i’m pretty sure this is an extremely accurate rendering of me. derek did this awhile ago when i was in my occasional manic ranting and raving mode wherein i derail every other minute on tangents.

i was recently reunited with two boxes of old photos (thanks, knuckles). sifting through them is such a trip. it’s time consuming and frustrating, trying to sort, organize, and jettison. i realize that wow, even during pre-, mid-, and post-puberty, i took a lot of pictures.

my batman geekery started at a young age, but flourished through high school and to this day. here are my halloween costumes from junior and senior year. i remember getting really into it, going to the goodwill in milpitas to assemble a proper joker wardrobe (i think i did a pretty good job). i got up early for both outfits, spending a lot of time on makeup. when i think about all the energy and earnestness that went into those costumes, it makes me sad because i don’t think i can duplicate that kind of effort or feel that excitement anymore.

here are some teasers from junior high days. i cherish these precious photos of me and the girls i grew up with. holy moly i just saw that i’m holding a rose in the photo with the guy. if you want more you’ll have to go to my flickr. happy friday y’all. i’m beat, got a long work weekend ahead of me.

one of my earliest flickr sets was dedicated to random magical moments with friends. not necessarily random per se, but meant as storage for photos that didn’t warrant their own set. i recently started one solely for 2009 in the same vein, since my original one was getting 600+ pix too heavy (it dates back to september 2005!).

flipping through the aforementioned old album is nuts on nostalgia. dang it if it ain’t a new and crazy sensation every time i look at pictures from the past! old hairstyles, clothes, apartments, relationships, etc. everything.

holidays, birthdays, halloween, parties, special occasions, NYE…celebrations like that were documented and had their own respective albums and therefore did not go into this random one.

here are some that i have exumed from the latter.

2006:

a freakin’ CLASSIC. this one’s for his great great grandkids

whale/shark watching at farallon islands. i got so incredibly seasick

that’s our boy

karuna looks so beijing

2007:

i think most everyone in this photo had just gotten their hair did by my roommate masha. enjoy this, cuz you’ll never see derek’s hair this short ever again

can you think of anything better? the only thing missing is a puppy and kitten

sis and i shared a great day in sunny sf

hellen had an uberbadass cut

one of many adventures

imprompty bbq at my place (one of those nice times where we could rally everyone together)

stockton, en route to a morrissey concert

project runway nights. this was probably our last

the day we saw beowulf

this sort of thing helps get me through the work drudgery

we’ve all been there.

this is my dear friend brigid (a san ho) with her gorgeous, adorable lil’ girl elliott skye. she was born on christmas eve! elliott is brimming with personality and is a real thing of marvel, already armed with a million different facial expressions. i look forward to my auntie training with my first “niece.” she is so amazing.

recently, i was lucky enough to have yet another extraordinarily fulfilling, poignant birthday recently. the stars were aligned for everything to go well. i have amazing, talented, clever friends generous enough to indulge my every whim. whether it meant being dragged around the bay, witnessing the defecation habits of goats, or being stuffed silly into a tiny living room, they did it all.

thanks everyone for making me feel special. birthdays are always opportune for feeling deeply grateful just to be alive. they’re also times of anxious and pensive introspection. i’m a year away from the age my mom was when she birthed me. i have the financial management skills of a 14 year old and the achievements and ambitions of a fetus. i’ll probably still be living with three other people in the same apartment by retirement age. that’s some unsavory food for thought. however, i do have at least one thing to show for myself — and that’s my friends and family.

extra big ups to peg for being ringleader and over-the-top awesome foods/drinks provider.

he’s an uneducated chinese farmer who accidentally burnt down his home and plunged his family into debt. but damnit he creates robots from scratch!

check out how creepy his robot is. do you like the moving eyes, flapping ears, and freaky weird rectum/cephalopod-esque mouth? i love that he’s wearing a hat and got the sweat rag draped around his shoulders. lastly, the wife is spicy, what with her sassy twilly action.

god i love china.

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hey folks, ryan put up a community blog for his electric ant zine on posterous. it’s a slick gathering place for the zine contributors and extended family. check it out! there’s already a bunch of cool vids, neat art, eye candy, and random smatterings of cultural craziness. i’ve been making vapid contributions there, and from now on those entries will also automatically show up here as well.

this is one of them.

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every so often i go through these fits of anxiety and wanderlust brought on by the relentless travel bug. i fantasize about winning the lottery so i can buy little homes throughout the world, starting with a crash pad in shanghai. everyone knows contemporary chinese art is so "hot" right now (a la mugatu) and has been for awhile. there's a great little arts district / zone in shanghai, abutting the river, called moganshan 50. it's basically a complex of galleries and studios. i was gleeful and blissed out just wandering around there. it’s one place to go check out a facet of the crazy arts scene, but those in the know will probably tell you there are far better places to get your fix. one of my big dreams is to work in the contemporary arts in china or taiwan. that would be the coolest thing.

See the full gallery on posterous

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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

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.