Saturday, September 15, 2001

Try to remember when life was so tender
That no one wept except the willow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
That dreams were kept beside your pillow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
That love was an ember about to billow.

Try to remember and if you remember, then follow...

- The Fantasticks

01:25 AM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

"We have no choice now but, as a horror-struck Hamlet said after being visited by the ghost, to "wipe away all trivial fond records" from the table of memory, and hope that our learning curve will be steep." - Frank Rich

01:22 AM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

Thursday, September 13, 2001

What follows are screen shots from a section of the recently recalled trailer (because it features the World Trade Center) of the upcoming Spiderman film.

(Found thanks to Dinah)

09:23 PM PST [Link] [1 Comment]

Wednesday, September 12, 2001

Someone on a mailing list I belong to posted a message saying in a nutshell, in response to the attacks on the country this week, the last thing we need is negatism (also known as the upcoming scheduled Broadway production of Assassins) and that "we don't need to examine the dark side" as it "never does us any good." Note that I haven't forwarded the original comments, as the mailing list doesn't allow messages to be forwarded outside the list. I feel I've referred to the message in question with pretty broad strokes and that I fully believe that I haven't violated this rule.

My response to this was as follows...

Oh yeah. Definitely. To hell with examining and contemplating all sides to a story. If we just ignore it, close our eyes and plug our ears, it'll all go away. Bring on the dancing elephants. Turn off the news. Shut the blinds. We really shouldn't be talking about any of this. We should put blinders on and sing the national anthem until all of our problems disappear. It won't do us a lick of good to do anything but look for the silver linings.

How frightening.

Come on along and listen to
The lullaby of Broadway
The hip hooray and bally hoo
The lullaby of Broadway
The rumble of the subway train
The rattle of the taxis
The daffy-dills who entertain
Until the dawn
Good night, baby
Good night, milkman's on his way

The only rumbles I've heard of around Broadway in the past several days certainly haven't come from a subway. And as much as I love those daffy-dills and dream of the magic of the theatre and the Broadway we all know and love, there's more to society than that.

I'm not saying 42nd Street has no place on Broadway. It certainly does. And I'll see it a thousand times. But to suggest that we pay no attention to anything without glitter, flashing lights, and pretty girls singing about how wonderful the world is... well that'd be a sad state of affairs for the theatre world and society in general. Do we turn off the news and pretend it doesn't exist? Do we agree to only talk, discuss, and debate issues that leave us all with warm and fuzzy feelings?

One of the fascinating aspects of Assassins is that in an hour and a half it forces the audience to see just how wrong these people were. Now, of course they were wrong. We know that. Perhaps you assumed Assassins was a musical comedy with historical characters doing the can-can and laughing up a storm.

"All you have to do is move your little finger - you can shut down the New York Stock Exchange. Shut down schools in Indonesia. In Florence, Italy, a woman will leap from the Duomo clutching a picture of your victim and cursing your name. Your wife will weep. His wife will weep. The world will weep. Grief. Grief beyond imagining. Despair. The death of innocence and hope...."

Have you seen Assassins? Assassins isn't negative. Assassins expresses what society feels. Everyone. It shines a light on the futility of striking back blindly. The act of our assassins have surely been negative, to say the least. But the examination of assassins in the musical Assassins helps to understand just what it takes to go to that extreme. And even if it didn't, even if it was the most negative piece of theatre imaginable, I'd much rather see Assassins than Mamma Mia or 42nd Street.

These people who have been behind the evil that has taken place in our country this week, whoever they turn out to be, they practiced their evil for reasons. Whatever these reasons are, be they political, religious, or merely a stomach ache, they hijacked these planes, killed tens of thousands of people including themselves... they did these for their reasons. They thought they would help to fix their problems. And did they? Where's their prize now?

And it didn't mean a nickel.
You just shed a little blood.
And a lot of people shed a lot of tears.
Yes, you made a little moment.
And you stirred a little mud.

But it didn't fix the stomach
And you've drunk your final Bud.
And it didn't help the workers
And it didn't heal the country.
And it didn't make them listen.
And they never said "We're sorry"

I'm just as frightened of people who suggest things like you have as I am of those who are so quick to demand retaliation for what has happened. "An eye for an eye and the whole world would be blind." You claim that examining our fractured society and looking at issues through shows like Assassins "never does us any good." What frightens me is that you'd rather be deaf to such shows. You can count me as one who hopes more than anything that our nation keeps both its eyes and ears open, especially in this time of great crisis.

10:56 PM PST [Link] [3 comments]

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Never again do I want to wake up with a phone call telling me that the U.S. is under attack and the World Trade Center buildings have collapsed. If you're in the NYC area and I haven't heard from you, please let me know how you're doing.

