i am straight poo pooed. my dad's friend's daughter has been living in tokyo for the last 8 years, and is now doing a PhD, rented a car and took us around all day. tomorrow'll be another full day. who would've thought that hanging out with my grandma, her sister, and my mom would be such fun. my grandmother and her sister are a constant source of hilarity--it's like watching lucy and ethel in action. took some great photos today, too. will post as soon as i get back to L.A..

so, i'm here with my mom, grandma, and her younger sister who i'm meeting for the first time. it's her first time outside of rural korea, first time on a plane, so we went on an obligatory city bus tour. man oh man i hate those things. absolutely, detest them! the highlight thus far has been observing my grandma and her younger sister acting like any pair of siblings, bickering and poking fun at each other, even at their age. the weather is swamp assalicious. this next week is definitely going to test my patience. oh, and as far as the comparison "korean girls vs. japanese girls" goes...hands down japanesey. but of course, dutch girls put everyone to shame.

just arrived in tokyo.

prostate manslation

hot sex on a platter!

so good to be in hong kong, painting the town china red with daryll. he's got a new residency at this spot in wan chai called venue. the vibe was off the meters. koora took me to go get a new cell in mong kok and then she brought her friends to daryll's club later that nite. people kept on touching my hair. one dude even asked if he could borrow my wig until i lifted my hair up to show that, yes, everything was attached in it's natural place. btw, i got a perm in l.a. and am now rocking a 'fro--and a serious 'fro at that. anyway, i'm super hung over. i drunk dialed judith when i got back to the hotel. it was fun. it's sunny and nice outside, but i think i'm just gonna stay in and rest up for tonite.

my girlfriend is super angry at me b/c i was grumpy/moody on the phone when she called me and woke me up. but i'm always like that. it doesn't matter who's calling--if i'm not fully rested, and or sedated, caller beware! but i know i hurt her feelings. at first glance, it seems like such a stupid thing to get angry about. actually, i think it's a stupid thing to get angry about, regardless of how many glances you take. but the important thing is that she was upset, and i know it's because of me. and i won't stand for that. that doesn't mean that next time i've been out to  5:30 in the AM and she calls me at 9 that i'll be pleasant and enthusiastic--i am but a man,  flawed creation of God, vulnerable to early morning irritability. it just means that i'll feel really bad about it. i think part of the reason she's angry with me is that she thinks that i don't appreciate and recognize all the things that she does for me. she couldn't be more wrong. this is, by far, the best (in all permutations of the word) relationship i've been in. and it's just that great because of her. she's absolutely amazing. she makes me think twice before dismissing the idealized notion of anything idealized. hopefully it's not a one-way thang. although, all things considered, it's doubtful that i bring anything to the table that's obviously good (minus myself, of course). we compliment each other, though, i guess: she's right, i'm wrong. she's female, i'm male, etc., etc.. summed together, the makings of a fairytale romance, wouldn't you say?

my sister cracks me up. so, she's in the boondocks of japan right now living with a host family and going to language classes. we got a phone call from her tonite and apparently all the AFS students in japan are going to nagasaki for a group trip and participating in a some kind of talent show. she's all stressed b/c she thinks she doesn't have any talents--she doesn't have access to a harp or ballet clothes, she says. the one thing she can do for the talent show is determine if a Louis Vuitton bag is real or fake. carrot top better check hiself!

i've had the good fortune to experience life in various places in the world and in that time and in those places, i've found life-long friendships--it's oddly fulfilling, finding yourself being "the new kid", over and over again. and it's nice to know that wherever i might find myself on the streets, i've got more than my fair share of couches to crash on. then, there're those who've been with me for over 12 years. these are the people that see the widescreen version of your life movie, including hilarious outakes, steamy director's cut, and from various angles and zoom settings (now made possible by the valient and long underappreciated efforts of those enterprising filmmakers in Van Nuys). it's fitting that whenever i find myself returning home, from wherever i've been, i'm also returning to them.