Halloween has always been my most memorable holiday, if only because it stimulates the senses so much. More than Christmas where you're filled with presents, or Thanksgiving, where you're filled with food, or New Year's, where you're filled with empty promises called New Year's Resolutions, Halloween is filled with scary things. As the Japanese idiom epitomizes, all kind of gods and monsters come out to play (and disappear. The actual meaning means being evasive like a phantom, appearing and disappearing, like a haunted house where monsters come and go trying to scare the bejesus out of people). Just learned how to spell bejesus. Here's a thing about haunted houses: they're very vivid, they allow the mind to explore so many possibilities of what might happen, things that are associated with death, despair, horror are all incorporated, so my mind tells me everything is fine, I'm a grown man, it's OK, keep moving forward, but my body reacts to the sounds, the sudden movements, the being isolated (that's actually one of the biggest things, I'm alone there with myself and whoever's unlucky enough to be with me) and it seems like the whole world is gone and you enter into this bog of fear and isolation that you might not come out of, with all sorts of monsters and things coming out. And it doesn't help that the employees at the haunted house can SENSE your fear and go after the people who are most prone, so I've taken to trying to cover my ears and act cool, saying, "Oh there you are" and make jokes, which I'm sure the haunted house employees love more than anything. Ah, haunted houses. So thrilling, yet so terrifying.
Here's a list of things that scare me still to this day (some are more recent and more practical than others).
1.) Clowns- I think most people are scared of creepy clowns in some capacity. Sure there's the friendly kinds like Bozo and Ronald McDonald (although, I still think there's a bit of creepy quality to all those guys). I also was traumatized watching portions of "It" when I was a kid with the creepy clowns, and a lot of TV shows incorporated that clown element of terror.
2.) Getting on a small boat in choppy waters: my body just can't handle it due to seasickness, and I would probably try to jump out and swim to shore if I was trapped on one.
3.) Scary movies: everything that scary movies put into the movies, all the creepy music, the sudden movements, the complete silence, all those things get to me. It's like I'm the target audience of all of that, and I have to admit I'm attracted in a weird way to those type of movies. I'm a shell of myself, hiding under the covers or covering my ears during scary movies, but something keeps drawing me to them over and over again....
4.) Zombies: not that afraid of zombies, actually. Kind of predictable.
5.) Nails on the chalkboard: probably the worst sound in the world. Cringeworthy.
6.) Lightning/thunder: I've recently come to irrationally fear these, to the extent if I see them I'll try to drive the other way, or get into a building, or something. I'm always wondering if I'm driving and the lightning hits my car do I get shocked because I'm holding the wheel. Is that a thing?
7.) Missing the train by seconds as the door is closing on me, having to wait 10 minutes for the next one. Recently one of my worst fears as I commute to work and almost everywhere I go. That 10 minutes seems like hell because I know I could have been there 10 minutes earlier, plus I question what I could have done to get there a bit earlier to make the train....it's torturous, I tell you.
8.) Waking up with more pimples than the night before: those with good skin really don't know how good they have it.
9.) Stuck in a room without wifi and without something productive to do.......can't stand wasting time.
10.) Death. Still the overwhelming, paramount fear. The sum of all fears, even. Everything stems from it: ghosts, monsters, not fulfilling my potential (failure), etc.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Friday, October 28, 2016
Hangry
Around the world, one menacing condition threatens all human beings and creates a worse place for us all: it can creep up at any time, and people can turn into complete utter savages when the condition does hit, so always be ready for the worst. I'm talking, of course, about being hangry (or angry because you're hungry). I'm one of the more severe victims of hanger.
Symptoms of being hangry:
1.) Get irritated more than usual and unnecessarily while sitting in traffic: your body wants food and it doesn't want to deal with all this other stuff.
2.) Get into argument with significant other over trivial stuff.
