Archive for January, 2010

As some of my friends know, I borrowed the books from the Twilight series because I decided that it was too much of a cultural phenomenon for me to ignore. It’s hard to resist figuring out what exactly moves an entire group of people spanning from teeny-boppers to cougars. With many people warning me that it would not be a pleasant ride (I tend to have a streak of cynicism when it comes to teeny-bopper angst drama) I decided to dive right in anyway.

I wanted to reserve all of my thoughts until I completed the series. I nearly did complete the series, except I decided to lapse in my marathon reading due to my excursion for Asia. Last night, after settling down a little early due to a cold, I thought I’d complete my Twilight Series Experiment and finish the whole thing.

And for some reason, I could not finish it. And here is why: I picked up the last book, Breaking Dawn, read a few pages, and came across this sentence:

He was both dazzling and dazzled.

When I read that, I just closed the book.

For those of you who didn’t read the books and just watch the movie, I won’t spoil it for you…even though I really want to. Actually, you know what…if you love this series and have never FULLY read it, don’t. Because I will add spoilers, so you know what you are in for. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Basically, the sentence is the narrator (Bella) talking about how Edward is just SOOO beautiful and WAIT! He’s soooo enamored with her.  Gawsh.  How cute.  Barf.

First of all, I just want to preface this by saying that I tried my hardest to give these books a shot. In fact, many friends and colleagues whom I adore and respect absolutely swear by this series. Fine, okay. I can see its appeal. But then, the whole appeal of it is exactly why I can’t stand it.

In a nutshell, I believe most (not all) Twilight fans love the series because:

1. Almost any reader who has ever felt awkward, out of place, unattractive, mediocre and plain can place themselves in the narrator’s shoes. Helloooooooo, teenage years!

2. Almost any reader who has ever had a crush on the attractive, amazing, unattainable blah blah blah guy in junior high/high school/college/life will swoon because Edward is *sew hawt* … we know he is hot because S. Meyer loves to tell us so.

3. Who wouldn’t want to have a kid and still maintain that rockin’ teenage body that transforms into an even MORE amazin’ rockin’ teenage body. Yes, people, moronic spineless whiny-baby (aka the main character) gets knocked up and turns into a vampire.

The reason why I really just can’t wrap my head around his book? All of those reasons above. I’m all for escapism, or traveling to another world through books. But this book basically panders to the worst type of longings — that a strong, hot, RICH guy will swoop in and take care of everything for you. That yes, you are plain and klutzy but it’s cool because when you find that guy, you’ll be validated in your existence.  Gosh, he may hurt you, but he loves you just SOOOO much.

Oh, and vampires are teh hawtness and super nice and not going to eats you dead. And the kicker is..these books are targeting YOUNG GIRLS. Young girls who don’t know any better. Young girls who, subconsciously or not, may think that defining your life by a guy is A-OKAY and pretty super.  As for the adult women who swoon over this…I don’t get it.

And the writing? Okay, I do not claim to be any sort of professional, nor to even claim that I possess more talent than S. Meyer. Truthfully, I hate to judge any writer’s work, especially given that she did, indeed, create an empire on her stories (props to you, S. Meyer, for that).

That said, I simply vomit and die a little inside each time I encounter the word “smolder” or “dazzle.”

Sample sentences? Don’t mind if I do:

“He smiled the kind of smile that would have stopped my heart if it were still beating.”

“I felt as cold as snow - there was no fire in me.”

I won’t even go into how these sentences make me want to bang my head against a hard object. A lot. Of course, despite my grumblings about the poor choice in words (Smolder? Really? C’mon, at least try to break a LITTLE further away from the trashy-novel cliche words, please! You might as well talk about his “hulking manliness” or something if you’re going to use words like that) and my problems with the weak sauce main heroine and one-dimensional hero…some things that were neat were how the families worked and were organized. The werewolf pack for instance. But, yeah. That’s pretty much all I got.

Anybody care to agree or disagree? Please don’t hate. Appreciate.

I was perusing around the web aimlessly just a few minutes ago, hoping to find something entertaining.  I opened up my trusty Google Reader that always brings in the freshest and best stuff (mostly because I chose it, of course) and sure enough…something leapt out at me.

