In the Mix

Currently pushing: Oprah’s Legends Ball. Apparently back in 2005 Oprah threw a three day celebration honoring twenty-five African American women who have done some stuff. Just watch this clip of the gospel brunch, and be stunned by everyone in it. Patti, Dionne, Tina, Diana, Gladys, Chaka, Janet, Mariah, Naomi, Halle, Mary J, Tyra, Alicia, uh, Ashanti. Basically everyone. (Notable no-shows or uninvited included Whitney, Aretha, Toni, Lauryn, Vanessa, Beyonce.) The best part, I found this via a tweet and the one post Tumblr it was shared on was called "trumptaxreturns2005.tumblr.com.”

So I left the comfy confines of home a few weeks ago to attend a friend’s wedding up in the Bay. While I was there, I not only experienced the magic of the Impossible Burger and rewatched Logan, but also got to go to my friend Jasmine’s first Bhangra in the Bay class. I mince no words in saying that Jasmine is the greatest bhangra dancer of all time and she’s now teaching a class in Oakland — along with her co-instructor, Chetty. Our videographer friend brought all this fancy gear to make an intro video and I got to help, meaning I stood around and manned the camera’s remote control while Victor did all the (literal and figurative) heavy lifting. Needless to say, the video came out great and if you’re looking for a workout, bhangra fusion is the way to go. Also, I went deep into the world do bhangra forums and YouTubes, and now consider myself an amateur expert.

And while I’m on a dance theme, I’ve been following this Taiwanese hip hop dancer, Nike Chen — and her three person crew called MoveOn Dance Taiwan. I’m a little surprised I’ve never seen her before, considering Taiwan’s small dance scene. However, I listened to her short TED Talk and am intrigued by how she talks about being inspired by the hip hop ethos in Taiwan. One of the first things I did upon moving to Taiwan was to explore the world of hip hop and dance, as it wasn’t something I was expecting to find there. The number of students and people practicing under freeway underpasses, next to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial around sunset, and other wide open spaces would astonish you. Also, I attended an all-female dance show once that had literally twenty-plus acts. I haven't even seen that in the U.S., so it's safe the say the dance scene is thriving there.

I found Nike’s stuff through her work on Dizzy Dizzo’s music video, "Radar" (choreo video). Dizzy's another Taiwanese artist I’m pretty intrigued by. She swings between styles pretty comfortably, from vintage J.Lo to  acoustic to Iggy Azalea-like, but most of all I like her song “Stray Love,” which has production that is very Drive-esque, a sound I haven’t heard before in Taiwanese pop.

Dizzy (real name Dominique) is an Australian Born Taiwanese married to actor Sunny Wang, and he appears in a lot of her videos. Also, Dizzy’s videos certainly have an aesthetic that sticks out prominently from her Taiwanese contemporaries. Overall, I think she represents an interesting mix of what’s current but also throws in her own flair and influences. Special stuff.

And lastly, here's friend and my former dance class instructor Clio dancing in Ty's "美 國." Awhile ago Clio told me that there exists a documentary on Taiwan's burgeoning rap scene from twenty years ago. For the life of me I can't find this film but I would love to see it. Or to make a new one, but on dance instead.

Turnt Down & Out

Listening to: Vancouver Sleep Clinic, "Flaws." I heard this at the end of Before We Go, Chris Evans' Before Sunrise-y directorial debut. Since then I've just had their wonderfully dreamy six song EP, "Winter," on repeat. Excuse me, Vancouver Sleep Clinic is just one guy, Tim Bettinson, and he's only eighteen. Geezes!

I hopped back to the States the other week, straight to San Francisco. The flight I took was all kinds of backwards. First to Hong Kong, then to Manila, and finally to SFO. That’s what happens when you book your flight late and try to save a few bucks. Somehow, for the entire long leg of the flight, I managed to not even get out of my seat. Pretty impressive right? I’m really getting the hang of long flights!

After a quick week in San Francisco — saw some friends, saw some movies, rode/walked a bike up unconquerable hills — I came home, finally. San Diego’s weather awaited me and right away I headed for burrito-land. Well, actually, a delicious set of chicken flautas but close enough. I was trying to figure out the last time I’d been away from proper Mexican food for such a long time. Maybe almost a decade ago. Sometimes I went to the sub-par Mexican choices in Taipei just to get some pico and shredded lettuce on my tastebuds. Desperate times you know?

