Category: Helena
Happy Birthday, Blog
Sixteen years ago today, I started a Blogger called Bklyn Bulging. It was a primarily a moblog with photos and text composed and uploaded from my Treo 600.1
Not surprisingly, the first post featured my cat.
It felt like magic to instantly share images and thoughts from wherever I was at the moment. Blogging pushed all kinds of creative and nerd buttons within me. I loved it.
2004 was also the midst of a tough time in my life and I was in a very introspective place, trying to figure out how I got to where I was and where I could go next. The blog, along with the journaling I’d been doing for years, was a way to help myself sort the situation. Sharing what I saw around me and connecting it to other things on my mind and in my heart was, if nothing else, therapeutic.
(Public Service Announcement: actual official therapy from a professional was immensely helpful too. If you’re struggling and you think you need to talk to someone, do not hesitate like I did for too many years. Just please go try it.)
Blogging was also a way for me to continue to practice writing for an audience again. Peeling, the wonderful NYC Asian-American theater collective I was a member of, had recently gone defunct, closing the only public outlet I had for writing.
At the time, I hadn’t made any films yet but very badly wanted to get started. Bklyn Blggng helped keep those muscles working while I taught myself how to write and direct short films. Writing begets more writing, in my experience.
In the next installment of this series, I’ll cover more of the journey back to blogging. But today I just wanna wish the blog HBD and reflect a bit on the passage of sixteen years.
The hoodie’s still in good shape.
1In 2020, we clearly recognize this as social media, but in 2004 it was a pretty rare thing. And I remind you young whippersnappers that when Twitter got started, they were known as a microblogging service.
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Self-Care
It’s true: exercise & pets can help reduce anxiety
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Supposedly
Supposedly cats don’t know what cameras are. Supposedly they just randomly & inadvertently put themselves in photogenic situations.
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Birthday Cat 2020
Happy 10th birthday to my dearest Helena. You can’t ask for a better cat to spend a pandemic with.
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Tired/Wired
Tired: drone delivery from Amazon
Wired: balloon delivery of cat treats
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Essential Cat Working
Remember: you’re always an Essential Worker to your cat.
(Thank you to all the real Essential Workers out there.)
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240fps
My cat at 240 frames per second
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CAT: Cat Aerial Transit
Super excited to announce completion of CAT (Cat Aerial Transit), connecting left & right sides of our living room with a dedicated feline right-of-way.
Project completed on-time & under-budget thanks to unexpected West Elm sale.
#LeapDay
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You need a cat
Every day is Caturday when you have a cat. #adopt
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Your cat needs adventures
Why should dogs have all the fun? For a happier cat, take ‘em for walks. #adventurecats
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Mugging for the camera
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Cat’s in the bag
Indie filmmaking essentials: gaff tape, cheap tripod, releases, headphones, ~10lb cat
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Unicorn
I refuse to let my cat wear a unicorn “costume” given by a well-intentioned friend. These things are demeaning and uncomfortable.
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Bathtub Cat
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All You Need is Cat
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TV Dinner
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X Cat
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Lamp Cat
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Happy New Year 2016
Helena and I wish everyone a purrrrrfect 2016!
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Book Jacket Cat
Helena’s author photo for the cover of her next book.
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Relaxed Cat
Is your day already too hectic? Don’t stress, Helena is busy taking it easy for ALL of us.
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Happy Birthday Helena
Happy fifth birthday to my awesome Helena.
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One Fast Cat
My cat > Making people laugh > My dignity
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Everyday is Caturday
Every day is #Caturday (when you have a cat).
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Amazon Prime Cat
Really psyched that Amazon Prime Cat is finally available in my neighborhood.
Slow-mo cat week continues: Helena operates the Greenies dispenser.
Cat enrichment, human entertainment. Everybody wins.
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Sunday Morning Cat
iPod OG
Once a year I charge up my original iPod to make sure the battery and hard drive still work, because I wanna keep this thing playing forever. Helena is impressed that Thunderbolt can still connect to Firewire 400.
CLIC
Soon after you get over the shock of being old enough to need reading glasses, you realize they’re kind of a pain in the ass to actually use. These CliC glasses are easy to wear, less than $30, and make me look like the shop teacher I always wanted to be. I love ’em so far.
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Feline Enrichment
You don’t need money or space to create an enriching environment for your cat. You just need a few things from Ikea and the ability to withstand judgmental comments from visitors.
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Silos
It’s not cruel to make your cat work for its food. It’s enrichment!
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The Chillaxed Cat
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Helena
Before the inevitable onslaught of snow pix, here’s a cat pix of my dear Helena.
Sometime next year, this bookcase that Helena’s crouching on will probably be replaced by cat shelves. I have a feeling she can’t wait.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpchan/11640494703/
Helena proves that the best things in a cat’s life are free: your attention and cardboard boxes.
Helena puts the lion in Mountain Lion.
It’s week three (or maybe four) of Helena’s first-ever indoor grass patch. I’ve yet to catch her chillaxing on the turf, but the cat-shaped imprint there tells me all I need to know.
She’s only been here five months, but Helena pretty much owns the place now. Nobody’s complaining.
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Sodastream Anxiety
As far as I can tell, there’s no way to know if you’re near the end of a Sodastream tank. Is there a name for the anxiety that comes with this uncertainty?
NO points for answering “first world problem.” None whatsoever.
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Meet Helena
I still miss my beloved Marla Singer, but eventually I realized that the best way to honor her memory was to open my home to a cat who really needed one.
Plus, I just plain missed having a cat around the house.
So: welcome Helena, formerly of the ASPCA, NYC Animal Care & Control, and an owner who had to give her up due to a move.
Helena’s 2.5 years old, 9 pounds, and has similar coloring to Marla (I have a weakness for tuxedos) but with a personality and energy level that’s very different from my former cat.
She’s pure joy to be around.
Helena was the name the ASPCA gave her but I like it, so I’ll keep it. However, I’ll most likely add a few other names once I decide on them. Current favorites include: Helena Bonham Catter Chan and Helena Bonbon Chan, to keep the Fight Club references going…
(Manhattan)