Imagine, if you will, minding your own business when this headline hits you:

Cold sheets? Hire a human ‘bed-warmer’

Human ‘bed-warmer’? Upon further reading, it turns out that Holiday Inn is offering the option to have an actual person (dressed in a fleece sleeper suit, with their hair covered) to come into your room and warm your bed before you sleep. At first, I thought this was a bit of a publicity stunt. And, of course, I’m sure it is. As the article in MSNBC points out, they didn’t exactly address why this couldn’t be done with, oh, an inanimate object meant to warm things up like a hot water bottle and not a human.

Then again, I suddenly recalled a story that I read ages ago from Roald Dahl in his book, Boy. He talked about how during his days at boarding school, the upper classmen would basically pick on the younger students and make them do menial tasks. One of the tasks was toilet-seat warmer…and he happened to have one of the toastiest bottoms around.

I just have to wonder - how much would someone need to be paid to be a furniture warmer? Would it be minimum wage, or would it be a bed by bed basis?

Oh, the things you learn on the news these days.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

A day or two ago, as I was perusing around the Internet, I came to the realization that I do not fit into any sort of niche.  Sure, there are things that I am interested in and I do have quite a few hobbies.  Despite this, I find it difficult to devote 110% of my efforts, time, and energy into writing about one thing on a blog.

Image from barnoid

I love food, and I usually write my thoughts and reviews about bay area restaurants on Yelp.  I enjoy snowboarding, but I can’t tell you the latest hot gear to get from Burton or Rossignol.  Social media and online engagement is a part of my job and I love it, but not really something I can discuss all the time, every time.  Occasionally, of course, I love pointing out some of my favorite programs online.

In either case, the only ‘niche’ I seem to fill is the occasional snarky 20-something year old, which I’m told is overdone.  That got me thinking: is being in a niche something really necessary to succeed with an online presence, or can you still be just yourself?

A part of me thinks … no.  After all, that’s why a lot of people visit food blogs, movie blogs, etc.  These cater to a specific interest, and usually offer a rich plethora of information.  On the other hand, there are also those random Internet personalities that tend to generate a lot of traffic.

In either case, niche or not, I suppose the only thing I can really do is to continue to write about things I’m interested in and things I WANT to write about…even if it is focused on absolutely nothing.  After all, isn’t it better to read that as opposed to some blog that focuses solely on garnering traffic?

Or am I just justifying the fact that I have absolutely no type of focus on this blog?

Hum.  Either way, I’m having some serious thoughts on some web re-design.  Stay tuned!

I realize that I have been posting a TON lately about Asia due to my recent trip.  Unfortunately, I begin this post with my previous sentence because I just want to acknowledge that fact, but do nothing to change it.

Anyway, one of the first things that people ask me when they talk to me about the trip is, “Is it really different?”  Well, yes.  It is very different.  It’s different because there is an abundance of Asians, they speak a different language and they have a different sense of humor (and commercial style on TV).  And, you know, the food is different.

I could really continue on, but I think that when you really boil it down to the very core, however - a city is really just like any other city in the world (or so I think and heard).  People basically go about their day-to-day routine.  Usually this means commuting to work, working, then sometimes taking a moment to relax with friends whether at a bar, karaoke place or going home to veg in front of the television.  Of course, I do realize that it doesn’t apply to tourists there for a vacation or foreigner taking a bit of funemployment.

Regardless of the similarities and differences, there are a few things that I started to see after I returned to the US that I really wish we’d learn to adopt here from Asia…and I’m not just talking about the abundance of video games and anime (which would be sch-weeeeet).

I’m sure, dear reader, that you’re wondering what sorts of things I’m referring to. Well, I’m glad you asked.  Okay, I was going to write it anyway, and I’d like to think that somebody out there is interested…especially when it’s in list form!

1. Cleanliness EVERYWHERE

Everybody I talked to who went to Japan raved about how clean the city is, and I remember wondering: just exactly how clean could a city be?  The answer is very, very, VERY clean.  Everything seems to look the same at first glance, until you start to take a closer look.  I don’t recall seeing tons of garbage, spilled drinks and graffiti on the subway - in fact, I don’t think I saw any at all.  This evening’s MUNI ride, on the other hand, was filled with shady spots on the seats and litter all over the place.  Oh, and you know that rancid city smell of sewage and fecal matter?  Nope - I don’t remember smelling that in Tokyo at ALL.  Even the convenience store bathrooms were sparkling clean.  I could have dropped my purse and jacket on the floor, danced on it and felt okay about it.

