despite my rollie-pollie laziness and unfounded disdain for going into work, two nice things have occurred this morning. i hope they are harbingers of a good day to come.

1) on a quiet street, i was going and a youngish lad on a bike was coming. as he neared and slowed we started to stare at each other and eventually recognized each other as “distant” co-workers. we both flashed smiles of familiarity and while on his bike he even did the whole taking-his-hat-off-and-slightly-lowering-his-head greeting. i don’t know why but i was totally taken by this. when was the last time anyone ever tipped his hat to you? though i was feeling surly and tired, this simple gesture made me feel warm and fuzzy.

2) one of our volunteers — a feisty and lovable older asian american lady whom i get a kick out of — brought in two tea eggs for me. apparently her husband had made them. i LOVE tea eggs and thought this was such a darling (and practical!) small thoughtful gift. i immediately opened up that ziplock bag and took a huge whiff of the intoxicating aroma. tea eggs make great nutritious, portable snacks. thank you doris!

so, even the most insignificant but nonetheless touching things can happen to even the most undeserving grumps! here’s hoping everyone has a sweet day…

ADDENDUM** – said volunteer just left. before she did she came over and gave me a hug and said, “i really have had fun working here.” be still my heart…

two of the best xmas gifts in the world were bestowed upon lucky ol’ me last night…

(my new walking outfit!)

a fleece glow-in-the-dark dinosaur onesie. those elements by themselves are all wonderful things, but combined together into one entity, you get an extremely exciting and practical bundle.

fleece cuz that’s your number one ticket to keeping warm; a onesie that actually fits, since “adults” (if that’s what you want to call me) need to feel nurtured and comfy too; soles with grippy stars; and well, dinosaurs AND glow-in-the-dark pterodactyls?! ‘NUFF SAID. and bonus — body pillow! been talkin’ up the need for a body pillow for quiet some time, and apparently my gift-giver listens (or wants to escape the constant onslaught of my repetition). finally, i can sleep better, treat my back right, and spoon something (for the nights peg isn’t there).

behold: exemplary comfort and warmth!

pic by peg

thank you peg. these gifts RULE. i’m gonna make sure that at least the onesie stays in the family for generations to come.

ps – neva and jeff should prob get credit for tipping us off to this fine, fine piece of art in the first place

peggy introduced this brilliant masterpiece to me. it is absolutely mandatory that you listen to this. this is some hilarious r. kelly ridiculousness. some very rewarding, funny four minutes.

thanks peg! real talk.

not only did he take a million years to roll the $100 bill, but the best part was his upwards head toss right after the snorting. perfectly executed, with feathery hair flying up and everything. oh, and he rubbed his gums with his finger too.

context might help. <3 you todd.

back with more on the taipei “street food” experience.

ps – speaking of food, and more specifically, vile and disgusting gluttony, this past wknd i consumed mint tuxedos (oreos), pinwheels, lucky charms, candy, brasilian bbq, mexican food, more tonnage of beef in shabu shabu, and potato chips. that’s just the stuff my deep fried corn syrup-doused brain can recall! i’m going to die either of heart failure or shame very soon…

this here is the entrance to a big food court next to taipei’s most popular night market (shilin ye shi). as i approached it, i heard a heavenly choir singing to me. if it wasn’t for peg and her dad (who graciously drove us around), my sis and i would have gone the rest of our trip not knowing about this place. can you imagine the travesty?

inside: dizzying mayhem. lots of strident giddy squeals from yours truly!

freshening up with juices. peg’s dad is sipping honey bittermelon (interesting!), peg has watermelon juice (keeps the fire “qi” down), and i’m reuniting with a drink i used to love the last time i was in taiwan (seven years ago): “jin ju,” literally golden orange. tiny citrus fruits that resemble calamansi.

typical beverage stand. thirsty?

this name literally translates into “big bun wrapping small bun.” cute. looked good and greasy

if taiwan had a street food hall of fame, this would definitely be in it.
we grew up eating aiyu jelly out of the can. i just now found out from the wiki that it’s made from the seeds of an asian fig. makes sense, since aiyu is somewhat sweet, a teeny bit tangy, but mostly light on the senses.

avocados way bigger than your noggin, for making creamy shakes

okay, so, these sausages were mammoth, larger than your mind is willing to comprehend. scary. they gave me the shivers.

