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981128
I said I wasn't gonna do it this weekend. Wasn't gonna do the Christmas shopping bit yet. Wait 'til the crowds clear and go while everyone else is at work. Oh well ...

So I went shopping. At South Coast Plaza, no less. Talk about the proverbial zoo. Good thing that I wasn't *seriously* shopping yet. Actually went to see some friends I haven't spent much time with lately who were in town from NorCal (Raf, Ev, Eva, and Iris). So what happened?

Three hours later and no out-of-pocket expenses except for a double mocha, most of us escaped unscathed. And then, off to dinner in Pasadena at this restaurant I had never been to, Shiro, for Mr. Yuen's (Ev, Eva, and Iris' dad) birthday. Happy Birthday!

This place serves some seriously good seafood. The portions aren't large so, if you're starving, you may find this place a bit wanting. But the quality is excellent! I guess I should put up the restaurant/travel guide at this point, eh? Okay, it's here. Click for my review.

Sometimes the scary part of eating out with Alex is that we're both such major gourmets and food critics. Thank God we don't see each other that often and not at a classy joint otherwise we'd be working for food after a while!

Quick shouts to Raf, Ev, and Iris: it's always great to see y'all down in SoCal ... I promise to come visit sometime soon; Ev, when's your next baking binge? =) Say hi to Hercules and Heathcliff for me, I miss those guys. Eva, yes, you know how to pick dessert ... I will defer to you next time. Best wishes on your new job, I'll come check out your new digs when I'm up! Alex & Winnie, ready for the new ski season? I heard there's snow in da hills!!!

981127
I think that I would have been totally bored today had it not been for Aaron's call to go grab a bite down at the Shore House Cafe in Long Beach at midnight. "At midnight!?" I sense some of your responses already, right? Well, hey, we both like to reflect back on those days in college when this would be no big deal.

I had already had a quick dinner after going to do some work down at some clients' offices today and passing up the opportunity for hand-to-hand combat with overzealous shoppers. But, despite my lack of hunger, I went anyway cuz hanging out with Aaron is always fun and it is an interesting adventure in itself, since one never knows where our conversations of life, the universe and everything will go. Even if we both know the answer will always be 42 ...

Tonight was no different ... and for our standard two-hour food and gab-fest, the talk went from new stuff we wanted to do for the websites (I think he's already done some) to course corrections in the game of life.

Bro, I always appreciate the times we get to go hang out somewhere and kick it. And remember, you da man!

981126
First, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO J.T.! Da big 3-0! Now that you've passed beyond the rim, life now begins, eh? You can now seek those big questions: "Who are you?", "What do you want?", "Why Are You Here?" and "Where Are You Going?" Hmm, wonder where I got those questions from ...

For Thanksgiving dinner, I went over to JT's parents who, with Yvonne co-conspiring, were planning a surprise birthday party for him. But he knew ... and played along with it anyway. So, we did too. Like any typical holiday feast, I came away satisfied, very much so! We had time to meet some of JT's relatives, catch up with friends and celebrate with the birthday boy. Pictures to follow (I used a film camera).

Thank you Gerald and Jean (JT's parents) for a wonderful dinner and for opening your house to all of us crazy kids! Jen, it was great seeing you again and catching up a bit. And, contrary to popular myth, I don't think I know everyone. Best of luck on the upcoming Bar exam. Remember what you said about having a life while preparing for the test ...! Brandon, it was great hearing you make the piano dance again. You and Aaron jammed! Jeff and Sharon, nice to meet you two --- next time, we'll play another game of hearts and I promise the queen of spades will make life interesting. And Jeff, it is kinda funny and scary with how many people we both know from your days at UCSD! Finally, once again, happy birthday JT, you ain't that old ... trust me!

If you thought that was it, you're wrong ...

Aaron and I went over to Denny's afterwards to do the usual late-night chat session over food. Just to find out what's been up with us these past few weeks. And it has been ... real interesting. I think we're both just glad that it's over, for the most part. And that we came to appreciate that real friends are ones who will tell you when you're screwing up and also are there for you in a firefight. Remember the one that goes: "Friends will help you move; real friends will help you move bodies."?

981125
Tonight was the night. The night I've waited five years for. After all the long nights waiting, watching, pondering all the possibilites, it was going to happen. Right here. In my house. I was flush with anticipation....

What were you all were thinking of ... !?

