/blog-gone

Downtown takes up a lot of space in L.A.'s collective imagination but we hardly ever go there. Here's the most recent update on the Grand Ave. Redevelopment. Part of the plan includes a park. A downtown L.A. park, if you remember, was a central part of the most clear and vivid urban planning dream I've ever had. My dream also had a ferris wheel, but that has yet to be mentioned in the plan.

I believe that the Bible is the word of God. It has also been passed down through through the generations, translated into many different languages, and translated into many different versions. For a novice believer like me, this has always left an ambiguity. Sometimes, if something doesn't make sense to me, I'll think to myself, "you never know, this might be one of those situations where it's just being misinterpreted, or mistranslated, or whatever". I'm convinced on the foundational stuff of the faith, but there are always topical issues where I find myself sitting on the fence. I need some convincing. I'll take from the Word and then confirm with the heart, mind and soul.

This gets me in trouble because my heart is deceptive, my mind is small, and my soul is distracted... but doing it this way also might keep me from other kinds of trouble. I just pray that the Holy Spirit helps me and keeps me from both kinds of trouble.

All this to say that Bible translation is really significant and interesting. So thank you Mr. Mark D. Roberts, for your blog series on Bible translations (initiated because of the discussion surrounding the new TNIV translation).

Helped with the babies at Church yesterday. Most of the "crawlers" have started walking. Goodness they are cute, even while they cry and smear snot on your face. Afterwards, we were given a cd of the sermon! What a nice touch. I got a chance to listen to it this morning on the way to work.

Many thanks to Tony, Maria, and Pablo for hosting a lovely Oscar party! It was awesome.

I scored 11 correct predictions (the high score was 17). Not too shabby considering I didn't see any of the nominated movies. 2004 was a down year. I still haven't seen The Passion either. (I almost bought the DVD but the quality of the cover image was so poor that I passed.)

Cindy sez I'm cynical about everything, including movies. Maybe that's true. I know I am cynical of Hollywood. I certainly don't put any stock into what the Academy thinks. Come to think of it, my initial reaction is to NOT like anything they do like. This isn't fair. There are times I agree with them. Didn't LOTR just sweep the whole thing last year? I do want to see Ray and Sideways. The Incredibles was fun. Collateral was impressive. The third Harry Potter was excellent. Kill Bill II, Harold and Kumar, Life Acquatic, Napoleon Dynamite, Spiderman II, House of Flying Daggers... there are plenty of movies I liked. I'll probably rent Long Engagement too.

I should rethink my negative reaction. Here's my new position: I do like movies. I watch a lot of them. I'm personally just not interested "Vera the Million Dollar Aviator" type films. Nothing wrong with them, it's just not me. Yeah! That's the ticket.

But watching the Oscars is still fun. Did you hear Sean Penn's comment about Jude Law?

What a full day! And even though it was packed tight, I was dissappointed I couldn't join in on a late night Settler's game. I think I wanted to force an opportunity tonight because I have yet to play with the Delta crew (as I like to call them).

Went to a 24 hour fitness for the first time. Not sure if this is really me, but an old friend and I are thinking that this is probably the only way we'd see each other. We both have been in Pasadena for the past few years and we never hang out. My salesman had previously been a professional body builder. He showed me his pictures. Wowee.

Hand lunch with Jimmy and Brenda at Senor Fish. Why isn't this place in my permanent food rotation? It's so great. I know that it will be an easy sell for Cindy when she hears about Ensenada style fish tacos (aka with guacamole).

Cleaned my room. It looked like a war zone. Still not done but at least I can walk though it. Jimmy and Brenda watched as I piled my clothes into my closet. They discussed careers.

Spent time with my parents. It feels good to have my Mom back home. She said that it was all like a dream. I'm glad she was there for our grandpa. And poor Dad. It was awful quiet without my Mom these past two months. And now that they are here I'll start to daydream new moving out scenarios. :)

Had an awesome dinner with Cindy's family: fresh steamed crab and ribs. I even prepared a little albacore and avocado appetizer. Discussed the constant mishaps of the Laker GM with Cindy's brother.

Upon retrospect, I think that seeing so much family was both great and stressful. Wouldn't trade it for anything else but it takes a lot of energy.

Here's a ranking of 99 major real estate markets based on how much they are under or overpriced.

L.A. is number 4, overvalued at 32%. Of course, California holds 8 of the top 9 spots.

Despite it all, I'll still drive by this property, just for fun.

One of my core opinions (if there is such a thing) is that America has been and continues to be a major force for good in the world. I'd like to think that this has borne out of history and continues to play out. Yes, I even think a George W. Bush led America is good for the world (I actually think his Presidency will be "especially" good. haha.)