It seemed like everyone I met up with in the Bay had a recent big life change. Like moving out, moving in, moving in together with their significant other, recently engaged, recently announced their pregnancy, quit their job, new job, etc. All the changes frightened me a little. I don’t know if “frighten” is the right word, but basically it felt like big things were happening for everyone. That, combined with our going to bed so early on the weekends, portended a future for me that had me scared.

See, San Francisco was the last of the West Coast cities where my friends actually still went out. And stayed up late, and hung out, and did stuff. Coming straight from Taiwan, where my schedule was super late, it was a mild shock. And I stared at the gaping maw of my dystopian Bay Area future and had to face facts: People were settling down / growing up. Oh the horror!

For U.S. cities, now it’s down to just New York, and New York will always be an exception because people there are forever young. So yeah, I’m trying to get there as fast as I can, hopefully in September, after some beach and sun back in San Diego. Plus the burritos.

I was also in L.A. for a bit last weekend. Hung out mostly in the downtown L.A. area that I was previously unfamiliar with — aside from parts of K-Town and the Staples Center for Clippers games. Driving in, I passed by the tent cities of Skid Row, which looked even crazier than the Tenderloin. I was very curious about how Los Angeles handles Skid Row, and started doing some online reading about it.

"At the time, Skid Row made sense. It corralled all that would attract ‘undesirables' into a part of the city without much of a population beyond daytime office workers, pensioners, and the homeless and semi-homeless hotel-dwellers already there. It lay far from coastal enclaves like Santa Monica or suburban hinterlands like the San Fernando Valley, which were home to more politically important constituencies.”
-The Gentrification of Skid Row: A story that will decide the future of Los Angeles-

Last year, we took a walking tour of the Tenderloin, which was both informative and eye-opening. My friend Stef and her friends are now working on launching The Anchor & Plow Project, a program to give SF newcomers (i.e. invading techies) a better understanding of the neighborhoods they’ve taken over. In related things: On the way to the airport, via Uber Pool of course, I saw my first Google Bus and the huge queue waiting for it. Anyway, check out Anchor & Plow’s mission statement and pass the survey on to anyone you know.

Also, I stuck around in L.A. to watch Sean Baker's Tangerine, because I knew it wasn't playing back in San Diego. Plus the theater was in Hollywood, a few miles from where Tangerine was set. The movie itself was fantastic. All the more overwhelming because it was shot on an iPhone. You want to talk diversity? How about two transgender leads and an Armenian cab driver imprisoned by his cultural background? So yeah, start with the trailer, then make sure to watch the whole damn thing.

• How Los Angeles Created Skid Row (2015)
• The Rules of the Row (2001)
• The Class War Is Back On in San Francisco (2014)
• In San Francisco: A Walking Tour of the Tenderloin (2015)
• Tangerine: How one of the best films at Sundance was shot using an iPhone 5S

Dance or Die

Listening to: Tank, “You’re My Star.” We spent some of the weekend trying to learn the choreo for the MJ Slide, clearly the best line dance ever. Please practice so we can do this at weddings. As I've discovered, I can’t bounce and do footwork at the same time -- plus this move is impossible for me, it's just never going to happen. Sigh. Anyway, here’s an easier video of the MJ Slide to learn from.

Just got back from Daybreaker, an early morning dance party serving juices and coffee instead of alcohol. I’d been trying to go in New York but couldn’t find anyone to attend with me. Fortunately, folks in San Francisco are morning people so off we went! The idea behind Daybreaker is that you head into work energized and alert, and I’m sure for those with normal jobs, it’s totally worth the early wake up call. I, of course, am heading straight back to bed.

• At Daybreaker's early morning parties, revelers greet the day with dancing, not drinking
• Why San Francisco techies are getting in on the morning (sober) dance party trend

Actually, maybe I’ll stay up just a bit longer. I mean, I’ve practically become a morning person out here, and last week I even rolled out of bed before ten once. For a walking tour of the Tenderloin no less. Del Seymour leads people through the TL, showing them parts of the neighborhood that are often overlooked. Generally I’m trying to stay out of the TL as much as possible, but the two hour tour through St. Anthony’s facilities, the Glide Foundation’s various buildings, and St. Boniface Church where the homeless sleep in pews by day were all very interesting -- even if the experience felt pretty voyeuristic. Del also pointed out painted markings on the sidewalks, which is a "yellow brick road" for children to stay on, one manned by volunteers and serving as safe passage for kids to and from school. Overall, I’d recommend the tour for anyone looking for a different take on San Francisco’s “Fortress Against Gentrification.”

