The Ten People you meet on a Southwest Airlines Flight (十人十色)

The title incorporates a Japanese idiom called "juunintoiro," which literally means, ten people, ten colors, and actual meaning is really similar: there are a lot of different types of people in the world. I would agree, and especially on (or on the way to a Southwest Airlines flight). I've traveled a lot this year due to work/ dodgeball/ having a girlfriend (in a positive way!) and I've been on a LOT of Southwest flights (sometimes connecting flights which means 2 flights on the same path!

1.) The flight attendant/ CA/ stewardesses: whatever you want to call them, there are a lot of different personalities on these, and I've never met the same team twice (which goes to show how many Southwest flights there are going on. There's only usually 3 or 4 of these for about 200 passengers, so they have their work cut out for them, and I always wonder how they make it down the narrow one-lane aisle over and over again without bumping into elbows, knees, etc. There's regular stewardesses, extra nice stewardesses, unnecessarily demanding stewardesses, unresponsive stewardesses, funny stewardesses (these guys try to put on a comedy routine for the whole flight), and stewardesses who almost got into a fight with a passenger (no joke, I was right next to a lady who went nose to nose with a passenger for reserving a seat for a passenger, kicked out the passenger afterwards).

2.) The TSA guys. I unfortunately dislike these guys. There always seems to be too many of them, they always aren't that helpful (why not have them help people put stuff on the conveyor belt instead of just yelling at us to take water and everything out of our pockets?) and they seem like they don't want to be there, and aren't obligated to be nice. Oh and always direct me to the longer line even though I don't want to be there, and never apologize. There needs to be some incentive for TSA to be better or more accommodating at their job.

3.) Passengers that need to go to the bathroom. Everyone lets out a collective groan. 200 passengers, 2 bathrooms for a 4 hour flight....it just doesn't work. Everyone needs to be prescreened for lack of bladder issues, or else it's a disaster fighting to see who gets up first to use the bathroom, and of course can't congregate in front to line up for the bathroom, so just a free for all.

This is quickly turning into a complaining session about Southwest sorry. I'll put in a nice one.

4.) The passenger who helps put your stuff in the top.....standup guy, always willing to help. Helps that the quality of passengers on a plane in general (even though Southwest is a discount airline) is pretty high, people who can afford to fly places are usually educated and well-cultivated.

5.) Passenger who takes up 2 seats.......this is frustrating. I have nothing against larger people, except for when it comes to invading my personal space. These seats are tight enough already, can't have another human being spilling over into my seat. It's really a problem that Southwest and other airlines probably struggle with: larger people and forcing them to buy a second seat.

6.) Passenger who naps the whole ride: this is like half the people on any flight on Southwest, mainly because there's not much to do: there's a scrapped-together magazine in the back seat pocket, no movie service except for an app that needs to be downloaded beforehand, and Wifi is for free TV that has 20 channels highlighted by reality TV and the food network. $8 Wifi. Sleep is the best option and I wish that I was that passenger all the time: get on a flight, pass out, wake up when the flight lands. Unfortunately my buttocks has been getting sore lately (don't laugh) and it's not that comfortable believe it or not to sleep on a plane.

7.) Person who pushes up to the front when the plane lands: I get it, people want to get off the plane faster. But there's a natural progression, and if everyone tried to push further up then there'd be a scrum, the best way is to get off the plane by seat, if you got there early enough or checked in early enough or whatever then you deserve to get off first, if not then you have to wait. It's comical to see the pushers get stopped about 2 rows up and then everyone's just waiting anyway for the gate to open.

8.) People who get there 3+ hours early: I honestly don't understand this (I might be minority). Nothing worse than sitting and waiting at an airport to get on a plane where you sit and wait for another few hours to get to one's location. The food is overpriced, the wifi is limited (to 30 minute sessions or something), the bathrooms are used by a lot of different people. I like to time my arrival exactly when everyone's boarding, obviously a dangerous game but getting there WAY too early is just silly: it's not a rock concert, there's no inherent advantage in getting there early.

9.) Babies: veteran tip: stay as far away from a baby as you can if you have a choice (which on Southwest, you do). They will cry. Once in a blue moon a baby will sleep the entire fligth (their parents may have given them a handful of sleeping pills, thank god) but if these babies wake up they will NOT be used to the cabin pressure and ears popping and they will cry, and they will cry long and loud. I hope I'm never that parent with babies on a plane. (I probably will be).

10.) The guy who in his excitement to get internet again checks his phone upon landing and gives away the score of a sports game as soon as he gets internet access: C'mon dude.




But this is all nothing compared to Greyhound......now there's some colorful personalities there that I won't get into this time......

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

Unnatural Death (変死)

Yesterday, the baseball world was shocked by the passing of one Jose Fernandez, a 24-year-old phenom pitcher for the Miami Marlins, died of a freak boating accident. Unbelievable tragedy for the baseball world, but unfortunately not unprecedented and seems to be happening more and more in the world, whether it's death by car accident (drive safe, my lovely girlfriend!), death by mass shootings (a continuing tragic saga in America), death by hot balloon accident (recently happened in Texas). I don't know what the percentage of deaths are unnatural deaths nowadays, but I wish that it would decrease, in fact when I have prayers before going to sleep (I don't do this every night but I will try to remember to) I pray for peace in the world, less pain and more love, and also for people to not suffer anymore unnatural deaths. 

Someone like Jose Fernandez, though, is even sadder for everyone because selfishly, it reminds everyone how young one can pass away, and no matter how gifted, charitable, and strong (Fernandez was all 3, he defected from Cuba at a young age after spending years in prison for trying to defect and saved his mother whole fell into the ocean trying to escape, and was well regarded as a future Hall of Fame pitcher), anyone can pass away. It can come for anyone, this unnatural death.

Deaths are unfortunate in it of themselves, but unnatural deaths from accidents stand out as extremely unfortunate: the deceased did not prepare themselves for their last days. On a practical and morbid level it doesn't really matter for the deceased how unfortunate their death because they are dead either way, but it allows no time for the deceased to prepare, to brace for death, for it to be all over, to say goodbye to friends and family, to do that one thing they always wanted to do, to allow their friends and family some closure and some farewells. It's really unfair, actually. I've been very lucky in my life to know mostly only natural death, or some sort of illness or end of life: all the relatives I've known died of old age. There was one time I saw a dodgeball player pass away on a dodgeball court due to a pre-existing (not dodgeball-related condition) Unnatural deaths can happen to anybody, regardless of whether you're the safest person in the world and do nothing to deserve death, it can come for you and catch anyone. 

Unnatural deaths, though, even more than just the concept of death itself, has at least one positive effect: it gives all humans a sense of purpose: ( I know I'm trying to spin this death thing as positive, I'm actually deathly afraid of death itself and now even more of unnatural deaths because I can at least assure myself that a natural death is a long time away, but an unnatural death could happen at any time), It's giving people a sense of purpose, a sense of urgency to accomplish what we can in the time that we have, whether that's getting a job, finding someone to love, spending time with family, doing what we love, etc., etc. I can't say for sure what I would do if I knew I would live forever, but I sure as heck wouldn't cherish every day as much as I do, all the memories would blend together and I would forget a lot of things ( I already forget a lot of things, just ask my girlfriend!). But with the threat of death looming, I enjoy my time more, I try to do new things, I try to effect people in a positive way, and I value other people who I love even more because they're under the threat of unnatural death at any time too! Many people have theorized plenty and much better than I about the meaning of life, but one of them that I believe in is to use the time we have in life to cherish everything and do as much as we can and enjoy as much as we can, with as many people (whom we love!) as we can. 

Jose Fernandez did that, he loved baseball and loved the people around him. I will follow his example and live the life that he lived, before his unfortunate passing. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan 

Bears (熊)

I’ve always wondered what goes in to nicknaming sports teams……you got a variety of names for a variety of sports franchises, many of them very generic fan names that the public can get behind. The vast majority of professional sports teams are animals, which makes sense because it leaves a lot of room for logos, mascots, and different marketing ideas. For example, the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles played on Monday night football at Soldier Field in Chicago tonight…….bears and eagles, fit the paradigm for sports teams perfectly. The Bears are now 0-2 and really out of it to be relevant in the NFC……shy, such a shame especially since the Cubs and Blackhawks are putting Chicago on the map in terms of relevant sports cities.

My favorite pro sports names:

1.)    Seahawks (not just sucking up to my girlfriend who loves Seattle, this perfectly captures the tone of the city, is a clever play on words, and they have cool logos.

2.)    Blazers: something about Pacific northwest and creative team jerseys/ ideas, the Oregon Ducks come to mind as having very progressive ideas about sports team names. Blazers is the embodiment of the Manifest Destiny eyes of  colonial America settling in the West Coast

3.)    Brewers: for a sport that lacks creativity both in game design and team names, the traditional MLB alongs for a pretty cool theme with Milwaukee’s “Brew Guy” Bernie Brewer sliding down the pole after each home run and allows for a “Sausage Race” during each home game.

