Three and half months of Braces pain and Other news

     I am sorry for not updating my blog, I am bad at staying on a schedule. Google hates me and they make it so hard for me to remember the passwords to get into my blogs. Maybe I should move over to WordPress for my blog.

   The 23 of December it will be 4 months with braces. The last time I went in to get my braces adjusted I got yelled at because one of the brackets had popped off of my bridge. If they put my bridges in, wouldn't they have put them in right place in the first place instead of putting braces on them to get them to move. My friends on Facebook always wonder why I am always in pain. Is it really my fault that my brackets pop off either my bridges or crowns? I brush they way they tell me to and it still happens. Talking about pain, my teeth hurts even when I eat soft bread or cheese. Have I been forced into a diet, since I can't eat all the things I love to eat.

   In other news I am still unemployed and still looking for a job. My Paracord business slowed down to no sales. Guess everyone have found some other trend to follow. I still have my Paracord Ojuzu in stock if anyone still wants one, I also have ones with metal skull counter beads for $40.00 as shown below.

The corded ones are the most sold they are still $35.00 plus $5.95 for shipping and I have to start charging tax, because they GOVT. wants their share of my sales. I didn't think that I made enough to even charge tax. Can any of my Self-Employed friends out there help me get a business license? Also does anyone know if I need a license if I take surveys online for money, because I don't know how to report it in my taxes. Still surviving day after day.

   This year is also our 11 year wedding anniversary. I survived another year married. And no we are not having kids or planning on having any, so stop asking. We can barely take care of ourselves, why throw a kid into that suffering? I also have stopped writing my poetry for the time being. I wanted to self publish a chapbook of my poetry but still trying to figure out how. Would anyone like to fund one of my books to help me get my poetry into people's hands? Other than the above nothing new is happening with me.

Month one with braces

      I survived, o'k not really surviving. Been in a lot of pain from getting used to these new things in my mouth. To my jaw hurting, whenever I try to eat, because the molars with the metal band around them start hurting. Seem's like a forced diet because I can't eat the things that I use to eat. Like big hamburgers and fried chicken. Everyone is telling me to buy a blender and blend my food into baby food, but that sounds kind of disgusting to me. I guess I will just suffer the next two years.

      My wife and I go back to the orthodontist on Sept 17th to get the wires changed, and all the pain starts over again. I don't know why they wanted the both of us to suffer all this pain together. I really need to find other ways to ease the pain without resorting to pain pills all the time. Any idea's for us?
I will end this here, Till the next time. In Gassho, Namu Amida Butsu..

We got braces and forced into a diet.

      Wow, noticed that I haven't written here in a long time. As my last post said it was diet time, but that didn't really go any where. Recently I was forced into a diet. More like my wife and I was forced into one. We are getting braces. So far I got the Bottom put in and my wife got the top ones. We have to go back on August 6th to get the rest put in.
      So far I have been in a lot of pain because when they put on my bottom braces, they also put metal brackets around my top molars, and put two cement balls on the bottom molars to open up my bite. So it's been so hard to chew and with the metal hooks on the brackets digging into my cheeks has been so painful, it even hurts to swallow too. The thought of having braces for the next two years, is a grave one for me. Since I love to eat, I won't be able to eat what I love anymore. It's mostly oatmeal and soft foods now. Hopefully my wife and I will lose a lot of weight because of this.

Time to lose weight

Hi everyone, I am almost done with getting equipment for my excersize room. As soon as I get over this damn cough, I will start working out. I really want to go back to karate class, need to lose some weight so my knees wont hurt too much in class. Sorry that I haven't written since April, its been so hard keeping up this blog. As you know I had stopped writing poetry for the time being until I publish my own chapbook of poetry.

Publishing my own Chapbook of Poetry

Hi everyone, I have finally decided to go ahead and publish my own chapbook of poetry. Something I can sell, if I get enough guts to beat my stage fright and go in front of an audience to read my poetry. I wonder if I can work from a small crowd and then work my way up to maybe doing the open mic at the Tuesday Night Cafe in Little Tokyo. My book template is almost done, then I need to either find a printer or go to Kinko's and get a hundred copies made. Those of you who have already kept up with my WordPress site, would you be interested in buying it when I get it printed?