• Tour guide showcases Tenderloin's darker sides and its artistic highs (2013)
• SF Gate: Touring the Tenderloin (2012)
• Video: Touring the Tenderloin
• Arise, Tenderloin (2013)

Speaking of churches, we went to the Church of 8 Wheels last week, for a little weeknight roller skating. As you (probably don’t) know, I love me some roller skating. Lilly and I used to go every Tuesday in San Diego, until that rink closed down. Even though I can’t do anything fancy, just gliding around and around is thrill enough. At 8 Wheels, we even got to go clockwise, which is something I’d never done before. For some reason, all the roller skating places I’d ever been to only let us go counter-clockwise -- unless you went backwards during specifically designated laps. Turns out going clockwise doesn't change your life, even though I was sure it would. Another dream shattered I guess.

• Secretly Awesome: Roller Skating in an Abandoned Church (2013)
• Shake Your Groove Thing: Q&A with the GodFather of Skate (2014)

And let’s talk about the basketball game I got to play in. My friend needed an extra for his league game last week, and I was more than willing. Organized basketball! Something I haven’t done since college, which basically means I haven’t done it at all. I have this rule that things you haven’t done in a decade should be expunged from your skills/life list. Like George and I used to ride horses in middle school but since that was almost twenty years ago, we can’t really claim that we know how to ride anymore. Unfortunately this rule negates a lot of things…

Anyway, I was the sixth man and it was twenty-three minute halves so it was pretty grueling. Usually when I play pickup I’m loafing around and trying to not get hurt, but when you play in a league game, you gotta go all out. "Run, run, run!" Our game ended in a tie, despite my best efforts to will the ball in from the bench. Next time I'll cheer harder.

Right Cycle

Listening to: TLC, "What About Your Friends"
Today at 8:21pm: Shooting bricks at the Mission Playground

At Raven Bar this weekend, it was mostly Nineties hip hop (an endangered commodity) and they played the videos along with the songs. Half the time, in-between dancing, I was just watching the TVs thinking about how I'd never seen the video for a particular track. Like the "What About Your Friends" video. Watch that thing, it's Nineties perfection. Of course, having Miley "Twerk" Cyrus stare out from the Youtube ads next to T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chilli wearing strings of condoms on their baggy pants -- worn to promote sex education and safe sex -- is just, well. It's something. I don't have the vocabulary to describe it.

• TLC : Condom Fashions Are a Political Statement (1992)
• VH1 Thought a TLC Movie Was a Great Idea But the Trailer Indicates Otherwise

I hate Will Ferrell movies, barely tolerate Marky Mark, but The Other Guys has elevated itself to must-see status based on the strength of these TLC scenes, which my friends used to reference constantly for infinite amusement. It's the little things you know?

I'm currently running around San Francisco for a few weeks, for various things. A houseboat trip, our birthday, a camp wedding, a roast/toast birthday. September in the Bay lined up nicely. The weather was wonderful too, for a second, and I was all like "I should come back!" Then on day three I waited forty five minutes for a bus, got on the wrong one out of impatience, and my trip from Nob Hill to the Mission ended up taking an hour and a half. Aha, that's why I can't do SF anymore.

Well, that was my line of griping until I got my hands on a friend's spare bike. It's a Public Bike and those things are beautiful. The Public Bike bells look like oversized Skittles and it's impossible to not want one. I may get one and I don't even own a bicycle. Ding ding.

Astride a bicycle, I can zip the three miles down Polk Street to Valencia in like fifteen minutes. After a summer spent using the heck out of New York's Citibike, I've decided bicycles are the only real way to get around. Anywhere. I used to love walking around in cities but now I'm just like, "bike, bike, bike" all the time. I was initially fearful of San Francisco's vaunted hills but with the right gear switching, it's not a big deal.