3.) Get upset because instead of going to get food, you're stuck doing something else: your body prioritizes food above almost everything else (maybe not dodgeball for some dodgeball fanatics)
4.) You get upset about losing at dodgeball: compounded by dodgeball.
5.) Your face turning into Joe Pesci's face and angrily beating up those around you: OK, actually this was a pretty brilliant Snickers commercial for awhile that had normal people acting like actors in their most furious scenes. Really funny and kinda how I feel, you're not yourself when you're hungry. "Hungry? Why wait." Snickers had it right. Except the product, of course: I'm not going to go out and get a Snickers bar if I'm really hungry.
Basically, you're prone to getting upset over things that you normally wouldn't get upset about.
To avoid getting hangry:
1.) Make sure to have a schedule of eating every few hours.
2.) Eat when you're just starting to feel hungry, cuz it creeps up on you and before you know it, you're hangry. It's like a sunset: It's daytime for a longtime, then starts to get dark, and the process accelerates quickly, and before you know it it's fully dark. Hanger has set in.
3.) Have a convenient spot near work/ your home that serves food very quickly (Hint: NOT a sit down restaurant), almost like an emergency shelter for hanger victims. There's been plenty of times I've been at a sit-down table waiting for the food getting even more hangrier.
Residual effects of hanger:
1.) Sometimes people can't sleep while hangry (Stomach's usually good indication, but sometimes it's just dormant: feed it a little to see if it wakes up and takes notice of the hanger, then eat more). Most times I can't sleep it's becaus eof this.
Tips for curing hanger:
1.) Don't eat so much when actually hangry. This makes one eat more than one should and adds to the waistline.
2.) Don't play sports while
Symptoms of being hangry:
1.) Get irritated more than usual and unnecessarily while sitting in traffic: your body wants food and it doesn't want to deal with all this other stuff.
2.) Get into argument with significant other over trivial stuff.
3.) Get upset because instead of going to get food, you're stuck doing something else: your body prioritizes food above almost everything else (maybe not dodgeball for some dodgeball fanatics)
4.) You get upset about losing at dodgeball: compounded by dodgeball.
5.) Your face turning into Joe Pesci's face and angrily beating up those around you: OK, actually this was a pretty brilliant Snickers commercial for awhile that had normal people acting like actors in their most furious scenes. Really funny and kinda how I feel, you're not yourself when you're hungry. "Hungry? Why wait." Snickers had it right. Except the product, of course: I'm not going to go out and get a Snickers bar if I'm really hungry.
Basically, you're prone to getting upset over things that you normally wouldn't get upset about.
To avoid getting hangry:
1.) Make sure to have a schedule of eating every few hours.
2.) Eat when you're just starting to feel hungry, cuz it creeps up on you and before you know it, you're hangry. It's like a sunset: It's daytime for a longtime, then starts to get dark, and the process accelerates quickly, and before you know it it's fully dark. Hanger has set in.
3.) Have a convenient spot near work/ your home that serves food very quickly (Hint: NOT a sit down restaurant), almost like an emergency shelter for hanger victims. There's been plenty of times I've been at a sit-down table waiting for the food getting even more hangrier.
Residual effects of hanger:
1.) Sometimes people can't sleep while hangry (Stomach's usually good indication, but sometimes it's just dormant: feed it a little to see if it wakes up and takes notice of the hanger, then eat more). Most times I can't sleep it's becaus eof this.
Tips for curing hanger:
1.) Don't eat so much when actually hangry. This makes one eat more than one should and adds to the waistline.
2.) Don't play sports while
Monday, October 24, 2016
Full Train (満員電車)
The concept of a train filled to capacity is nothing new to Asian societies, especially in Japan, where there is a term specially coined for the packed commuter trains during morning rush (or any other times), it's called "man-in densha" and is just as connected to the culture as sushi and samurais. In fact, Japan has something like 9 of the world's top 10 subway stations, including Shinjuku Station in Tokyo and Shibuya Station (right next to the famous Shibuya Crossing where there's like 19 different corners of the intersection). So yea, I've witnessed my fair of man-in denshas, in fact sometimes subway attendees have to gently push the passengers into packed trains to make room, like cramming sardines into a bento lunch. It's quite the experience.
