Minnesota Accents

I just love listening to the way these people talk. It's like something foreign to me. The other day, Keith was shooting this chick name Bekuh, and she sounded like she came from the movie Fargo. I couldn't help but messing with her. Hahah the way she talks, it's just so freaking crazy. That's a true Minnesotan right there. Then I met these Hmong Girls and they had the same crazy accent. It's just something about the way they extend a certain word or syllable. I can't quite describe it, but it's different. Being that I'm a Californian, I don't know how I sound, but it's just different. I remember a few years ago, I met this girl name Erin at The Old Ironside in Downtown, and immediately, I was drawn to the way she talks. She told me she came from Fargo, and the first thing that came out of my mouth was, Yah !!! Hahaha

I fucking love that movie. That movie provides me with a lot of punchlines about the people who live in this area. I'm afraid that when I come back to California, I might pick up this crazy accent.

11:03 AM - 5 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

White Castle Burgers : The Verdict

It sucks. It tasted like baby food. The meat, what is with the mystery meat ? Is it beef ? It's like a breakfast burger in my opinion. Fuck you Beastie Boys and Harold & Kumar for making me wanting to try White Castles. I've been talking about it ever since I got to Minneapolis. Yesterday I had it for the first time, and I was disappointed. I don't get the hype. I will stick to my cupcake cravings instead of White Castles.

6:20 PM - 6 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Road Trip to the Midwest : Day 1

We took off Wednesday night at midnight. We drove through the night. We landed somewhere in Nevada where we found a McDonalds and a Casino. How crazy is that ?

I guess if you lose in the casino, you at least still afford breakfast.



After all, it's all about the love for gambling that make it worthwhile.



When it comes to road trip, it's all about fast food. We don't want to waste time sightseeing. We want to get to our destination as fast as we can, at the same time, we want to get there safely.














After we ate our breakfast, it is time to get back on the road.



I didn't really sleep that much. But I guess, I crashed. It was quite uncomfortable in the back seat.




The road ahead was nothing but a straight line.




That's enough for Day 1.

5:28 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

A MODEL is as good as the photographer who shoots them

I don't like to work with models who are too conceited. If she gets too bigheaded, I will bring her down to earth. It's not how you do things around here. Don't think that you are above everybody when you only did one or two shoots. Be humble. It's a good character trait. I am not the only photographer who dislike divas. I'm sure there are plenty that can't stand models with diva attitude. You are nothing yet. Just because you sit behind a booth at some car shows doesn't make you a good model. Those schmucks who hired you for those events are just doing it to fill up space.

I am tired of dealing with these "models". That's why when I go to car shows, I'm there to just enjoy the craziness. I don't go there to pick up models. Most of the time, I wouldn't even tell you that I was a photographer. I know the Import Car show is not my scenes, and I'm not going to push it.

But then there are good models out there. Models who are considerate. These models later on become my friends. I would bend over backward to help my friends with their portfolio. I know somewhere down the line they will be able to help me.

NOT ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE CREEPS AND PERVERTS. Just because some guy acted like a perve around you does not mean that we're all perverts. Sure, in my personal life, I might like perverted freaky sex games, but that's not how I am as a photographer. I have respect for the arts. I've been a student of this craft for years, and I'm not about to risk it on some model. I've worked hard and made a name for myself as a photographer for years. I'm not going to do anything dumb to risk my name.

I'm sure Import Models get all kind of crazy guys after them at these car shows. It happens. I see these things all the time. Some schmuck with a big lens will come up to them and tell them they are this and that person. The size of the lens doesn't mean shit. If you fall for it, it is on you.

4:10 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Jehovah’s Witness vs. Tom Part 234323

I don't know how many times I've blogged about Jehovah's Witness, but here we go again. I ran out the door to answer the doorbells in my boxers and found two older ladies at my front door. They were all dressed up in their Sunday's clothing. They made me think it was Sunday or something. While talking to them, I totally forgot that I was in my boxers. I think my lil Tommy might have snuck out through the little hole in the short. I know I'm going to hell for this.

Of course I didn't say anything rude because I wasn't raised to be rude to older ladies. I listened to what they asked me and simply reply with "I'm not interested, and I'm Buddhist". They simply replied back with a sorry and then left. As I walked back into my room, I realized that I was in my damn boxers. It's kinda embarrassing. Buddha is going to be so disappointed in me for that.

3:04 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

I’m a fan of sushi, and not anyone can make good sushi

Yesterday, I was in Yuba City with Keith to get our hair done. Afterward, we went to Kenzo Sushi in Yuba City for lunch. From the outside, it looks like any other sushi restaurant. Once we stepped inside, they greeted us with welcomes (similar to Mikuni).

We sat down and looked at the menu. Seems to be a full menu. Keith ordered the Spider Roll since he doesn't like raw fish. I got the Big Men roll because they had a variety of fishes that I like. Kia got tempura.

We also ordered Miso soup. The food came out right on time. I took a sip at the Miso and found it just lack something. It was just plain. There's no green onions. I like a little greens in my soup. I don't like to drink something that is dull without colors. It takes away from the taste. The soup also wasn't any good. It was a bit on the salty side in my opinion. I consider myself a sushi regular. I know what Miso Soup tasted like, and this soup was a bit salty. The fact that they had one little tiny piece of tofu just puts me off. Oh come on ! You can't give me at least 2 pieces of tofu ? Tofu is cheap people !

Then I tried my roll. The Big Men roll. This has got to be the biggest roll I've ever had in my whole 20 years of sushi eating life. I've never seen anything like it. It just tasted ordinary. Nothing too exciting. It was so big that it takes me more than one bite to get into my mouth. Then I look over at Keith and found a mess on his plate because he's struggling with it as well. Whatever happened to bite size pieces ? His place looked like Hurricane Ike just went through and knock his food out.

