I was driving to pick up some Mediterranean food today thinking of all my favorite places that have recently closed it doors. There have been so many! Last week I discovered that my favorite Chinese place went down as well. What's a guy to do? They had the best "kung fu chow" in town.

So, I have a soft spot for the mom-and-pop-hole-in-the-wall sort of place. I think that this stems from when I was growing up in Malaysia. Conventional thought ingrained in me had it that if a place was too "pretty" the food couldn't be all that good. Besides, the street food in Malaysia totally rocks... despite the aesthetic! (see pic)

See, it was all a matter of focus. This somewhat skewered logic dictated that the "focus" and energy was spent on the aesthetics... which meant that there was little left for the food. As a result, I have always gone out of my way to seek out the little local hovels with good food... and have been quite successful. (Just ask my friends of the strange little out of the way places I have taken them to.) But now all these places are closing.

This little observation is strangely related to my ongoing period of rediscovery. I'm convinced at the moment that I have forgotten how to write a play. The fact that I have 49 plays to my name does not bring me solace. Between work and producing, my focus has shifted. I guess the solution to my conundrum lies in either shutting down or re-focusing.

At least that's what the folks at http://www.werenotafraid.com/ posted today on their site.

Updates later...

UPDATE: 2:45 PM
You're playing soccer and suddenly a tornado forms in the middle of the field.

And for you cat lovers ... the Infinite Cat Project.

... that a certain friend of ours went out and got married a couple of weeks ago. He and his new bride visited yeaterday and announced this news armed with a bottle of bubbly. I'm happy for him and them. I think that it's good all round.

Someone once asked me how I came up with ideas for plays. Well, the secret is that I play the "what if" game all the time. This, along with the "and then" game that drove my parents to the edge of sanity is the sum total of my technique. Begin with the "what if" game just to explore ideas... then follow up with the "and then" game to construct an outline.

For instance... here was the rough start to one of my plays...
WHAT IF... when you are dead you wear no pants?
WHAT IF... when you die you meet other dead people who lived where you use to?
WHAT IF... dying was just the begining of "the process"?

1. A dead man wakes up to find God's accountant summing up his life...
2. AND THEN he is given one hour to find out how he died or he can't "go into the light"...
3. AND THEN dead people from different eras appear...
4. AND THEN he discovers that his living wife is having an affair...
5. AND THEN...

and so on and so forth...
So, now you know. Here is an excerpt from that play....

JIM: So a 1258A-86 is finding out how I died in one hour… that’s it?

JOEY: That’s it? Will you get a load of this guy? First the dead joke, now… that’s it!

JIM: That’s all it is, right?

ROLAND: If you couldn’t provide that information to Gabe when he was originally here… I would venture to guess that you have a lot of work ahead of you, Jim.

JOEY: He’s right on the nose with that one.

JIM: Not a problem. I know how I died. I figured it out after Gabe left.

JOEY: Yeah? So we got nothing to worry about.

ROLAND: And how did you meet your demise, Jim?

JIM: I figure it was a mob hit.

JOEY: A mob hit?

ROLAND: How exciting!

JIM: Exciting?

ROLAND: Oh, yes! A mob hit is exquisitely exciting!

JIM: O.K… How did you die?

ROLAND: Oh it wasn’t half as exciting as what happened to you. For me it was the crash of 29. I was a stockbroker on Wall Street.

JIM: The crash... tough. You were one of those who went out a window? That’s sort of exciting.

ROLAND: Actually, I had no intention of ending my life. I was on my way home and someone fell on me. Very inconvenient. Very messy. Not very exciting.

JIM: I’m sorry.

ROLAND: Not as sorry as I was.

JIM: Wait... You died in New York… and you woke up here?

ROLAND: Yes, that was a pleasant surprise. I had many happy memories growing up here… at least in my early youth. At least until… I suppose it was the natural thing to do.

JIM: And what about you, Joey?

JOEY: I won this place in a poker game from a guy whose wife ran out on him.

JIM: No, no. I mean… how did you die?

JOEY: First tell me about this mob hit of yours.

JIM: It’s pretty simple. I had an affair on my wife. Her parents probably found out… and Kapow!

ROLAND: Kapow! See that’s real excitement! Almost operatic!

JIM: I guess if you put it that way… it really was kinda exciting.

excerpt from "The Dead Guy Show" copyright 1999 Marcel Nunis

Applications for Rogue 2006 are now available for download on the Rogue site. So, if you are a performer, artist, dancer, musician, etc... go to the site and check it out for performance opportunities.

Some of you may or may not know that the Rogue is based on the Fringe Festivals that has become popular worldwide. This growing phenomenon has exploded as audiences tired of the "tried & true" seek out the "bold and new."

Please feel free to PASS THE WORD ALONG!

Considering that they tried in London again today... thought I'd mention that our pic made it to Gallery 203. My solo pic made it to Gallery 106.


Here is one SSM can send to the site.

More updates later...

My webcam will be on for a while today... if you want to say "hi" my yahoo id is hebat2a.

UPDATE: 12:18 PM
Came across this VLOG that I quite enjoyed. I thought her Visual storytelling was actually pretty fun. I have to admit another guilty pleasure as I've been following the exploits of Bad News Blond. She along with a bunch of other bloggers celebrate "Half Nekkid Thursday" every week. Hmmm...

UPDATE: 1:31 PM
Pretty entertaining Harry Potter Spoilers here.

UPDATE: 5:15 PM
Just got done watching Summertime (aka Summer Madness across the pond.) Ah, Venice. Ah David Lean (who also directed one of lelly's faves "Brief Encounter"). Actually, it dawned on me as I was watching, that he made quite a few movies that featured trains in them. Apart from the 2 mentioned earlier there were also trains featured in Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, The Bridge on the River Kwai and A Passage to India.

The plot is pretty slim but it more than makes up with the stunning visuals and character study. I was struck by how Kathrine Hepburn's character took in the sights, sounds and feel of the place. There is this great scene early in the movie - the one on the terrace - it really is brilliant how so much is said without a word being spoken.

I guess it struck me because it's something that I do myself when I travel. I will also go out of my way to find the local flavor of a place. Find that bistro or cafe and sit for hours soaking it all in. The sights, sounds, people, and feel... all wraped up with the excitement of the new with the act of claiming some of what is for myself.

I attended a seminar yesterday that introduced the new Adobe CS2 package. Hot Damn! Don't get me wrong... I do OK with what I have but the new "wow" features have me salivating to get the suite. I can't even remotely consider or afford it at the moment so I'll just continue creating with what I have.

The free seminar was held at a local hotel with free grub and drink. To break up any monotony there were free give-aways ... none of which I won. But it was nice to get the free airconditioning and nosh anyway.

UPDATE: NOON
Did some online shopping and spent company money today. The lighting system we own just got bumped from 12 to 20 channel capability. Another $600 - $1000 will complete the package.

I may have to drive in the heat of the day to get to a grant seminar... oy vey!

UPDATE: 12:30 PM
Great... now the world press has picked up on this story. AP has one too and someone has started a site to help the girl. Here is a video of the story. Personally, I think everybody is suffering from heat stroke.

They predict 111 degrees today.

The weather is holding me hostage. It's a good thing that I'm off work right now. Then again, it looks like I'll be off work for a while unless some great deal comes my way soon. It is more than likely that I will be the one who will have to create this great deal.

Have begun updating the Rogue Festival site. All of this stuff needs to be settled soon. Considering that we are coming into year number 5...

Perhaps I'll post later after I recover from the curry I just ate.

I found this site fasinating.

oh joy 

I think this is such a cool idea. Strangely of late, I have been thinking about how most people live their lives defensively. But, I'll save that for a later discussion.

Perhaps our little blog pod could send in pics individually or collectively... something like this...

DO I HAVE PERMISSION TO SEND THIS?

Those in the pic... chime in and let me know!

I sent this one today

Alexandria
I should be able to sell a few of these before the fog rolls in. I'll go now. (About to cross the street, looks back at Ray.) Thank you anyway. (She crosses the street and takes up her position again under the street lamp.) Matches for sale! (Coughs) Buy a bundle and warm my heart! They come with a magic wish built in every one... put there by a famous Arabian magician...

Ray
Hey!

Alexandria
What?

Ray
Is that true? Does every match really have a magic wish in it?

Alexandria
That's what my grandmother told me. (Ray runs across the street to her.) Now what do you want?

Ray
(Taking out his coin.) Is this enough to buy one bundle?

Alexandria
Yes... but what do you need matches for?

Ray
The magic wishes! I could use some magic wishes.

Alexandria
But....

Ray
And there are fifty in a bundle?

Alexandria
That's right...fifty...

Ray
(Holding out his money.) That's fifty wishes!

Alexandria
Are you sure?

Ray
Fifty wishes. That's a lot of wishes!

Alexandria
Here you go. (Gives him a bundle.) And that will bring you extra luck because you are my first customer tonight!

Ray
It is true, isn't it?

Alexandria
Is what true?

Ray
There really are wishes in these matches?

Alexandria
My grandmother says that wishes are dreams. We all got dreams. She says, if we don't have dreams then hope is just a silly word. (Ray looks at his bundle.) Look, you can have your money back....

Ray
No, I want them... even if there are no wishes in them. I can give them to my father. He can use them.

Alexandria
Was that him across the street with you... your father?

Ray
Yes. Do you have a father?

Alexandria
No.

Ray
Oh.

Alexandria
I have a grandmother though!

Ray
Really? I don't.

Alexandria
We're even then.

Ray
I guess we are. You don't have a father and I don't have a grandmother.

Alexandria
No, that's not right.

Ray
You mean you really have a father?

Alexandria
No... but you got to see things different. What’s your name?

Ray
Raymond... but you can call me Ray.

Alexandria
Well Ray, its like this… I got a grandmother and you have a father. It’s what you got that counts... not what you don't have. If you count what you don't have... then you always got nothing.

"Excerpt from BUNDLE OF WISHES copyright 1989 Marcel Nunis"

Projections indicate that temperatures will hit a whopping 107 degrees Fahrenheit this Wednesday in the big "NO". So, I can be certain that the bitching quotient will rise with the temps. Actually, for the most part, this Summer has been pleasant. Usually by this time we would have had at least 3 weeks of triple digit temps.

So, here is a list of activities one can indulge in while the heat is raging.

1. Hopping movies (at least 3) at an air conditioned movieplex. (Slightly illegal but half the fun is getting away with it.)
2. If you don't feel like driving... watching movies in one's darkened and air-conditioned room with lots of cold drinks and cold fruit within easy reach. ( Bonus being that you could always hit "pause" for a short nap... plus you can eat and drink whatever you desire.)
3. If you want to save money on power bills... enticing a friend with the same plan, then going over to "share the experience". ( Depending on the friend... a short nap could have all sorts of possibilities.)
4. Hanging out in a cool dark bar, getting blotto, hitting on the fine waitress... suggesting "watching movies in one's darkened and air-conditioned room with lots of cold drinks and cold fruit within easy reach"... at her place on her day off, tomorrow. (Could save you money... could get you "some"... could get you a swift hard kick to the nuts... could get you "86 ed")
5. If the ploy works... score!
6. If the ploy with the waitress and friend didn't work... ice cubes down the pants... while watching... yada, yada,
7. Inventing the "ice cube pants" that one could wear in public from which you will make millions!
8. Formulating the funny "blue balls" advertizing campaign to sell the "ice cube pants" that will up your potential fortune to billions.
9. Contemplating actually getting out of bed to go to the computer to begin work on this brilliant idea and plan of execution that will set you up for the rest of your life.
10. Deciding it's too much work on an afternoon this hot... hitting the "pause" button, reaching out for some cold fruit and settling in for a nap in your darkened, air-conditioned room.

What's your list for a hot afternoon?

Hope you guys across the pond are OK. Want to chime in and let us know?

The grilled was fired at 3 PM. The insanity was that it was already 95 degrees outside ... and climbing. The food included, grilled salmon, various salads, sausage, bread, grilled veges, chow fun, roast chicken... and lots more. Fireworks, fun, fire-dancing, 2 Karens, drinking, fellowship, the devil's brew, pyros. People came went and returned. I got to bed at 4 AM. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.


Char Kuey Teow... or as known in these parts Chow Fun.


"Damn that Devil's Brew! Now my toes are on fire!


Seric's beer commercial "This shits good, eh..."


The 2 Karens


Gang at truck watching Seric blow his own bottle


the pooch got into the devil's brew


SSM performing a fire-dance


jade joins the fire-dancing


the group

Now that she knew they were hers for the taking she emerged once again to share her delights. This time there were 3 to conquer. Without hesitation she cast her spell gently seducing each one in turn.


the fairy unleashed

She swirled in their cups as they imbibed and tasted her heady essence. Once they had taken her in, she began her dance with a slow twirl. With each turn she began tightening her grip on their very souls. She felt the time of perfection approach and she began to spin faster. With each spin she radiated a glow that coursed through their beings. Overwhelmed, one of them shuddered with the delight of her. Another lost his thought to her unrelenting radiance. Yet another mused at what other delights she had in store.


the green fairy leaves

Enraptured, the three were incapable of drawing their focus away from her slender beauty. She had imprinted herself in them. Her memory would live and grow, nurtured to be come legend. Then, without a whisper, she left. Perhaps in the dawn of a near future she would return. The three were now alone to fend for themselves.