Another Post from the Dalai Lama

It’s very important not to misunderstand what is meant by the idea of overcoming our self-cherishing attitudes. We are not saying that a spiritual practitioner should completely ignore or abandon the goal of self-fulfilment, rather we are advising him or her to overcome that small-minded selfishness that makes us oblivious to the wellbeing of others and to the impact our actions can have on them.

I love iPhone

...But why couldn't my phone die on Thursday, so I can have an excuse to go buy iPhone 4??? Have to go in to the Apple Store so I can get it fixed/replaced. How annoying. But oh well! It could be worse, right? Right?

Two steps forward, three steps back

It seems like yesterday was my "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" day. Just like the children's book, everything that could go bad did. It seems like when I make progress forward, I suffer major setbacks. It is so annoying. Like not getting a job that you wanted, your other half going to work for a firm that totally royally screwed me and other people over, no money, a sucky job market, 'friends' that totally backstab you behind your back, because they don't have the balls to tell me to my face. As Louis says in "Angels In America", "Life sucks shit. Life just sucks shit."

Just a thought....

Don't take your issues on BP Corporate out on the independent dealers/owners that run your local BP gas stations. They are your neighbours, friends, your gas suppliers, who need your business to feed their families. Remember Exxon??? You're hurting people who had nothing to do with the Gulf Oil Spill, other than selling its products.

Quote from the Dalai Lama

Insofar as the destructive effects of anger and hateful thoughts are concerned, one cannot get protection from wealth nor education. The only factor that can give protection from the destructive effects of anger and hatred is the practice of tolerance and patience.

Something from Craigslist

I found this quite funny and oddly curiously interesting.

A mutual friend of ours threw a big party for her 30th birthday, tons of
people were there and it was a lot of fun. Somewhere along the line you and
I ended up on the balcony for some fresh air at the same time. We started
chatting; we talked about sports, books, tv – discovered we both are about
to start our masters degrees and spent some time debating the pro’s and con’
s of the educational system. We talked about hanging out sometime, and you
wanted to meet my girlfriend.

I understand how upsetting it was for you when I blinked mildly in
surprise and said I was here with my husband. I know it was a shock to your
system, if your face had turned any paler I might have called 911. You made a
good recovery though - that hurried mutter of “I’m not like that” was very
polite and you only knocked over two drinks and one vase in your hurry to rush
to anywhere other than near me. I can’t blame you – I forgot how delicate
you straight boys are. So I wanted to give you a few helpful hints about
where you went wrong last night.

1) As a general rule we don’t walk around with big signs around our neck
proclaiming our sexuality. No scarlet letters, no scent of hellfire and
brimstone… sorry about that.

2) We do not generally assume that everyone within 5 feet of us must also
be homosexual – it was nice of you to immediately reassure me that you are
hetero, but it was really unnecessary.

3) Homosexuality is not infectious. While I am sure you meant no
disrespect with your hasty departure; in the future you can rest assured that
taking a few extra seconds in your mad dash for safety will not result in you
being turned gay. It will however keep you from destroying expensive vases
and knocking over senior citizens.

4) This next one may come as a surprise; but you are not, in fact,
irresistible. The fact that you have a dick does not instantly turn me into a
bundle of uncontrolled lust. Contrary to popular opinion, being in the same
room with a straight man does not cause a gay man to instantly lose all
common sense and basic common courtesy. Though I am not so sure about the
reverse.

5) Homosexuals in general get a little irked when people treat us like some sort of leper. Rushing to another mutual friend of ours and advising him of my sexuality, so he could be “forewarned” was really uncalled for.

6) Upon being told (by said mutual friend) to stop being an idiot and that you were not my type anyway… it generally confuses the issue when you then proceed to become upset that I DON’T find you attractive. Three seconds ago you were running through a crowd of people with your hands cupped protectively over your junk as if I might attack you at any moment with a blowjob. See hint number 4.

7) We homosexuals have an odd sense of humor – I can’t help that. Something about watching you freak out as if all the demons of hell were after you just struck me as vastly amusing.

8) While being pissed at me for dissolving into uncontrollable laughter might be understandable… gathering a couple guys together to “teach the fag a lesson” is not.

9) You might also want to drink a little less and be a little more careful about the guys you approach for your little proto-hate-mob.

10) Assuming the two tall muscle-bound bruisers must be uber-hetero and just as appalled by my presence as you was your first mistake. It was an understandable one though. How were you to know that pflag tshirt the first guy
was wearing wasn’t a sports team? Also the rainbow ring the second guy was wearing could have meant anything I am sure.

