I'm standing by a booth talking with Mr. Zhang & a very attractive Chinese woman. We're talking about a party that just ended. Apparently everyone was making fun og Mr. Zhang (who was not there). I'm trying to remember what they called him. The woman helps me remember it was "Mr. Dork" in Chinese. She asks if I referred to him as that and I say no. She asks who called him that and I tell them that just about everyone did. I tell them that includes lots of youngsters like me as well as old timers who lived through 1989 (referring to Tiananmen). As we're talking, I keep tiptoing around, trying to avoid swarms of huge ants & other insects running underfoot.

I'm reading/living a comic book. I'm a high school or middle school student in a classroom. Next to me sits a fat, unpopular kid. During class, I'm reading/living another comic where I have to battle an ever-morphing creature. It turns from a robot to a Halo warrior to a Robotech suit.

I'm looking at a wall where silohettes of an Alien are transforming, weaving a psychedlic storyline.

I'm talking to my dad about a cruise we want to go on. I show him his stateroom just above the water line and our stateroom on a much higher florr in the front of the ship with a terrific view.

Later, I'm on the ship looking out the window as we cruise through a narrow canal of a large city.

Later, I've locked the large public bathroom to masturbate but hear my mom knocking on the door. I get dressed and come out and we go to the stateroom together. She tells me that grandmother Zhang isn't feeling well and staying in her room.

Susannah and I and some friends are in a jewelry store while on vacation. I'm looking for a necklace for Susannah but don't find anything I like. I wander down the stree to another store while the rest of the group stays put. I'm hoping to find something & buy it for her as a surprise. In the other store I find a pendant I think she would like. I ask a salesperson for a cord to go with it. He distractedly shows me something that looks like a small woven blanket. It feels a little scratchy and I know that Susannah wouldn't want to wear something so big and uncomfortable on her neck. I also note that it's $210. I ask if he has just a plain leather strap. He (a tall middle eastern man w/ closely shaved hair) seems mildly irritated and impatient and shows me a couple of plain leather straps that can be cut to size. As I ponder the purchase, the salesman tells me, almostly offhandedly, that for each strao I buy he has to charge me a tax. I'm flabbergasted and start to argue with him. He tells me it's the law and his hands are tied. I loudly start to yell about this so all the other customers can here. "Let's say I want to buy a watch. The watch is $100 and the watchband is $10. Oh, it's aother $10 for the band because of this 'tax.' What the fuck?!" The other customers laugh as I continue ranting. "I grew up in this country, I speak English, buddy. So dont try to pull this shit on me. You did the same thing to me last time I bought here and I made you drop this phony charge. As I walk around ranting, I see the salesman getting visibly angry. "Don't do anything rash, buddy," I taunt him, "Or I'll own this store."

I'm in a hotel lobby or restaurant (maybe on a boat) sitting down at a poker game. The game is very sloppy and in the first hand I'm not even dealt cards. I call a misdeal and someone deals the next hand. He ends up throwing all the cards together and a girl ahead of me picks up four of them (showing two of them). I get very irritated at these amateurs and pick up my chips to find another table. I ask if anyone else wants to start a new table and no one says anything. One guy sitting alone offers to play heads-up. I think for a moment but would rather play a full table.

A few people set up another game but end up using 3 tiny narrow tables and there's no room for me to sit (and no room really to play). I'm irritated as I stand around with my chips under my arm. Someone comments that this table gives us a view of the city and one guy says that he'll be too busy playing to really enjoy the city although he'd like to explore San Francisco. I tell him that I used to live here and he aks if I'd show him around. I half jokingly say, "Only if you'll pay me my presumtive winnings for the night." I tell him about Thanh Long, Ton Kiang, Kang Su, Sam Lok and other places (making myself hungry in the process).

I'm in a large high school bathroom trying to find a stall. I find one that's not too dirty & has plenty of toilet paper and sit down on the toilet. There's no door and I can see into the rest of the bathroom. A black guy walks in and I recognize him. He begins talking to me and suddenly we're outside. There's electronica playing and we're talking about me cutting an audio promo for him. In it, there's is trip hop, drum & bass as well as Rob D's "Clubbed to Death." As we discuss the promo, we start talking about high school. He's a few years older and it turns out that he was a senior when I entered high school. He tells me that he had a medical incident while he was DJing last night and that his liver and lungs switched places. "Yikes! Are you going to be okay?" I ask. He sort of shrugs.