Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

His Name Is Wayne Brady

So I saw @waynebrady at Cobb's in San Francisco and he was hilarious. When we spoke after the show I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't remember a thing he said.  

Seriously. He hugged me and everything after that is a blur.

What happened? I never get that way. My job requires me to be able to speak with people at length and to keep it interesting. I have no problem with people in office, the music industry, etc.

So what is it about Wayne Brady?  I think he took me by surprise - you know when someone has the right tone and it goes along with their whole package? 

OK, that's bs. Well sort of. There's some truth to it. I'm seldom distracted to where I'm dumbfounded and can't hear anything besides the noise overpowering his voice. His mouth is moving but I can't hear...

What's going on? 

I DON'T KNOW. I don't know. 

However, I do know this. Wayne Brady smells good. He smelled so good I was dazed and probably looked just as confused. I'm afraid he thinks I'm a big doofus.

My friend Carol looks at me and says, "Wow, that's awesome. He said he'd be a speaker."  

I look at her perplexed, "He did?"

She laughed and answered, "Yes!" "What? You didn't hear him say that?"

"I don't remember anything. I mean, I remember him talking and then suddenly not talking - and all I could think to ask was "Can I get a picture? OMG. How lame is that?" 

Many people vying for his attention were around us taking pictures and with all those flashes going off I...couldn't hear? Or maybe it was all in my head. Those flashes.

Carol laughed as I pondered. She tried to ease my uneasiness and said not to worry because he seemed "very enthused and happy" to see me. I think she's being kind.

Here's a warning to anyone who is especially affected by smells.  Wayne Brady smells so good you'll want to eat him up. He'll stun you with his smile and paralyze you with his...scent.

I felt like a princess when he spoke to me. That's what I remember, even if I can't remember exactly what he was saying. He has that effect. Ask anyone, male or female who attended one of his shows.

Pittsburg, get ready. You're the next stop and then it's Vegas (his big birthday bash on June 2).  All I can say is be prepared to be tongue tied and/or experience memory loss when meeting the unforgettable, impressionable, and Emmy nominated, Wayne Brady.

(please excuse my "no link having post". I'm writing and sending this via email. I will edit and fix it up once I'm on a desktop.)

Meanwhile, find me and say hi or something

Instagram: krystynchong

Photo_1
This is how I felt. Even if I can't remember what he said. Brightly lit eyes and everything.

Photo_2
Wayne Brady, you smell so good.

Btw, I think Wayne Brady should make a cologne. Whatcha think? Yeah? 

Sent from my iPhone

His Name is Wayne Brady

(download)

So I saw @waynebrady at Cobb's in San Francisco and he was hilarious. When we spoke after the show I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't remember a thing he said.

Seriously. He hugged me and everything after that is a blur. What happened? I never get that way. My job requires me to be able to speak with people at length and to keep it interesting. I have no problem with people in office, the music industry, etc.

So what is it about Wayne Brady? I think he took me by surprise - you know when someone has the right tone and it goes along with their whole package?

OK, that's bs. Well sort of. There's some truth to it. I'm seldom distracted to where I'm dumbfounded and can't hear anything besides the noise overpowering his voice. His mouth is moving but I can't hear...

What's going on?

I DON'T KNOW. I don't know.

However, I do know this. Wayne Brady smells good. He smelled so good I was dazed and probably looked just as confused. I'm afraid he thinks I'm a big doofus. My friend Carol looks at me and says, "Wow, that's awesome. He said he'd be a speaker."

I look at her perplexed, "He did?"

She laughs. "Yes! What? You didn't hear him say that?"

I didn't. "I don't remember anything. I mean, I remember him talking and then suddenly not talking and all I could think to ask if I could get a picture. OMG. How lame is that?" I'm now mortified.

My thoughts scramble as I remember all the people vying for his attention around us taking pictures and with all those flashes going off I couldn't hear. Or maybe it was all in my head. Those flashes.

Carol laughed as I pondered. She tries to ease my uneasiness and tells me not to worry because he seemed "very enthused and happy" to see me. I think she's being kind.

