One thing I noticed was the smell of weed. It wasn’t just the mere smell of it that I noticed but the pervasiveness of the smell in the open air, restaurants, shops, cafes just about everywhere. In fact I could have sworn that the free city map I got from the airport even smelled of it (must have been made out of hemp). It was incredible seeing how many porn stores and head shops there were. I went inside one seemingly ordinary head shop. It turned out to be the most impressive retail recreational drug shop I’d ever been to. There were hundreds of pipes, if not thousands, made of metal, wood, glass and stone. There were hundreds of bongs, multi-chambered and themed. There were quite a number of hookas as well. I saw peyote, fresh no less, for the first time. They’re little cacti. Supposedly you fell a sense of calmness and oneness of yourself with your surroundings. Also I saw fridge I saw fresh mushrooms, packaged in black boxes with cellophane wrap, on display in a fridge. Each was labeled by its variety. While looking at the display, a sales attendant, a cute Dutch raver girl with braid tails, asked if I needed any help. She pointed out the specials on mushrooms that they were having for the day. Out of curiosity I asked her on how to take it. From behind the sales counter she pulled out a pink colored half sheet paper from amongst numerous stacks of different colored papers with directions, tips and proper dosages. Only in Amsterdam…
My direct flight to from Los Angeles to Amsterdam was pretty uneventful. I sat next to a Dane named Jasper and his 4 year son. He was 33, a retired web developer, ongoing college student studying chemistry and microbiology. It was cool being able to get to know someone that you're going to have to sit next to for the next 11 hours. After touching down in Amsterdam, ny first impression of the Netherlands wasn't much of one. It was just very... European. Cars were smaller and there weren't many buses, not even tour buses, to be in sight. Check out this Mercedes A Class: http://photobucket.com/albums/v611/alphaqx2/ mercedes" title="http://photobucket.com/albums/v611/alphaqx2/ mercedes" target="_blank"http://photobucket.com/albums... They're so incredibly small!
However trains, subways and light rail were everywhere. Also there were millions of bicycles. There were more bicycles than cars. And these weren't your high performance mountain or touring bikes but your Mary Poppins, straight out of the 1900's, complete with mud guards, headlights and U-shaped handlebars kind. These people live off bicycles. In Asia you see entire families on a scooter. In Amsterdam you see families on bicycles. I saw one woman smoke, talk on a cell phone and ride her bike at the same time. Talk about multi-tasking! Strange thing is the Netherlands isn't a poor third world nation. Dutch people don't ride bikes because they're poor. Dutch ride bikes because its economical, environmental and practical. Go figure! Here are some more pictures of Amsterdam: http://photobucket.com/albums/v611/alphaqx2/ Amsterdam" title="http://photobucket.com/albums/v611/alphaqx2/ Amsterdam" target="_blank"http://photobucket.com/albums...
... DICKING, LICKING, COCKING, SUCKING... How about a big dick for a change?"
How about that to grab your attention? It's been a long time since I've blogged. For a variety of reasons I just couldn't get around to entering a new entry. Work, school and password problems kept me away from blogging. Work has been outrageously busy. I've been having to work weekends more often. This past weekend even entailed working the graveyard shift twice. Needless to say sleeping on an office desk sucks ass. The only comfort being that sleeping on a desk is cleaner than sleeping on the floor. Somehow I've been able to manage to keep myself in school and not fail miserably. I spent a week and a half in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany as part of my MBA residential program. I hand wrote some blog material while there and should be posting in the coming week or so. The entry header was actually a pitch line used by a live sex show promoter in the Amsterdam red light district. I'll definitely write more on that experience in upcoming entries. Some eye-opening moments... I doubt that the readership of this blog missed me however I missed the aspect of recording my thoughts and sharing them. Stay tuned...
It seems like I’ve hit a nostalgic groove lately. I happened to hear this old song on the radio while in a store somewhere. See if you recognize the song by the words.