With a roll that size, I would expect it to at least taste good. It just doesn't do it for me. It's so ordinary. Instead of concentrating on the taste, they concentrated on the size. I rather have a smaller roll that tastes amazing than a big bite of something bland and ordinary. I don't want to waste my appetite on that at all. It's a joke.

I took a bite on Keith's order. It was a spider roll. I know there are different interpretations of rolls. I know every restaurant has their own specialty. Again, this roll was ordinary. It was just like any other rolls I had at Safeway. It's just not exciting. I was disappointed.

I tried Kia's Tempura dish. I took a piece of vegetable and dipped it into the tempura sauce, and it tasted like Miso soup. It was not the taste that I was accustomed to.

We totally struck out with this restaurant. It left me wanting more. I was not satisfied.

I went to use the restroom afterward. I must say, for their credits, they do have a very clean restroom. Most restaurants forgot the little details like having a clean bathroom.

Would I choose a place with a nasty restroom that serve amazing food or a so-so restaurant with a clean bathroom ?

I can hold. I rather have something good going into my stomach than sitting on that disgusting toilet.

I do not recommend this place. Take an 45 minutes out of your way and go Downtown Sacramento to Zen Sushi. It's worth the drive. Try the volcano roll or the Lou Roll. Any of these rolls will be a million times better than the crappy unimaginative rolls they serve at Kenzo.

I'm going to post this on Yelp so people can avoid it.

4:00 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

I felt disconnected from the world...

Not having a computer sucks. Hahah

I've been a computer guy for a long time. Geez, I don't want to even talk about how long I've been using computers. I don't want to feel too old.

Myspace, Facebook, iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, Palm, all these things allow u to be connected with people. I felt like a loser for not being able to reach people. I felt disconnected from the world I live in. It's a shame that I have rely on a bucket of screws and silicons.

I'm going to Yuba City. I think they have like one computer for the whole city. Hahah

I'll hop on my iPod Touch to get Google Maps to my next destination.

You see the world we live in ? I got this new shiny iPod Touch and I still haven't even listen to music on it. I just use it for other things besides music. Damn you Apple ! Damn you Steve Jobs ! Why do you make my life so convenience ? Why do you make me feel like a loser when I can't be without it ? Why ?

3:48 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Why do dogs lick themselves ?

Women are like cars. At some point, you going to trade them in for a younger model.

I'd love to be seen driving a Porsche. Just like I love to be seen with a supermodel.

I get asked this a lot.

" Why do you always prefer taller models ? "

The answer is : Why do dogs lick themselves ? Dogs lick themselves because they can.

I'm not discriminating. I don't just pick the prettiest girl to shoot. Sure, I can make the pretty girl looks pretty in pictures. That's easy. I can do that in my sleep. It's not rocket science.

I like to work with people who have a certain edge. I like exotic looking women. Someone who have that certain things that attract me to them. What is it exactly ? I have no clue what it is about them that make me approach them. Maybe it's the way they tilt their head. Or maybe it's the way she picks her nose and flicks her booger. I have no clue what it is.

Sometimes I get people telling me why I shoot a certain person. The answer to that is again " why do dogs lick themselves " ? Because they can.

Just because someone is not model material does not mean that they can't be my friend. I can shoot my friends too. After all, I'm a photographer. I like to be spontaneous. I carry my camera almost everywhere I go. So why does it matter if I snap a few shots of my friend ? OK, not a few shots, a few hundred shots. Is it wrong to shoot pictures of your friend ?

I don't have a problem with thick girls either. Sure, after shooting all these skinny toothpicks, a thick girl actually is quite pleasing to me.

Then why don't I have thick girls in my portfolio ? Again, the answer to that is, " why do dogs lick themselves ?

Do you see the pattern here ?

Let's put it this way. I don't want to waste my time with "models" who have nothing to benefit me. How do I know if they can or can't benefit me ? I don't know. I have to find out for myself. If someone who have nothing to offer me, I don't want to waste my time. I got other things to do with my time.

Aren't you a little cocky ? Of course I am cocky. I pick who I want in front of my camera. I have to look at you when I shoot you.

I don't like people who email me asking me why I work with a certain people. I'm a photographer. If I find someone interesting, I work with them. I don't care about their affiliations. It's stupid.

Someone confronted me the other day about this very subject. If I like you, I will shoot you. If I don't, then I won't. It's simple.

3:17 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

obviously I only blog when something is on my mind...

yesterday, I woke up from a strange dream. I was spooked by it. I broke out in a cold sweat. I was so scared that I closed my window and bundled up in my blanket.

I don't know what the dream means or what it trying to say, but it was my aunt who died a few years ago. It seems like she was trying to tell me something. When I woke up, I felt stuffy and weak. It scared me enough to not wanting to go back to sleep.

I don't believe in superstition or anything paranormal, but I was scared. The weird thing is I have never met her. My dad said that she's the split image of my mother.

I can't explain it I just hope that she is doing wherever she is.

5:35 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Photo Editing Secrets

I get a lot of emails from people asking how I edit my photos and what tools I use to get a certain look.

As much as I love to share with you what I did, I rather not. But I will tell you a couple of things if you are curious.

Here are my tools.

I use a Mac.
I use Photoshop.
I use a Canon 5D.
I use a ring light.

I also tweaked with my camera settings so it would look a certain way.

There's nothing interesting about what I do. Everything I do, I try to achieve it within the camera. I don't use Photoshop to do any major manipulations.

There you go. That's my secret. I won't tell you what I do in Photoshop to get my final results.

12:14 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment