Theme of the Day: (Almost) Famous People.

I had the day off, so I decided to check out the Asian American Issues Conference on the Berkeley campus today. I'm so glad I did because I had the opportunity to meet both Helie Lee and Greg Pak.

Helie wrote a national best-seller book called Still Life With Rice back in 1996, a memoir of her grandmother's life in Korea. I actually never read the book, but I after I saw her picture, I developed a huge crush on her. Eight years later, I finally have the opportunity to meet her and listen to her speak. I was impressed with the passion she speaks with regarding the North Korean refugee crisis. And she's still quite a hottie!

Greg Pak also showed up to the conference. I recognized him and stopped him to ask about Robot Stories, his independent film which has received great reviews in the various film festival circuits. I'm looking forward to its arrival in Berkeley next weekend. Maybe I can meet Tamlyn Tomita in person too...

I also went to Loni Ding's workshop. She's a well-recognized Asian American film maker, activist, and UC Berkeley professor in the Ethnic Studies department. I've seen her works over the years since my college days, so it was definitely a privilege listening to her share some comments about her productions.

Shameless photo-op with Helie Lee and Greg Pak.
After the conference, I headed over to the Oakland Hills for Laura's birthday BBQ. Never mind that I got lost for like half an hour in the woods, since it gave me the opportunity to explore a little bit. I wandered through some parts of the park with nice views of the Bay near the park's amphitheatre. Needless to say, I eventually found the group, but was somewhat too tired to play. After that party, I headed over to Celeste's dinner potluck to finish up the evening. Her dad has won at least seven Emmy Awards for his work, but that's a story for another day.

I found a great statue and waterfall in the park.

Reflecting pond. With Seble.

Sarah, Sylvia, Reena. Laura, the birthday girl.