happy halloween

to all...Happy Halloween!



here's a pumpkin for all. =)

p.s. this is not my pic. disclaimer. it's somebody's else's baby and their photo. i just borrowed it cuz it's cute. tom-tom (on flickr.com, i believe, should be credited for the photo).

thai films

check this out, orawin. i stumbled upon this by chance. there's a whole underground of struggling thai film makers with quality festival-worthy films. remember how we talk about the lack of films regarding southeast asian issues; well, looks like here's a few. now i want to try to get a hold of some of these films. i'll be sure to send ya a copy, if i do find any. hopefully, we could all have a movie night and get together some of these really good indie (independent) films.

but if only there were stuff on southeast-asian american, that would be tight. i'll keep myself on the look out. in the meanwhile, here's this: thai films

there has to be a way

u guys. i love this blog. there has to be a way to save this blog. like...FOREVER. i don't know how to do that just yet. not that blogger's going down anytime soon. but just in reading all this, it makes me sad to think what would happen if this space didn't exist for us any longer and where would all these thoughts that we have to share with each other go. =( just a mini-sad thouhgt. but i will scrape my technological knowledge up and figure out a way to archive these wandering thoughts floating amidst the web world.

kanha

what would i do wiithout u... =)

help someone - frustration

okay, maybe someone could help me out with this one. just thought i would toss it out there, perhaps different ppl have different ideas on this matter, which may be of greater help than you could imagine.

so, it's another car accident/insurance issue.

this bastard, and i say bastard for many reasons, which i will elaborate on later. he calls me up claiming his truck has been hit by someone in my family. so i asked the dayam guy to come over so i can assess the damage. the damage is a small dent and a scratch about half and inch long on his bumper. it obviously does not impair the vehicle from being driven; it's a minor look issue.

well, this guy comes here without information on my vehicle or insurance. he asks me for my car's license plate, so i provided to be fair. i gave him my insurance policy number, however, it has already expired just before the accident took place. so i'm figuring we would settle this between two parties.

the goal is to get the dayam thing looking like "new" i guess since we can't determine how it originally looked like before the accident. he takes it to 2 expensive ass body shops totalling to over $1,100 for the dinky ass scratch. well, i was like i don't think so. i then find 2 body shops that says, the bumper doesn't need to be completely replaced for that scratch, it can be refinished, and that would cost about $600. big dayam difference.

plus i will be renting out a car for this asshole for the days his car is in repair.

at this point, he keeps telling me, i'm not after your money, i just want the damaged area looking like it originally did. well fine. here's a place that's offering to do just that. she guarantees you it would look originally like it did and in cases like this, ppl would take ur dayam old bumper, refinish it anyways, and claim that it was a new bumper; because it's such a minor scratch it's fixable. plus it's a fuckin' painted bumper not a chrome bumper.

so what does this guy say: "hmm, i'm not sure about this, let's get a third estimate"; why? perhaps so that it would cost less than the $600 estimate or do u any need to outnumber the experts i've provided, who said that you didn't need to replace the dayam bumper to get it to look like new. now, isn't this growing to be kinda fishy. it does seem like he's after the over $1,100 estimate.

then he asks if i would make the money out to him or what? hell no. if the objective is to fix ur dayam car, and not to reap me of my money, then wouldn't i make the money out to the auto shop.

then he goes on to tell me, we'll settle for a middle range price right?. why? if you can get the same kinda work done at a lower cost, why would u go for a middle range price? the middle range price is used to settle between two extremes that can't offer you the same thing. it doesn't make logical sense to me at all.

it's starting to seem like this guy just wants the money from me and he wants the most that he can get out of me.

honestly, i don't understand why this guy did not gather all the information from whomever hit him in the first place (i prefer to not put any names to incriminate any party on my part, as u know how widespread the web is) at the scene of the accident. in any case, it's just strange that he would settle to work this out between two parties rather than involve insurance in the first place. secondly, it's so small of a scratch that i figure that's why he's settling it between party.

other than that, he has no proof that this car was hit by who he claimed hit him. the car that he claimed hit his, is no longer here, but somewhere in the north bay because the kid moved.

