“Did you like the book you bought?”
“Well, when Sarkan gets…”
“Whoa! you’re not going to spoil it for me, are you?”
“Why?”
“Because I might want to read it.”
“Okay.”
The next day, she left the novel on my nightstand.
Continue reading about fantasy/sci fi and sex(!) after the jump
After finishing Chapter 1 of Keys to Drawing, I thoughtI needed a respite. I completed a bastardized version of the first exercise from Bargue’s Drawing Course.
I was wrong, this was not fun of a break.
Here are your mom and dad’s wedding pictures. There were a couple of others that were damaged because they were attached to the album pages with scotch tape.
Continue reading and seeing some more wedding photos after the jump
I’m finally finishing chapter 1. This time I’m supposed to sketch a “complicated mechanical object.”
I found a photo of great grandfather and grandmother Ree
Continue reading about some unintended stories about this photo after the jump
…there is no thought, “I have attained something.” When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners.
— Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Now that I’ve spent over a year relearning how to program, it’s getting to the point that I can spend some spare time applying the system of shuhari to something I never learned: drawing.
The cynical me says if President George W Bush can do it, how hard can it be? But the real reason is I’ve always wanted to draw and admired and encouraged my friends who had the talent, but gave up trying myself around the sixth grade.
Later, I learned that “having talent” for something just means willingness to practice at it and fail, a lot. It was feeling embarrassment over the latter that kept me from seriously attempting to learn drawing.
Continue reading about my attempt to draw my eyes after the jump
I’m taking the bus this afternoon to meet someone for coffee and an old memory hits me.
…
I’m in the third grade and the Cub Scouts are going to be performing a skit for the school. My two friends, Kenny and Tom, are going to be playing old ladies.
Continue reading about my bus driving stories after the jump
Here is a picture of Grandpa Aboji with his family. To his right is his older sister. This was taken when Aboji went back to Korea for the first time in close to 20 years.
My grandfather is in the middle foreground. He was recently commemorated on a postage stamp in South Korea.
The artist messed up. There is no reason for my grandfather to be wearing a sweater under his suit. 😉
Oh man I love your blog posts. I scrolled quickly to the one on grandpa and thought you should know… he did frequently wear a sweater under his suit! I have strong memories of a camel colored one and sometimes a soft burgundy cardigan worn almost like a suit vest. To me, it was an extra suave, climate-prepared, and eccentric detail I was glad got captured in the stamp.
“Let me tell you why I want to visit the bookstore. The next thing I’m supposed to draw is a green pepper. But because of its shape, I’m having trouble getting started. I thought maybe I could find a different drawing book to distract myself until I can get the energy.”
“So that’s why you have that on our dining room table,” she noted. “You know it’s gotten to the point where the pepper has acne.”
“Heck, it’s much worse than just acne,” I observe.
“Yeah. Did you know that it’s a ghost pepper?”
“Oh? Then it must be really hot.”
“No, not hotter than a regular bell pepper.”
“But, green peppers have a Scoville rating of zero. Ghost peppers are supposed to be hot.”
“Well then not that. It’s a special pepper though.”
“The only thing special about that pepper is it has pepper leprosy. Maybe what makes it special is it’s got Pepprosy.”