My favorite dodgeball team names (the main dodgeball organization requires teams to have just one name or 2 names, identifiable words :

1.)    DOOM: also happens to be the premiere franchise in dodgeball, even their name strikes fear in the hearts of opponents.  

2.)    Tune Squad: excellent reference to the Space Jam Looney Tunes basketball team.

3.)    Team Awesome: a very unique name that allows for lots of positivity and team slogans. (something/someone is awesome! Comes to mind)

4.)    TC Boosh: Boosh apparently the sound a ball makes when hitting someone, I also seem to like names that have the “oooo” sound and you could say it with an extra Oomph.

This weekend, my girlfriend visited yet another city! (San Antonio, Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville, Portland, New York, New Orleans, we’re coming to a city near you!) of Denver, Colorado (great weather this time of year) to visit our friend who lived in the mountains, and he described bears occasionally coming into his backyard. I’ve never seen a bear up close, but something about bears has a mythical feel to it, just the sheer mass of a bear (multiple hundreds of pounds) but also the agility to move large distances quickly, as well as the sheer power to maul humans, makes me and I’m sure others interested. In many ways, I identify with bears: you never see too many bears together at once, they’re kind of loners, they’re just trying to get a fish once in a while by reaching into the river, and they sleep anywhere without being bothered………a sort of nomad that’s high enough in the food chain to go (almost) wherever it pleases without being bothered. Although, I think it’d be effected by the high altitude of the Denver as well and try to find flatter ground, the only damper on the weekend for me was a slight headache from having such thin air.

Anyways, Red Rocks did not fail to impress……still ranks as one of the best locations to have live music for me, and there’s even a view of downtown Denver that I forgot to mention. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan 

(残業)

There is a Japanese word

(残業) (zangyou) that I’ll reveal at the end of this entry. Zangyou is a special word that everyone knows the meaning of, but not everyone gets. 

Some people who are offered zangyou don’t take it, and sometimes I wonder if I should refuse it too (don’t worry, it’s not drugs)

When I’m sitting in traffic, I wonder if I could be doing Zangyou. It’s actually a big part of the reason I hate traffic, is I keep hearing the adage “time is money” in my head

When I get home from Zangyou, I’m tired and just want to lie down and go to sleep.

When I should be spending time with my girlfriend, I feel like I’m cheating and spending it with zangyou. (Even though I’d much rather spend it with my girlfriend filling out puzzles!)

When I’m strapped and looking for some cash, I resort to Zangyou. (Hopefully haven’t had to do this for a long time… and again, zangyou is not illegal).

I hate waking up early, but I’ll do if it means I can/have to go to Zangyou.

I should probably exercise once every day, but sometimes I skip it and do Zangyou instead.

Late nights when I’m doing Zangyou, I wonder if I could have predicted 10 years ago during high school, college, etc., that I would be doing this.  Ironically, zangyou kind of feels like staying up to do last minute term papers or study for a big test during my school years.

I eat meals very quickly while at Zangyou, which isn’t what you’re supposed to (my gf says I shouldn’t eat while watching TV or do anything except talking while eating, and detests when I watch TV while eating).

Most sadly, when I’m at zangyou by myself while everyone else seemingly is out in the world doing something and enjoying themselves, I feel true loneliness, like my life is passing me by and I can’t even share it with my family, friends and girlfriend whom I love. It’s paradoxical because I’m partly doing it for them (also doing it for myself to further my own financial wealth, etc.), but by doing it I’m also not getting to be with them. It’s a hard reality of life and adulthood.

Did you figure it out? Zangyou means working overtime (literally, leftover work in Japanese), and I’ve been doing it recently, and probably continuously til the end of the year. It’s when I do Zangyou that you realize how lucky I am to only do 40 hours a week normally and how hard some people actually work to make ends meet, reach their goals, help their family, etc.. I admire them.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

九死一生Kyuushiishou (Victory from the jaws of defeat)

Maybe I’ve been desensitized to it from watching too much sports last-second comebacks in the face of overwhelming odds or watching too many movies where the hero escapes 100 bullets that nearly hit him but just manage to graze him, but I’ve never thought that last second miracle-like comebacks were possible in my own life. But this past Sunday, fantasy baseball gave me a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

I’ve had plenty of winnable situations in my life where I grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory, but once in a while it’s nice to get one back.

