Seattle Show

I had quite a full day today. I went to see my favourite Christian hip hop group, LA Symphony, perform at the Rainbow in Seattle this evening. But before that I stopped by the Seattle Premium Outlets in Tualip. I heard it was a great place to shop for clothes because of the deals. I've never been there before, and it was pretty awesome to see the Gap, Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, Levi's, Ralph Lauren, Nautica, and the list goes on all in one place. I picked up a few shirts there.

After that I went to the Rainbow and killed 3 hours before the show visiting the University of Washington bookstore and eating at Tokyo Cafe. The cafe was pretty interesting. For about $6 I got this huge teriyaki chicken and beef combo that was difficult to finish. They had take out containers set out because it seems a lot of people can't finish the food. I did my best to eat as much as I could since I didn't want to carry the leftovers around.

I had a half hour left before the show and ended up at FedEx Kinko's which is right next door to the Rainbow. I surfed the Internet for a bit and found it interesting to see how different and similar the store was from the one I worked at on Broadway. Getting onto the computer was easy by slipping in my credit card into the reader. When I was working at Broadway, it was such a drag to login customers into a computer and wait for a printout after he or she was done to pay for the time.

After that I headed to the Rainbow to enjoy an evening of hip hop. The venue itself was quite small and only about 50 people showed up. The crowd was pretty dead, but the artists tried to make the most out of it. The little venue worked out great for me because I had a chance to meet some of the artists. I met and talked to Alan of Deux Process in the washroom. He's a really cool and friendly guy. I then met Sharlok Poems of LA Symphony who I admire and had a little chat with him. There was one artist, Z-man, I never heard of until tonight and he put on a really good set. I enjoyed it so much that I met him, bought his CD and got it signed, and had a good chat with him too.

Z-Man

I left around 12:30 am and just got home about an hour ago all buzzed on Red Bull which is why I can write all of this in the middle of the night.

Peace.

North Korea

I was traveling to different places in Google Earth and decided to check out the captial city of North Korea called Pyongyang. North Korea is the most communist state in the world who's government is often described as Stalinist, totalitarian, and isolationist. For those who keep asking me which side my background's from, it's the South where democracy and capitalism rules.

I had been to North Korea before in the digital world, but it was really blurry probably because no spy or camera plane could enter the area. But today with the help of satellite technology, I got to see the communist city for the first time in my life and I was very surprised. What struck me the most was the amazing architecture. It reminds me of something out of a sci-fi film.

North Koreans must really love shapes. I took some snapshots of some of the buildings in Pyongyang below. Click on the image to see it enlarged.

New Look

I got tired of the blue background and decided to make my blog a more west coast experience. Vancouver's such a beautiful city. I'm blessed to be born and raised here. I'm a bit choked with the Canucks, but there's always next year.

Peace.

Questioning Religion

I recently came across news that a 1,700 year old Egyptian coptic text aka the lost "Gospel of Judas," was made public last week. It portrays Judas not as a betrayer, but as Jesus' confidant whom Jesus secretly shares spiritual truths with, and not the other apostles. I'd be interested to read these writings. There's a lot of undiscovered historical documents out there.

Lately, I've been interested in reading up on Buddhism. My dad and I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago about Christianity and faith. I never get to have deep conversations with my dad mostly due to the language barrier, but we actually had a good discussion. My dad has lately been falling away from Christianity after some renewed interest a year ago. He told me the thing he doesn't like about Christainity is that there is only one way. He believes it's a very strict religion. He thinks that if you're a good person and seek to help others when you can, good karma will come your way and you will have lived a successful life. He went on to tell me the story about Buddha. My dad feels more close to Buddhism and its teachings than he does with Christianity. I can see how that is. Christianity and Buddhism share quite a few similarities, but the difference and most controversial is Jesus.

I'm looking forward to seeing The Da Vinci Code. I'm sure there will be some protests at movie theatres from Christians like there are at theatres showing Jesus Christ Superstar. But I believe you have to challenge the mind and question the things that make you uncomfortable because it only makes you sharper.

There is so much I want to learn in life. I'd love to read up on everything. I think that's why I believe it may not be a good thing for Christians to shelter themselves from the bad things. I've learned a lot of good themes from R-rated films and have embraced some honest truths from the underground hip hop I listen to. Some Christians believe the bad will influence them, and maybe it will and maybe it won't. In my mind, it'd be a measure of how strongly you believe.

The more I learn, the more reasons I'm given as to why Jesus is important to me. Happy Easter!

Peace.

From Oaktown With Love

Last night, my buddy and I went to see my favourite underground hip hop group, Zion I, at Richard's on Richards. Aside from the drunks and inhalation of second-hand weed, the show was awesome. I was right up at the stage as Deuce Eclipse and Zion rapped with passion from their souls, and Amp Live mixed and spun the beats. I slapped hands with the them on stage. The guests were pretty good too.

MC Zion, aka Zion I, and Amp Live hail from Oakland, California. The same place MC Hammer (hahaha) and Tupac Shakur grew up in.


Here's the link to Zion I: www.zionicrew.com

Peace.

Drop It Like It's Hot

To dispel the myth that I only like white girls, she (below) would be a reason I would want to marry a Korean girl. Her name is Jun Ji-Hyun who is a popular Korean model and actress, and is one of my favourite actresses (of course). She had a successful role in "Il Mare (2000)" and made her biggest breakthrough in "My Sassy Girl (2004)." I own both DVDs. Both movies are actually being remade for American audiences with "Il Mare" renamed "The Lake House" starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in theatres on June 16th. "My Sassy Girl" is coming out sometime next year directed by Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham).

Jun Ji-Hyun is currently starring in a new film called "Daisy" playing now in South Korea.


PS. My bro had his first hollywood experience by landing a role as a specialized extra in a new action film called "Rogue" starring Jet Li (Romeo Must Die) and Jason Statham (The Transporter) due out next year. He might be seen on screen with a bunch of girls in the backroom of a club.

My dad calls him "acting boy."

Peace.