As I watch you move, across the moonlit room There's so much tenderness in your loving Tomorrow I must leave, the dawn knows no reprieve God give me strength when I am leaving
CHORUS
So raise your hands to heaven and pray That we'll be back together someday Tonight, I need your sweet caress Hold me in the darkness Tonight, you calm my restlessness You relieve my sadness
As we move to embrace, tears run down your face I whisper words of love, so softly I can't believe this pain, it's driving me insane Without your touch, life will be lonely
CHORUS
Morning has come, another day I must pack my bags and say goodbye, goodbye
Does anybody know the name of this song? Of course I already know. I just wanted to quiz anybody reading this blog. In any case the reason why I’m writing about this song in this entry is that this song conjured up an old memory. A couple of years after high school, about eight of my friends and I, from all over the state of California, crashed at a friend’s place in Berkeley. We were listening to someone’s mix tape while we were going to sleep. Back then everyone had their own personalized mix of slow jams or dance hits on tape. When this song came on, a lone voice sang a couple lines. As everybody listened intently to that imperfect yet soulful, melancholic voice, they waited for the ensuing response from that daring solo performance. Would someone crack a joke? Would someone say something contemplative and reflective to sum up? Would someone fart? Worse yet, would someone do a self-prescribed reality check by stating the obvious sappiness to the moment. Rather another lone voice followed singing the next couple of lines. Another line or two, another voice would join. More voices joined until all of us sang along in unison.
Looking back at that moment in “grown-up vision,” there’s an undeniable cheesy element but aside from that it had an unmistakable sense of innocence. At that moment, as the carelessness youth of our hearts reverberated in our voices into that one song, there was an almost shared sense of telepathic obliviousness to the realities, norms and pressures of outside world. All we cared about was living in THAT particular moment, not the next day, not a week from then nor any other day in the short-term future.
The other day I volunteered at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. A little girl smiled at me at as I gave her a Capri Sun. She was in a wheelchair. Her body was disfigured with tubes coming out of her nose. Her smile evoked a long distant memory of someone I knew once long ago. I can barely remember him. Who was he again?
He was a young man, idealistic and innocent to the point of being naïve, at the crossroads of adulthood. He cared so much about helping others – the poor, the weak and the forgotten. He wanted to make a difference whether small or large in the world. He was untainted by the callousness and indifferent prevalencies of society. In fact, he thought he could rise above it and change the world for the better. It gave him purpose. It gave meaning to his life. It was a pure, genuine mission albeit not very lucrative. He even filled out an application to join the Peace Corp but somehow never got around to sending it.
He’s older now although he probably likes to think that he’s still young at heart even tough he’s hit that magical 30 milestone. He’s a reasonably successful professional executive and aspires to be an accumulator of material goods – a foreign luxury / sports automobile, a house, nice clothes, fine dining etc. Somehow the acquisition of such items is supposed to give him purpose in his life. It compels him to join the working world rat race and to work diligently for a corporate entity that holds little regard for his welfare. Instead of helping others less fortunate to live a better life, he’s helping the most fortunate become even more fortunate. Essentially, he’s not making a difference to those who could need him most. Moreover, he’s expendable but thinks he can make himself less so by pursuing an MBA degree. He wonders if his current purpose is still worthwhile.
What ever happened to that young man who cared so much and wanted to change the world? Where did his compassion go?
Undoubtedly this picture needs a funny caption.Please add your caption in the comments.Maybe the best caption can win a prize of some sort. I can’t claim credit for finding this picture though.Many thanks to Yadig at http://yadig.tblog.com" title="http://yadig.tblog.com" target="_blank"http://yadig.tblog.com for graciously letting me use this picture.Please check out his site as there are some absolutely hilarious photos and enlightening entries. From his site, I learned all about redonkulous, mcjob and house gymnastics.
This week I’ve been absolutely mired in finals.I had my first final in Operations Management on Wednesday and for the amount of studying I did, I didn’t do as well as I had hoped.I’m actually a little bummed out because I did all that studying for probably a damn B.I had a legitimate shot at an A.Just one more final in International Finance to screw up.