That's why I was quite surprised to see one of the first occurrences outside of Asia: a man-in densha in Chicago's Red Line today: at Lake station, right in the middle of downtown, at rush hour, it is incredibly packed with lines to get into the train and people packing in, and people forming lines to get on the train, waiting for the next train, even though trains came every 3 minutes or so. I had a suitcase with me, so I couldn't cram in like everyone else and needed extra room, so I just had to give up my pursuit to join the fracas. If there was a weight capacity on trains like there was an elevator, they definitely hit it. That leads me to today's topic, a continuation of the "Top 10 people you meet on a Southwest Flight," to "Top 10 people you meet on a commuter train (basically my complaints about different types of things people do):
1.) The solicitor even though signs everywhere say it's prohibited to solicit. Dude, can't you come up with a better story than that? Going on and on about how he has a job lined up in Aurora at Firestone Tires that he needs to get to by Monday morning so he can start working, but you're on a commuter train asking for transportation money? Isn't it better to ask someone for a ride, see if anyone's going in that direction, share an Uber for free? Even go on the highway and hitch a ride. Regardless, I'm not going to run the risk of directly supporting the drug trade by acceding to that fallacious story.
2.) Guy who can't wait to get on the train before people come off: It's not even that I care about you going first, I would let you, but especially in the case of manin denshas, it's common sense to let people off the train first, thus creating more space, THEN allow people to get on the train filling in those spaces. And while you're waiting, don't block the exit so that it's harder to get out.
3.) Guy who insists on standing by the door. There's about 2 body widths of space at every door. Those areas would preferably be open to aid in the loading and unloading of passengers (as long as we're comparing passengers to cargo like in a manin densha). Don't insist on standing right next to the door so that you have easy access in case you need to get out, and then not move when everyone else is unloading so everyone has to go around you. GO TOWARDS the MIDDLE OF THE TRAIN, especially if you're not getting off for a couple stops. Or do like what some people do, get off at each stop a bit and then get back in after everyone exchanges spots. These "blockades" as I call them are like the "Thomps" in Mario Kart that block the road, blocking at last half the area for traffic and doubling the time it takes to load and unload.
4.) Guy who's music (and yes, sexist but most of these are done by guys, bad representatives of my gender) is so loud I can hear it. Turn it down.
5.) Guy who takes up 2 seats while other people are forced to stand. Move your stuff to accommodate other people, guy. Don't force other people to ask.
6.) Participant of loud conversation: It's ok to talk on the train, but I don't need to hear everything about your personal life.
7.) Guy playing Candy Crush or any other phone game in the train: this is actually not damaging to other people in objective way, but makes me tempted to take a break and play those games, and do something to help society instead of just playing games! Get a life! Lol, I sound like Scrooge. Maybe I didn't have as many complaints about train commuters as I thought.
8.) Guy going up the escalator slowly blocking traffic behind. Right is for stopping, left is for passing.
9.) Guy who refuses to move into the open spot on a crowded train thus allowing other people to breathe. They just hold their spot like a territorial pit bull, can't be bothered with helping others to shift positions.
Fantasize on, and good luck with Maindenshas,
Robert Yan
That's why I was quite surprised to see one of the first occurrences outside of Asia: a man-in densha in Chicago's Red Line today: at Lake station, right in the middle of downtown, at rush hour, it is incredibly packed with lines to get into the train and people packing in, and people forming lines to get on the train, waiting for the next train, even though trains came every 3 minutes or so. I had a suitcase with me, so I couldn't cram in like everyone else and needed extra room, so I just had to give up my pursuit to join the fracas. If there was a weight capacity on trains like there was an elevator, they definitely hit it. That leads me to today's topic, a continuation of the "Top 10 people you meet on a Southwest Flight," to "Top 10 people you meet on a commuter train (basically my complaints about different types of things people do):
1.) The solicitor even though signs everywhere say it's prohibited to solicit. Dude, can't you come up with a better story than that? Going on and on about how he has a job lined up in Aurora at Firestone Tires that he needs to get to by Monday morning so he can start working, but you're on a commuter train asking for transportation money? Isn't it better to ask someone for a ride, see if anyone's going in that direction, share an Uber for free? Even go on the highway and hitch a ride. Regardless, I'm not going to run the risk of directly supporting the drug trade by acceding to that fallacious story.
2.) Guy who can't wait to get on the train before people come off: It's not even that I care about you going first, I would let you, but especially in the case of manin denshas, it's common sense to let people off the train first, thus creating more space, THEN allow people to get on the train filling in those spaces. And while you're waiting, don't block the exit so that it's harder to get out.
3.) Guy who insists on standing by the door. There's about 2 body widths of space at every door. Those areas would preferably be open to aid in the loading and unloading of passengers (as long as we're comparing passengers to cargo like in a manin densha). Don't insist on standing right next to the door so that you have easy access in case you need to get out, and then not move when everyone else is unloading so everyone has to go around you. GO TOWARDS the MIDDLE OF THE TRAIN, especially if you're not getting off for a couple stops. Or do like what some people do, get off at each stop a bit and then get back in after everyone exchanges spots. These "blockades" as I call them are like the "Thomps" in Mario Kart that block the road, blocking at last half the area for traffic and doubling the time it takes to load and unload.
4.) Guy who's music (and yes, sexist but most of these are done by guys, bad representatives of my gender) is so loud I can hear it. Turn it down.
5.) Guy who takes up 2 seats while other people are forced to stand. Move your stuff to accommodate other people, guy. Don't force other people to ask.
6.) Participant of loud conversation: It's ok to talk on the train, but I don't need to hear everything about your personal life.
7.) Guy playing Candy Crush or any other phone game in the train: this is actually not damaging to other people in objective way, but makes me tempted to take a break and play those games, and do something to help society instead of just playing games! Get a life! Lol, I sound like Scrooge. Maybe I didn't have as many complaints about train commuters as I thought.
8.) Guy going up the escalator slowly blocking traffic behind. Right is for stopping, left is for passing.
9.) Guy who refuses to move into the open spot on a crowded train thus allowing other people to breathe. They just hold their spot like a territorial pit bull, can't be bothered with helping others to shift positions.
Fantasize on, and good luck with Maindenshas,
Robert Yan
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Election (選挙)
I usually don't write about politics or religion (occasionally) and don't feel I'm smart enough or informed enough usually to endorse any candidates for publicly elected office, but there is a Presidential election coming up in a few weeks (an election that's garnered FAR too much coverage this year, IMO, not unlike previous years) so I thought I'd give my thoughts.
I've always thought the best kind of government is a benign dictator, one guy whose sole interest is for the good of the people. Too many cooks in the kitchen (oligarchy) makes it too indecisive, and history has been full of enough greedy power-hungry dictators to show that it doesn't work. The 21st century has seen a trend towards democratic countries, though, with elected officials, and it's the best system we have now realistically, but I think what some people miss is that it has some flaws. A democracy was built with the premise that a dictator was too powerful, that people beings inherently cannot be independent from pursuing power and that they will always be corrupt, thus a democracy took the power away from just one person and gave it to all the people. A democracy fails, though, if the people are stupid and make the wrong choice!
The problem with a benign dictator is, of course, no one is benign for ever, and that dictator is inherently human, giving rise to human flaws like greed, jealously, all kinds of emotions that in some way or another will distract from his or her's ability to act completely selflessly for the people. That and some evil person will come along and betray the benign dictator if the benign dictator doesn't show that he's strong, and to do that the benign dictator must be ruthless, thus no longer becoming a benign dictator. A vicious circle indeed, this power thing.