the cost of this entire thing is ridiculous if you guys were to see the scratch; it's utterly frustrating for me right now.

but i still have to settle the scores with this bastard nonetheless. so do u guys have any suggestions? do i really have to take responsibility of this beyond a moral standpoint (this is just so i can make a point to him)? in other words, he has no way of legally binding me to this repair or does he? i have never admitted to the damage or has there ever been anything recorded of me to claim the guilt.

so in order to settle the scores with this asshole, i'm hoping to say, you can either fix it at this $600 place or don't. because it really isn't my responsibility to fix it, i didn't hit you. you can call the police, file whatever motion u want. but that's ur call. and the thing is, if he was to do that? is there any way that he can really trace this back to me or get me into trouble or a legal bind, simply based on all that i've told u guys?

if anyone has a suggestion, please please let me know. i'm desperate and really frustrated right now. i have soo many other important things to get on with, then to deal with this sex-offender-looking-creepy-white-guy all dayam day long.

please.

taking a quick glimpse

hey, our circle's coming around. mz. amita finally swung around. and i guess i'm swinging around, but not fully back yet. but from taking this mere glimpse, maan do i feel behind. i'm glad we have this bloggy thing altogether, otherwise, who knows where i would be with lacking all these whereabouts on everybuddy. plus i think this is more efficient than mass email. i likey lots. =)

in any case, i still have to do much catching up on this blog, that means really reading the ones i've recently lagged on n tossing in my inevitable 2 cents as usual.

i have a midterm along with a paper for my shtinky r&c class, alrite, it's not all that shtinky. i actually like the topic and the books i'm reading, won't fake a "bored student look" for that one. well, yeah i have it for that class next tuesday, the day after hell-o-ween. but i think i'm getting sick. this throat feels like a froggies in it. right now it's all chrysanthemum tea. but gotta say, i do miss amita's chai.

as for now, i'll see what kinda treats will be in for halloween, i don't seem all that ready for it, honestly. but what's everyone else's plan. just casual curiousity to be satieted. prmise i won't be showing up at ur door...unfortunately =(

kanha, sorry didn't get a chance to call u back. but i promise i will do so. n sounds like u've got interesting stories there with ur night outs. i'm glad ur finding ur niche at wisky (wisconsin that is), at least ur making niche if u don't find it ;) that's how to do it, passive aggressive. hahhaa.

alrite, i'm truly missing u all, but i gotta start checking off things on my mental-to-do-list. so many things. so y'all be missing me just for a tee bit longer. call a tea party in the meanwhile =)

lagger

sorry all for not updating and being all that present lately. i've just been dealing with many huge treks as usual, as many of u grls know. i promise i'll be back the minute i can. missing u all as always.

btw, i'll constantly be uploading fotos to share with u all. i have posted a few pictures of all of us from a lil' back in the days in berkeley (not too far back, just a bit before we all disemminated into the real world). in anycase, they're all at my flickrsite: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfemc

so ur all welcome to check it out. if u want to download a copy of it, u must sign up with flickr and have me add u as my contacts. =)

take cares.

Kat News

Today I had a slice of pizza named Berkeley. It had SOY CHEESE on it. It was from Z Pizza. There are many locations in SoCal but there are a few in Sacramento. When I was in Berkeley I never wanted soy products, was quite annoyed by them, but now, because I miss Berkeley so much, soy is my first choice!

Recently I've seen Moulin Rouge, the Lizzie McGuire Movie, Monster's Ball, Lara Croft's Tomb Raider, and in just a couple of minutes I'm about to watch Run Lola Run. I liked Moulin Rouge, it was very flashy, gaudy, but still managed to be elegent. I recently discovered Chambord, which each of you must try as a rite of passage into my secret society. The bottle is very Moulin Rouge. Hilary Duff is always fun. I don't get why Avril Lavigne doesn't like her. Monster's Ball made me sad. It's always the littel details in movies that get to me...

So what is everyone gonna be for Halloween? I want to be Violet from the Incredibles! Although I won't really have to put on much of a costume! HAH! So maybe something else....any ideas?