i took a photo of this hardworking hottie for my sister

peg pointed out this clever product. it looks like sausage but it’s actually flavorful rice made in a sausage mold, probably.

another taiwan classic: bao bing, or shaved ice. also grew up eating this; even had a store-bought ice shaver to make our own. my favorite toppings are stewed sweet peanuts, tons of mochi/rice balls, and green beans.

there was a daunting, endless line of people waiting to buy these HUGE fried chicken cutlets. they looked delicious and juicy, with a crunchy exterior. the last step before handing it over to the customer is a dash of seasoning

so this is the infamous shilin night market mentioned in the beginning. the largest and most bustling of them all. if you want to get a vague idea of how lively and lovely night life can get in taipei, this might give you an idea. it’s the ultimate destination since it delivers on two of my favorite things: cheap shopping and good (cheap) eating. you’d be amazed at the variety of wares you can purchase here and for dirt cheap. hawkers were peddling attractive, thick hoodies for literally $3 USD.

you’ll see a nice cross-section of people at shilin night market, including youth from all walks of life. these guys were totally up my sister’s alley so we stopped to take a photo. the process was amusing as they were confused but obliging and friendly.

pink guava. they sprinkle some sort of salty/tangy/sweet seasoning on them to enhance and complement the natural flavors.

balls, balls, balls. taiwan knows how to do mochi / rice balls right.

to be continued…and i’ll try to improve upon my tense consistency next time.

while shoveling mushroom bread pudding and beef down my gullet at the work holiday party last night, my colleague yukino tapped me on the shoulder and i turned around — stuffed mouth trying to contain spewing crumbs — to face her and this young asian fellow.

he looked really, really familiar, and if she didn’t introduce james jean so quickly, i still would’ve recognized him as one of my favorite artists of all time.

the next few minutes entailed a frenetic one-man freak show (starring me) that cycled over and over again in a shrill excited voice: “you are one of my favorite artists ever,” “my friends and i all think you are the absolute best; some of them are cartoonists and illustrators!,” “i’ve been following you forever!,” and “i bought two recess series prints from you at APE a few years ago! i dream of owning the entire series one day!!!” he was graciously demure and patient with my wild ranting!

suspend your belief, but i don’t like idolizing people (and there are maybe five people in this world i’d wait in line to meet). even the coolest folks are human beings like you and me, just way luckier. however, james jean is a true hero to me in so many ways. if you’ve ever seen his sketchbook you would gasp endlessly and die from sheer astoundment and admiration, and then you would want to gouge your own eyes out and crawl under a rock to die, frustrated that you were never born with even a nano-fraction of his talent.

also, he’s a very kind, gentle man, a taiwanese-american, and sickeningly young and accomplished.

so the big Q: why the heck was he there? well, yukino is way involved in the totoro forest project; she was one of the principle organizers of this incredible endeavor to save the forest in japan that’s succumbing to urban development. the forest inspired my neighbor totoro. a bunch of artists, some from pixar / academy of art, some of whom are illustrators, cartoonists, etc, banded together to make sweet totoro-related art and auction it off to raise $$$.

james jean of course chipped in with his piece, which our japanese curator bought for the museum!

the museum rules, but now it’s even way cooler in my books because our japanese curator, who’s a total charming cutie, has manifested her good taste in another unexpected way.

so go see everyone’s totoro artwork while it’s still up at the cartoon art museum.

ps – if you check out his recess series, i own “pickup” and “flush”

one of the nice things about falling asleep at a grandparent’s house is that the grandparent will inevitably go fetch a blanket or two to cover you up and keep you warm. you could be 45 and this would still be one of the most nourishing, wonderful feelings in the world. grandparents are cool in this way.

been neglecting this stupid thing so it’s time to get back on it with some big ol’ updates. i’d like to take a moment to remind (beg) visitors (hi mom, hi sis) to please please PLEASE leave comments! they bring me more pleasure than any lethal narcotic ever could. it’s all i want for xmases and my bdays for the rest of my life.

and away we go with the backtracking.

*
november kicked off awesomely with APE, that beloved annual tradition of nerding out and seeing old friends. this year i ingratiated myself to the coolest kids in the hall, the bang gang (see happy shiny people below). you’ve all heard me wax poetic on what a nostalgic thing APE is for me. it’s nice seeing the same passionate, geeky folks year after year after year, but again, it reinforces my reputation as a lame groupie. oh well. at least this year i was a barnacle at the bang gang table.

