and revamped organization. But this market is bad...for Joe Schmo and the CEO.
Look at your neighborhood with common sense eyes. Sometimes, we can better assess economics through rudimentary practices, such as merely talking to the store clerk.
I live in an area where for every ONE bank, there's at least TWO banks. Now, let's look at the situation with some simple common sense. Regardless of the evolution in "financial products," the fundamental way for banks to make money is to issue loans. If they don't issue a loan, they simply don't have a business. Are we to believe that the demands for borrowing money are so great that it is a sustainable and viable business practice to locate competing retail banking institutions in clusters around the same city block? We always want to see a situation where people are lending money to help a business expand. Yet today, most borrowers want money so their businesses won't die. I don't know about you, but I never feel comfortable loaning money to a crackhead...it's bad business.
Banking is a business with a similar feature to insurance. The average person doesn't understand, nor even truly care to understand, the legal ink. We don't know what makes for a good bank and bad bank. We never evaluate the business by their practices. The differentiating factor is the RATES the banks offer. Banks offering the higher savings rate get our deposits. Banks offering loans with lower interest payments get our applications.
There never was that much money going around. Next door to all of these financial institutions, businesses are going bankrupt...and without replacements for the vacant retail locations.
The last GDP figure that I looked at showed our economy shrank around 6% for the quarter. If we were a balloon, we lost a lot of helium and ain't flying so high anymore. Today's economic activity is likely to be a little worse than the data is showing.
The standard of living by means of consumption of normal goods is showing signs of decline also. In lay-mans terms, people are buying crappier food. The executive of Safeway has publicly stated that they are seeing a decline in purchases for beef and pork in exchange for increases in purchases for the cheaper protein, chicken. Although this may not directly relate to you, imagine reverting back to a diet of instant noodles and dollar menu items because your post-college career can't support your restaurant weekdays anymore. Recessions are supposed to be the times when you can't afford the weekend getaway. Depressions are when you're eating bacon and eggs for dinner instead of the slices of medium rare sirloin you were accustomed to.
Warren Buffett is the world's greatest investor and has reported in his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway's shareholders that the rest of 2009 is likely to be a grim year. His conclusion is NOT important because he's the world's greatest investor. The significance of Warren Buffett's statement draws from the types of businesses he's involved in. Have you ever heard of Fruit of the Loom? Gillette shaving razors? Coca-Cola? These are normally "recession-proof" companies that service some of our basic human needs. And when people are choosing to wait until the holes in their underwear get big enough to fit a hand through before buying another three-pack, the economy is taking a beating.
Warren Buffett doesn't speculate about the economy. A lot of his conclusions come from the activities he sees in his businesses. So, when he sees Coca-Cola shares hitting $39 after a year high of over $60, slowdowns in purchases for underwear, and even major credit card companies offering to pay customers to close accounts.....my eyes get a little wider.
The private sector is screwed up really bad because no one is a true risk taker. We say we're very risk tolerant in boom cycles, but the moment retractions begin to happen, almost everyone starts to run with their tail between their legs. And especially in these times, there's just too much uncertainty in the economy right now. Thus, I hope you're not like Rush Limbaugh and wishing that President Obama fails. Our best bet is for increasing government activity towards new infrastructure.
I grew up believing that the USA was the world leader in all fields. For a time, it was nearly true. But those days are long behind us. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated that our railway systems are ancient when compared to the rest of the developed worlds'. He said that our infrastructure resembles a third world country's with completely out of date systems. Our society is wasteful in that most people choose to fly 200 miles because no better efficient ground transport system exists. This is why I voted 'yes' for the high speed railway system. The tax implications can be reversed in time. We need efficient ground transport...especially for the economy.
What are you to do in this economy? Go back to school maybe? Yes, but be careful about your graduate school dreams.
Get ready for the next wave of lawyers. If you thought today's legal system was wrought with ambulance chasers, we're going to have a whole new populous of suits and briefcases in the next 5 years. MBA's are already plentiful, and the next 3-5 years are going to see even more wishful managers. Computer scientists are probably going to have brighter futures, but the average programmer is gonna bite a bullet or two. This is all because a trip back to school is the common route when the economy declines.
What can you do??? GO BACK TO SCHOOL!!! Part-time, full-time, it doesn't matter. Enroll in a program and at least get a certification. Unless you've got a unique and special skill, you don't really have any other options.
Regardless of what we do in these tough times, there's only ONE way to win. Engage in dialogue. Your future is going to be the product of your social skills. It's not good enough to merely network now. You MUST constantly TALK to the people in your network. Lunch, dinner, weekends, and even on Facebook.
Academics has not been keeping pace with real world activity, so there has been a severe homogenizing of pedigreed professionals. Our bachelor's degree is equivalent to our parents' high school diploma. Thus, the only employers that are going to take notice of a stranger's academic credentials are the employers that are only interested in people with master's degrees or doctorates. And the bad news is that after we grow past our current depression, a master's degree won't stand on it's own right anymore.
I hope you're making friends. Slightly less than 700,000 jobs were cut from payroll in February. With everyone going back to school, see your classmates as comrades and not competitors.
- J
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