Other news, I think I will not be dancing much during this years Obon season due to my knee problems. I have taken some time off from Karate class to allow my knees to heal. Some how I don't think its healing at all, because I still feel pain above the pain pills my Doctor gave me. I will keep you all posted as to whats going on in my life.

A New Year and New Adventures

Hi everyone, Its a new year and things have changed alot since last year. As some of you know that Phuong and I have started taking Karate classes in Little Tokyo, but this year starting in Feburary, I have been sick off and on, went to the Doctor to see what was up and it turns out that I have allergies that screw up my sinuses, and a bad case of athletes foot on both feet. The left foot is all healed now but the Right one wont seem to heal.

Since, I turned 40 this past Feb, I have been having a painful knee problem, have a feeling that Karate class had made it worse. Need to go to the Dr. to see if I can get an MRI done on both my knees. I am tired of this excruciating pain and dont like that I have to take pain pills before each class. Been out of class since Feb, and Phuong has been going without me. She may even get her Green Belt at the end of this month.

Other news, this year Phuong and I were going to volunteer for Nisei Week, but after something happened a few weeks ago between me and the Nisei Week Facebook Police, I don't want anything to do with it, until the people involved are no longer there. To sum up what happened, someone on the Nisei Week court complained about my postings and said that they were uncomfortable around me. So I had to unfriend her and block her and the other court members off my facebook friends list, blocked a few of the volunteers too. I don't understand why they can't unfriend me themselves. I have never wrote anything bad about them on the posts on their page. Also if you dont want anyone to like your myspace page, dont link it to facebook in the first place.


So this week, I had started to volunteer with the Tuesday Night Project, the group that puts together the Tuesday Night Cafe in front of EWP. At least there, the people know me and have no problems with me. I will write more later.

One Year Later

Wow, just opened up my blog and noticed that I haven't been here since September of 2010. I am still a part of the Undeniables Writers workshop, now writing letters this session. I am in session 25 now. Other news my wife and I are taking Karate Lessons at Centenary Church across from our Temple. The style is Matsubayashi Ryu Shorin Ryu, under Sensei Art Ishii.
I am still jobless, I still wonder what is on my resume that's keeping people from hiring me? Is it the California School of Culinary Arts that are scaring people away, because the school is a scam. More news, since I am in the Writers workshop, I haven't had the time to update this blog. Please follow me there for the time being.

The Undeniables Writers Workshop

Hi everyone, I have been busy lately writing poetry each day and trying to get published. This blog I will update when there is something worth talking about. Please keep an eye on www.eikichilane.wordpress.com to check out my daily poems.

The TN PARTY

Tuesday Night Project & JACCC present

THE TN PARTY

Annual Benefit for the Tuesday Night Project

art + music + food + dancing + community under the LA sky

Raising funds to keep TNProject and the "1st & 3rd Tuesday Night Cafe" going strong!

Saturday, July 31 2010

5:00 - 11:00 pm @ JACCC Plaza

244 S. San Pedro Street

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Tickets on sale NOW (http://www.tuesdaynightproject.org/)

$15 pre-sale, $20 at teh door // $15 student / senior (60+) with ID // children 12 and under FREE

I survived...Yay

After joining the Undeniables Poetry workshop and have tried to write a poem every day for one month. I may have missed 1 or 2 days but I have kept it pretty consistent. Now that Session 18 has started today for the months of July and August, I will attempt to write at least one poem a day even if its as short as a Haiku. I am going to practice writing Haiku and Tanka poems this month and see how that goes. Next month I will try rhyme. So, I am sorry that I havent kept up with my blogging, its going to be a busy month of, O'bon Hopping and my O'bon at Higashi Honganji is on July 24 and 25th, so come on down and visit us. If I am lucky I will be working one of the booths til dancing starts. Phuong and I will be dancing, I seem to be getttng better at it since I made a commitment to actually go to Bon Odori practice every week. Well until nice time. Gassho...Namu Amida Butsu

Started to Write Poetry Again

Hi everyone,
I started to write Poetry again after all these years. I decided two weeks ago that I was going to start sending my Poetry out to Publishers again. Then last week while attending the Tuesday Night Cafe at EWP in Little Tokyo, Their was a Professor from CSUN who read a couple of his Poems, who told us about the Undeniables Poetry Workshop. He inspired me into writing again and I joined the workshop.