09:33 AM PST [Link] [3 comments]

:(

08:56 AM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

I'm silent because I am vocal elsewhere.

Vocal in change, new horizons, spiffy kitchen countertops, actually having the chance to design dream houses with the potential to be real in th enot too distant future. I am vocal in the development of a longtime growing business about to launch full speed ahead and spread its wings, growing into something which I do not yet fully know.

I'm also being far too silly and vocal in this blog right now when I should be working on other things.

Just because I'm vocal elsewhere doesn't mean you can't be vocal here.

Or here.

12:07 AM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

Wednesday, September 5, 2001

Happy Birthday to my brother and brand new business partner Scott. :)

12:10 AM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

Tuesday, September 4, 2001

I've been holding out on you. I can hold it in no longer. I have big things to tell you about. I'm so excited. I don't know how to tell you this. But, you see... well...

I'm a big celebrity. Many of you knew this already. Some of you still don't believe. But it's true.

Oh baby is it true. It says so right there in blue and white Or purple and white. Depending on if you reloaded it to make sure your eyes were in fact reading that I'm a big celebrity. That's me. Listed on the very same page as Madonna, Magic Johnson, Malcolm X, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, and Mr. T. I've also now joined the ranks of Marc Kudisch (snicker), Mandy Patinkin (shudder), and Michael Crawford (gag)!

Fear not, dear reader. I will not change at all. Even though I am a big celebrity, I am the same Mark Bakalor you all know and love. Well, almost. I'll be harder to get hold of and rude. But the same none the less.

;-)

11:09 PM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

Thursday, August 30, 2001

I tried to blog this late last week but was thwarted by my blogging bug. Now that that's fixed (and because you can see the new and pretty white kitchen cabinets in the latest webcam pic)...

I'm busy working on getting the house ready to sell and am now equipped with new kitchen countertop, new kitchen sink, new bathroom sink, and white paint to get me well on my way. In a few days I just might decide to stay here in the first place. Naaaaah.

10:53 PM PST [Link] [3 comments]

Major developments on the professional freelance side of my (and others, too) life to come soon. Hijinks Design... This is not your fathers design shop. Major new clients and offerings to potential clients. Keep an ear out... comin' at'cha soon!

05:45 PM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

Wednesday, August 29, 2001

The following websites have predicted the corresponding life expectancy of me as being:

• deathclock.com - 74
  
• thespark.com - 74
  
• retireweb.com - 78
  
• northwesternmutual.com - 79
  
• livingto100.com - 86
  
• longtolive.com - 89

01:33 AM PST [Link] [1 Comment]

Monday, August 27, 2001

Ten billion thanks go out to Noah who turned my inability to blog for quite a while into the ability to once again share my voice with all y'all. So, for those of you who would rather not have me blog, blame Noah! ;-)

10:07 PM PST [Link] [1 Comment]

Wednesday, August 22, 2001

For those interested in Assassins, I put together and thought this was interesting.

02:18 AM PST [Link] [10 comments]

Monday, August 20, 2001

I am enjoying comment overload.

04:01 PM PST [Link] [1 Comment]

I am experiencing real estate overload.

03:56 PM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

Friday, August 17, 2001

Hello from Southern California! We got in yesterday evening and I start my home search this afternoon. I'll be seeing prospects this afternoon, all day tomorrow, and most of Sunday. I hope you're all doing well! :)

12:15 PM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

Thursday, August 16, 2001

Unfortunately I can't do this until I get back from my trip on Monday. If you'd like to, please feel free to contact tkkang@hkucc.hku.hk and let Mr. T.K. Kang know that his imitation is not considered flattering or appropriate.

11:29 AM PST [Link] [1 Comment]

Wednesday, August 15, 2001

It is now inevitable. I have reached a crucial step and am about to officially push snowball down hill...

• Step One - Begin working solely for myself. Become financially secure while doing so.
  
• Step Two - Take a trip down to L.A. Make sure I really want to move there. Did it, am Sure.
  
• Step Three - Get back in touch with real estate agent. Discuss selling my condo.
  
• Step Four - Begin condo renovations in preparation for selling condo.
  
• Step Five - Make plans with real estate agents in Southern California to see homes.
  

I'll be completing Step Six down south Thursday through Monday seeing homes and areas in preparation for my now inevitable move to SoCal. See you at Step Seven.

Your homework while I'm away is coming up with as many "Step Sevens" as you can. Make them good, and productive, so I can be ready to continue when I return!

09:48 PM PST [Link] [Comment on this]

WTF!?

10:40 AM PST [Link] [3 comments]