the “first world problems” meme is, by far, one of my favorites. i catch myself complaining but, literally, every “problem” i have is a first world problem which, shouldn’t even be a problem to begin with. looking back on how easily pleased i was as a kid and how happy i was with even the most simple things makes me further appreciate everything i have now. whether it’s a jar of marbles or a collection of toy cameras, i’ll always remember to be grateful.

lomo fisheye no. 2   lomo wide angle la sardina   superheadz black slim devil   fujifilm instax mini 7s   lomo diana mini

side note…the look of neglect is pretty much embedded into dozer’s features. case in point, below. with those wrinkles and downward slanting eyebrows, it’s unavoidable. but i swear to you, i smother him with love and affection. maybe a little too much but i have the upper hand since he can’t express his annoyance.

*iphone

*iphone

he liked it so much, he considered tattooing it on his body – i think it reminded him how foolish and blinded humankind is…with politics, media, sports, many many things. i wouldn’t mind being immortal…better yet, an elf, so i can be with like legolas. ♥♥♥♥♥ anyway, i’m not quite sure how the idea came to me but i knew i wanted to transpose the quote on post-its to something more lasting for him. he’s easy to please so i’m sure he’ll like it but i hope you guys enjoy it as much as i did making it! crafting to ennio morricone’s cinema paradiso is probably as gratifying as life gets. happy vday to all the lovers and friends.

the goods. not shown are: cork panels cut to size then wrapped in burlap, and the box, that originally held a random mushroom (no joke), i pried apart then glued back together.

where ze magic happens. those post-its are damn sticky! never once fell off the wall. 3M is amazing.

tim’s influential sketch

glue time. i bought these dumbbells and never used them. finally, they come in handy!!=P

final product. tip for future ref: burlap causes major hardcore allergies. should’ve chosen a different material

puck:
captain of our fairy band,
helena is here at hand,
and the youth, mistook by me,
pleading for a lover’s fee.
shall we their fond pageant see?
lord, what fools these mortals be!

- a midsummer nights dream act 3, scene 2, 110–115

*lx5

1. you develop an internal alarm clock that wakes you up before 7am everyday.

2. you’d rather listen to kost 103.5 rather than power and sing scream eye of the tiger like it’s no one’s business.

3. you crave to bake on the weekends.

just to reaffirm how i constantly feel, i did all three of these things today. even sing eye of the tiger. way to go, em. i can almost feel my joints tightening up. i decided to make a rice cake in celebration of chinese new years but instead of making a traditional 年糕 i decided to bake a matcha mochi cake. it was also an excuse to visit the local japanese market, mitsuwa, and see the jolly japanese ladies that work there. they’re so cute! happy chinese new years everyone!! may your year be filled with happiness and love.

super easy recipe:

Matcha Mochi Cake
1 lb glutinous rice flour (equivalent to about 3.5-4 cups depending on the type of flour. the french weigh out their ingredients. and they make the best macarons so we should trust their technique)
2 tblspn matcha powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups milk
2 cups sugar (i used 1.5 cause i don’t like it too sweet)
3 eggs, beaten

preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix until consistent. grease a pan or two, depending on the size, pour the mixture in, then bake for an hour or until you poke the center with a toothpick and it comes out clean. let cool before you cut it! next time i want to pizzazz it up and put some red bean in it. mmmmmmm. the star of the cake – matcha!!! it’s a great antioxidant.

here’s to a humble celebration of his time here on earth. the last photo was just a month ago.

last night, dozer stared at me looking mighty bewildered. if i could guess, he’s thinking im crazy for running around the house like a mad woman, cleaning my ass off. vacuum, steam mop, laundry, dishes, bed linens… oh my, what a glorious night!

later on, dozer was doing what he does best – dozing off – and looked too cute to ignore. i tried practicing manual focus. failed on that last one…then i got distracted by my flowers on the coffee table.

i hate excuses but in my defense, much has happened these past couple months. i’ve been on a roller coaster ride of emotions that took me to both low and high places. my father was diagnosed with infective endocarditis  after doing some dental work. his supposedly qualified dentist failed to prescribe antibiotics after a tooth extraction so bacteria was able to make its way into his heart valves and do some major damage. after a couple months, he took his yearly trip to taiwan where he felt uneasy and was admitted into the hospital for emergency open heart surgery. thankfully, taiwan healthcare is extremely efficient, thorough, and suffice it to say much cheaper than healthcare in the states. my brother and i rushed to taipei to see our parents and spent almost 3 weeks there. our visit was a surprise. as soon as we landed at midnight, we went straight to the hospital where he was sleeping. he woke but didn’t have his glasses on so we had to move our faces literally 6 inches away from him until his eyes could focus and once he made our faces, his eyes widened with pure joy. it was, hands down, the highlight of my trip.

the 4 of us together is a rarity so the presence of everyone in one small hospital room day after day was extremely comforting and personally, very emotional. i witnessed my mom care for my dad in ways i thought were long lost in their relationship. i bonded with my brother. i cherished my dad. to think i was even just a tiny bit closer to losing him was overwhelming and reasserted what we all already know but constantly brush off…that life is delicate and needs to be appreciated.

leaving taipei was difficult. i fought back tears the last 2 days knowing i wouldn’t see my mom for years but am super thankful i got the chance to go.

as soon as i got back to the states, there were tons of things to take care of. it felt never ending. on a positive note, i closed escrow on a condo in pasadena!!! now the fun begins to slightly remodel it and get it rented. my plans were to move in but due to my dad’s condition, i’m staying put for now so i can take care of him. perhaps this will turn out to be better on an investing standpoint.

not only have i neglected the blog and my readers, my 5d is also screaming at me to use him (his name is chauncey, btw). it’ll be refreshing to get back into shooting again. since this is starting to become more of an emo diary entry than a blog post, the least i can do is leave you with some photos, courtesy of my iphone. that is…if you even read this far. tl;dr. sidenote…i’ve subconsciously known this but after selecting images, it’s confirmed – 80% of my iphone photos are of dozer….

happy 2012 everyone!!!!