Anyhow, I’ve been studying like a madman this whole week, even taking time off from work.Through these marathon study sessions, I found a study buddy who also took time off from work to study from one of my classes.So in the past week or so we’ve spent a lot of time together, practically every waking moment actually.I pick her up from her house.She buys me lunch.I buy her lunch.She brings me fruit.I pay for parking fees.We’re asking each other questions on homework problems or concepts covered from the class.We talk.We share some laughs.It’s only natural that through the process of just being around each other, we get to know each other better.She’s a pharmaceutical sales rep from a reputable company.She’s around my age and already owns her own house in Irvine.She’s even writing a children’s book on the side.Also she happens to be single and Chinese.This chick is seriously cool.I could totally hang with her.Even our moms could totally hang as both are nurses, into ballroom dancing and wai-seng-ren or Chinese not of Taiwanese descent born, raised or living in Taiwan.So last night sometime just before the exam we have a conversation.
STUDY BUDDY CHICK: It’s clogged.I think it must have been the Chinese food we had last night.Now whenever I flush, “It” just doesn’t go down.“It” just swirls in the bowl. [She makes a swirling motion with one finger in the air.]
6D [trying to mask my utter disgust]:Sounds like… you… got a problem.You need to… ummm… call a plumber. [Awww!HELL NAWWW!!!Don’t even think about calling my ass!There’s no way in hell I’m going to even take a whiff of your reeking shit or anybody else’s for that matter!]
STUDY BUDDY CHICK: Yeah, I should.What’s worse is that its this HUGE log![She’s got to show exactly just how long it is with her fingertips much like how a fisherman would talk about the biggest catch he ever had.She starts looking like a human football field goal post.]
6D [with contained wonderment]: Shit… That’s quite impressive… but probably a little more than I wanted to know. [Damn!That boa constrictor-sized sequoia came out of you?!?!?!?]
6D [trying to politely and subtly switch topic]: We should probably get to class and find a seat before the exam.
I’ve never found a girl so unappealing and unattractive in such a short order of time.What kind of chick talks about her crap to a guy?I’ve never talked about crap with any female before with the exception of perhaps my sister.Once when we were younger and after a day at Disneyland, she confessed to me that she pooped giant mutant Cheetos after eating a humongous orange-colored lollipop.Of course being the older brother that I am, I lent a sympathetic ear as I had a red lollipop that same day.I’m not ashamed to admit it.
Guys talk to other people, particularly guys, about their crap.But guys view crap much like how they view farts, burps, cars and almost all things in life - bigger, louder or faster IS better.In fact, just anything more IS better.Men swell up with pride practically thumping their chests with both fists clenched, bellowing guttural roars knowing that their crap, fart, burp, car, gun, computer, house, investment portfolio, favorite football team, you name it is bigger, louder or faster than the next guy’s. Its the inherent nature of every male with a free will to want to be an alpha male.In order to be that alpha male, pride and confidence to the point of arrogance or even cockiness has to bigger, louder or faster than that of the next guy’s.
However, when a woman talks about her own crap.That’s a whole different story.I just don’t feel it.Truthfully speaking, most men like their women, at most, with quiet confidence surely not with loud confidence.Its a sad fact but its true.A woman talking about her crap just doesn’t convey that confidence or ego as it would a man’s.I just don’t feel it.I’m sure Study Buddy Chick didn’t intend to talk about her crap in that sense.Actually come to think of it, I’m not quite exactly sure why she had to talk about her crap with me.
Advice for the ladies: Female crap talk should be kept amongst womenfolk.Conversely, male crap talk should probably be kept to just menfolk as well.
Also, needless to say, “Study Buddy Chick” will most assuredly remain only as “Study Buddy Chick.”
Wouldn't it be unfortunate to be a Korean named Con Dom? For my Korean brothers out there... do you actually known of anyone named Con Dom?