In the workshop, I had to start a wordpress page and link it to the Undeniables website and write one item in my given genre once a day and post it on my page for everyone to read. The Sessons are two Months each and lets see how long I can keep this going. After one year the editors take 10 best Artists and publish a book with their best Poems. So I will keep it up, because I really want to be a Published Poet, well at least get more then one Poem Published. Well, back to my writing...

Stupid Facebook

Last night around 11:00 PM, I took a break from the computer left Facebook open as I usually do and went downstairs for some ice cream. Came back to my room and noticed that my screen said that my log in expired. Went to log back in and the screen said my account had been disabled due to violations with their code of conduct. I did no such thing. Why was my account disabled? There goes all my contacts and photos. I don't know what to do.

Is back at it again.

Hi everyone, Sorry that I haven't written for a long time, been awfully lazy. Yes I admit it, I haven't felt like writing much lately. Been spending way too much time on Facebook, becoming a zombie like everyone else who are out of work. Has been taking a break from looking for another job to looking for a house to buy for my mom. Not much luck, everything we have looked at either needs alot of work or is too small.

There are alot of activities coming up that I would like to report on. O'bon season is coming and I would like to hit as many as I can this year. The more I dance, the better I should get right? Been trying to find things to do to get out of the house, like new places to volunteer my time. My wife and I might volunteer with the, Chinatown Historical Society if we can find a way to do so. I wanted to get back to volunteering at the Japanese American National Museum, but no one has replied to my Volunteer application, I turned in awhile back. Has a feeling, they don't want me back. =(

Other news, I have found some friends on Facebook that I haven't seen or heard from since Graduating High School, and Family friends who surprised us with actually signing up for Facebook. To other personal things, like me turning 38 and noticing that I am slowly going bald. Can't afford rogaine and I have to remember that all things in life are Impermenant including my hair. To other frustrating things like our Zune conking out on us, and made me wipe its memory to start over again.

Ok thats enough rght now til I can figure out more things to write, now back to veging out on facebook...lol

Job Search and other BS

Wow, noticed I stopped blogging back in November. Been busy trying to get my Paranormal group going, and looking for a job. Job Hunting has been so hard, I apply to places and then get turned down. Sometimes I wonder if I am either too qualified or just too old to find a job. Its like my CA School of Culinary Arts degree isn't worth crap in the real world. All the hospitality jobs I applied to probably see the school on my resume and then decide on someone else. I wish I knew how bad the school was before I went there, would've saved me alot of pain looking for a job. .Oh well, back to my job search

Please Help Save Little Tokyo, it may be lost forever...

Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, The place I grew up going to every weekend since I was little. At age 16, I started attending the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, and started volunteering at the Japanese American National Museum. Now 21 years later, after making my name known in Little Tokyo, from the various Organizations I have volunteered with. Now all that we love about Little Tokyo may be gone forever.

It all started years ago when the Yaohan Department store and Market closed down and various places in the Yaohan plaza closed down, the Little Tokyo Bowl and the movie theatre. I recently heard that some Korean investors bought the plaza and started to evict the Japanese Businesses to replace with Korean stores. I am appalled at the idea that non Japanese are buying up all the properties in the Lil Tokyo area and destroying the feeling and look one of the few last remaining J-towns in the America.

Then there is the eyesore of the Office Depot that moved from Alameda to 2nd and Central. Expensive condos are popping up in every available space left. What else is going to disappear, The Fire Tower, all of our favorite Japanese Food places? You know things are going downhill when a Starbucks, Subway and Johnny Rockets show up in your town. Sunday I read in the Los Angeles Times, about the third week in a row our town was in the paper. There was an article about how MTA wants to build a train connection through Little Tokyo. Not the Gold Line that just opened last week, a connection I think to the Blue Line to Union Station.