If you haven't been following me lately, you probably aren't aware that I'm a big time Babylon 5 fan. And tonight was the FINAL episode, Sleeping in Light. I've followed the series from before the pilot episode when J. Michael Straczynski, B5's creator, first aired his idea over forums on the Net (and that was back in 1991!).

So, having made arrangements for a viewing party with JT, who I find out is a B5 fan too, he and Yvonne came over to watch it with me (everyone else either couldn't make it or had last minute problems) down here in sunny SoCal (I bet all you folks northward wish you had more sun ... please take all you want and give us some rain!!!). Poor Yvonne was hacking up a lung or something earlier over dinner and was pretty much wiped. Send her a get well wish, folks!

Well, after dinner, we cruise back over to my place and fire up the surround sound and wait. I really wish I had a big screen to go with the sound ... *SIGH*

So, now I've seen it. I had read that for those who had seen it, either by bootlegging a copy or something else, it moved many of them to tears or something close. And ...?

I was moved....and it takes a lot to do that. I felt that they wrapped up the series in a very appropriate way; that there was a closure between us, the viewers, and the characters. Far more so than any other series that I can think of in a long time. Perhaps this voiceover in the closing scenes puts it all in perspective:

Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon stations. There would never be another.
It changed the future. And it changed us.
It taught us that we have to create the future, or others will do it for us.
It showed us that we have to care for one another, because if we don't, who will?
And that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely places.
Mostly though, I think it gave us hope that there could always be new beginnings, even for people like us.

How often do you find anything out of Hollywood these days that, instead of showing the decay of society today, brings you hope for a better tomorrow? I often wonder if how many of us never desire to live up to our full potential because of how bad we perceive the world has become. I find that Babylon 5, like Star Trek before it, is one of those few programs that portray a future not based on a post-apocalyptic cataclysm, but one based on the hope that humanity has the ability to rise above our destructive tendencies.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox ...

If you missed it, it will repeat on TNT Monday, November 30 at midnight (which is actually really early Tuesday morning).

Geez, on another note, I just read through what I wrote last night and, oh my gosh, I must have been pretty dang tired. Fixed all the grammar. And I didn't anything to drink either! What's wrong with this picture?

That's it for tonight! I don't have that interesting of a life, do I?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

981124
Thanksgiving weekend is almost here ...!!!

Tonight, I went to see Enemy of the State with Alex and Winnie. It's pretty amazing to see Will Smith perform in what is probably his most serious role to date. He still carries the Fresh Prince flippancy well but is quite believable as an attorney unknowingly caught in the middle of a government conspiracy. Gene Hackman plays a good guy for once in how long I can't remember and Jon Voight, predictably, is the head bad guy who's out to get Smith. The shadow of government surveillance is frighteningly realistic and plausible, speaking as someone who's familiar with the technology used in the movie. About the only real complaint I had was technical accuracy on the part of using satellites for optical surveillance. Those babies move at close to 17,000mph so you are not going to get that kind of overhead time that they were doing. Other than that minor point, this one may be a bit long but is worth the full price of admission.

981123
Just your typical Monday. Except that I still haven't recovered from this past weekend. So, I'm late for work today. It's okay ... I work in support! We always stay late anyway, right?

Had dinner tonight with my friends Johan & Lillian. Johan and I have known each other for more than 15 years and Lillian I've known for over 20, but she thinks 7 because she can't remember meeting me that far back at her father's church. They will, in about 6 months, be parents! Yikes! Well, I guess it is about time; they've only been married for 6 years ...! <G>

BTW, just a reminder to all of you Babylon 5 fans: the FINAL episode "Sleeping in Light" is this Wednesday on TNT at 10pm! Don't miss it ...!

981122
Attended Evergreen South Coast for church today. It was great to see everyone again ... I probably visit them about once a month. And we had a good number of visitors there too, both SoCal and NorCal!

Pastor Kevin spoke on the need for solitude (to hear God) and community (to minister to others). I was particularly struck by what Kevin said that the #1 problem that pastors deal with regarding their relationship with God is time commitment (i.e., spending quality time). ===:o And this is what they would normally do, you'd think. But it also encouraged me to know that even our pastors and ministers struggle with the SAME problems we all do. I know that I don't spend nearly as much time with God as I do tilling the soil. And, therefore, the need for solitude, away from the distractions that keep us from the fellowship with our Creator.

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