Here's a warning to anyone who is especially affected by smells. Wayne Brady smells so good you'll want to eat him up. He'll stun you with his smile and paralyze you with his...scent.

I felt like a princess when he spoke to me. That's what I remember, even if I can't remember exactly what he was saying. He has that effect. Ask anyone, male or female who attended one of his shows.

Pittsburg, get ready. You're the next stop and then it's Vegas (his big birthday bash on June 2). All I can say is be prepared to be tongue tied and/or experience memory loss when meeting the unforgettable, impressionable, and Emmy nominated, Wayne Brady. He is all that, and then some.

http://waynebrady.com/ http://twitter.com/waynebrady

(please excuse my "no link having post". I'm writing and sending this via email. I will edit and fix it up once I'm on a desktop.)

Meanwhile, find me and say hi or something

http://gplus.to/krys http://YouTube.com/user/krystynchong Instagram: krystynchong

Twitter: http://twitter.com/krystynchong

Fb: http://facebook.com/dreammm

photo one: This is how I felt. Even if I can't remember what he said. Brightly lit eyes and everything.

photo two: Wayne Brady, you smell so good.

My Cat, Jiggy. "You're so Smart" #video

Hey there. The video cut off early due to lack of phone storage. Bummer. She was doing her tricks for treats and I thought I'd show her off since she won't stop bugging me. Btw, Jiggy is my 16 year old calico. You can find more on her by checking out her tag here http://dreammm.posterous.com/tag/jiggy and at kryspics http://kryspics.posterous.com/tag/jiggy

If those links don't work forgive me, I'm going on memory and it's been a minute. As soon as I can I will hop on a desktop and edit this with some pretty links.

(download)

See our story
http://vimeo.com/jiggy

Dance with me
http://youtube.com/user/krystynchong

Come see about me
And then Circle me
http://gplus.to/krys


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My Remembrance

The following is a written copy of the remembrance I gave at my Grandma's memorial service.

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My Grandma was big on tradition and having everything "just" right. When faced with the inevitable, I thought about her legacy. I wanted to honor her with showcasing everything she had accomplished. I would do that by making a video of music and pictures, something I have done for friends and family. We'd spoken before regarding this years ago and she was against it.

I wondered how I'd approach the subject.

During our nightly rituals, we'd sit bedside and I'd put my arm around her while we chatted about the days events. We laughed. We cried. We shared our fears and our wishes.

And it was at this time I chose to ask my Grandma what her favorite song was. She thought for a moment and replied, "Christmas carols."

"Uh...how about something else? Something non-holiday related..."

"Why?" she inquired.

I didn't want to bring up the video or anything morose so I blurted, "I'm going to make a documentary on our family. A video of sort. Or of some...thing..."

She knew what I was up to.

"Krystyn Chong"

Oh no. Whenever my Grandmother calls me by my full name - Krystyn Chong as if "Chong" represents not doing exactly what I should be doing, I know she's serious.

"You better not make a video, Krystyn Chong!"

"Grandma, people will enjoy and appreciate knowing everything you've accomplished. You never share these stories or talk about what you've achieved." I argued in my defense.

She shakes her head. "Nobody cares about the video. It doesn't matter..."

I turn away so she won't see the tears that have welled up in my eyes.

"It's too much, Krystyn. People don't want to sit there on their oshiti for hours and see my life flash before theirs." ("oshiti" means "butt" in japanese)

I'm silent. She's so dramatic.

She's denying me the one thing I can do for her because she's worried about about people's oshiti's?!

"So I'm not doing a video, what if my mom wants me to speak?"

"No" she says sternly.

"But Grandma..."

She's easier on me this time, perhaps aware of my angst in not doing exactly what I should be doing. "What would you say?" she asks me.

"I'd say my Grandma wouldn't let me make a video. She's worried about your oshiti hurting when this is over and blaming it on the lengthy service.

We share a good laugh.

"If you can think of something nobody knows, you can speak about it." She tells me.

I sat and contemplated for a minute. What's that mean? Is she trying to tell me something but not tell me - because I should already know?

