Berkeley is a city many people associate with weirdness. Good or bad, the weirdness is usually a result of people wanting to be different or themselves without the pressures of the society. These pressures are usually slopes that tend to roll down people into a pile of red tape, in case someone wants to do something that puts a bad name to the reputation of that society. While Berkeley tends to call itself a hippie or a trendy culture, it can in fact, when observed, can be seen as a city that takes many qualities of San Francisco and applies them to a quieter, less hyper and in many cases a safer area called Berkeley.

Shark van, shark van, who are you?
Shark van, shark van, what are you?
Shark van, shark van, who drives you?
Shark van, shark van, where are you?

Berkeley houses many different types of visual differences compared to many of the neighboring cities. Even San Francisco, which exceeds Berkeley in many levels, has random exhibits of emotions and ideas in people and the artifacts that are visible to both the people and the cameras. Whether one is on Facebook or on MySpace, people in Berkeley can walk around with almost any attire in many of the different areas around the UC Berkeley campus. This Shark Van in Berkeley is one of such artifacts in Berkeley which differs than many, if not most, of the vehicles in San Francisco. While it is unknown whether the Shark Van can conquer the heights of the hilly roads in San Francisco, it is very clear that the Shark Van exists to conquer the curiosity, or visual satisfaction, of many observers.

Who drives the Shark Van? What is is used for? I am not sure. I would love to find out. I have seen the Shark Van drive by me more than once when I used to live in Berkeley. Then, the thoughts of where to eat the next Thai food or which movie to watch that night immediately followed the happy face that came around after seeing the Shark Van. Now, I have to think about the Shark Van and wonder about the reasons behind and around it, and the reasons it creates for other things.

Shark van, shark van, can I ride with you?
Shark van, shark van, I am scared if you carry candy with you?
Shark van, shark van, who was it that made you?
Shark van driver, shark van driver, do you eat vegetables, or do you eat shark and tofu?

So here is the Shark Van. Found in Berkeley in this picture. The actual shark, or the driver, may live nearby.

For many people, the car represents masculinity. For me, a car can probably represent two things, among a few others: art, and a way to travel. A car for me does not represent masculinity. In fact, I do not know how many of the major things in my car work. I do not like car magazines, nor do I prefer to obsess with cars. Same thing with cameras. I like cameras a lot, though my love for camera starts only around the picture arena. I personally do not care if a camera has 1 megapixel or 18 megapixels. If the picture that comes out is good, or if I can take a good picture, I am so happy that I start focusing on photographic dreams.

Observation, on the other hand, can be an obsession that results in a liking. And this car is no different. My best friend Katie has a lot of interest in things like color, and I myself seem to have started appreciating it more after having married Katie. Living a life where we both do things together, the way we did as best friends, there seem to be very few, yet distinct, situations where I realize, or have to, that we are married and thus we are doing something or going through something. I like that concept a lot.

So what does that have to do with this car? Many things. First, Katie and I are both reflected in this picture, even though I thought I was taking a picture that may probably show me more than her. Second, focusing on a color concept seems to be a very important thing in many pictures. Colourlovers.com is a site that Katie loves. Looking at the colors outside in the world, I can get a small feeling as to why she and millions of other people do.

Long time ago, Ford created cars with only one color: black. Henry Ford, while a visionary in terms of car production time frames, was a narrow minded industrialist who thought that people would only want the colors that he would produce: black. Well, when demand increases and so does competition, a good sales person, a good stereotypical sales person to be precise, can change his or her own words. And back when female sales people were probably not to be found anywhere in the car industry, Henry Ford’s company decided to introduce cars in more colors. Not only that, many believe that Henry Ford shared similar views with Hitler when it came to the Jews. In 1920, it has been said that Ford told a New York World reporter:

The international financiers are behind all war. They are what is called the International Jew — German Jews, French Jews, English Jews, American Jews. I believe that in all these countries except our own the Jewish financier is supreme… Here, the Jew is a threat.

So here is a Ford F1. What year? I do not know. What model? Hmm, an F1? What specifications? 4 tires, 2 doors, 1 back hatch, and windows. What colors? Ohh, red, white, black, silver, and maybe a color or two more. Oh, and some green. Even if Ford did not want it.

What is it about Elmo that excites you? Nothing. In my case at least. It is probably SpongeBob that excites me more. Way more. That is like saying exciting excites me. The trains also excite me. I think. BART excites me. Except when I feel I am about to be eaten by creepy people.

So here I met Elmo. Hi Elmo! On the Bay Area Rapid Transit [BART] train to San Francisco. What a happy personality he has! This is the Bay Area, so the destinations are aplenty. Or more than the turns on Sesame Street. The Bay Area Rapid Transit [BART] will take you to San Francisco. And to Richmond. And to Berkeley. And also back to where I boarded this train: Pleasant Hill.