I actually knew a Chinese fellow named Sham Pu in college once. He was a graduate student that worked in the dormitory cafeteria. What was funny (other than his name) was that he made more money as a food service worker here than as a medical doctor in China. Yes, he got paid more to serve slop to fatten American kids than to save Chinese lives. I also saw the guy who played Long Duk Dong from the movie 16 Candles at the LA Grand Central Market once. Remember he's the one who said "No yankey my wankey."
I had a chance to study Wal-mart for one of my classes so let me give you some general facts.I’ll try to steer you away from my original research into Wal-mart’s rather incredible operations management system.
Wal-mart is the world’s largest corporation pulling in $245 billion in sales, nearly eight times that of Microsoft.With its 3000 or so retail stores its also the nation’s largest private employer of 1.2 million employees.Of the top ten richest people in the world, five are of Wal-mart’s founding family, the Waltons.Wal-mart is the top seller for various goods such as toys, furniture, jewelry, dog food and various other goods.Its also the nation’s largest grocer.
Now some cold, hard facts…The average Wal-mart employee grosses about $11,000 in full-time yearly income which is higher than the federal poverty income level of $9,310 for individuals.(At Wal-mart, 28 hours a week is considered full-time.)Health-care benefits are only offered after 2 years of employment however the premiums are so expensive that few can afford it.Only 38% of all Wal-mart employees are covered .The company is staunchly anti-union.Supervisors and managers are required to report the slightest sign or whisper of union activity to the company’s anti-union hotline.Wal-Mart is a repeat violator of employee rights, drawing repeated convictions and fines.The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has had to file more suits against the company for cases of disability discrimination than any other corporation.Likewise, a national class-action suit reveals an astonishing pattern of sexual discrimination at Wal-mart.Workers’ compensation laws, child-labor laws (1,400 violations in Maine alone), surveillance of employees—you name it, this corporation is a repeat offender.
From a local economic perspective, whenever a Wal-mart comes to town it sucks out the health and character of local economies.Local businesses such as groceries, pharmacies, hardware stores etc are wiped out as Wal-mart slashes retail prices to eliminate the competition.When the competition is decimated and monopolistic control has been established, prices are then jacked up.By some estimates it eliminates three decent jobs for every two Wal-Mart jobs that it creates.And a store full of part-time, poorly paid employees hardly builds the family wealth necessary to sustain a community’s middle-class.Of course let’s not forget that all local profits aren’t reinvested into the local communities but rather goes the corporation so that it can exact this same carnage on some other rural communities.
Then there’s China.For years, Wal-Mart promoted its "We Buy American" advertising campaign, however today, it is the largest importer of Chinese-made products in the world, buying $10 billion worth of merchandise from several thousand Chinese factories.Unfortunately Wal-Mart doesn’t want the U.S. buying public to know that its famous low prices are the product of human misery borne in sweat shops.For example, the average Chinese worker in one of Wal-mart’s toy factories work 13 to 16 hour days (and up to 20 hour days during peak seasons), 7 days a week, molding, assembling, and spray-painting etc.Even though China’s minimum wage is 31 cents an hour (which doesn’t even cover a person’s basic subsistence-level needs in China) these workers are paid 13 cents an hour.Workers typically live in squatter shacks, seven feet by seven feet, or are jammed into company dorms, with more than a dozen sharing a room for $1.95 a week for rent. They pay about $5.50 a week for crappy food. They also must pay for their own medical treatment and are fired if they are too ill to work.Since there’s no health or safety enforcement, workers have constant headaches and nausea from paint-dust hanging in the air.Forget about air conditioning as the indoor temperatures can top 100 degrees.Protective clothing is a joke.Repetitive stress disorders are rampant.There’s no training on the health hazards of handling the plastics, glue, paint thinners, and other solvents in which these workers are immersed in every day.And to top it off, these factories employ mostly young women and teenage girls.
Wal-mart further promotes the sweat-shop trend by forcing their vendors or suppliers to slash their prices in order for their goods to be put on the shelves.So what do these vendors do to cut down on costs?They do the exact same thing as Wal-mart and utilize these same sweat-shop techniques in their factories in China and around the world.
So does this make you think twice about shopping at Wal-mart?Will the savings to your pocketbook justify ANY of conditions listed above?Just remember that your gains are someone else’s losses.
With the holiday season coming I thought I’d write something about the holidays mean to me.Its actually a shame that it takes a certain event or occasion for me to think about this.I shouldn’t need some sort of catalyst to think about how much certain people mean to me.But in any case, at least I am aware of what others around me mean to me.
To me the holiday season is a time to reflect about what those that care to me actually mean to me.It’s a time of the year to think of what certain people – family, friends and even acquaintances - mean to me and how they affect my life.To me the ones that matter to me the most are the ones that we can implicitly say to each other without words ever being spoken, “Whatever we going thorough right now in this thing we call life, lets go through it together.” I’m eternally grateful for the people that are in my life now.They keep me going in this complex maze we call life.They’re the ones who help me stay the course.They’re the ones that smack me in the head when I get some cacamamie idea or when I’m about to do something stupid.They’re the ones that that nudge me when I need that little push to do something great.They’re the ones that make a crack at my expense knowing that I’m okay with it because I’d do the same to them.They’re the ones that accept me for who I am and how I am.They accept my quirks, rants, tantrums, laughs and worries.These are the ones that I trust.These are the ones I hold dear.
I’m also grateful for the ones who’ve crossed my path and have left their imprint on my soul and memory although they may now not be in my life for one reason or another.I’m grateful for they’ve made my life more rich in experience with perhaps a simple word or act of kindness or humor.And believe me, I do take note of these things.Probably more than others think I do.
And more importantly I look forward to solidifying existing friendships and forging new friendships.
WHOAAAAA!!!! I can't believe I finally got my blog site back up. Now I know to never, ever mess with the html coding... Keep tuning in. I'll post something when I get a chance. I have finals in the next week or so.
Someone has got to put a stop to these jokers. Being of Taiwanese descent, every time I see Taiwanese politicians fighting, bitchslapping or throwing food at each other, my heart, along with any sense of ethnic pride and dignity, just sinks a little. I don’t see any other politicians of any other country being broadcast on the news in such a fashion. (Maybe an occasional pie in the face though.) Just to know that such episodes are being broadcast into homes across America and probably the rest of the world during dinnertime for comical relief really bugs the living crap out of me. Americans must think, “Look at them Ornamentals, all they ever do is fight amongst themselves.” I would venture to say that such these episodes are on par with WT wars on Jerry Springer. By the way, I happened to catch an episode of Jerry Springer this morning being that I’m taking time off from work and that I’m still recuperating from last night’s midterm exam in Operations Management. This show is absolutely tasteless yet disturbingly attention-grabbing (at least it gets my attention). You just can’t help but laugh at some of these people.
Anyways, I digress… back to fighting Taiwanese politicians. They got to control these people who happen to be elected officials. Station some MP’s or riot police armed with stun guns or tasers at the meeting. Enact some laws to ban fighting, throwing of food etc. on public property. Not only do they make Taiwanese look bad, but they make Asians look bad in general.
On the other hand maybe… (rubbing my chin) just maybe… (light bulb turning on) BATTLE ROYALE – Taiwanese style. Collar explosive collars around these politicians’ necks, distribute random weapons and let them have a go at it until only one is left. Of course the winner would go on to become president of Taiwan. Now that’s what I’m talking about…
For more information on the movie “Battle Royale,” check out this link: http://battleroyalefilm.net/m... It’s almost like a modern Japanese version of William Goldman’s “Lord of the Flies.” Much thanks to film critic and movie connoisseur GT for introducing tommyboy, BK, T and myself to this fine film.
