Danny ChaiI’m writing in Charlie Chang’s room, using a Power Macintosh 7100/66.
Today’s my 20th birthday, and following a lead from Andrew Wong, I
thought I’d take the time to list some of the influences on my life, in
no particular order.
Thousand Trails – a park where I’d go as a kid.
G.I. Joe – One of my favorite toys and T.V. shows.
Transformers – One of my favorite toys and T.V. shows.
The Muppet Movie – One of my favorite movies. The last movie that made me
cry.
The Shawshank Redemption – My favorite move. Hope.
Airplane! – The funniest movie ever made.
The Mission – Good movie, great soundtrack.
Out of the Grey – The best band ever.
If These Walls Could Speak – My first favorite song.
Love That Will Not Let Me Go – My favorite song. Listen to it.
James Kim – Best childhood friend.
Mrs. Smith – My dreaded GATE teacher from 4th – 6th grade. She was
insane. I think it scarred me for life. But I learned a lot. If you were
messy, you had to write line #8: My responsibility in being a successful
student is demostrated by accurate and current record keeping and by
being organized 100 times.
The Three Musketeers – Favorite book as a kid.
Mirage – First Transformer.
Sting – Good music.
Peter Pan – Best Disney movie.
Catch-22 – One of the most hilarious books ever. Really good.
The French Lieutenant’s Woman – I love this book. It teaches the truth
about women.
Daniel – My namesake; also a great book of the Bible.
Mere Christianity – A book I just read this summer that changed my life.
Guy Smiley- My favorite Sesame Street character.
MusicFest USA – The national Jazz competition I went to in junior high in
which our junior high jazz band got first twice.
Lynn Macaraeg – The first
Paul Lee and Skittles – Welcome to KFBC
Steva Goff – My piano teacher. She made me the piano cheese-man that I am
today.
MacGyver – My favorite TV show. Duct tape.
X-Men – Favorite comic.
Scott McFarlane – Favorite artist.
Young Kwan Kim – Youth pastor who really influenced me.
Pseudoephidrine – Secret to survival in allergy season.
Mr. and Mrs. Slocum – Junior high music teachers.
As I Lay Dying – The funkiest book I have ever read. I read the whole
thing and still didn’t understand what had taken place. Once I started
studying it, though, I realized it’s amazing.
Lord of the Flies – Favorite book read frosh year at Bell.
Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad – Great praise song. One day we will do it
right.
Portugal – My mission field in the summer of ’93.
Bobby Ro – Best friend in Houston.
Prayer Mountain – The site of our youth group retreats for a long time. I
grew a lot there.
’83 Datsun Sentra – My first (and last?) car.
Baseball Stars – Favorite Nintendo game.
1257 Green Oak Lane – My residence Senior year.
4961 Rice Drive – The house where I grew up.
Yash Mehta – Best school friend. Been in class with him since 1st grade.
Father Capitolo – Physics teacher at Bell. I loved him. He was a bit
senile, but he knew his stuff, and he always started class with a
passage from the Bible.
Oaks – The place to be on a Friday night.
Galaktican – An arcade: my home away from home.
Great America Farmers Market – My first job. I sold hot dogs.
Dave Barry – Favorite writer. He’s kooky.
Step By Step – Favorite T.V. show for a while. Don’t ask me why.
Saved By The Bell – The College Years – Along with Step by Step, the only
T.V. shows I watched regularly senior year.
Apple IIe – The computer that served me well for years.
JUG – Justice Under God – our high school detention. I got to know it
intimately.
Les Miserables – An amazing book I read this summer. Bunches of good
quotes. Really cool.
Catcher In The Rye – I am Holden Caulfield. I really am.
Smurfs – the G’Nat disease – Scariest experience ever.
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center – I worked here two summers ago. Saw things I
will never forget.
Oakridge Mall – The place I would hang out every week when I was a
Mallrat.
The Little Mermaid – Summer of ’90. It was our movie.
It Could Happen To You – I want to be that guy. What a great guy!
Rice Krispies Treats Cereal – Favorite cereal.
KAIST – The place where I went in Korea this past summer. A great
experience, in many ways.
Ja Jang Myun – Best food invented by man.
Chez Panisse – Great restaurant in Berkeley. I love this place.
Big Sur – Used to go to this place some summers. Cool place.
The Brown Van – We’d go camping in this. It had no windows and everyone
would end up vomiting.