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2008-08-01T01:24:00.000-07:00

Sending my 1st post from my iPhone!

So Much Stuff!

2008-04-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well, its official! Junko Watanabe and Paolo Ziemba are a married couple! The Ceremony is not until September 20th 2008, but we took care of the legal part, March 7th to be exact, so that we could get the paperwork rolling for my wife's green card etc...and then next year we'll have another wedding in Japan... sweeeeeet! Its been awhile since i posted anything so be prepared for a few more things, parties and outings, to come your way from this truly happy man! - peace!

Thanksgiving Day!!!

2007-11-24T00:03:00.000-08:00

So it is official! On November 22nd 2007 I proposed to my beautiful sweet and she said yes... We were in Palm Springs relaxing at the Sea Mountain Resort and Spa for the day when I took Junko to dinner, had them serve us Champagne in the middle of the meal, got down on my knee and asked for her hand in marriage...and she said yes!!!! It was very romantic and so special, like a dream, where the two of us were the most happy couple in the world...I love this woman and I have devoted my life to making her as happy as can be...we will have a great life together and a great family too!!! I can't wait to take my beautiful to Chicago for the holidays to celebrate with my family and then in February too meet with her family in Singapore and to celebrate there...more later.

At The Party!

2007-10-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend a certain movie I was working on had a little get together and a few guests showed up...we had a good ole time drinkin' and eatin' by the pool! Here's a few pics of us...more to come - Peace!

Weekend Festivals

2007-07-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

On the 22nd of July Junko and her crew, Balady 1, performed live at the Montebello Obon Festival. They did a great job...I don't have any pictures of them performing for I was the video guy for the day so I will hopefully get to edit that together and will post it up soon. I was all dressed up for the festival...and I couldn't find any pictures of me..whoops...

Obon Festival is a holiday in Japan where they honor the departed. There was live music, singing, dancing, and food! Junko and Balady 1 did perform again this past Thursday and will rest a bit till they get their strength back. Great job girls!!!

Local Indian Foodz

2007-07-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

Junko and I in the past 2 weeks hit up a couple of local Indian restaurants, one in LA and one in Santa Monica. The results are in and we both agree that Little India in Artesia is the real deal and worth the drive. The food is better there and you can't beat the prices. We hit Dhaba Restaurant in Santa Monica and Bombay Cafe in Los Angeles and it seemed that they were both an American twist on Indian food. Not to say that they were bad, but we just wanted the real deal closer to home. Dhaba at least had the atmosphere, but I believe that Bombay Cafe had the better cuisine(Star watch: We sat a few tables down from tv star Christa Miller of sitcom Scrubs!!!...wow!?) - Peace

Jim and Raphaelle in Toronto!

2007-07-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

If you happen to be in Toronto make sure to go see this event were my brother in-law Jim is performining and my sister works as Assistant to the Choreographer in "Four MAD Humours" on July 17th and 18th @ 7pm at the Dancemakers Centre for Creation...here is the flyer:

Sicko

2007-07-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is...Go! Go! Go!

And So It Happened...

2007-07-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Hiking the Mountains...

2007-07-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

So about a month ago Junko and I decided to escape from the city, which is rather easy, and head up to Topanga Canyon for a relaxing hike. We took the hiked the full trail and ended up on top of Eagle Rock...a bit exhausting, but fun for sure...

We took my Quickpod, which is an handheld arm extension that connects to the camera allowing you to hold the camera far enough from you that it looks like someone else took the picture...

If you click on the picture above you will be brought to a slide show of a few of the pics we took while we were there...rock on!

Its Been a Month!

2007-06-02T16:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry Y'all for not keepin it real with my blog these days...lots to catch up on...there was Junko's Birthday and Party, crazy long work days, Detox, and more! I'll start this week of catch up by bloggin about my sister's and soon to be husbands new piece plotted on YouTube:

We Don't Dig Holes to Bury Ourselves

For the rest of next week I will update as the days go by and guess what!..headin to Chicago for my sisters Wedding June 15th!...it will be great to see everyone together for its been too long!...peace! - ps - maske sure to watch all of Instruments of Movements on YouTube by doin a search for the company name..and enjoy!