I've been very influenced by people like British author and historian Paul Johnson. Here is a link to his most recent article, "Why Millions Say, Softly, God Bless America", though this article briefly touts America and instead focuses on enemies of democracy in general.

And since I'm a big fan of America, I worry about our status as superpower. Can you imagine if... let's say, China was the new superpower of the world? I'm Chinese and the thought of that scares the hell out of me.

Most of the articles on American decline are about how our deficits and debt will ruin us. We are too dependent on foreign investments and once they pull out, our house of cards will fall down. It has been my crash course on economics and I don't get it all yet. It kinda makes sense to me. I'm all for fiscal responsibility, limited government and all that (just enough govenment for clean, organized, and interesting city planning, of course)!

Anyway, back to America's decline. That's why the International Tribune article, U.S. hegemony has a strong foundation cheered me up a little, though honestly, I wasn't overly convinced.

And how can I be optimistic when I read news that South Korea plans to diversify their reserves out of [U.S.]Treasuries and into other investments such as the euro (which partially sent our stock reeling last week).

Thankfully, the market is back up and South Korea's central bank has denied it is planning to shed its dollar assets after media speculation that should it do so the US currency would be sent plunging worldwide.

When it call comes down to it, I do my best but I know I'm not a maker of history. I cast my vote, send my money, and voice my opinion, but I mostly watch history unfold. We're playing a game of "told you so". It's good for fair minded people to disagree but it's hard for fair minded people to argue history. Hopefully, that will settle some bets and inform us all on future decisions.

Cindy recently had a chance to visit the Mall of America, since work brought her to the area. She came back with some great dill pickle flavored potato chips too. Anyway, there are plans to double the size of the Mall... and put an Indian casino in there too.

Never been and probably never will, but I wish they wouldn't do that.

Once a month, our church "life group" has a social. Our first of this term was last night at the Cham house.

I don't have much patience for organizing consensus, which is a poor trait for a planner. To be fair, I do a better job with it at a workshop. I just don't like doing it for social gatherings. But I see the value in it and am getting better each go around.

But things turned out great, and I didn't plan any absurdist games like I did to poor Richard (Jason helped me plan that fiasco haha). Instead, the social night consisted of some tasty lasagna from Fiona, KFC, baked apple pie a la mode, and Scattegories.

So we all had a good time. Last night's group was four couples, all married with little kids... except for yours truly and Cindy. Truth be told, we love seeing the little kids each week (I'll take some pictures next week so you know what I mean). The only thing is that no one had any energy left for Eye Toy, but it's seems like it is always a tough sell. I should get the first game with Eye Toy boxing and window washing. I bet that goes off better than the dancing game...

Now that spring training is back, baseball coverage is in full swing. I couldn't be happier. Of course, the whole steriod fiasco is the big topic.

Jason Giambi admitted it in court and his testimony was leaked. Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield admit use, but claim they didn't know it was steriods. Jose Canseco comes out with a book that rats everyone out.

The whole thing has become a media frenzy... a sports equivalent to Princess Di's death or Michael Jackson's trial. I get the feeling that most people feel the way I do.

Sick. And. Tired. Of. The. Media.

They serve a vital purpose and it isn't a perfect world, but it doesn't mean that I have to pay attention. I feel like the media is always trying to find people in a "gotcha" moment. So much of it is setting people up to say the wrong thing and then skewering them for it. It's just their job but let me say that their job stinks.

The bottom line story is that if you give people a lot of money to play sports and not establish any rules to stop steroid use... guess what... people will use. That's what happened. Anything else is just noise to me.

I'm a big fan of Dennis Prager but I wonder if he only does a good job of "preaching to the choir". His friendly gregarious demeanor just doesn't come out in his writing as opposed to his radio show.

So with that caveat, I'll link his column, Liberal Feelings vs. Judeo-Christian Values. These issues can be highly personal and difficult to discuss, but that might be an indication of just how important they are too.

I don't mean to neglect my poor blog. I do love it so. But I am in a nice spot where I am super busy. Not in an oppressive way, just in a way that leaves little time to blog.

Work has been picking up. The division has been making internal transitions and at the same time been picking up new work, which is great. Good planning is good for the port and good for everyone!

After work, I have the priviledge and honor of seeing Cindy almost every day! We get to listen to great tunes and eat dinner together at her place all the time. I even get to cook (which is actually a lot of fun for me). It gave me an excuse to get a Marukai membership.

I've also been so into music lately that I've been wanted to put together another mix. And though I had concerns about breaking the law, I'm getting over it fairly quickly.