For our birthday, George planned a ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sausalito for brunch. It was an inspired idea and clearly proved that wisdom comes with age. She also suggested we hand out Doublemint gum as favors, because well, that's what twins do. On Saturday morning, our really hardcore bike gang gathered at Sports Basement Presidio and off we went -- two birthday balloons streaming behind us. Well, after the delay of fixing my rear tire. Somehow I managed to blow the inner tube thing not fifty feet from the entrance. Whoops.

The overall ride wasn't hard, really it was a cakewalk, but it felt great. Obviously I like my accomplishments in small doses.

So far, this San Francisco trip has been all about being active and doing things outside. I've barely touched my computer, it totally misses me I'm sure. Between all the biking, tonight's basketball session, and a cardio dance class the other day, I'm freaking beat. I mean, my life is usually pretty sedentary -- and that's the way I like it.

About that dance class. My friend Palak started teaching Doonya: The Bollywood Workout at Metronome Dance Collective and we popped over the other day to check it out. Let me just say that I have newfound respect for all that hopping around. I was winded after fifteen minutes, wanted to collapse after thirty, but somehow found the strength to make it through to the end. I'm pretty sure I've never taken any cardio classes before. By design.

And the last dance class I took was I don't even remember when. So any (in)ability to pick up routines, make sure my hands and feet are approximately where they're supposed to be, stay on rhythm while trying not to fall over, all of it proved impossible. Still, I tried my best and it was super fun. But so sweaty. So so sweaty. Newsflash: Cardio workouts make you sweaty. Shocker! Anyhow, if you want to get your Indian dance on, pop over to Potrero Hill.

Semi-related, here's our other friend in these bhangra competition videos. She is superb. I don't even have to point her out because you can't miss her. She's the one that's the best.

• Lethal Bhangra Crew @ Bruin Bhangra (2006)
• West Side Alliance @ Bruin Bhangra (2013)

Last thing, there is now boba in the Mission courtesy of Boba Guys. Rejoice! The Boba Guys' logo features an anteater, which is truly inspired. Zot, zot, zot! Co-owners Andrew Chau and Bin Chen did posts at GOOD Magazine's website for awhile, starting with "Meet the Boba Guys and Watch Them Start a Business (2011)."

Thankfully they now have a permanent location on 19th and Valencia. Please visit them because otherwise the Mission will be bereft of boba. And we can't have that. Their menu also features a horchata drink plus boba. Why has this not been invented before? Absolutely delicious. I've already been to Boba Guys three times this past week, and would have gone a fourth time tonight if they hadn't closed already.

That's another thing I forgot about San Francisco: Everything closes so damn early. We left Raven Bar around two, when we were barely warmed up. How are people supposed to get some proper birthday dancing in around here?! On the ride home, George and I kept repeating, "It's over? It feels so early. It's really over?"

• GOOD Magazine Series: Meet the Boba Guys

How to Find Friends & Meet People

A few short weeks ago, my friend called me up to declare that she'd signed up for an adult summer camp. "You need to come with me, it's like our dreams come true. Hurry, there's only a few spots left." For years I'd been thinking about how amazing it would be to attend a summer camp, to recreate the carefree times playing Capture the Flag and singing songs in the middle of the woods.

Since I was already going to be on the West Coast, signing up for Camp Grounded was a no-brainer. At the time I didn't know it was a camp for unplugging -- no computers, phones, Kindles, or even watches -- and friends wondered how I would survive. I mean, who am I without a laptop? The truth is, being device-less wasn't my greatest fear, I mean, my greatest fear is dirt right? Some people expressed doubt that I'd be able to handle the outdoors.

Well, boo on them, because I've had lots of experience doing outdoor stuff. No, seriously. While my OCD-ness and aversion to dirt define me now, in my youth George and I attended lots of campy stuff. Plus I was a Webelos Scout for a few seconds. (I still have the patches to prove it.)

With visions of Moonrise Kingdom swimming through our heads, my friend and I set off on Friday morning for Camp Navarro, about three hours north of San Francisco.

What we arrived to was an incredible group of dedicated counselors and more than three hundred campers ready to tackle a weekend full of fun, exploration, openness, and community. A few of the rules of Camp Grounded: don't reveal real names, don't ask people about their ages, and most of all, don't talk about work. The aim was to discover people as they are, not define them by what they do. It all seemed rather ambitious, especially the advertising talk about "[creating] a community where money is worth little...and individuality, self expression, friendship, freedom and memories are valued most."