I’m going to make a bold prediction and say that by season’s end, the people of Los Angeles will realize that Kobe Bryant destroyed the greatest Laker dynasty ever. He will become known as a selfish, glory hound who refused to play team ball. There’s no doubt that he is an incredible player but… HE IS NO MICHAEL JORDAN. Michael Jordan is a once in a lifetime player. Kobe drove away the most dominant player ever in Shaquille O’Neal, the winning-ist coach ever in Phil Jackson, and probably the greatest general manager ever in Jerry West. He’ll score his 35 points a game. However they still need an all-star caliber shooter (I doubt it’s going to be Ray Allen) and a respectable big man who can defend in this run and gun offense. The team will be lucky to even make the play-offs. Here are my picks in the order they’ll finish at season’s end (Western Conference only):
Okay, so I had some time and decided to compile a list of cartoons that I watched while growing up. Anime and cartoons while watched as an adult don't count. Please add any comments.
ROBOTECH – a cartoon with very mature themes of love and death with the survival of mankind on the line. Rick Hunter was so cool. Only the Japanese could incorporate such deep issues into children's entertainment. More importantly, Lisa Hayes or Lynn Minmay? Damn, do I wish I had Rick Hunter's hair...
TRANSFORMERS - The best and worst of humanity was represented by the Autobots and Decepticons.
TOM AND JERRY - I always rooted for the mouse.
SUPERFRIENDS – My first introduction to the negative stereotype of Asians in American media – Samurai, the hurricane samurai dude. WTF!!! This guy had such a generic name. He looked white and barely had any parts. I hated the addition of the kids and Wonderdog.
SCOOBY DOO – What was really in those Scooby snacks? Scrappy Doo killed the show.
THUNDERCATS – Damn, that Cheetara was one fine cat…
DROOPY – This dog must have known Cheech and Chong because he was always stoned.
BATTLE OF THE PLANETS (G-FORCE) – My first recollection of cartoons in America. I remember my first morning in America after moving from Spain, waking at 6:00 am in the morning and turning on the television and seeing Battle of the Planets. I loved it so much I had to wake up my very jetlagged parents. You can't beat superheroes dressed in birdsuits and each had his / her own bitch-ass vehicle.
SMURFS - I will never admit to watching this but I always thought this cartoon was a politcal commentary about communism. Of course, Gargamel and Azreal represented capitalistic opportunism in its worst form.
An article on GT’s Quandary made me think some about Asian Americans in America.First let me clarify, I do agree with GT on a lot of his points.Negative stereotypes of Asian Americans, male and female, are perpetuated by just about any kind of media you can think of.These stereotypes undoubtedly stem into the working place and everyday life.I see it just about everyday at work.I work in corporate America and I am considered ‘management,’ the very lowest, bottom rung actually.Now I’m not saying that I see blatant racism. And I’m certainly not even saying that I deserve to be in a higher position to fill some quota.I actually probably don’t deserve such a position just yet as I simply don’t have the experience or skills yet.However in my all my years of working, I’ve yet to see ANY Asian / African / Latino Americans in senior management and I’ve worked at two major, reputable financial institutions thus far.Is there a glass ceiling which minorities in general can’t surpass?Is there an ‘old boys club’ which I know I can never be a part of no matter how American or white I try to act?My answer to both: Well if it sounds, walks and looks like a duck, it probably is a friggin’ duck!
Fortunately I haven’t turned into some insecure, paranoid postal worker-like conspiracy theorist.It would be such a drag to endure that uneasy feeling (like as if you’re being watched or followed) on a daily basis.I don’t even consciously think (or maybe I don’t try to consciously think about this stuff?) but sometimes I just have to double-check myself because its so easy to accept things for what they are without even realizing it.Now I’m not going to become some militant or even bitch and moan (Okay maybe just a little.)Fact of the matter is, non-white males have to work harder in this country to succeed.Either learn and compete or get out.Is it fair?Of course not!But whining about it won’t get me anywhere.