2. Night markets

I had always heard so much about night markets before, but it didn’t live up to the actual thing.  And I’ve come to realize that night markets are AWESOME.  They’re always bustling - every night - and filled with food and shopping.  It’s like a boardwalk carnival every. Single. Night.  What better place for street cart vendors to share their wares or to have a cheap date?

3. Seven-story arcades

Sure, there are bars, lounges, karaokes, clubs.  But arcades in Japan are downtown office building sized monstrosities of awesomeness.  There’s every type of game you can imagine, machines to get try your hand at nabbing toys, fancy picture booths and different floors for adults to gamble…and play more video games.  I don’t think I need to delve into it in further detail to explain how great this would be.

4. Hot drinks in vending machines

This probably doesn’t really apply to people in places with perpetual hot weather, but for places that have Jack Frost gnawing at their nose more than nipping at it, hot drinks in vending machines are a great on-the-go bit of warm happiness.  Of course, this would NOT be as enjoyable if people don’t adopt #1 above … cleanliness.  Apparently, in Japan, it’s rude to eat and walk at the same time.  Why?  Because you’d most likely be tossing your trash somewhere it doesn’t belong.

5. Convenient stores that are actually convenient

Everywhere you go it seems that there is a form of 7-11 lurking around the corner.  Whereas the 7-11 here in the US is mostly a place to buy snacks for a road trip, use the disease infested bathroom or get gas, the 7-11 in Japan has everything you actually need.  You can send out letters, packages (imagine no more disgruntled postal workers and ridiculous lines), get money, buy tasty food and also purchase tickets.  Yup, tickets.  We purchased our tickets to the Ghibli museum at the Lawson’s, another convenience store chain.  Convenience stores that are convenient.  Who knew?

Of course, there is still a whole slew of other things that I would LOVE for the US to adopt here - but then, a good portion of that is specific foods.

I think I’d be one happy clam if we just start with these five.  Someone help spread the word to the right people, thanks!

It’s hard to believe that I was still in Asia just less than a week ago. While I was waiting for my plane, I hammered out a few initial thoughts from my trip. Of course, due to the whirlwind of activity from coming back and combatting jetlag, I didn’t really have much opportunity to post anything.

Oh well. Luckily, this is my own repository for whatever I want to do so I can be as late as I want.

**********

This is it – the end of the long anticipated visit to Taipei and Tokyo, two very different and special cities that reside in my heart. Taipei for the connection to personal family history and my second language and Tokyo for the connection to my personal interests and voluntarily learned language.

When I reflect back on my first initial expectations and hopes for this trip, they were really quite simple. Eat a lot in Taiwan, take pictures, go to the night market. For Tokyo, I wanted to visit an onsen, see the fish market and take in the city lights. It was quite easy to match my fairly narrow-minded and short sighted expectations; and what I really found in each of these cities was so much more.

These past weeks also really made me think about how much my family loves me. My mom, aunts and uncles and cousins all made this wonderful trip happen. Because they love me and know how much it means to me, they went out of their way to provide me an experience that I know will carry with me throughout my life. Beyond just taking some pretty photos and buying souvenirs, I feel that I have a lot to think about regarding my future and Asia.

Gogo took us around for three weeks, tirelessly encouraging us to dig deeper and not just skim the surface. Figure out where we’re going, understand why these places are important – and most of all, he made sure that we had a good time.

My first experience with Asia was actually very unique. Instead of merely visiting, I spent a whole four months in Bejing and traveling around China as a part of a study abroad program. All I had to do was to focus on learning the language, and I stressed about nothing else. I was able to travel around to different places around the country, and it really made me appreciate everything that I have in the States. I also had the priceless opportunity to meet my mother’s older sister and other sides of my family in Xian.

Although that time was amazing and I feel that I learned a lot (unfortunately, not as much Chinese as I really would have liked) I know that a part of me never really wanted to live in China. The whole environment was, for lack of a better word: uncivilized. People spat in the streets without regard, the roads were clogged with vehicles that did not obey the rules at all (each time I crossed the street was quite a stressful endeavor) and people were just impolite. There is no concept of queuing at ALL.

