Art purchase - Paul Madonna pen & ink drawing

I attended SFMOMA's Artist Gallery sale last night and hoped to find something inspiring. I made a great impulsive purchase a few years ago with a Winni Wintermeyer photograph "280". I've really grown to love that piece. Well, I did find something. It's a Paul Madonna pen & ink drawing of SF from his weekly SFGate series All over coffee. I love his moody and melancholic mixture of "overheard" text with gorgeous SF urban drawings. His work is direct pen on paper, with no pre-sketching, so there is a "mistakes and all" beauty to the drawings. This piece called "On Guerrero" was published 10/25/09. I was also attracted to it b/c the words capture alot of what I was feeling last year. 2009 was a brutal year.

ipad mania

This was the scene at last Saturday's ipad debut in the Union Square Apple Store. I patiently waded through the crowds and finally got some one-on-one time with the ipad. My verdict: pretty awesome! It was speedy and responsive as all the reviews had mentioned, but it was also more substantial than I expected (ie heavier). I think that's a good thing, since you don't want to spend good money on something that feels cheap and flimsy *cough..pre..cough*. The display is gorgeous, and I am looking forward to buying magazines through itunes. I hope there will be a way to extract content from magazines, like saving favorite clippings somewhere on the hardrive. There were also a few unexpected uses that have emerged for me. I can see this as a very beautiful digital frame when not in use. The new Netflix app is also fantastic, I'm already a huge consumer of the streaming on my PS3. And I think I will get the Pages app for writing, as I can connect to my bluetooth wireless keyboard. The touchscreen keyboard seems OK, but a little awkward to use for long periods.

The hardest part: waiting another few weeks for my 3G version.

Sea Nettle Jellyfish at CA academy of science

Clear Lake 2010

A restful weekend at Clear Lake with good friends.

Asian = Feminine?

The topic of Asians in the media came up at dinner last night, after a group of us watched The Incredible Mr. Fox (entertaining film). I asked who in the group was watching "Glee" and one person mentioned he gave up on the show, disgusted with how the Asian characters were always in the background. For a show supposedly written with minority characters in mind (Gay, ethnic and disabled to name a few), the Asian characters are relegated to pretty much wallpaper. So with a few exceptions like John Cho in Fast Forward, Kunal Nayyar in Big Bang Theory and Sandra Oh in Greys Anatomy, Asians are still a tiny blip on the TV landscape.

That is why I took notice when Verizon released their new Droid ad lampooning a certain phone for being "tiara-wearing, digitally-clueless beauty pageant queen". It's a not so subtle stab at Apple's dominant iphone, and one picture stood out for me. There's a shot of three people gazing a the "queen" phone, a likely copy of a famous photo of the iphone, and there happens to be an Asian guy in the mix. Hmmmm, you have a woman, a feminine looking white guy with longish hair, and a nerdy looking Asian guy. What's the message Verizon??? And please don't tell me it was a fluke that they hired an Asian model for this commercial.

Vancouver - Pre-Olympics

My hometown Vancouver is certainly getting Olympics-ready. The city has that freshly-scrubbed feeling as a good host city expecting millions of visitors coming 2/12-2/28. I paid a short visit last week, and tried to sample the various construction projects I had been monitoring over the last few years.

I didn't get to see the Olympic village, but caught sight of it from a distance. A friend tells me it's on track and looking good. The downtown area is still cleaning up from the Skytrain extension of the Canada Line, and Granville St is not fully open yet. But the CL is running to the airport (since August 17th), and I got the chance to try it on my way back to SF. It was extremely easy and fast, and pretty economical at less than $4 from anywhere in Vancouver (2 zones). I worried that the trains were too tight to carry your luggage, and it was rather cramped, but better than the BART trains in SF.

I finally visited the gorgeous new Shangri-La Vancouver. The exterior seems to be "in progress", and I didn't have time to check out the posh interiors. However, it has already changed the skyline of the city with it's handsome profile. The other high profile skyscraper Jameson House, the Norman Foster designed condo, has barely progressed. I wonder if it's back on track?

I was most eager to check out the new Convention Centre, and it's almost ready. The green roof looks complete but gates are still keeping the place closed to the public. I asked a security guard about the opening, and he vaguely stated "after the Olympics".

And once again I admired the Coal Harbor area, thinking "now this is development done right". I hope someone in SF is taking notes.

Downtown changes II

The downtown Union Square retail environment keeps changing. Given the current economy, it's not surprising that some stores remain empty (Virgin, Benetton, Shoe Pavilion, Ritz Camera). But occasionally, you see some new shops opening and thriving. Since it's all in my "backyard", I've taken notes.

A new Japanese Sweets store Minamoto Kitchoan on 648 Market. Delicious but pricey and all imported with expiration dates. Let's hope they don't get caught up in another date change scandal.

What are these alien flowers pods doing in Yerba Buena? A place to recharge your electronics and take advantage of the recent solar heatwave, brought to you by Prius.
Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys is bringing Vegas style gourmet burgers to SF Macy's 6th floor. Burgar Bar opens soon, with great views of Union Square.
I went to Loehmann's recently to check out their discounted designer clothing, only to find they have a whole new Men's shop across the street in their old shoe store 211 Sutter. Yeah for us!
And so long to my favorite brand of runners: New Balance
Curiously, Gap is opening in the old Ann Taylor space on 240 Post. Perhaps it will be a different concept store, higher end? likely in this location.