What can we do to save the town that we all love? Who can we turn to? JANM, JACCC, and of the Temple's. Is there even a Little Tokyo Historical Society, if there is where the Hell are they. If they exist how come I can't find them online? Hopefully someone will step forward to Protect the last remaining parts of Little Tokyo. Will there even be a Nisei Week Celebration years from now, when the Japanese culture dies in our town. Now I am depressed with all that is happening so fast. Trying to hold on tight to my memories of the past.

If you have any thought or comments on this subject, please comment here or join my Friends of Little Tokyo Group on Facebook.

Is anyone even listening to me?

Hi everyone, Just wondering is anyone actually reading my blogs? If I do have a audience here, Please comment on my postings. So I know that I am not just talking to myself here. I have alot to talk about now...

Taking a lil Break

Hello all, I will be taking a little break blogging. will be back soon with more stuff to post. Don't give up on me yet.

A New Name and A New Hobby

First off, The last 3 weeks, I have been changing things with the Ghost Hunting group. I changed the name from JL & Associates Paranormal Investigations to Little Tokyo Paranormal Research Society. The new name sounds more professional, and easier for people to remember. The email has also been changed to liltokyoprs@gmail.com, there will be a new blog site and possibly a website.

Second, Phuong and I have started a new hobby. We started bowling each week at the Alhambra Bowling Center with one of our friends from the Temple. Got my old bowling ball re-drilled, the one I bought years ago at the Little Tokyo Bowling alley. (The one that was on the third floor of the old Yaohan plaza.) We even bought our own shoes so we wont have to wear those disgusting ugly rental shoes. We both got Dexter shoes, she got the slip ons and I got the one named Jeff with a cool red and white design. these feel like regular sneakers, really comfortable, unlike those stiff rental ones.

Good Girl Dinette

Hi Everyone, Phuong and I finally had dinner at the Good Girl Dinette in Highland Park. They may be the first Vietnamese Restaurant in Highland Park that I know of. Its located in the Old Masonic Temple building on Ave 56 and Figueroa. Phuong and I both ordered the Grandma's Pho, which was pretty tasty. I don't usually drink the soup whenever I eat Pho, but their Pho chicken broth was really good. I even had the home made Pop, which was good too. Unfortunately they were out of Pies or the dessert that we wanted. So next time we will go earlier in the day. The owner Diep Tran was really nice too. I would recommend this place for anyone who love's Pho.

Nisei Week

This past weekend on Sat August 15th, Phuong and I were special volunteers at the Japanese American National Museum's 11th Annual Courtyard Kids Festival. We worked in the Lily Pond game booth. Its the game with the small swimming pool full of water with glass bowls floating on little donut shaped lily pads. The object of the game is to throw a ping pong ball into the bowl. It was a fun game for little kids, not the adults. Adults had trouble getting the ball to stay in the bowl. The kids were winning like crazy since we had Boogie Boards for the main prize if you got two balls in the bowl. Phuong and I had fun, but now we are both really sore after running after ping pong balls all day.

Last night we went to the Nisei Week Parade and this is the first time we actually staked out a good spot. Note to self for next year, get a spot on Second street. The spot we were in across from JANM's historic building was at the end of the parade this year. It took forever to finally get around to us, and when the end hit it got really cold out and alot of people were freezing. My highlights of the parade were, Our Temple's Taiko group Bonbu playing on the back of a a truck, the Nebuta Float from Japan, The Mikoshi and seeing my friends in the parade.

So hopefully next year, Phuong and I will most likely be real volunteers for JANM, we should be out of debt by then, to have some free time to help out in the community. Other news, we have started going to the Tuesday Night Cafe's outside East West Players (EWP), which is on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Its kind of like a Asian American Variety show, with Music Bands, Spoken word artists, open mic, and other community presentations. Well, this is it for this weeks update. Next weekend is we are going to try to dance in Nisei Weeks Bon Odori street dance, which closes the week long festivities.