Despite all of these complaints, a part of me still seemed to hopefully nudge me about the idea of working abroad. I contemplated this in Houston when I couldn’t find a direction to head, and I realized that working abroad appealed to me because there is nothing else that you can do to take yourself more out of your comfort zone than living in a different country. You see so much more, meet so many more people and learn more about yourself.

All of these considerations seemed to hit me on this trip. As Gogo said: “Let it all sink in.” Do I want to live in Asia? Could I really do it? In a strange way, when I stepped off the plane in Taipei and Tokyo, I didn’t feel too out of place. In Taipei especially, I could understand everybody. In Tokyo, I was content with listening to people talk and trying to remember as much as I could (sadly, I don’t remember much). All that aside, I found myself wistfully thinking about how amazing it would be to be completely fluent in Chinese (reading and writing) and Japanese.

Why would it be amazing? For me, it would be because I don’t want to be a person of one country, I want to be a person of multiple countries. Communication is my livelihood, and it is also how I make friends and build my relationships with people. I want to be able to continue building bridges, and I want to be a well-rounded person. As my grandmother wrote in her note to Gogo before she passed away: Become a person that is useful to the East and the West.

Yes, I was born in America and it has given me so many opportunities…but I am still a person who has roots in the East. Asia shaped my family, who in turn shaped me. For that, I am grateful, and I want to do more than merely make a living, save for retirement and then forget everything else in the past.

So what are my next steps? It feels daunting, for sure, but I think that the first thing I want to do is to start seriously learning Chinese again.

I don’t want the motivation in me from this trip snuff out from the daily comforts of routine. I want to push myself, and look for opportunities to do more in the future. Does this mean one day moving to Asia? Maybe - I hope so.

But one step at a time.

Although a lot of people probably think I’ve been gone for ages (and it’s true, this trip has been quite a good amount of time) for me, I feel as though it’s whipping by in an instant. Not only did Taipei pass by in a blur, but I’ve already finished almost half of my time here in Tokyo.

Tokyo. A small part of me still can’t grasp the fact that I’m actually here.

Every time I visit a new place, a whole slew of emotions mixes in together in a hodgepodge of confusion. I’m overwhelmed, excited, nervous, happy and hopeful all at the same time. I still remember the first times that I visited cities like Washington DC, New Orleans, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Beijing and many other places. Each of these cities are so wonderfully different, and a visit just doesn’t seem close to doing it justice.

Although it’s not true for EVERY city, there are quite a few places that made me think to myself, “Wow…I really wish I could live here.”

I know that some people immediately think, “Well sure, of course you think you want to live there. You’re vacationing and doing nothing but having fun. It’s not like that in real life.” And to that, I respond: You’re absolutely right.

I think that when my heart instinctively says, “Wow, I want to live here,” it’s because I know that there is so much more a certain place can offer me that a few days just won’t be able to come close to delivering. I want to know what it is like to walk down the street to work. I want to be able to carve my own special memories and life in that wonderful place. I’d like to know first hand how people live, and I know that each time it will change me.

A long time ago I compared cities to different types of people.  Dallas is like family, Toronto is a fun friend, and New York is the popular person in the crowd that you hope to one day get to hang out with.  Perhaps with Tokyo and Taipei, they are people I know that I love!

Tokyo and Taipei tug quite a few strings of my heart for a number of reasons. Taipei because of the personal sentiment that exists there — it’s where my mom grew up, my grandfather and grandmother took care of their family, and I’m able to speak the language. With Japan, it’s just inexplicable. The second I sat on the train and started to watch the lights of the city whirl by, I felt like I fell in love at first sight.

Since these past few days have been jam packed, I hope to do a detailed recap of my trip later on. But for now, each of these days has been full of walking, window shopping, and eating. At first glance, I thought Japan was quite similar to the other Asian countries that I visited. Man, I could not be more wrong.

First of all, people did not exaggerate how CLEAN everything is. Everything. I’m amazed that I don’t wrinkle my nose at strange city smells, and my week long allergy attack in Taipei cleared up as soon as I walked around Tokyo. And the bathrooms at the convenience stores? Probably 10x cleaner than my own bathroom. Oh, and all the bathrooms come with a heated toilet seat.

Another thing I noticed is the people. As superficial as it sounds, I’ll go ahead and just say it: people in Japan are a lot better looking. Maybe it’s because the girls know how to put on makeup, or maybe it’s just the initial shock of it all. Either way…wow. Additionally, everybody seems very polite. Sure, they might not be the most friendly, but they are definitely quite cordial. Other than this one cash register guy who told me to hurry up as I fumbled with the change, it’s been quite pleasant.

The first night was mainly around the Asakusa area, where we roamed around and saw the Sensoji Temple at night. We later visited it during the day when it was packed, and I’m definitely glad I had a chance to see it when it was calm and peaceful. The next day was full of walking, which included shopping at Harujuku, a stop to see Hachiko at Shibuya, and browsing at Shinjuku. As a bonus, we also did a quick walk around Roppongi, the “Little West” of Japan.

Today was also a fantastic day. We first started it out by moving our things from Ando Ryokan (more on that later) to Toyoko Inn, and luckily happened to walk by the Bandai building. We took in some sights including the Asahi building, and then finally Asakusa during the day. I had my first experience scraping and eating Okonomiyaki, and afterward we walked off the calories at Ueno Park and Tokyo Daigaku. The busy day was topped off with a successful trip to Akihabara, which was like a jam packed CES — all day, all the time. I successfully piloted a Gundam, and then ate an AMAZING unagi dinner. It was all wrapped up nicely with some time to snack with family and reflect.

Tomorrow is another big day, including the GHIBLI MUSEUM!

Although the few days I have spent here doesn’t even BEGIN to scratch the surface, I hope that the small voice in my head nudging me to come back again (for a visit, or even better, a longer extended amount of time) will not be drowned out by the day-to-day life back at home in the US.

Until then, it’s time to sleep and look forward to the next day!

Although my New Year’s Eve was quite low key (I ended up falling asleep around 1:30am) the first day was jam packed.  I slept in until 11am, then had a hearty breakfast of bao tze.  Then we headed out to Xin Dian for a little visit to the place of family history.  This was the place where my mom grew up and where the family lived since their migration from China during the civil war (you know…before Texas too).

We also paid a visit to my grandfather’s grave.  He was a Senator in the Taipei Government as a part of KuoMingTang.  According to my cousin, he was regarded as the type to always help a person in need, and his only fault was that he was “too kind.”  He didn’t accept bribes from people, as many politicians often did, and he always stayed true his word.  Although we never met, I am very proud to be his granddaughter.  It would have been amazing to meet him in person, and I hope that I can do as much as he did.

Walking around the small streets and seeing the people walk back and forth was really cool - it’s hard to believe that just over twenty five years ago (maybe a tad more) my mom was also walking around these streets.  We visited the house where she grew up, the places she visited on a day to day basis.

It still amazes me that she was able to pack up everything and move to a whole new country — never turning back.  Not only that, but being able to go get a Master’s degree.

After the extended family tour, we of course had to hit up some food places:

And a VERY successful visit to another night market.

I do have to say, I love Taiwan.  What an amazing start to 2010.

Of course, with every new year comes a few more resolutions.  For many people, 2009 seemed to be a pretty tough year.  Despite the ups and downs, I have to say that there were quite a few fantastic moments:

• Trips to Tahoe
• A trip to Mammoth
• Soriya’s amazing three month stint in SF
• The spam musubi challenge
• The multiple amounts of weddings (congratulations to all of the newlyweds!)
• Trips back home to Dallas
• Time with great people up on Canada
• Visiting LA with Jenn, Lan and Linda
• Tram, Vivien and Weber’s visit to San Francisco
• Lauren and Jon’s visit to San Francisco
• Camping at Yosemite
• Hawaii — AMAZING
• Going to Disneyland for WORK
• Joining an awesome organization - Philanthro Productions
• New job, new commute
• And, of course, this trip

As for my resolutions?

• Continue to broaden my horizons bye always trying to learn more
• Try to improve my Chinese (I always say that…but one of these days, it will happen, right?)
• Keep writing
• Don’t dwell on the past, and try not to be too hard on myself
• Go on more adventures

Here’s to another year!