I don't know how the Camp Grounded staff did it but less than twelve hours in, the outside world really had disappeared, and what filled that space was a happy, soaring, "is this really happening?" feeling. Everyone had really bought into the freedom of just relaxing and making connections with like minded people.

Each camper was put in a sex segregated village -- mine was Bear -- and beyond the ice breakers, we had time to do some bonding exercises. For me, it was really cool to see a group of twenty five men opening up and talking to one another, freely and without any posturing. I heard some of the other villages had mini-Marina Abramovic moments, where they just sat and stared at each other. Who has the time, or inclination, for that during normal life?

"Who are we? We are bears!

Grizzly, polar, cuddly, care

When we roar, some get scared

But we only have hugs to share!"

And while there was a lot of talk about being grounded and leaving our technology behind, what Camp Grounded was really about was celebrating yourself and others. Everyone there was willing to take two days off of work to drive/fly/rideshare to a 1970s era Boy Scout camp and open their hearts to strangers. There wasn't a bad conversation to be had and everyone was super cool.

I was a bit in awe to be honest. I wanted camp to last a week, not a weekend. Learning that many of the campers were Burning Man veterans cleared things up for me some, as that explained the communal atmosphere and positivity that radiated throughout Camp Grounded. If I weren't so afraid of crowds, and people, Camp Grounded would give me second thoughts about attending a future Burning Man. After I learn to fire dance of course.

Let's talk about what we did at Camp Grounded. I mean, there were so many activities. Afternoon playshops included solar carving, leather making, clown classes, meditation, poetry, pickling, rock climbing, super food making, hip hop dancing, acapella, song writing, etc. I took archery and friendship bracelet making. Of the two, I'm decidedly more Cinna than Katniss. Should I ever need to go into battle, my wrists will look real pretty...next to my sword skewered body. Seriously, the safest place to stand when I was archering was wherever my bow was pointing.

There was a giant game of Capture the Flag, a silent dinner, Color Wars, an Eighties Prom, and plenty of sing-a-longs. At night it was campfires for s'mores, hikes for stargazing, tea ceremony in a beautiful yurt, and a red bus that contained a live band for music and dancing. There was also a small river and swimming hole to lounge by when the weather made you lazy and sticky.

Basically this was the all-star summer camp. Most of the counselors had extensive summer camp experience before so they were organized to the max. Seriously, everything was so fluid. For a first time effort, Camp Grounded was just incredible from an organizational standpoint. I don't know how they managed to stay visible and working in the background at the same time, or how they disseminated information when plans changed, but the counselors were amazing. And so damn talented too. In fact, the whole camp was full of talented people. The amazing talent show on Saturday night attested to that.

This was a camp stripped of all the bad bits you might remember from childhood, with the awesome pumped up. Bullies? Gone. Restrictions? Gone. Doing whatever you felt like? Encouraged. Showing up late? No problem at all. The idea was that wherever you were was exactly where you should be. In short, Camp Grounded was magical. It really was.

Sure I was pretty much ready to go by Monday, and yeah there were things that were challenging, but all in all, Camp Grounded is something I'd recommend for all, even if you don't think you'd like it at first brush. It's a unique experience. I mean, adult summer camp, c'mon! Camp Grounded was put on by The Digital Detox and they run other retreats that are probably nothing short of spectacular. I'm pretty sure Digital Detox is gonna do more Camp Groundeds, so keep an eye out and then get your camp on!

Add-ons:

• Some people felt that not talking about work after awhile started to limit getting to know each other. Since I generally hate asking people about what they do, that didn't bother me but I could see how having to artificially limit something could be a barrier to communication.
• I overpacked. Huge. I could have gone with half the stuff I brought, and even then it probably would have been too much. The things I did forget to bring: soap and a mirror. The mirror would have been handy for putting on contacts, of which I lost two.
• Each morning we were woken up by a bugle, but you didn't have to go anywhere if you didn't want to. I skipped breakfast most of the time, and since we didn't know what time it was, there was a feeling of just melting into your day as you liked. Being purely nocturnal, this was actually a semi-struggle for me as I hadn't seen this much daylight in months.
• The meals were mostly vegan and gluten-free. I don't know if this diet contributed to my not going to the bathroom, but if it did I was thankful. I'm happy to report that I went #2 a minimum number of times. Willpower! Also, while vegan and gluten-free are not my preferred foods, eating it for just a few days was perfectly fine. The lack of freely available coffee though...ouch.
• Playing icebreaker games should be de rigueur for any gathering. Or name tags, those would be handy. I was told that looking at someone in the eye and repeating their name is an easy way to remember people, but then I'd have to get comfortable looking at people in the eye first. Which I'm not.
• Having a shared experience makes for instant conversation fodder. If you didn't have anything to say to somebody, you could always ask how they found out about Camp Grounded, or how they were liking it so far. If you wanted to get into something quick, you could start with the tried and true "What are three things..." Which generally makes me think that asking about someone's work is just a knee-jerk reaction to not having anything else to ask. So think of something better please.
• For research last year, I read a series of Camp Confidential books. Golden Girls #16 contained a lot of stuff about Color Wars, and that was all I could think of when we were prepping for Camp Grounded's version of Color Wars. While ours was cut short due to tiredness and overall burnout, I really did want to have relays, water fights, egg tosses, and trivia contests. Instead I'll just have to settle for having passed a squishy banana around between our knees.
• By the last day of camp, people were revealing their actual names (and occupations), and now there's a Facebook group going strong. Putting camp nicknames to faces and real names has been a trip. When you've only known someone as Safari, Cricket, Light Warrior, Asterios Polyp, etc. finding out they are named "Matt" is a shock.
• My friend passed me a This American Life episode about the wonders of summer camp. "Stories of summer camp. People who love camp say that non-camp people simply don't understand what's so amazing about camp. In this program, we attempt to bridge the gap of misunderstanding between camp people and non-camp people." I'm listening to it now. Link here.
• This is exactly what I'd like my wedding to be like. You know, my non-existent future wedding. I'd want all my friends to take a couple of days off from their lives and I'd hire these counselors to throw an adult summer camp. And then me and one (un)lucky person would get married under a canopy of trees while shooting stars pelted the sky and unicorns howled in celebration. Great idea right?

Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

For some perspective, here are my reviews of Twilight and New Moon. Basically I thoroughly enjoyed the first one and was underwhelmed by the second. The third one is arguably the best in the series, mainly because there's more action all around and a bit more backstory for the other vampires. While I logically knew the vampy origins for Jasper and Rosalie were thrown in to give Jackson Rathbone and Nikki Reed something to do, I enjoyed the look away from the nauseating Edward-Bella-Jacob love triangle.

The entire movie is long shots of Robert Pattinson or Kristen Stewart looking forlorn or at each other -- nothing new there. I think I caught Kristen smiling once, probably understanding that she's past the halfway mark on these movies. Still, Pattinson and Stewart's beautiful faces are what fangirls (and fanboys?) came for so it's hard to be critical. I found myself reaching for the fast forward button during the emotional exchanges between Edward and Bella, hoping for the next bit of plot to unspool.

And the plot here wasn't bad. A newborn vampire army; lots of good looking CGI werewolves; Bryce Dallas Howard recast as Victoria, the red headed vampire out for revenge. Of course, the big attraction is Edward versus Jacob. I thought the absolute best scene was watching Edward and Jacob become semi-friends as Jacob happily snuggles up to a freezing Bella, keeping her warm in a storm. See, Edward's a blood cold vampire and can't offer her any warmth. Deep no?

Because I'm squarely Team Edward -- despite his overbearing personality -- I feel like Jacob is just a meddlesome home wrecker. Despite all her protests of "no means no," Jacob just keeps plugging on. She doesn't love you (as much), get over it! What's exciting is that I know what's coming in movie four so can't wait to see how they play that out on the big screen. Eclipse is probably the best movie of the three but without the push and character introductions of the original, I can't give it full marks.

Oh right, I hate Dakota Fanning. Is this a Tumblr already? fucknodakotafanning! I know it's wrong to hate a sixteen year old but I think she started off on the wrong foot with me in I Am Sam. Okay, I don't hate her, that's mean. But I want to gouge my eyes out when she's on-screen.