My Grandmother doesn't share much so there has to be things people don't know, I thought to myself. This will be good. I'll find something.

But in the ensuing days that followed, I didn't find that something. I failed, though I think I figured out the lesson my Grandma wanted me to learn.

Everybody knows her passions.
You know she loves golf.  You know she had an immense love for flowers, her friends, and her family.

Over the past 5 months I've witnessed numerous interactions and spoken with many of my Grandmother's friends as well as family members, who've relayed their stories of how she touched their lives, how she changed their lives in that they are the person they are today because of her.

In Japanese tradition, you visit and bring food to offer your condolences and honor the deceased.

I want to thank you for sharing my Grandma and her stories with me. Words cannot express how much these conversations meant to me. In each of these moments I felt an immense pride that I was her granddaughter and her caregiver.

Your concern, your words, your phone calls, and your presence honor her.

My Grandma did not need people to know this. She did not need a video to show this.


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A month ago I wondered out loud. "Am I ever going to find out something that no one knows?"

Surprisingly, she responded "Maybe."

That maybe came a week later when my Mom came running up the stairs on a Wednesday afternoon. "Grandma's speaking spanish to Ana (a longtime friend of the family)!"

"What? What are you saying? She's speaking Spanish?"

"Yes! I heard her ask Ana questions in Spanish and Ana answered back and Grandma responded. In Spanish!"

 Just then, Ana comes upstairs.

"Krystee, your Grandma is a very smart woman." she tells me.

"What happened?"

Ana goes on to tell me my Grandma had inquired about her age, if she had children and that she seems younger and looked very pretty. Ana answered her questions and then asked my Grandma how she feeling and said my Grandma replied "I am good. My family takes good care of me."

Ana hugs me and wipes my tears away.

I gather myself and go downstairs where my Grandmother is reading the newspaper. "Grandma! How come you never spoke Spanish before!?" I ask.

Her answer was simply, "You never asked me anything in Spanish before."

That evening when I tucked her in and kissed her cheek goodnight she squeezed my hand and said, "Now you have something to speak about."

I smile and press my face next to hers. "Thank you, Grandma. I love you."

She responds in a whisper, "I love you, too, honey. I love you, too."

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Saying Goodbye

Today is a bad day for my Grandma. Yesterday was a good one. My Mom and Jessica took her out in the wheelchair for a walk while the sun was out. She stayed awake the whole day, ate well and slept well.

This morning her legs hurt hurt more than usual. Once she was in her lazy Susan she fell asleep and didn't want to eat, or rather couldn't will her hands or mouth this time.

I administered her medicine throughout the day but she's still in pain.

She yells in pain and unable to stand when I lift her up to move to the commode. My mom helps her as I maneuver everything around so she can sit.

While feeding her tonight at the dinner table she gathered up enough strength to tell me "I have to say goodbye to you guys."

I move in closer and put my head against hers. "No, not yet." I don't want her to suffer but I don't want her to die. "We'll talk tonight, OK?" I want her to relax and at night is when she tends to be more awake than ever, sometimes talking till its daylight.

Just now I tell my mom what she said. "but not tonight, right?" she asks her mom.

My Grandma looks defeated. "Maybe."

My mom massages her.

I start making phone calls.

Hang on, Grandma. ...

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Why?

Last night my dying Grandma asked me to fix her. "You fix me up, OK? Make me better, Krystyn." 

I sat next to her on her hospital bed and put my arm around her. "I'm trying, Grandma. I'm trying..."

Tonight I lay here listless. I feel helpless, tired, sad and pissed. During these late hours I look at beautiful photos online to escape my world. 

Thank you, Instagram.

Mary J. Blige - Why 🎶

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Ikebana Camellia Festival entry 2012

This flower arrangement is so beautiful, I wish you could see it in person.

Materials: driftwood, camellia, plum blossom, babies breath & dragons The festival is Saturday and Sunday (March 3-4, 2012) at the Memorial Auditorium.

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My 92 yr old terminal Grandma (professor) and Janice Yee (student).

http://dreammm.com/
http://youtube.com/user/krystynchong
http://gplus.to/krys

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