(that’s johnny ryan with our ryan)

it was a synergistic year for the bang gang, with hotly anticipated debuts, such as hellen’s jin & jam. it’s awesome, sexy, and sweet. if you like beautiful girls and/or remember what it was like to meet someone who mystified you and with whom you developed an electrifying chemistry, it’ll resonate even more. i remember when hellen started working on it last year during her residency at the museum (for the tezuka exhibition), and the pages were gorgeous. now the finished product is even more gorgeous. it sold like hot cakes. dan clowes told hellen she’s going places. well duh.

anthony peddled gorgeous prints and magnets alongside evan’s trademark photo-illo prints in candy color frames. anthony and derek also reminded ppl of their purdy pieces in the newest popgun. derek debuted deth’s head (the red mini on the table, you can spot it in other pictures), a punchy and hilarious mini about digging for maggot-infested burgers; features a splash page that still cracks me up to this day.

calvin sold out of his prints and ramble on, a lovely mini that i suspect music fiends may especially appreciate. like everyone else in the bang gang, calvin is an incredible soul and talented artist.

another ssssssizzling debut at the bang gang table was ryan’s electric ant zine! it’s a real beaut, aesthetically and content-wise, a reminder of why i got turned onto zines in the first place — passionate people with something interesting to say channeling their earnest energy into a compendium of cool. this one’s got an interview with our hero fred schodt, a gallery of bad guys from our cartoon-infected youthl, NIN mad libs, comics about first kisses, etc.

ALSO, i had the major honor of contributing to the dark lords gallery in EA. being a part of this special project made me feel very, very good. i’m no artist, but to have something i created keep company with artists whom i admire is a throbbing emotional boner for life. drawing it was healthy practice; challenging but fun. i’m surprised i was able to do it. it’s no big deal, just a drawing, but i actually got off my lazy bum and made something. if i’m lucky, i’ll have the pleasure and honor of doing it again.

if you’re curious about my contribution, see if you can find it on EA’s website (tip: preview gallery).

i’m also deliriously giddy, not only cuz Ain’t it Cool News (and others) gave EA a glowing review, but cuz there was direct reference to my piece: “you’ll never look at Shredder the same way again”

and then stuff like this, as silly and non-eventful as it is, makes me high:

so the moral of the story is, surround yourself with the funniest, smartest, most talented friends you can find (artists, writers, strippers, car mechanics, etc) because it’s good for your health, and you can live variously through them! also, it can kick you out of your crippling self-pitying stupor and make you do something that makes you happy.

ALSO, you can support the arts and buy copies of what i’ve mentioned above by clicking on the links.

ps – this is definitely not an exhaustive report of APE.

pps – publisher last gasp held their usual pre-APE shindig (on halloween) where they open up their vaults to the public. i had such a great time. you can see pix here. the warehouse is a wonderland; i could’ve spent hours and hours there!

me & larks!

calvin & hellen as pigsy and monkey king

Hi, my dear daughter Jennifer , do you have time to up to date your Flickr and Nefarious web site, mom really like and enjoyed your web site. When mom cooking, mom listern to the radio, radio already play Christmas songs, is nice and beautiful. Looking forward your qucik reply.

Love always,
Mom
(12/1/2008)

awwww – what a pleasant surprise! this came in the mail for me today…

woweeeeee. rui remembered that i was obsessed with all-things-MATCHA (japanese green tea) and actually sent me these goodies that she found during her recent trip to japan. the thoughtfulness could kill me.

matcha pocky, kit-kat, and chelsea butterscotches. all quite delightful! the kit-kat are my favorite. sooo good. just wanna plunk myself down with a costco-sized quantity and a huge pot of tea. she even threw in a shoyu kit-kat! can you believe that? i bet it’s tasty cuz of the winning combo of saltiness and sweetness.
sadly, i’ve already decimated most of the stash. i couldn’t help but devour the goods as soon as i ripped opened the envelope.

so rui-chan, if you’re reading this, please know that you made me an extremely happy, touched camper today. it’s nice to know you thought of me in japan, and think of me in hawaii. i feel special.