Kat's Kewl Krafts

Kat's DIY #1
Originally uploaded by bananakatfish.

DIY Earring Display

Kat's DIY #1
Originally uploaded by bananakatfish.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KANHA, RUMIE, KOLAB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You girls are 23!!!!!!!! Congratulations! I hope you all have a very peaceful day.

KANHA:::: I hope you did not have a hangover. You sounded a little woozy last nite. Talking lot of non-sense. @_@

RUMIE & KOLAB:::: To hang out this Sunday!!! Have fun girls!

verbosity = me

i feel particularly verbose. my blogs are always over-extended. sorry all, but it's a habit to which u will most likely be subjected, until i learn to help it. (or until i learn of the art of concision n brevity, that is).

yes, scary america, fo shure

as we continue to witness the decline of our american empire right under our nose and before our very eyes, just thought i remind everyone to re-register to vote again, since most of us have moved. =)

to make life easier: http://www.rockthevote.com

and click on REGISTER TO VOTE. it's quick. gotta get it mailed/postmarked by the 18th of this month. so quick do it soon, if u haven't done so yet.

btw, since i probably have more time on my hands than anyone on the whole, i'll try to slop together a summary of the PROPOSITIONS for us all. (i'll remain as unbiased as possible during my filter). elections are hitting up in NOVEMBER 2nd.

just a mini-reminder =)

getting back on

sorry guys for falling off the radar. i've actually been trying to keep up with my schedule, but in all honesty, it hasn't quite happened that way. i've been bumming on my ass reading and reading everyday. i dunno, just been caught in a mundane state lately. then after awhile, got myself to digging up everything everywhere and reorganizing like maaaad crazy. so that's been my main preoccupation.

kanha, i'm glad ur out there beyond ur cement walls. because, thinking of the whole compartamentalizing emo. path reminded me too much of some of my time back at berkeley. n i don't want to see u emotionally boxed up in the way that i was, i remember that state of being of mine all too well, n it does get unhealthy after awhile. however, knowing the core kanha, i entrust that it will remain only a temporary survival mechanism as mandated for the time being. =). so gimme a call whenever u want to open up the box =). i'm glad u called, it was nice hearing ur voice again. it somewhat confirmed that u weren't a figment of my imagination afterall.

mis kat., it was not a conspiracy on my part. i apologize that i had to do what i had to do. but it must be done. i've been embellished with too many gifts and it was all too kind. so i am not refusing but only contributing to the pattern of things. =). just being a rolling stone flowing along on the usual path. btw, i'm sorry i couldn't get back to u about the thai flick, FAN CHUN, tony robbed me of my phone for the day (containing all my numeros). but we will definitely pick up, i will find a subtitled version of it n we'll return to our movie nights.

so far my addiction has been books and dl-ed episodes of grey's anatomy, prison break, and scrubs. along with a few flicks here and there. once i get to it, i'll be sending snail mails. because i miss putting stamps on envelopes. this electronic world has put me into a manual world nostalgia. but until i manage to organize my space of living (can't quite call it room, for it is not that of my own), i'll be back on the regular radar again.

hey orawin, i wonder if we could do a webcasted karaoke. that would be fun. u must come down and impress. btw, i saw a flick that my mom was watching (well, a thai soap to be specific) that had this chic who reminded me of you. her name may be angie or something like that, i'll try to catch her name for u. but when i saw her, i kept thinking that she looked like someone i knew. n finally today, i realized that it was u. hahahaha.

okies shmokies. oh kanha, talking about morita (the sony ceo), reminded me of the fact that i was to read his biography someday (that was given to me by sony years ago); for some reason, i always envisioned him as a greedy man, but now that i've seen his quotes from you, i'm really considering the book. glad u mentioned it. =)

take cares all.

Memo for Dina

You are in big trouble. Your brother is too for his cooperation. I really don't apprectiate the fact that you guys hd the nerves to leave money in my suitcase. How unsanitary! And also because you didn't accept my gift. Don't do that again because it is just plain asking for bad luck. Are there emoticons on this thing or what?