President Barack Obama was not a perfect president, heck just look at the mess Obamacare is in, but one thing stuck out to me: He mentioned that he didn't really NEED to be President, that if he was perfect intent with being a professor, a state politician, or local organizer, something productive to society, but that he just thought he'd do a good job as President. That's different from many of the political figures that have come to power over the course of history: people who wanted power, or came to power without thinking they'd do a good job (princes who were bequeathed the thrown), etc., etc.. In America the people have to elect you based on whether you would do a good job (although that criteria seems to be lost in recent elections against who is a bigger celebrity or Internet presence), but we don't often hear whether a Presidential candidate actually thinks they would do a good job in the Presidency. The problem with Donald Trump, other than the many things that have been highlighted this presidential campaign, is that he might not think he'd a good job, yet want that position for himself to satisfy his own ego, his pride. It's well publicized that he has put many people out of business, once was ridiculed by other billionaires, and his buildings and golf courses (there's a huge Trump building by where I work in Chicago!) that reflect his need to feed his ego. I feel it too; many human beings feel it: the need to show power, to be better than other people. It's very apparent that Donald Trump suffers from this complex, if it's not apparent from his comments about superiority in being able to inappropriately touch women, to the statements of "only he can fix the country's problems." In wanting to become President so much, he's overlooked whether he himself thinks he'd be a good President (obviously on the outside he'd say he would), but if he was a smart person (I do think he is, especially in business) he'd consider that his campaign feeds off of oppression, anger, and distrust and not of people actually thinking he'd do a good job, and realize he is just not what the world needs, what history needs, what mankind needs. He wouldn't be the benign dictator, he'd be the guy rising to power based on greed and human emotions, and that's not good for the fate of the U.S.A., and the world.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
I've always thought the best kind of government is a benign dictator, one guy whose sole interest is for the good of the people. Too many cooks in the kitchen (oligarchy) makes it too indecisive, and history has been full of enough greedy power-hungry dictators to show that it doesn't work. The 21st century has seen a trend towards democratic countries, though, with elected officials, and it's the best system we have now realistically, but I think what some people miss is that it has some flaws. A democracy was built with the premise that a dictator was too powerful, that people beings inherently cannot be independent from pursuing power and that they will always be corrupt, thus a democracy took the power away from just one person and gave it to all the people. A democracy fails, though, if the people are stupid and make the wrong choice!
The problem with a benign dictator is, of course, no one is benign for ever, and that dictator is inherently human, giving rise to human flaws like greed, jealously, all kinds of emotions that in some way or another will distract from his or her's ability to act completely selflessly for the people. That and some evil person will come along and betray the benign dictator if the benign dictator doesn't show that he's strong, and to do that the benign dictator must be ruthless, thus no longer becoming a benign dictator. A vicious circle indeed, this power thing.
President Barack Obama was not a perfect president, heck just look at the mess Obamacare is in, but one thing stuck out to me: He mentioned that he didn't really NEED to be President, that if he was perfect intent with being a professor, a state politician, or local organizer, something productive to society, but that he just thought he'd do a good job as President. That's different from many of the political figures that have come to power over the course of history: people who wanted power, or came to power without thinking they'd do a good job (princes who were bequeathed the thrown), etc., etc.. In America the people have to elect you based on whether you would do a good job (although that criteria seems to be lost in recent elections against who is a bigger celebrity or Internet presence), but we don't often hear whether a Presidential candidate actually thinks they would do a good job in the Presidency. The problem with Donald Trump, other than the many things that have been highlighted this presidential campaign, is that he might not think he'd a good job, yet want that position for himself to satisfy his own ego, his pride. It's well publicized that he has put many people out of business, once was ridiculed by other billionaires, and his buildings and golf courses (there's a huge Trump building by where I work in Chicago!) that reflect his need to feed his ego. I feel it too; many human beings feel it: the need to show power, to be better than other people. It's very apparent that Donald Trump suffers from this complex, if it's not apparent from his comments about superiority in being able to inappropriately touch women, to the statements of "only he can fix the country's problems." In wanting to become President so much, he's overlooked whether he himself thinks he'd be a good President (obviously on the outside he'd say he would), but if he was a smart person (I do think he is, especially in business) he'd consider that his campaign feeds off of oppression, anger, and distrust and not of people actually thinking he'd do a good job, and realize he is just not what the world needs, what history needs, what mankind needs. He wouldn't be the benign dictator, he'd be the guy rising to power based on greed and human emotions, and that's not good for the fate of the U.S.A., and the world.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, October 17, 2016
Scholarship 奨学金 [しょうがくきん (shougakukin)]
We all make hundreds and thousands of decisions every day, but some decisions have more consequence than others, both financially, spiritually, metaphysically, etc. One of the biggest decisions I've ever made is where to go to law school.