So let me go off on a slight tangent and pose some questions.What will it be like for me and other Asian Americans in 10, 25, 50 years from now?Will it get better or worse?Could it ever get as bad as the early anti-immigrant laws of the 1900’s?Or the Japanese internment camps during World War II?Vincent Chin-like incidents?(By the way, if you don’t know about the story about Vincent Chin, its probably one of the most hideous, racist crimes against an Asian American in recent memory.Check out the hard to find documentary at your local university video library.)All of these instances occurred when white America felt threatened by either a military or economic ‘yellow invasion.’Could there ever be such a yellow threat in the future?You never know especially with China rising in tandem with America’s decline as currently evidenced by its huge trade and budget deficits.Our parents witnessed America become the world’s dominant superpower within their lifetime.It could very well be that we may witness the same with China within our lifetimes.
I never would have imagined that a simple comment on a smile would have invited so many responses. Please see my “Power of a Smile” entry below. The responses fell within a wide spectrum. Some offered encouragement and suggestive feedback. Being newly introduced to the BLOG world I had perhaps naively assumed that other BLOGsters were, on the whole, respectful and friendly. My friends and even strangers gave me compliments and words of encouragement. A fellow tBlogster, whom I didn’t even know, kindly gave me a generous amount of tBucks. By the way, those who perform random acts of kindness and goodwill will be rewarded with much good karma.
However there was one individual who discovered my BLOG and had to leave only rude, negative comments. In all honesty, I did feel a little insulted. And I felt insulted because something that I wrote was considered “crapola,” to be boring and to be “saccharine platitudes.” And they probably had a point. In actuality, I didn’t spend a lot of time writing that entry. Working 50 – 60 hours a week and being a graduate student doesn’t allow me the free time to be as creative as I really want to be. So at the time, I thought I would just jot down a thought – a thought which brought me smile. Now I can take criticism so long as its constructive and insightful. Both poorboy and poorboy jr. had some good points. However what I didn’t appreciate was poorboy promoting his own BLOG for a small subscription fee, although his site wasn’t even constructed at the time, at the expense and denigration of my own BLOG. No one likes someone who talks trash, a big game or who talks the talk but can’t walk the walk. I think there are some very basic boundaries of respect and humility in all realms, worlds and relationships that we are a part of, and I think, quite simply, that poorboy crossed it.
So in summary, the BLOG world or microcosm is very much reflective of our own society. There are kind souls and then there are assholes. Much like in real life you can’t please everyone. You just have to go on and do what you believe in or what you think is right. The purpose of MY BLOG was and is to just put my thoughts and my truths out there for those that do know and don’t know me to gain some insight on me. My thoughts may not be of any significance and my writing may not be Pulitzer Prize winning material but they’re still personal and they’re still mine. If somebody can’t offer words of encouragement or provide constructive feedback or criticism then they shouldn’t even bother wasting their time with my BLOG and just move on. Sounds simple doesn't it?
I'll make today's entry short and sweet. I just wanted to comment on something a friend wrote to me the other day. A friend whom I haven't spoken or seen for a long time wrote, "Hanging out with you guys always made me smile." Such a simple yet powerful statement... It captures her sentiment of friendship, almost even a kinship. And it definitely conjures up good memories and happy feelings. Warm fuzzies all over... Such is the power of the mere thought of a simple smile... Can you remember the last, impressionable smile that made you feel good?
I got to thinking lately at just how far technologically we've come in just our generation. I happened to listen to the Kevin and Bean show on KROQ yesterday morning and they were talking about how in Japan they had digital girlfriends complete with AI on their videophones. DAMN, those Japanese are light years ahead of us! Japanese have even invented girlfriends that won't talk back?!?!? And of course, the videophones are kind of cool too. nyuk, nyuk, nyuk... And now there's this big hubbub on SpaceShipOne. Can you imagine that? Commercial space flight within our lifetimes?!?!? Things just aren't as simple as they used to be.
I just think of all the technology that has come and gone within my own lifetime. Green / amber colored monitors, 10 inch floppies, 5 1/4 inch floppies, 3 1/2 floppies, 20 MB hard drives, Ataris, Commodore 64, IBM XT / AT, clunky calculators using 9 volt batteries, solar calculators, wooden pencils, VHS, Beta, 8 track, rotary dial phones, black and white tv's with clicker (not wireless), manual transmission etc. Now we have PDA phones, thin laptops, flash drives, graphing scientific calculators, mp3 players, HDTV plasma flatscreens, on-board navigation systems, universal remotes. And NOW I'll be able to go into space with my own digital girlfriend.
SO A FUNNY THING HAPPENED TO ME ON THE WAY TO THE GYM...
Last night I was making jalapeno poppers. With my bare hands and a spoon I dug out the seeds from jalapenos cut in half length-wise. Well, since it was getting a bit late and I still wanted to hit the gym, I quickly washed my hands, changed into my workout clothes and took a quick pit stop. So I'm driving to the gym with my friend, BK, when I realize a rather embarrassingly peculiar, uncomfortable and tingly feeling in a very private spot. Damn, those jalapenos must have been friggin' hot!!! :shock: I won't go into details but the moral of this story is... WEAR RUBBER GLOVES WHEN HANDLING JALAPENOS. I shudder to think if I hadn't washed my hands at all or if I had rubbed my eyes.
Its Day 2 of my BLOGing and I've noticed one thing about BLOGing. It can be highly addictive and very time consuming. So far my site has been visited 192 times. 190 were probably visited by me while trying to experiment with the font and colors of my BLOG. I haven't really advertised my BLOG to any of my friends yet. I will slowly bring them into my BLOG world! HAHAHA... :twisted:
As the title would suggest, this is my very, very first BLOG. I never really knew what the big hubbub was about BLOGs but last night at JYK's birthday party, a couple of friends, GT and tommyboy, mentioned how they had started BLOGs. GT was the first to introduce me to his BLOG and to be honest it did give me a glimpse of how he ticks. Now I know that he is more than just a Chinese guy who eats and drinks a lot. (Just kidding, GT!) Tommyboy also gave me some motivation to starting my own BLOG. BLOG-ing could be a way of just expressing and sharing yourself to your friends. Especially in this day and age where people are just so busy with work, families, school etc., people enter, exit, and re-enter through each others' lives like ships passing each other in the night.
Now the whole idea of opening myself and my thoughts up on the whole wide world of the internet is a damn scary thought to me. I'm a very private individual and keep a lot of things bottled up inside to the point of going insane at times. But I thought, "Hey, maybe this can be a form of self-therapy?" It would give me opportunities to self-reflect as well be a medium for others to get to know me (that is if they even read through my BLOGs). While I'm not sure if my life or my thoughts will be interesting and creative enough, I do know that they will at least provide some insight into me and undoubtedly speak the truth, at least MY truths. I can't guarantee anything more than that. That being said, I'll end my first BLOG. There were actually quite a few thoughts and possible subject topics that popped into my head while I was typing this BLOG. Unfortunately those thoughts and memories are now gone like tears in the rain (loosely paraphased from Rutger Hauer from Blade Runner, the movie).
One more thought, last night while I was researching BLOGs I came across an interesting one. Check this one out: http://www.cbftw.blogspot.com" title="http://www.cbftw.blogspot.com" target="_blank"http://www.cbftw.blogspot.com... Especially read the "Men in Black" entry. Its a BLOG of a soldier stationed in Iraq. I feel for any soldier serving time over there. They shouldn't have to be there to endanger their lives and get scared shitless especially for the "Redneck agenda." There are definitely some good reads although the author no longer posts as he has been censored and shut down by the neo-conservative conspiracy. And yes, I am a conspiracy theorist! Many other sites like this have already been shut down. Censorship does exist in this country I must sadly admit. People need to know just how serious the situation is over there and how we need to bring these guys home as soon as possible. People need to see beyond the whole fighting terrorism rhetoric.
Okay. I'm satisfied with my first BLOG. Many thanks to GT and Tommyboy for giving me inspiration to start my own BLOG. Please see their links on my BLOG. Perpetual gratitude to my family and friends that have come to substantiate my life experiences - past, present and future.