To spare the gory details, I was in a desperate situation going into the weekend, had about a 1 in 50 chance to make the playoffs, but the bats came alive thanks to the efforts of the ageless wonder David Ortiz and the Korean troublemaker Jung-ho Kang (even my girlfriend, who’s Korean, knows about him and his legal troubles!) and I followed it all the way, with the final stroke being Wellington “BEEF” Castillo solidifying it with a last-second home run, changing a probable loss to a probable win. I was dancing in my bedroom with music playing in my head, and specific music……..sometimes songs just get stuck in there.

The song that epitomized the impossible situation today:

1.)    Listen to the song “Impossible” by Shontelle- I’m not sure why I liked the song originally, possibly because it has a nice beat, but its central theme: basically, do the impossible (it’s intended to be a love song, but hey whatever works),  is what I want to have in my head in impossible situations: for example, losing big time in a fantasy baseball matchup, down to 6 people against one (myself in a dodgeball game), etc.

“Shout it from the rooftops, tell them what I’d thought would be impossible……..”

2.)    “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry

So you want to play with magic, cuz I’m coming at you like a dark horse (again, another love song that I convert into an inspirational message…..running theme. There’s too many songs about love and breakups anyway)

Simple message: no one knows who we are (our team, myself, etc.), and if we mess with magic a little up, we can surprise the world like a dark horse (almost happened this season with my Ultimate Dodgeball Championship team (on trampolines!0 in Vegas, we upset the defending champions but could not follow through and lost a very close matchup in the Sweet 16. Really felt like we were the dark horse that no one knew about, opened some eyes.

3.)    Kanye (feat.sirenxxx) by the Chainsmokers – one day I’ll stand with a crown on my head like a God (originally meant to be about Kanye West, but it’s pretty evident he’s taken a bit of a fall from grace.” …… super inspirational. Basically, keep working, keep working, one day you’ll be the king. Hopefully that day is coming soon.

4.)    Don’t Let Me Down by the Chainsmokes (featuring Daya)

I’m really into the Chainsmokers now. This song used to be epitomizing my dodgeball teammates and “Don’t Let me down,” but now it’s changed to a song my girlfriend and I share and is actually a love song! Imagine that

5.)    Work from Home by Fifth harmony

No lyrics in this song except the repetitive “Work, work, work…..” but my girlfriend and I love it. Have to listen to it every time it comes on in the radio, and we do a little bit of a dance shuffle (in a car, mind you). You have to be there. 

Live Concerts

Similar to the thrill that I find of going to all 30 baseball stadiums and experiencing them in person, I imagine music lovers go to different concert venues to experience concerts. Each concert hall has its own mystique and atmosphere, and nice touches that one wouldn’t expect just from looking from the outside.

Thoughts about live concerts:

1.)    My most memorable concert experience has been at Hollywood Bowl- the bright lights of the main stage that changes color but also serves as a great backdrop for the fireworks show that goes off on select nights in the summer, being able to bring your own food and drink…..and the concerts are pretty artsy. The crowd is a very knowledgable crowd typical of musicgoers: it’s like getting on an airplane or going to a fancy reception: you know most people paid a considerable amount of money to go for something that is appreciated by more cultured folks, high educated people, so it separates the crowd from say an Oakland Raiders game (gang environment, must avoid if one doesn’t like violence, getting heckled)  The biggest problem is parking…the Hollywood Bowl for instance seats about 23,000 people, a little more than the Staples Center, but its own secluded nature is its downfall: there’s very little access in and out, so parking is scarce, plus cars getting into the bowl at 8PM (most concert start times) ensures

2.)    Red Rocks in Denver: I’ve never been to a show, but the venue is a great spot for exercising and people training for intense exercise like marathons, climbing up and down the steps at high altitude (I get very winded at high altitudes and do NOT adjust well) that I’m really envious of. True to its name, the stage is actually surrounded by red rock, Basically, I’m a fan of an experience that allows me to enjoy music without having to strain really hard, and have a nice atmosphere surrounding to really balance out the visual component.

3.)    I would never survive at a rock concert. It’s much too loud, and my ear buds are sensitive.