11) In retrospect I suppose that upon hearing your not very subtle
hate-talk and seeing who you were heading for; I could have said something instead
of just laughing harder. I apologize for that. I should have just introduced you to my husband instead of letting you walk up to him and ask him if he wanted to help you teach “that fag over there” a lesson. I hope that broken nose heals up cleanly.

OP Halloween Bash - Scaremonies '07 Act 1 of 3 AEO Studios edit

This is something we worked on in 2007. Please enjoy!

A Quote From Au Sung Suu Kyi

"Please use your liberty to promote ours."



Happy Birthday Daw Au Sung Suu Kyi! May your birthday in house arrest not be in vain, and that your next birthday will be in freedom.

The Muppets: American Woman

Better Translation: Why I will not be returning to Hong Kong/為什麼我不會回香港今年

I am writing this, since so many have asked if I will be returning. You deserve the truth, and not just people telling you “Drew’s not coming back this year.”
我寫這篇網誌的原因是，因為很多人都問我是否會回來，你們應該知道事實真相，而不是只是單單一句”Drew今年不會回來” 。

The official reason, is my position, and someone else’s got eliminated, being replaced by local Talent Directors as a cost saving measure. The other person was offered to what is equivalent to a demotion, and I was offered nothing in return. These were decisions that were made as a surprise to the Directorial Team, and a bigger surprise to me. The new positions are a combination of what the ADs and the Talent Coordinators did, and apparently, they felt that they should hire locally to do the job. A job that no one understands well enough than the Directorial Team. There were other reasons that were mentioned, but I will keep that private right now.

主要的理由是我的職位被免除了，並由於OP的節省成本理念，所以找來了本地的導演來取代我。其他人都被提供降職了的職位，但我就什麼都沒有。這個決定給了一個驚喜給我們這Team人，但對我來說就是一個更大的驚喜。新的職位就像合併了ADs和Talent Coordinators一樣。但很明顯，他們認為應該請一些本地人來做這個工作。一個無人會比Directorial Team更足夠理解工作內容的一份工作。還有其他原因的，但現在還不能說。

My interpretation is, and knowing by saying this risks my future employment opportunities with the employer in question is: this is a personal attack against my abilities, experience, and my managerial style, and my low opinion towards those who make the decisions that affect my working conditions and those of the actors/performers that report to me. As I have frequently made clear, I will not give anyone face unless they give me the same courtesy. And I do not appreciate the lack of transparency and openness given to me by the same staff members. I have never lied to anyone, and allowed everyone know what I am thinking and feeling at all times, so there is no misunderstanding. Regardless of cultural differences, it is important that everyone knows what everyone is thinking and not hiding behind cultural differences or language issues as an excuse.

我的理解是，影響我將來在op就業的機會及雇主方面的原因是：這是針對我個人能力、經驗及我的管理風格，還有我對那些作出了一些會影響我工作形勢決定的人，還有那些演員給我的報告所作出的低評價。正如我經常理解的，除非你們都專重我，否則別指望我會以禮相待。而我不欣賞缺乏透明度和不公開給我。我從來沒有對任何人撒謊，並讓大家在任何時候知道我的想法和感受，所以不存在任何誤解。無論文化差異，但重要的是每個人都知道大家的想法，而不是以躲在背後的文化差異，語言問題作為藉口。

I will miss working with the actors that make this event great from an entertainment stand point, as they are the reason I come back every year. From my interaction from all of you, I have made some incredible friendships that I value treasure.

我會懷念那些和演員們以款待及娛樂別人及令這個節目變得更好為立場而工作的日子，因為他們是我每年回來的原因。跟你們所有的互動，令我得到了一些令人感到難以置信的友誼，我非常珍惜。

I will not miss the office staff, who act like they are immature school girls in Primary One, where their boss is a Headmaster that cannot control them effectively or effectively lead, and their Assistant Headmistress that doesn’t even know what her job is. I will not miss working with an assistant that frequently goes behind my back, without the courtesy of communicating what is going on. I no longer trust that person. And trust is important to effectively communicating and running an operation like I have done loyally for the past 5 years. I will not miss certain performers who badmouth me behind my back and not telling me what they are feeling, even if I do not agree with their viewpoint.

我不會懷念office的staff，他們的行為就像不成熟的(女)小學生，而他們的老闆是一個不能有效控制學生或有效地領導學生的校長，他們的副校長完全不知道她的工作是什麼。我不會懷念與一名經常在我背後工作的助手工作的日子，完全沒有禮貌的溝通來通知我發生什麼事。我不再相信她。信任是非常重要的，因它能達致有效溝通和運行操作，就像我過去 5年所做的一樣。我一定不會懷念那些在我背後唱衰我和沒有告訴我他們感受的人(即使我不同意他們的觀點)。

Please do not allow this to discourage you from working the event this year. If you decide not to work this year, I hope that it is because you did not enjoy the experience, how the staff treated you, you got another job, or you are too busy. In other words, don’t do it because out of loyalty for me.

