Smoke That ASS!

For weeks now, I've been working on hijacking a term for my own usage.

That term is "SMOKE THAT ASS!", as popularized by Jack Black in High Fidelity. Jenni actually tracked the origin of the term back to another film in the year 2000, as well.

For those of you who haven't heard me say "smoke that ass", I've decided that it's time for us to grow as a nation. "Awesome!" and "Rad!" are certainly good, classic, stand-by's for expressing glee and joy. But I think those terms have lost the exuberance that they once had.

Over the next few weeks, I will be continuing my exploration to figure out the right subtleties and nuances around what the best usage is.

I will keep you all posted, but I would like to invite you to join me in this journey. The next time something really cool happens, instead of saying "neato", or "sweet", try saying 'SMOKE THAT ASS!"

You've got me feeling emotion

My drive to work this morning began with picking up donuts and beer in the local hood (for this morning's Donut Freak Out!).

And then, Mariah Carey's words came on the radio, and spoke to me like never before.

Tribe, you've got me feeling emotion!

(this was the most wholesome picture I could find of Mariah Carey)

Ishle Yi Park at Eastwind Books of Berkeley

Saturday, April 23, 4pm

www.manja.org/forum/viewtopic.php

Eastwind Books of Berkeley April 23 Author Event presents the unique and uncompromising voice of Ishle Yi Park. Ishle Yi Park performs poetry and prose from her new book of poetry, Temperature of This Water, published by Kaya Press. When: April 23, Saturday 4:00 pm, Where: Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. Berkeley, for more info phone (510)548-2350

Goh Nakamura and J Turtle at Ireland's 32

Tuesday, April 12, 9:30pm
Ireland's 32
3920 Geary @ 3rd ave
Free as always!

www.gohnakamura.com/gigs/

Armed only with an acoustic guitar, singer/songwriter, J
Turtle is storming through southern California’s music scene.
His music blends vibrant lyrics and catchy pop melodies with
a percussive style of guitar playing that stands uniquely on
its own. With an EP and 3 full-length albums under his belt,
he has been touring relentlessly and is dedicated to
distributing his music independently.

:::::::::::::

Jason grew up in Cupertino, California, a small Silicon Valley
community. His formal piano training began at age 5 and
continued until high school. Then he set aside his piano and
immersed himself in the school choir and other a cappella
groups. It wasn’t until his senior year that Jason even looked
at an acoustic guitar.

Jason began playing guitar and writing music while attending
community college. After meeting a musician who had made
his mark in a distant city called San Diego, he relocated to
there to finish out his academics and to begin exploring the
local music scene.

For the next four years, Jason divided his time between San
Diego State University’s School of Music and local
coffeehouses. He was encouraged by the positive response,
and his aspirations as a songwriter grew exponentially.

The musical duo "Jason and Jane" (2000) started out as two
friends singing a few Jason-tunes together. What began as a
hobby (playing an occasional open-mic for friends) soon
gained serious momentum (two albums and a slew of
venues). From San Diego to LA to Northern California to
Nevada, Jason and Jane explored the local scene and
beyond.

The duo parted ways in February 2003, and Jason went into
hiding for a few months of intense songwriting and producing
(SABA's EP "Letters to Doe"). J Turtle's latest project, a
home recording entitled Turns, is a fully produced five-song
demo that returns to the roots of his writing without the
pressures of any influences but his own.

www.jturtlemusic.com

www.gohnakamura.com

Sylvia Ji at Romeo 5

Friday, April 1 - Tuesday, May 31

www.sylviaji.com/flyer.html

Come celebrate the opening exhibition of Sylvia Ji, the fresh,
new talent to hit San Francisco's thriving art scene at Romeo
5, April 9th, where you can also meet, greet the artist and
grab some cocktails.

Romeo 5, Asian Art Cafe & Bar
Japan Center - Kinokuniya Building
1581 Webster St #225
San Francisco, CA 94115
1pm - 2am Everyday
21 and over

www.sylviaji.com

Recent work by Ogi opens at Receiver Gallery on March 18th

The untitled solo exhibition by Oakland based artist, Ogi, opens March 18th at Receiver Gallery in San Francisco. Combining character illustration and graphic design, Ogi exhibits a series of acrylic paintings and digital prints. Receiver Gallery will kick off the exhibit with an opening night party on Friday, March 18th, from 6pm-10pm and the exhibition will run from March 18th- May 2nd, 2005.

Ogi's work explores a youthful realm of Japanese girls, playful characters, and decorative graphics. In this creative environment Ogi nods to pop culture, Japanese animation, and manga. His collision of illustration and digital elements is a distinctive expression of the world around him.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Ogi now lives in Oakland, CA. He received a BFA in Illustration from the California College of Arts (& Crafts) in 2003. He has exhibited at Cowboys & Angels, Giant Robot, Andeken Gallery, and with the Sneaker Pimps global Sneaker Exhibition. Ogi has designed T-shirt graphics for Poketo and Android 8. His artwork is featured in the graphic art book "Io: Art of the Wired" and in "Evil Monito" magazine.

Poketo Show in LA

Poketo will be launching their new line of wallets with a huge art event and group show on February 26, 2005 to March 18, 2005.

The show will feature new work from

Suzanne Husky
Tom Vadakan
Tom Jackson
Nathalie Roland
Martin Cendreda
Jeanna Sohn
Evah Fan
Derek Kirk Kim
Brendan Monroe

For more information about Poketo wallets and other products, please visit www.poketo.com

SLOW JAM KING Premiere Party, a SF Manilatown I-Hotel benefit

Friday, March 11, 9pm

Featuring NYC's P.I.C, and the Riding Mower All Stars, plus short film screening of "hello manong" and a trailer for "slow jam king". Club Lamia, 3910 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, 415 876 4080; 21+, $5-7 sliding scale donation; doors at 8:30pm, show at 9:00pm

www.manja.org/forum/viewtopic.php

2005 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

Thursday, March 10 - Sunday, March 20

Presented by the National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA), the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) is the largest annual exhibition event in North America dedicated to showcasing the best in Asian American and Asian cinema. The SFIAAFF annually presents over 130 films and videos across 11 days in three cities: San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. The 2004 SFIAAFF drew over 150 filmmakers and industry guests, and over 27,000 attendees.

www.naatanet.org/festival/2005/html/

Late Night at Locus: Left of Zed with John Cho, the Skyflakes and Pidgeon

Friday, March 4, 9pm

Late Night at Locus returns with LA-based band, Left of Zed, and local indie favorites, The Skyflakes and Pidgeon. Club Lamia, 3910 Geary Blvd @ 3rd Ave, Admission: $8 - general, $6 - members; * 21 and over

locusarts.org/calendar.html