Wonder woman, cheery gal, pal, and writer, Alissa Walker tagged me in a "learn more about me" blog post along with a bunch of people from her creative cabal after our mutual friend, Gregory was inspired to hijack the idea originally shared by Velokova. In case you were interested to learn a thing or two or 11 about me, thank Alissa.
RULES:
- You must post these rules.
- Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
- Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
- You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
- Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.
- No tag backs.
- No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ You legitimately have to tag 11 people.
Here we go...
1. What’s the strangest or most surprising thing on your desk right now? (You can take a photo if you want, unless it’s too embarrassing.) Umm… Nothing too exciting on my desk these days. Maybe my cup full of designy-utensils I found in Amsterdam. I like the colors and it combines two of my favorite things -- food and design.
If you want to see what else is on my desk, check out Gregory’s Unplggd piece on my home office/bedroom.
2. What is your earliest memory? When I was a toddler, I was playing on a swingset in Ohio and it apparently collapsed on me. My head was bleeding seriously enough to send me to a hospital. I remember sitting with my mom in the ambulance but am not sure the ambulance existed at all. I don’t even know if the ambulance ride was real but I believe that it was.
3. How did you come to live in the city where you currently live? I was working for Arthur D. Little in Boston doing environmental health and safety consulting on the Big Dig, then the largest public works project in North America. I had a science degree, a consulting job, and was a role model Asian kid. But I was also bored.
When I found out a remake of Godzilla was going into production, I decided to pack up my stuff and move west to see if I could get involved with the monster movie.
I moved to Santa Monica in the summer of 1996 and after a short stint near the beach, I ended up working for Slayer in music management. Yes, that Slayer. The rest has been fun as hell!
4. What was the last meal you cooked for yourself? New England Clam Chowder. Having lived in Boston for six years, I often crave the chunky comfort soup. While it’s available in a few restaurants in LA, nothing beats a bowl of homemade soup.
A Tyler Florence recipe was suggested to me and it's tasty and easy to make. Next time I will add more potatoes, chopped clams, and celery, but the recipe's foundation is solid.
5. Where do you fantasize about visiting? Hmm. This is a hard question to answer. Now that I’ve got a two-year-old kid there’s so much I want to show Lulu. For starters, I’d like to visit our friends in Brazil sooner rather than later. I’ve never been to South America so that would fulfill a desire.
I’d also like to run up to Big Sur for a long weekend and go glamping at Glen Oaks. I grew up with a forest as a backyard so being in the woods at night is actually pretty comforting to me. I want Lulu to be able to run through the big trees, not the mish mash of weirdo Dr. Seuss trees we have here in LA.
6. When was the last time you drank too much? I don’t really drink a lot of anything and know that I should. But, I don’t drink alcohol. I’m too allergic. Aside from Asian-flush, I break out in hives and my heart beats wild. It is not a good time.
7. Do you feel as if the way you currently earn money is your true calling? Absolutely. I have the luxury of having a “9 to 5” job that allows me to interact with visual artists all day. I also have a coloring book making the rounds with my lit agent that involves working with 100 artists. And when I can find the time, I tinker on my blogs, Hustler of Culture (about culture and art) and Tiny Iron Fists (about creativity and kids).
8. What song do you sing to yourself when you need to psych yourself up? ‘Track 20’, an unreleased Money Mark song from the “Beautiful Losers” soundtrack. If you’ve seen the movie, it’s the song that crescendos when the movie turns from what the movement was to what it is. I know this sounds wacky, but if you’ve seen the movie, you know the song. It’s the one that lifts your heart in an exciting way.
9. How do you manage your to-do list(s)? I have a few methods to manage my To Do List, but I mainly use Twitter to keep me straight. It’s an unorthodox method, but it works for me.
I “own” the Twitter handle @checklist. It’s a locked account I can access from anywhere online. If I have something to do, I log in and tweet my notes. If I finish a task, I delete my tweet. I play a game with myself to see how low I can keep the tweet count. In case you’re wondering I currently have 58 tweets. FYI, my To Do’s range from the mundane to bucket list items.
Can anyone reading this please help me cross this off my list?
10. What new skill would you most like to learn in 2012? Since I already know how to ride a unicycle, maybe I’ll give whistling a shot, again. I never learned how to whistle properly and now that Lulu can, it’s embarrassing I can’t keep up with her.
11. What is the view out the nearest window? Take a photo, please. The view in front of me: All new construction/box architecture in my Dogtown neighborhood.
The view behind me: An itty bitty balcony oasis.
Thanks Alissa for including me in this fun activity!
My 11 questions for 11 people are:
- What made you really happy last week?
- Please post a favorite photograph of yourself from at least 25 years ago. Why is the photo significant to you?
- What is the last thing you bought online?
- What dish in a restaurant do you always order no matter what, if it's offered on a menu?
- What is your middle name? Any special meaning?
- Is Los Angeles where you'll stay forever? If yes, why? If no, why not?
- What is a trick an adult taught you growing up that you'll remember forever?
- The first five websites I visit daily are _____________.
- Post a picture or copy the text of the last IM/SMS/PIN/DM message you sent. If it's incriminating, please just state, "too embarrassed, pass."
- What was the last party you organized and hosted?
- What high school activities did you participate in, have actually impacted your grown up life?
And I’m tagging these 11 people: Bettina Korek, Max Fenton, Alice Taylor, Barry Hoggard, Michael B. Johnson, Julian Bleecker, Rickey Kim, Willo O'Brien, Wiley Wiggins, Carolina Miranda, and Heather Gold (feel free to answer on your Facebook page using the “Notes” function or G+ profile page if you don't want to blog this).
Happy learnings, friends!