But anyway, I love blogs. And therefore I'll try to make more time. It's all about priorities, isn't it...

Besides, there are so many good ones to check out. The Reverend Dick Lee (husband of Carolyn) has got a new one up and running!

What's going on? This is crazy. I thought for sure that after the previous excess of rain that we wouldn't be hit for a while. Now I'm back and find out that it has been as bad as ever.

I'm busy taking care of business. But feeling a nice weekend off vigor. I suppose you could call it a love of life.

Tomorrow I will be presenting to the Board of Harbor Commissioners for the first time. Woo woo. (I'll try not to say that when I'm up there.)

Headed to the airport in 20 minutes.

The funeral is tomorrow but it has already been a very personal and meaningful trip. I'm so very glad that I'm here.

I'm an aggressive driver. Oh I know what I'm doing. I just do it aggressively. While on the road, I've felt this crazy illogical sense of security. "I'm not going to die. God has got a lot in store for me. My story ain't done. I've got a lot to go!"

But that isn't necessarily true. People die all the time. And they die even though they had plenty in front of them. There is no guarantee.

I'm going to a meeting soon. We'll be talking about the deindustrialization and redevelopment of some Port lands. Later tonight, I fly to Taiwan for my Grandfather's funeral. Death is on my mind.

Did my last minute packing this morning. There's a chance I may go to the airport directly (depending on the length of the meeting). My bags are packed but with dirty clothes. Well, some items are dirty and tied up in a bag. When I arrive in Taiwan, I'll already have a load of laundry to do.

Unless I get lucky with internet access, blogs will be delayed until Monday. See you soon.

In a bullet proof vest,
With the windows all closed,
I'll be doing my best,
I'll see you soon,
In a telescope lens,
And when all you want is friends,
I'll see you soon.

Found a topic!

I'm what BusinessWeek Online calls an extreme commuter:

They spend at least a month of their lives each year traveling a minimum of an hour-and-a-half to work and back, vs. the U.S. average of 50 minutes. Their ranks have jumped an astounding 95% since 1990, according to the Census Bureau, accounting for 3.4 million workers. [Emph. added]

Apparently, researchers don't think it's worth it.

But studies show that commuters are on average much less satisfied with their lives than noncommuters. A commuter who travels one hour, one way, would have to make 40% more than his current salary to be as fully satisfied with his life as a noncommuter, say economists Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer of the University of Zurich's Institute for Empirical Research in Economics. People usually overestimate the value of the things they'll obtain by commuting -- more money, more material goods, more prestige -- and underestimate the benefit of what they are losing: social connections, hobbies, and health. "Commuting is a stress that doesn't pay off," says Stutzer. [Emph. added]

Yikes! How horrible. Do I agree? Maybe. When I first got back from our vacation in Japan, I was going crazy. There's a funny story about where I was on the freeway for three hours during the bad rainstorm. I got so stressed out with the congested freeways, rain and flooded underpasses that I actually starting taking off my clothes. First my jacket, then my tie, then my shoes, then my dress shirt, then my socks, then my belt. It was wild. But I'm much better now. Really. I am.

Given a more thorough look, one major reason I commute is to maintain existing social connections. Cindy, my family, my church, and most of my friends are in the area surrouding Pasadena. I do have friends scattered throughout LA and I suppose I could make new social connections wherever I go, but I like my current ones. I just posted how much I miss everyone didn't I?

The question becomes, Why work so far from Pasadena? Being down in San Pedro ain't no peach in a lot of ways, but despite any complaints, I'm actually grateful for my job. It's always good to remember that beggars can't be choosers, either. I ended up here for professional growth and that is clearly happening. And this is where a lot of the action is happening. This is where exciting planning can happen. I'd like to be a part of that.

And because I am always like this. What I mean to say, is that I think that I can find a way to make it work. This trait gets me in trouble, but I'm willing to take that risk. Sure there are issues, but I believe that for now, given my current circumstances, I can wait it out. I can make it work. We'll see how things shape up but I'm game. Just pick up the phone when I call.

I want to blog but can't sustain any depth of thought on anything other than work related topics (and they must remain confidential). I've got Cindy's Valentine's mix going on repeat. It's putting me in quite a dreamy mood.

'Cause I..i..i.. believe in you
And I..i..i.. believe in you
But I..i..i.. believe in you
And I..i..i.. believe in you

I do feel like dancing. In fact, I've been dancing a lot lately. Ever since the Scissor Sisters show. I dance at Cindy's place, at home, in the car, at my desk. Most of the time it's just an upper body motion. I do what I can.