4.)    Dirty secret about live music performances: they all have an encore ready, so it doesn’t really matter if the audience shows their approval by a hearty round of applause and yells ENCORE or not, there’s gonna be an encore coming (which also necessitates pushing back the schedule for leaving a concert, so budget wisely) As part of the LA Lawyers Philharmonic, our orchestra routinely had an encore ready, even if we weren’t very good (believe me, I was squirming a little bit at the end of our concerts having to play another song in front of an already somewhat-beleaguered audience ready to go home)

5.)    Leaving early from a baseball game is frowned upon but pretty much accepted nowadays, but not sure about music concerts. It does make a big difference to be the first ones out of a music concert, especially at a crowded place like the Hollywood Bowl, but it also requires timing it just right: have to make sure you don’t miss the best part, which is usually the end. An intimate knowledge of the program helps, as well as having been to that concert before, I’m sure.

6.)    How to handle the intermission: don’t go to the bathroom at the intermission. Whereas baseball allows for ample opportunities (after every half inning!) to go to the bathroom, concerts offer just one or 2 intermissions, and it’s like a fight to get to the front of the line. Don’t go during this time, and don’t go after the concert (that’s when you’re pushing to get back to the car!) Go during one of the lulls in the performance, usually the one after the first piece back from the intermission, as that’s the most likely to be filler material, “experimental” music where the band tries to test new music to gauge the audience’s interest, aka “you don’t need to be there.”

7.)    Visual element is pretty key to a concert: you need something for your eyes to latch on. Music played as a movie is playing is a pretty novel way to enjoy a music concert. 

Thunder and Lightning ( 雷)

This past Labor Day weekend, I made my second consecutive appearance at the Elite National Championship, this time in unfamiliar territory of New Orleans, Louisiana.

In Japanese, thunder and lightning are combined into one fancy word called "kaminari." I haven't figured out which is more scary: lightning or thunder. One is visible, I guess, and the other is audible, but both wouldn't be as scary without the other. The sheer energy that is contained within that lightning bolt striking down to the earth is enough to make a grown man shudder, but following that the deep, baritone rumble of thunder just causes anyone to take notice and briefly, just briefly, wonder if the sky is going to collapse and the world come to an end. At least, for a guy who's gotten used to the friendly confines of Southern California for the last several years. I was fascinated by the thunder, probably the same feeling as a kid experiencing their first thunderstorm or the reason so many fantasy games have lightning/electricity as well of the attacks/elements/types of pokemon in their games, due to the elemental power of lightning that is easily contrasted with the other elementals of water and fire (and conveniently, the yellow varies nicely with the other blue and red hues)

Speaking of fantasy games, I always wondered what type of Pokemon/warrior I would be if I had a "type," and I've always felt it would be water: I drink a lot of water, I can swim, I feel pretty natural in water (other than being completely seasick when in choppy waters), and I am still a little afraid of electricity, even as a grown man (kind of like Thunder Buddies in the comedy Ted). That's why when i was wading in the pool at the Hilton Garden Inn in New Orleans this weekend and suddenly heard thunder in the distance, I got out immediately. Nothing like a little thunderstorm to halt a swim: my local swimming pool in Darien, IL back when I was a kid would always whistle everything to a halt and have everybody go into the clubhouse for some other games to wait out the storm, or if it was really bad just send everybody home, so I've never been an avid supporter of thunder/lightning. There is a certain charm and mystique about it, though, that I will readily admit, but I'd like to just stay as far away from it as possible. Even when driving through a thunderstorm sometimes I wonder, "what's stopping lightning from hitting my car and electrocuting me through the steel?"


Thunder can be accurately analogized to the sheer force of a pinched 8.5 dodgeball. Yes, in addition to normal dodgeball in a gym, trampoline dodgeball played on a trampoline court, and large rubber ball dodgeball (played with a 8.5 inch rubber dodgeball that stings- there's a reason why no-sting balls have their name, because they don't sting like these 8.5 inch balls), there is something called a "pinch 8.5" dodgeball that until recently I scoffed as just another variation, but now I revere with respect those who have the audacity to step onto a dodgeball court with 8.5 balls and pinch in play. 8.5 balls normally sting if one hits your body like a brick thrown softly bouncing off your chest, but because they can't be flung TOO hard the force is mitigated. However, with pinch, that brick in a player's hand turns into a certified hammer flung at 70 MPH at one's body, and it doesn't like being stopped by human flesh. The explosion of hitting one's flesh is  borderline criminal, more than taking one's breath away, it leaves the skin numb to the touch for awhile, and more than a couple times I doubled over in pain after getting hit by one, in addition to the emotional pain of being out of the game. It is not for the faint of heart, and wading into a 8.5 pinch court really takes as much gall (or recklessness/ stupidity, depending on who you ask) as swimming outside when seeing lightning/hearing thunder.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan