A Tribute to Gene Hackman

It was disheartening to find out that one of my favorite actors died along with his wife and dog. I'm not into being a "fan." Well, maybe when I was a teenager, but as an adult, I don't chase people down, grab them, or try to photograph them. If I like someone, it would be because I like them for who they are, and their talent as an actor, musician, or artist, and not their status. Gene Hackman was one of my all-time favorite people. I have had run ins with some nasty people and their offspring in Hollywood, and he was not like that.

Once long ago, he stood behind me in line with his friend when I was picking up my car from the service department. I turned discreetly to glance over because my brother had asked me if it was him. Hackman realized that he had been spotted, and gave me a big old smile. The vibes that I got from him, and my intuition told me that this guy was humble, kind, and friendly. I'll always remember that day, and it makes me so sad to hear about what happened to him, and his family.

The two awful things here are that according to the papers, his and his wife's death may not have been natural deaths, and two, no one knew about it for two whole weeks! If my family doesn't hear from me for a day, They'll call the police, the fire department, the county sheriff, and who knows who else. Not a single person tried to get in touch with them for two weeks?

When I lived abroad, a student didn't show up to class for a few days, and our teacher was asking the entire class if anybody knew what happened to him, and where he lived, because she was worried. She asked us to go check-in on him, and see if he needs help.

I had a French neighbor at the time who spoke incessantly, and I dreaded running into her everyday. Then one day, I realized that I hadn't heard from her for two days. I knocked on her door, to see if she was alright.  She was so happy, because apparently, no one else cared about her, not even her parents. She said that she had been sick. I offered to get her soup and medicine. She wasn't even my friend, and I got worried all the same.

I call or text my friends and family regularly. I want to make sure that they're doing okay. I think that it's important to look out for people we care about.

Rest in peace Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa, and dog. You will be missed. 

A Dublin Stroll

So many things went wrong, and strange things happened in the past week that I cannot even explain it. It felt as though I was enveloped in negative energy. Life is beginning to fall into place. I hope that nothing else will go wrong. Here are some pictures and videos of the areas I visited while in Dublin.

I stayed at Mespil hotel, and do recommend. It's situated in a local area, a 30-minute walk to the city center, and a 12-minute stroll to the museum of literature, and St. Stephens Green. As you can see, I love to walk. That's how I learn about a city, and where everything is located. The views above are of banks of Grand Canal across the street from where I lodged (sorry about the quality of the videos. I had to change the resolution in order to post it on Blogger.) It was under construction at the time. I imagine that it would look much nicer when the fences are removed. 

I bought a sandwich from a nearby market, and went to sit on one of the benches along the canal. Well, I shouldn't say "eat," because the birds got to eat most of it. As soon as I unwrapped my food, they all joined me. I ate the vegetables inside, and they ate all the bread. But that was fine by me. I don't mind sharing with my fellow nonhumans. 

Dublin has a deep past, and every corner you turn, you recognize various figures who marked their name in history. During one of my walks, I ran into Pembroke Road lined with beautiful trees, and Georgian style buildings, steps away from my hotel. I discovered something that I never expected. Who knew that I was staying so close to the home of one of my favorite people, an activist, and a musician. At the entrance of Lansdowne hotel, I noticed a tribute to Sinéad O'Conner, indicating her place of birth at 13 Pembroke Road.

I walked up and down the street, and asked around to find the address. The above is a photo of where she was born. I spent a good amount of time there, trying to figure out which one was the place where she was born. But no luck. Still, I was happy to be there. I like her because she was different, not because she tried to be different, but because she just was. She didn't follow the herd, and had a voice.

This picture was taken when I was going through the residential part of Grafton Street. After a British Royal died, the Irish were told to paint their doors black in mourning. Given the friction between Ireland and Britain, the Irish painted their doors in bright colors in defiance.

I was to meet up with my friend Dominika, but I had arrived too early. Of course, there was a gelato shop, 💙 Cloud Nine, right there at the Bachelor's Walk along the Liffey River, and I just had to try it out. It was yum. Cloud Nine has several locations. In fact, when it comes to gelato, Dublin puts us to shame where texture, taste, and creativity is concerned.   

La Jolla

Saturday. After all that rain, I needed fresh air, sunshine and some fun. So, I headed out to San Diego. If you live in L.A, it's best to leave early. I didn't, and hit a ton of traffic. I used to visit La Jolla all the time. My friend lived there before she moved to Palos Verdes, and I spent many relaxing weekends with her and her husband at her house. Of course, La Jolla has changed a lot since then. It went from being a sleepy neighborhood to a happening one. It's packed with unique boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, and whatnot. It even has a Haageen-Daz ice-cream shop! I didn't even know that they were still around. The best part about La Jolla is the sea views. Nature is more beautiful than anything manmade.

I hadn't eaten all day. So, my first stop was Shiku Sushi I had heard so much about. I have to say that the food is fresh and tasty. They are super busy. It's best to go there at an off hour. I tried the Miso, the Veggie Yakisoba (Whoops, forgot to take a photo 😏), Agedashi Tofu, green tea, and green tea mochi. My favorite was the Agedashi Tofu. So yum. I wanted to try everything, and ended up taking a bunch of stuff home minus the mochi, because, well, I live too far away. I also got a take away order of Tofu Geisha. It's better to go there with a couple of people and share so that you don't end up with leftovers. If I lived in the area, I would probably eat there quite often.

I decided to get a palm reading for the fun of it. I honestly didn't think there would be several people waiting. I guess this is a popular place. It's on Prospect Avenue. I can't recall the psychic's name. She forgot to give me her card, but I think she is the owner. Now, I'm a difficult person to figure out. So, Psychics either guess and get most of it wrong or they have to ask me a bunch of questions about my family and past relationships in order to guess better. To my surprise though, she got a few things right such as telling me that about ten years ago or so I lost someone which had a great impact on me, and changed me into a different person. I have no idea how she knew that. The person I lost was my mom, and I did become a different person. 

I went into this art gallery. The local artist, Ian Ely, has a lot of incredible pieces of nature. They were out of my budget, but Kristina, the sales rep, also offered prints of the work, and explained how the different versions of the same photograph were set up. She took me into a tiny room, and showed me the effect of different light settings as it dimmed slowly and changed the look of the photograph.

This is a nice hotel. I went in to explore. There was an event going on with people dressed up, drinking, and socializing. There is a restaurant/bar area. The views are spectacular, and the staff are friendly. Whether you're visiting L.A or live in the area, I highly recommend coming down to La Jolla. At first glance, parking seems to be difficult to find, but if you are patient, you will find a space. There are also a bunch of parking lots. And when you finally get there, do take your time to take in all that it has to offer, and spend an entire day there. I wish I had.

Sunday update: I'm eating the leftover Tofu Geisha from Shiku Sushi for Brunch. It's really good even as a leftover.

Valentines Day 2025

It's a day devoted to love, not that love needs a day. We are all complicated creatures, and oftentimes, it is difficult to understand each other. But all things come from love. We just have to open our hearts, so that we can appreciate what's around us. If you're in a relationship, enjoy your time with the person you're with. For those of you who are single, treat yourself to something you love. As for me, I love to travel, and I don't have to always go far. It can just be a day trip. Today, I had a busy day, running errands after all the rain, but tomorrow is full of possibilities. I may indeed drive down to San Diego. I haven't been there in quite sometime. (image by sakshamsy)

For now, I will leave you with a sonnet. I'm not good with poetry, but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate a good sonnet. (background image by asrulaqroni)

  

Customer Service

Customer service can make or break you. One of my favorite places in L.A is Little Tokyo. I've written about it in this blog, but I haven't been there in a longtime. I wanted to buy someone some candy, and the internet recommended a shop which I will not name here, because it's a mom-and-pop store, and I want to vent about the way I was treated without hurting their business. I put in their address in my phone, and followed the GPS to get there. I had no idea what was good, and I usually don't like to get sweets or food for someone without trying it first.

The customer waiting in line in front of me raved about one of their candies, and I thought I buy a sample before getting other things. The guy behind the register said that they don't accept anything in cards below $15. After I paid him in cash, I decided to try it. The guy said: Sorry, you can't eat in here. I said: I want to buy a bunch of other things, but first, I want to see how I like this. He said: This isn't a restaurant. The owner, an older lady, passed me a dirty look. So, I walked out, and tried the candy outside of the store. It was awful, I threw it out, and walked away. (Image by Wolf Art)

I have travelled to Japan. I know all about their strict rules, and their refusal to bend. But here's the thing. This business is not in Japan. It is in the U.S. There will be American customers going into that store, and getting treated rudely. I thought that the cashier's response was disrespectful, and the owner was rude as she stared at me with tight lips as though I had committed a crime by asking a question. (image by Satoshi Hirayama)

I get it. I once owned a high-end clothing store. Customers and their toddlers would come in with food, and touch the clothes with sticky fingers. One lady knocked over a large size soda all over my silk shirts and damaged them, forcing me to put up a sign, asking customers to please not eat in the store while shopping. But that was different. My business sold clothes. Here, I was in a candy store. Many places that sell sweets even go as far as allowing you to sample things. I wasn't even asking for that. I had already paid for my item. Anyway, I will never return to that store. (image by topntp26)

I ended up going to one of my favorite markets, Nijiya Market, and asked an employee if it was okay if I sampled stuff, and pay for them at the register. She had no problem with it, neither did the cashier. I got two boxes of chocolate, and cookies, one to try to see if it was good, and one to give away, and a bunch of other things. I should have come to this store in the first place. It's just that I wanted to get the sweets from a candy artisan. A mistake. Poor customer service is a pet peeve of mine. I simply walk out, and never return.