請不要由於這件事影響到你的工作。如果您決定今年不回來，我希望這是因為你不喜歡以往的經驗和不喜歡員工對待你的方法，又或者你得到了另一份工作，或者你太忙了。換句話說，不要因為對我的忠誠而這樣做(不回去OP工作) 。

As for me, I am currently pursuing other employment options and opportunities, in light of this disappointing setback. I hope to return to Hong Kong in October for a few weeks to have my ‘Retirement Party’, and say hello to those of you that want to say hello to me. I hope I shall see you then. You will know via Facebook when I will arrive.

至於我，我正攻讀其他就業選擇和機會，在這種令人失望挫折的情況下。我希望在10月回港的幾個星期來搞一個退休party，同跟那些想和我打招呼的人say hello。我希望會看到你。當我回來後，你們在Facebook就會知道我到香港了

If you are returning this year, to work the event, I wish you the best of success. Remember the lessons I taught you. If you are not returning, please remember the lessons I tried to teach you.

如果您今年回去工作，我希望你得到最好的成功。記住我教你的一切。如果你不回來，請記住我曾經試著教你。

Please stay in touch, and I will let you know when I will return to come see all of you. (Note: When I arrive in HK, I will not come to see the event, so, if you want to see me, I will make time to see all of you when I am there.) Take care of yourself.

請保持聯繫，我將讓你知道我什麼時候會返回來看看你們所有的人。 （注：當我來到香港，我不會來op，因此，如果你想看到我，我會抽出時間去看望你們。）照顧自己。

Your friend/您的朋友,
Drew

Firing squad execution sobering, but dramatic

After reading this, it makes me question even more the necessity of capital punishment, when AND if it should apply, and when it shouldn't, and even how.



By JENNIFER DOBNER, Associated Press Writer Jennifer Dobner, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jun 18, 2:52 pm ET

DRAPER, Utah – The explosive reports sent a volley of .30-caliber bullets from the five marksmen into the chest of Ronnie Lee Gardner.

I was expecting to flinch but didn't as I watched his execution from the witness room.

It was so quick that for a split-second I wondered if it had actually happened.

There was no blood splattered across the white cinderblock wall at the Utah State Prison. No audible sounds from the condemned. I couldn't see his eyes. I never saw the guns and didn't hear the countdown to the trigger-pull.

A twice-convicted killer who had a troubled upbringing, the 49-year-old Gardner was executed by firing squad shortly after midnight on Friday. I was one of nine journalists selected to observe his death.

When the prison warden pulled back the beige curtain, Gardner was already strapped into a black, straight-backed metal chair. His head secured by a strap across his forehead. Harness-like straps constrained his chest. His handcuffed arms hung at his sides. A white cloth square — maybe 3 inches across — affixed to his chest over his heart bore a black target.

Seconds before the impact of the bullets, Gardner's left thumb twitched against his forefinger. When his chest was pierced, he clenched his fist. His arm pulled up slowly as if he were lifting something and then released. The motion repeated.

Although the dark blue prison jumpsuit made it difficult to see, blood seemed to be pooling around Gardner's waist.

The silence was deafening.

A medical examiner checked Gardner's pulse on both sides of his neck, then lifted the black hood to check his pupils with a flashlight, offering a brief glimpse of his now ashen face.

It was 12:17 a.m. Only two minutes had passed since the shots were fired, but it felt like things had moved in slow motion.

About an hour later, prison officials let the media inspect the chamber. There was a strong smell of bleach, but no sign of blood.

The only evidence that a man had been shot and killed there were four holes from the bullets that impaled the black wood panels behind the chair. Right to left, the distance between them a few inches.

Prison officials say Gardner willingly made the 90-foot walk to the execution chamber Friday morning. That's hard to imagine, particularly from Gardner, who by his own accounts had spent much of the 30 years he was incarcerated "obsessed" with escape.

The state classifies executions as homicides. But this hadn't been like other homicides I had covered over my 15-plus years in journalism. In those instances, the media showed up after the death, not before.

This, however, was a meticulously orchestrated event with a sober, prepackaged ending.

Despite being surrounded by dozens of prison officials and witnesses, Gardner essentially died alone.

No one from his family watched him go. Nor were his attorneys present.

Similarly, Gardner chose not to utter any final thoughts or feelings.

Maybe it was his way of holding on to a small slice of privacy amid his very public death.