Real D: The Future of Cinema

2007-05-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

An article on the future of 3D in film can be found on ING.com. They explain Disney's Real D technology rather well and there are a few examples to browse through. Below is a video where this technology was used in the making of Meet the Robinsons. They show how they created a second camera to make the 3D possible, but what they forget to mention is that they only did a handful of shots like this...us kids from Digital Domain did over 1600 shots where we had to manually create the second camera etc, etc, etc, which truly made the 3D of this movie look so good. I'm not complaining, just saying, but make sure to check out the article...peace

Syndromes and a Century!

2007-04-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! Now here is a movie that I can't wait to see...Syndromes and a Century from Apichatpong Weerasethakul. He gave us Tropical Malady awhile back and if you haven't seen that film yet make sure to netflix it asap! Just watching this previews sends chills up my spine for this director seems to find a space in emotions that no other director gets close to. In this preview the dialogue, camera moves, and music set a mood of glorious wonderment...how long do we have to wait to see this one in theaters?!...make sure to jump to my blog if you are reading this through my email subscription so that you can see the trailer...peace

A Casual Weekend...

2007-04-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

So lets see...Saturday...Junko had dance class from 10am - 12pm, while I ran to JBugs and picked up the interior door panels for my Ghia, which I will post next weekend. Afterwards we went to Katmandu Kitchen, an ethnic Nepali restaurant, and had their lunch buffet...not too bad for $5.99. We headed over to Santa Monica for Junko's eye exam and then hit Bellagio's on 3rd street for Gelato, Apple Pie, and Lattes...mmm.mmm.mmm! Here's Junko with what I wished was my new car...then, just a mellow night.

Sunday Miyuki, Junko, and I hit Little India in Artesia, CA (is the real India in store for us soon?) for shopping and good eats at Udupi Palace. We walked most of the day shopping and eating so when we got home we called it a day and just played it lazy into the night...tomorrow...back to work and back to the grind!...Next week yard sale and then Junko's B-Day!...peace

Become a Millionair!

2007-04-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Wow!...I have been using the Maya for the past 4 years and I still haven't become a millionair. Looks like all I had to do was look on YouTube and go through this tutorial to become one! I am going to practice this weekend and see if I to can use the Maya and copy, paste, and print my own Lords of the Rings...Have a good weekend y'all!

The Discovery of Kashk-e Bademjan!

2007-04-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

So this past Saturday my girl and I went out to eat at the Persian restaurant in Westwood called Baran. The menu look great and despite the online review I read of the not so good service we still ventured in. I figured that the reviewer go a server on a bad day and maybe we would have better luck...unfortunately not.
A recommendation to restaurant owners, don't have your 18 year old son work the evening shift on a Saturday night when you know that he would rather be hanging with friends getting crazy. Our server hardly said a word to us, brought food and drinks late, and seemed to be thinking of when he will be getting off work rather than doing his job.
It was just our bad luck for the other server seemed to treat her quests much better. With that said the food was just average, except for the one dish know as Kashk-e Bademjan! that we ordered as our appetizer.
A simple eggplant dish that was just divine...I'm not great with words so I know I can't do this dish justice... and with this said I post a recipe worth mastering:

Kashk-e Bademjan

8 small eggplants, peeled
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions
2 tbsp mint leaves, finely chopped (dried mint also works here)
1 tbsp tomato paste
10 oz. kashk

In a few tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil, fry the eggplants in a heavy dutch oven over medium-high heat until softened. (You can make this more healthful by roasting the eggplants in their skins until they collapse; peel, then proceed as below)
Remove the eggplant from the pot, and fry the onions until golden brown.
Remove all but two tablespoon of the onions from the pot, and add the mint. Continue to fry until the mint is fragrant, and the onions are medium-dark brown and starting to crisp a bit. Remove and set aside; these will be used for garnish.
Return the onions and eggplants to the pot. Add the tomato paste with 1/3 c. of water and season lightly with salt & pepper (the kashk is fairly salty, so be judicious).
Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash the eggplants until slightly smoothed, but still nicely textured.
Add one cup of kashk, stirring briskly to incorporate. Re-season, if necessary.
Garnish with the remaining kashk and the fried onion/mint mixture.
Serve warm or at room temperature with pita or lavash bread.

How Disney 3-D works...Thanks Wikipedia!

2007-04-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to good old Wikipedia they have posted an explanation as to how Disney's 3D projection works. This is what was used on Meet the Robinsons and maybe a similar, but probably much more advanced version, will be used on Cameron's Avatar in 2009. Enjoy...peace - Disney 3D via Wikipedia

Create Your Own Google Maps!

2007-04-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard already Google Maps just became a bit better with the ability to allow users to create their very own maps.

Stop by Google Maps, click on the My Maps tab, and learn the ways to draw out your very own map in real-time...very sweet. This is great for giving better direction to your friends for a party or if you live in a hard to find location you can create a map that shows the best way for clients, friends, or family to arrive with the least amount of LA drivers stress! Enjoy!...peace

Avatar Fansite of You Know Who!

2007-04-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

So at work we just came across this pretty hilarious fansite for that guy I met. You can find it here...AVATAR...

There is a countdown widget, Macs only, for the release of the movie...makes me wish I had a mac of my own just so I could count the days till I can see the results of our hard work...anyways...have a look and a laugh...peace...

Meet Th e Robinsons

2007-04-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago the movie I worked on, Meet the Robinsons, opened in 3D! I spent about 4 months working at Digital Domain creating the 3D aspect of the film, about 30 shots for me(a total of 1600 were done at DD altogether).

The movie was not so good, but my shots looked so good ;-) I had a great time working on this show, my first at DD, and I really forward to working there again very soon...this depends on how long I will be working on the Cameron project...which might turn into a Spielberg project and then maybe a Peter Jackson project...just keep your fingers crossed that I keep working solid at least for the next 2 years...peace!

My Baby and Pink Berry!

2007-04-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday my girl Junko and I mixed things up and had desert before dinner at our favorite yogurt spot...Pink Berry! She had cookies n' creme, captain crunch, and strawberries while I had captain crunch, fruity pebbles, and cocoa puffs...mmm, mmm, mmm! This is my last weekend before I start my 3 week detox again so I am trying to spoil myself as much as possible, but not too much.

To learn more about Pink Berry make sure to stop by www.pinkberry.com and find a location thats close to you.

I forgot to take pix of the spring rolls we had for dinner, they were the best ever by Junko...next time I will make and promise not to forget to post the results. p.s. - will be uploading the link to a crazy fansite for Cameron's Avatar later today...peace!

Burn Baby Burn!

2007-04-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

Just a couple weeks ago all of Hollywood almost went up in flames. From the look of it it felt like the big budgets erupted right on top of the Hollywood Hills nearly destroying the beautiful sign that defines us all here. Luckily it was just a couple of kids messing around who later confessed and apologized for the trouble they started. We were all at work connecting to the live feeds of the fire and watching from our laptops. Some of us where smart enough to run outside the building and snap a few pictures, I will add this picture on Monday.

Working with You Know Who!

2007-04-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Deadline this thursday...

2007-04-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

The current film I am working on has a deadline this thursday so early mornings and late nights! Yet there is a 3 day weekend just in sight so will have time to rest just a bit...wait, showing apartments this weekend...so...maybe no rest, but no worries life is great! Job is fun and I have the girl of my dreams in my life...later!

Xmas 2006!

2007-01-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures during this past Xmas in Chicago with my baby Junko and I ...we took pictures of everything but of us together(Junko made Okinamiyaki for xmas eve dinner!). Looks like we have to ask the other members in the family if they were fortunate enough to have caught us on the ol' digital film...

Two Trailers for The Fountain

2006-12-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

Trailer 1:

Trailer2:

The Fountain

2006-12-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

An uneven, yet amazing adventure about life, love, and death. Nothing like the directors PI or Requiem of a Dream so be prepared. It starts out a bit confusing, but slowly starts to show the links that connects all things in the story and in life and death and being reborn. I am still in the process of letting the story sink in, but make sure you see this in the theater before it leaves for I have a feeling distributors are having a hard time selling this flick...sci-fi, adventure, love story, etc...so many things...enjoy :-)

Enjoy the pics from the film:

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is on Fire!

2006-12-04T23:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok...I know it's been awhile since I blogged, but I've got my reasons. Work has been keeping me busy and so has the Holiday shopping...I have been so busy that I have been using my lunch time to do chores around the apartment...speaking about apartments, look at me on top of the old shack I manage! I had to get up there and fix the light on top of the roof that lightens the parking lot durin the night. First time I got up there i did it myself and when it was time for me to get down I really needed someone to hold the ladder while I tried to get down...but I was all alone...I had nothing to grab hold of as i lowered myself, but I made it and freaked myself out. Second time around I had my girl help me out and I was able to do the job!!!...ok, promise..more this weekend...Chicago time is almost here and its so nice that from now on in my life that going home for the holiday is going to be fun again!!!!

So Close, But Not So...

2006-11-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

Don The Chase Begins Again was experienced last weekend and I guess I just got too excited from the preview and the review I read in LA Weekly. It had its moments for sure, but for me it wasn't cheesy enough. I know many people will disagree with me, but I still think that one of the most consistently cheesy, and great fun, films of all times is Van Damme's Knock Off! But Don just needs a better director and then pow!!! things will be just right! I still think there is a chance if there is a sequel. ...All is not lost for there is the video "Main Hoon Don" that is not a video "for" the movie, but a rather hilarious dance number "in" the movie after Don regains his consciousness... check it out:

Favorite Music Links

2006-11-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so now I will post my current fav songs playing on my nano...First one will be the song "Phir Raat Kati" from the movie Paheli. The song has a rather frantic energy that is rather hypnotizing. It worked really well in the movie, although it was played during the end credits). During the end of the movie the song was played and they danced as if were puppets...if I can find a video of this I will post, but for now you just get the pic. So go to the sidebar and click the play button to play the song...more later today...Well, in the middle of this posting I found the end credits from the movie, the only way to see this dance, so take a look at the video below...low quality, but you gotta take what you can get!

Don, The Chase Begins Again This Weekend!!!

2006-11-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

I just can't wait for this one!!! Looks like it just might be close to John Woo's classic film, The Killer. It came out a couple of weekends ago with hyper reviews and I have been just too busy, which is no excuse, to get down to Little India in Artesia. But this weekend I plan on making it happen and will post more about the film...I just hope its cheesier than it looks!!!...peace - Make sure to check out the website too! DON

Still configuring my blog...

2006-11-15T03:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the Sudden change of style on my blog...I need to rework things again to get it working properly. Please bare with me on this and hopefully I will have it corrected shortly...thanks

A Sad Day for the Golden Bears...

2006-11-15T02:40:00.000-08:00

It was a sad day for my brother and the Berkeley Golden Bears this past Saturday. I came into watching the game during the last 12 mins with the score of CA-17 , AZ-24. The Bears still had an easy chance to win the game, but with about 2 mins left Longshore was robbed of a pass when AZ tipped the ball and luckily intercepted the ball. Damn, no Rose Bowl this year!!! Looks like we'll just have to wait til 2007...and thats when I'll be going to the game!

Bollywood Afternoon...

2006-11-12T22:25:00.000-08:00

Check out the pics from Junko's first Bollywood dance performance this Sunday, Nov. 12th 2006!!! It was great fun! Her & the rest of the Troupe dazzled mid afternoon making everybody smile!

Music and Videos

2006-11-11T19:52:00.000-08:00

I will be posting new music videos and music I like so stay tuned for this...this week I will suggest a rather simple song, "War of the Worlds" by the band called Find Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. It's a light song with simple lyrics, but the simplicity of the song and the video work together rather well...what do you think...know of any similar bands? Just to give you background about myself I have a wide range o f music tastes from electronica to indie folk to punk etc. If you want to let me know what bands you like that are similar to my tastes and to my postings please post. I am always looking for new styles and sounds. Click on the image above to watch the this band's video....blog ya later...peace

Somewhat surreal...

2006-11-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

Marie Antoinette:
Hmmm...I liked it. Saw it a couple of weeks ago. Not a great film, but definitely kept me interested the whole time...unique use of sound, songs, and lack of dialogue, and I really digged the super long and boring ride in the carriage at the beginning of the film...more later on this...

Bollywood Dance!

2006-11-10T15:18:00.000-08:00

My sweet Junko will be performing this weekend in her 1st Bollywood Dance!!! I can't wait to see. I have been lucky enough to get a few samples of her moves and I know the song pretty well. I am looking so forward to seeing her and her troupe perform together!!!! I will defintely be posting pics and maybe even a movie too...blog ya later!

Organic Japanese Food Truck Service!

2006-11-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

So there I was yesterday shooting out of work on my scooter to run errands when I saw a food service truck right out front of the gate...typical in LA I know, but it is usually Mexican food or Greek food or just plain unhealthy food. What made the difference here is that this truck was serving Organic Japanese dishes!!! and at somewhat reasonable prices. I wasn't able to try their food, but they will be back next Wednesday and I will definitely indulge myself!!! I will blog back with the results as soon as they are in. Click on the image to read more about Cafe Nagomi at their website...peace

Updateing Blogger

2006-11-07T04:40:00.000-08:00

Did some serious Blogger website updating tonight...couldn't sleep again tonight so I thought I would be productive. Do you like the new look? Let me know...getting sleepy...blog ya later!

Couldn't Sleep...

2006-11-06T15:38:00.000-08:00

Couldn't sleep so thought I's post a picture with more posts coming tomorrow...here is my new ride. What do you think?

Yesterday at new Job!

2006-11-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Oct 23rd was first day at my new job at Digital Domain

Working on making Disney's new film Meet the Robinsons a 3D movie!

Sunday Lunch...

2006-11-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

Junko and I ate our favorite wraps at our favorite veggie restaurant!...

A Relaxing Saturday Weekend...

2006-11-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I finally rented the vacancy and now will have my weekends free again! I spent the day doing small errands around the house and then Junko and I hit Buffalo Exchange downtown and then went to see the film

Shortbus:

from the director of Hedwing and the Angry Ich. Junko and I both liked the film, not the same as Hedwig, but very funny/charming and rather touching...past films we've seen I recommend:

Old Joy(Highly Recommended):

The Derparted(Interesting):

The Science of Sleep(Funny, but a bit empty):

Thats it for today...now off to Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Mitsuwa!!!

New Look!

2006-11-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

whoa...I'm gettin dizzy!...from my new haircut....weeeee!

Posting the life of...

2006-11-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

Well, this is the first page of my blog...will try and commit 15 mins a day to posting something new and fun in my life...hope you will enjoy your visits here... :-)

This is me at my first Onsen in Japan...it was a wonderful and relaxing time!!!

more tomorrow, or maybe later tonight! - peace!

Hair Cut!

2006-11-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

With the new job at Digital Domain I decided to cut the hair...any thoughts? Will have Junko help me take pics and later I will post the final results on the site later this weekend...nothing special :-) By the way....this is my 12th day of a 21 day detox(www.21daydetox.com)...going strong, but wantin more than just the greens this week....! - peace

Double Life of Crudup

2005-04-01T01:29:00.000-08:00

Billy Crudup, the voice now in front of the camera...don't know how long this will be posted but check it out!

LiNk To vIdEo NOW!...

Weather Report

2005-03-13T00:29:00.000-08:00

I like the idea that David gives daily weather reports on his website, but I really wish he would make another movie soon...

DOWNLOAD vIdEo NOW!...