I believe in you, I Believe in
I believe in you, I Believe in
I believe in you, I Believe in
I believe in you, I Believe in

I miss everyone. I want to hang out. Let's play! Group hug! Dance! We're all so busy and spread out here in LA. Not being able to see you is a sad sweet romantic feeling.

I believe, I believe, I believe in you....

Last Friday, church life group conversation turned to blogs. It's always an uncomfortable conversation for me because I'm never sure whether or not I should out /mike.

Cindy subtly gave me the nod of approval but I kept quiet. Then Steve mentioned his blog (www.mountaintop.com), with a warning that his politics might shock some. BTW, it's not shocking; I'm impressed! And while it is yin to my yang on politics, that just makes it more fascinating for me to read.

And blog announcements continue. I received an email which announced that Carolyn of Familee has started up her own blog! Obviously, it's quite good. We in LA miss her classic wit but now have access to it through this great addition to the blogosphere. I'm really looking forward to reading this one often.

Both have been added to the Friends list (which I've reorganized as well).

The big news is that I'll be going to my Grandpa's funeral. I leave for Taiwan after work on Wednesday and return on Monday. More thoughts on that later. It's all very logistic to me right now. Probably because it is the same weekend of the World Christian Conference. I was really looking forward to it, but it just didn't work out.

Had a scare there. Tried to upgrade my iBook OS and almost lost everything. Am backing up my photos now. Should have done it a while ago...

Super busy right now. But in a good way. Yesterday: Played video games with Cham cousins in Pasadena, helped Calvin and Judy move furniture in Montross, shopped in Old Town with Cindy, ate brunch with big brother, and got a $35 dollar haircut (gift certificate) in Santa Monica.

I wish I could have gone to Angel Fest...

I think I erased my design!

UPDATE: Whew. Fixed it. Mostly. And while doing it I gave /mike a new title and description.

City of Angels vs. This is L.A. baseball.

I get the feeling that there's a new line is being drawn, and it's no longer on the LA / OC border.

Jay (or Jason, as I know him) has got his blog up and running again! He's already got a gem about a conversation about tv with Victor and "the Baroness".

Already on my "Friends" list, his link has been updated.

UCLA architecture students, with some help from Thom Mayne of Morphosis, have made some buzz with their dreams of LA. Downtownnews.com summarizes their message with the title of their article: Downtown, Meet Shibuya:

Forget an intensely developed but low-scale Little Tokyo marching east. Envision instead the actual Japan's teeming, towering Tokyo. Among the paradigms mentioned in the UCLA proposals is that city's Shibuya district.

Ah Shibuya. Can we go back soon?

Larry Bowa on the top three teams with the most talent (on sports talk radio this morning): Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels.

How sweet it is. 2005 will be a fun year. And I just got my invitation to purchase a 20 game package too. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to pass this time around.

It's like housing. I really want to make the buy but it doesn't fit with the more important things just yet. That's cool. At 28, I'm feeling younger than I did at 25.

Apparently, my union endorses Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor. *yawn*

There are all kinds of good bloggers, but when you find one that is touching, thoughtful, and hilarious, you've found a winner. Daffiney on piñatas. Read the whole thing but here's a little excerpt to whet your appetite:

Evan was completely baffled. After all, this grabby stranger was telling him to break every rule we’d ever told him about sticks (“Don’t swing that thing around!”), animals (“Gentle touches only!”), and minimal acceptable behavior (“Hitting is NOT OK.”) I had to give Evan credit—instead of screaming his head off—as I’d half expected—he stood his ground and did what the big man told him: he took a swing and landed a little thud on the parrot.

Piñata guy must’ve been worried about losing the crowd with such a lackluster beginning because he pushed Evan aside and chose another friend, Maxwell, to go next. Maxwell went at it with an evil grin and the singleminded determination of a pro—attacking that bird like it was the only thing standing between him and bag full of candy.

Many other kids went after that, with no progress in sight. But as we watched, Nicolas started bouncing with excitement. “My turn!” he whispered, looking around anxiously. “My turn!”

“Go ask for a turn,” I suggested—knowing that neither of my inhibited sons would ever walk up to a complete stranger to ask for something. But that’s exactly what he did! It took a long time for the man to notice Nico in the crowd, but eventually my boy had the stick in his hand. He walked up to the parrot, studied it for a moment, and then a beautiful smile spread across his face. He reached up and tapped it like he was bestowing a blessing with a magic wand. And that was the end of that. All in all, it was a poor showing from the Chinese team. Piñata guy was clearly disgusted. [Emph. added]

But yeah. Piñatas. I still love em. I'm from Montebello, what can I say?

Probably just as bad as whacking animals is the desperate struggle with "friends" for dirty candy thrown all over the floor. Nico and Evan are healthier kids to avoid that experience.

My Berkeley educated brother links an article on the "real history of the crusades":

That is what gave birth to the Crusades. They were not the brainchild of an ambitious pope or rapacious knights but a response to more than four centuries of conquests in which Muslims had already captured two-thirds of the old Christian world. At some point, Christianity as a faith and a culture had to defend itself or be subsumed by Islam. The Crusades were that defense.

I've never heard of crisismagazine but it looks interesting...

During the past few weeks, the topic has been a series on "Rebuilding the Foundations of our Faith". They have had an incredible impact on me and I highly recommend checking out the sermons sermons online (yesterday's will be up in a few days).

Michael Barone perfectly contrasts our last two presidents in this article about Bush's transformative nature:

George W. Bush is a transformative president. Bill Clinton skillfully adapted to circumstances. George W. Bush -- clumsily in the view of his critics, but with confidence self-evident to those who watched his State of the Union with clear eyes -- sets out to transform America and the world. And is succeeding.

Whether or not these changes are good is worthy of debate. I, for one, am impressed.

Maybe I'll visit Casco Viejo in my next trip to Panama. Planetizen links to this article on the five year master plan for the capital’s second colonial-era city center.

The plan includes:

Parking improvements;

Basic transportation and utility improvements;

Building rehabilitation of "mostly ruined" churches and commercial areas, including new museums;

New affordable housing;

and "an annual three-day festival, to take place every May".

Apparently, local community is skeptical. The planners keeps calling it an "action plan". I guess master plans are becoming a bad word...

Many thanks to Victor and Karena for hosting another great party. The superbowl was surprisingly competitive but nevertheless had a feeling of inevitability.

I was loath to participate in halftime slam dunk contest but I'll be sure to start practicing for next year. I did go 3-0 in foosball...

I don't want to over react. People can write whatever the hell they want, but I was annoyed to read Bill Moyers' most recent article (registration required), who writes in the Star Tribune:

Go to Grist to read a remarkable work of reporting by the journalist Glenn Scherer -- "The Road to Environmental Apocalypse." Read it and you will see how millions of Christian fundamentalists may believe that environmental destruction is not only to be disregarded but actually welcomed -- even hastened -- as a sign of the coming apocalypse. [Emph. added]

Do people really think that the political religious right wants to ruin the environment to bring the second coming? What worries me is that people might believe this kind of stuff, especially since this article is written in a fairly mainstream publication AND it was linked in Planetizen, an urban planning website that highlights important planning articles. Bleh. I'm over it.

I'm always excited to hear a Bush speech but only caught the first 20 minutes last night because I had a late night meeting. I'm only getting to the text now. Man, I wish I could have seen this moment live. (Thanks to Powerlineblog.com for the link)

Wow. I just realized that I've been with the City for five years. Is this cause for celebration? Reflection? Late twenties crisis? What I do know is that I'm always open for a reason for sushi, and it doesn't suck to now get three (THREE!?!) weeks of vacation a year. Next vacation upgrade: 12 year anniversary. I wonder if I'll even get there...

Update on this post: President resigns; TIVO continues to tank. Yikes.

Cindy's PS1 gave up the ghost while I was playing Suikoden II last night. For the past 9 years, she has kept it in impeccable condition and after a few days of use by yours truly, I've broke it. It was a very Charlie Brown moment. I honestly felt horrible for the rest of the night.

USC's School of Policy, Planning & Development has published their report, "California Demographic Futures: Projections to 2030, by Immigrant Generations, Nativity, and Time of Arrival in U.S.". I haven't gotten the full report yet but the key finding from the summary is that:

The future of California belongs not to the foreign-born population, but to the growing number of second generation Americans.

The implications?

Demand for higher education will skyrocket.

Health care burden will decrease.

New voter block.

More use of English.

My thoughts? Marketing to this group means big bucks for someone. Also, there are gonna be a lot of good lookin' mixed babies.

Bono calls them the best pop band in the world and Cindy and I got to see them last night at the Wiltern. Scissor Sisters put on an awesome show. The audience had a good vibe too, except for the crazies in front of us. A pudgy, middle aged, heavy pot smoking lady danced like it was the last night of Woodstock. Flailing arms hit me once or twice, but that's cool. It felt good to be out on a Monday night.

I was feeling kind of crazy afterwards so I played an hour of Suikoden II as Cindy fell asleep. Then I went home and made myself a steak sandwich and watched the Sisters perform on the Late Late Show.

UPDATE: Oh yeah, we saw Leelee Sobieski and Greg Proops (of Whose Line Is It Anyway?).