Chances are if you’ve been on Twitter or Facebook for more than a few weeks you have seen Melissa Chang (@melissa808) exclaim “Pay attention to meeee!” and may have wondered what is up with this self-centered, egotistical, pushy Chinee broad?! Well, there is a running joke on Twitter that no one pays attention to her and so she is always having to go around saying “Pay attention to meeee!”

I, for one thoroughly enjoy responding to her query of “Didn’t you see it in my blog?” with a “You have a blog?” or more currently “I didn’t read it, I just ‘like’ it and move on.” Which usually results in a “Yew bastid!” and I know that my mission has been accomplished.

That being said, it occurred to me that as our social media community grows and new people enter, there are some who may take her “Pay attention to meeee!” as a serious cry for attention and may be put off by this type of a statement. I don’t fault these people for feeling that way, I would probably feel the same way if I were new to a community and that’s the first impression I have of a person. To some extent there may be some truth that Melissa is asking for attention, but don’t most human beings want some form of validation for their living and breathing? Melissa loves to write so it wouldn’t it only be natural that to look for validation so she knows she’s not doing it for nothing? Everyone has personal needs and finds satisfaction in different ways and means, right? But is that all it is? I don’t think so.

In Melissa’s case I believe “Pay attention to meeee!” is really not about her at all. If you actually read her blog (and I do even though I would prefer she not know that because where is the fun in that?) you will see that she rarely writes about HER. Yes, it is what SHE experienced at this place or that place, but it isn’t about building HERSELF up. It is almost always about her trying to get exposure for someone else — a local business, person, cause, etc.

Consider this: If she writes about Ono to Go (@onotogo) and they end up franchising their business to some China businessman who happens to be one of Melissa’s loyal readers. Does she all of a sudden become rich and famous? Highly unlikely, right? Then why do it? Does she get paid megabucks to write these things? Ha, guess again. Not even close! Are these all her clients? No. If every place she wrote about were clients of hers she wouldn’t be doing business with a geek like me and would find herself some really good partners and a staff of many.

My observation is, and I fully admit that I am not a completely objective person in this case, when Melissa says “Pay attention to meeee!” what she really means is “Pay attention to the members of my community that I am writing about.” She finds great satisfaction in seeing how something she is passionate about can have a positive impact on the community she lives in, both virtually and IRL.

You don’t have to take my word for it, pay attention to her and you will see for yourself.

Disclaimer: Melissa Chang is a business partner and a friend (her opinion may vary)

…by a girl!!

Yes, there is no typo there, @jlieu CANNOT be trusted and here is why.

One day I get an email message from her. “Can you and @mel808 please do me a favor and come down to The Wedding Ring Shop? We need background people for a commercial shoot. You don’t have to talk or anything. It’ll be quick, easy and I’ll buy you guys dinner after. No pressure, it will be fun!”

The result?

Now, in @jlieu’s defense she didn’t actually intend to trick me into this as she did have someone else that was supposed to be in this segment who bailed on her. At least that is the story she told me that day at the shoot itself. BUT, what fun would it be to hassle her about that right?

I will say this much. Jenn said she would make me famous and if the initial Twitter/FB messages that I’ve been getting are any indication, she has succeeded to do so at least in my small world.

Thanks Jenn…..I think.

@photolulutv was more than happy to comply with this hair net rule.

But later in the day it became disturbingly clear that he may have been much too comfortable with a hair net.

At least if there is ever a psycho avie day he’ll already have a pic ready to go!

Yesterday was #tweeball day which was fun and this time injury-free for all involved. It wasn’t until after we were wrapped up and just standing around talking story where my revelation that Ryan may be homeless and living out of his truck started to come together.

Previously Ryan had mentioned to me that he always goes to Ala Wai Park to wash his truck. And he claims, NOT to stalk his ex-girlfriend who works right there. At the time I thought this was kind of interesting but I have seen other people doing that too so didn’t think much of it. Although I did think it was interesting as he has said that he lives in a house and I would think he could do it there.

So fast forward to yesterday and we’re outside the gym and Mel asks Ryan if he’s going to drive all the way home only to come right back out to the 106proof tweetup that started in only a couple of hours. Ryan says that he was just going to go to a park (I forget which one) and take a shower there. This elicited a “I don’t wanna know what he does in there.” response from me and went off on a couple of tangents about how he must know of all the places to do this and how he is like a homeless person. Haha, very funny, blah, blah, blah.

Then we all head over to our cars and this is what the back of Ryan’s nicely washed truck looks like.

Isn’t this exactly what you would expect the back of a homeless person’s truck to look like?!

Needless to say. If you walk into a park restroom and see some hairy homeless looking person taking a shower in there, treat him nicely it is probably Ryan.

ADDENDUM: Please note that Ryan also says he’s in “social work” and that he never calls in sick. My contention is that this is part of a web of partial truths that he has constructed.

Yes, he’s “in social work” but really he’s the client.

Yes, he never calls in sick to his job. When was the last time you saw a homeless person call in sick? How can you take sick leave from being homeless? You get a home for a while?

Da gang waiting to be seated.

Keiki cheeseburger plate

Fried noodles meat and egg only

Fried noodles

Shrimp scampi plate. Three of us ordered this that night!

The staff singing happy birthday!

Oreo cookie sundae

Birthday brownie sundae

@bcdlane your staff ROCKS!

The background story on this is that @michael_choy has apparently been leaving his iPad out and logged in to Twitter when attending the past couple of tweetups. An unknown “friend” of his has been tweeting out from it “I want a hug.” or something along those lines. Which results in Michael getting hugs for what he thinks is just random reasons.

Since he wasn’t too happy with the hugs that he was getting from me I decided to step it up a notch just to see what would happen. His eyes were telling me that he wanted me to do it.

@usagikisses

@melching5

The students LOVE this part of the program and applaud the loudest both before AND after the faculty and staff perform.

Unfortunately they prefer the head or my neck to anything else. Or is that fortunately? Hmmm….

Rats get no love….*sadface*

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