Where is Elmo going? Oh who knows. Or who cares. In an area where many things happen, Elmo could be going to eat Thai food. Or meet his gay lover. Or become the new spokesperson for the National Rifle Association. Or he may be on the train simply to meet me and be featured on my site. Not sure. Many people react differently to the strange things happening on trains. I wonder if I was being ignored by others on this day, because of taking pictures of a red creature who needed to hold onto the seat in order to look at me sitting in the seat behind him.

Maybe they were scared of being eaten by the creepy Elmo and his photographer.

When? Taken July 6th, 2009, at 4:20pm. Somewhere between Pleasant Hill and San Francisco on BART, probably around Orinda. I don’t remember: I was busy thinking of more pictures.

Also on BrightKite, Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Twitpic & Twitter.

What to put here,
what do I see.
The pinnacle of the start,
and the start of the “we”?

A different kind of partnership,
something that we have chosen.
A more complete outlook on things,
something that is outspoken.

Here we go, the beginning of life,
who wants to hold the road map?
Here we go, the beginning of life,
time to enjoy the road map.

Let us have fun,
let us do everything.
Time to go out,
in order to stay in.

A wave in all directions,
many leading to the heart.
This ripple effect is like an ecstasy,
since this is all a jump start.

So the road ahead tells us the details,
of how and why it can.
We look at it all and start wondering,
let us relax and focus on randomness with a plan.

Location: The Stanford Court Renaissance San Francisco Hotel at 905 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA.

When: December 31st, 2009. 8:34pm.

Who: Katie & Me. Wedding night.

Also on: Also on BrightKite, Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Twitter and TwitPic.

Tell me. I'll listen. - by Bes Zain

Tell me, I will listen,
for I have a lot to say too,
tell me, I will listen,
for I see a lot of words in you.

What is it, you can share,
I think I can keep a secret or two,
tell me, I want to hear,
I will listen and tell you something too.

If those that society wants you to be with,
do not understand you, do not listen to you,
you can find out others and just be anything,
for the real listener may simply be within you.

Do you want to make money,
or do you want to work online?
Want a friend on Facebook,
or a physical friend offline?

Do you want to eat more food,
or do you want to write more?
Do you want to blog on MySpace,
or do you want to hide some more?

Do you want to study,
or do you want to stop working?
Do you want to socialize more,
or do you want to stop flirting?

Do you know what you want,
or are you still thinking?
Have you made out a plan yet,
or are you still planning?

Is something bothering you,
or are you bothering someone?
Is there anything that you want to do,
or do you want to be someone?

Tell me what it is,
if you wish to tell me.
For you have a choice to be silent,
for being silent communicates too.

Tell me, I will listen,
for I am wondering if I should speak too,
tell me, I will listen,
for I see a lot of life in me too.

Info: The two heads, Eggheads, are called “Yin & Yang”, by Robert Arneson, previously a professor at UC Davis. This is located in The Embarcadero public park area, right by the San Francisco Piers [near the universally famous Fisherman's Wharf]. The rest of the Eggheads by Robert Arneson are scattered around UC Davis in Davis, California.

Photographer: Katie.

Related: “Communicate yes & no”

Also on BrightKite, Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Twitter and TwitPic.

Contrast is life support. by Bes Zain

It may possibly be the color,
that seems to seduce,
it may be the trend,
that wants to reduce,

“What makes life?”,
I ponder sometimes,
Is wondering about life,
the only life sometimes?

Is it the journey,
that excites the life,
or is it the destination,
that finishes the strife?

It is simply the contrast,
which makes up everything.
Being similar is not the answer,
being anything can be everything.

So here sits the thought,
deep in the open trenches,
thinking whether to get out forever,
or to stay out in the open for a bit.

So there is the building,
high up above,
showing me how contrast it is,
in and against life to define life support.

Also on Facebook, BrightKite, Flickr, MySpace, Twitter and TwitPic.

One day in SF I saw two heads,
one was leaning & one upset,
I wondered “wth?” and what they wanted,
heads heads heads heads heads.

I asked the head on the left,
“why you rolling? is that your bed?”,
I got no reply, just a weird wince,
wince wince wince wince wince.

I was kind of scared to talk,
to the upset face on the right,
he was yelling & did not see,
me me me me me.

Apparently the two had somehow met,
earlier in life on an emotional set,
the two had never gotten along,
fight fight fight fight fight.

The one on the right felt ignored,
he felt like the other always acted bored,
the one on the right had many complaints,
damn this damn this damn this.

The one on the left felt abused,
he was asked for favors and kind of felt misused,
by the one on the right he always accused,
used bruised refused confused.

So now instead of a visual landmark,
I got stuck with two fighting sharks,
oh I just wanted to make new friends,
dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.

I could ask the right what he said,
and I could ask the left what he felt,
but then I thought of the pain that would ensue,
subdue subdue subdue.

So I decided to bid farewell to the two,
but talking or listening would only be moot,
so I jumped through the danger loop,
jump through escape through jump through!

Photographer: Katie.

Related: “Communicate yes or no.”

Also on Facebook. On Flickr. On BrightKite. On MySpace. On Twitter. On TwitPic.