At the time, I had narrowed my decisions down to 2: Washington University in St. Louis for a FULL RIDE, or go to USC for a 1/3 scholarship. Present value financially speaking, a slam dunk to go to Washu, it was 100,000 extra dollars over 3 years. That's a lot of money. But at the time, I had just turned 21, didn't really grasp the concept of such a financial commitment (I now appreciate the value of 100,000, especially if it's increased through compound interest)
The scholarship amount also seemed a little fishy, like it was too good to be true, or some sort of trap. I had this confused notion as a newly minted 21 year old that i would have to pay all that scholarship back somebody anyway when I made it big and thereafter paid back all the scholarship money as a show of appreciation ( I know, not very logical) so I thought the money issue wasn't that big of a deal, and many law school advice books suggested "going to the best school you get in." USC was a few spots ahead in the rankings and better suited geographically, plus in a better city with a defined market with ample alumni connections. I was "sold" (probably a poor choice of words).
To make a long story short, I went to USC, and my personal history changed irrevocably. One of the few ways to judge how significant a decision is would be to see how irrevocable it was, like if I watch Superman movie instead of Batman movie tonight, I can easily reverse the decision by watching batman the next time and I'd be right back where I was before the decision. The USC decision can't be reversed: I can recover that 100,000 plus dollars (eventually, hopefully) but I can never recover the chance of going to WashU l, making innumerable memories, living debt free, possibly becoming a Cardinals baseball fan, etc. who knows. Luckily for me though the path I did take turned out really well: I met an ubforgettable group of friends and connections through law school, acclimated myself to one of the best cities in the world, stayed near my family, took up basically what I feel is my life's calling in dodgeball, and met the woman of my dreams (eventually). There's little to regret/revocate from those standpoints, just the money.
Anyway, the lesson here is for any kids out there (or if I could go back and make the same decision again) , when choosing between schools, the scholarship money IS a substantial factor especially at the escalating cost of tuition nowadays, and it is a very significant decision that effects a lot of what you do in the future, but it's not the k my decision. I would make the same decision again if I had to do it all over again.
And oh yea I should have bought Netflix stock today, the stock was down (along with the entire stock market) but then went up 20% in after hours trading (20%!!!!!! That means for every share you bought you gained $20 dollars today cuz it traded at $100! Geez what a buying opportunity. Shoulda, woulda, coulda known all those hyped Netflix shows like Stranger Things would give it a big sales bump). Money......it's fickle, and it's tiring chasing after it, get that scholarship money! Lol.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
At the time, I had narrowed my decisions down to 2: Washington University in St. Louis for a FULL RIDE, or go to USC for a 1/3 scholarship. Present value financially speaking, a slam dunk to go to Washu, it was 100,000 extra dollars over 3 years. That's a lot of money. But at the time, I had just turned 21, didn't really grasp the concept of such a financial commitment (I now appreciate the value of 100,000, especially if it's increased through compound interest)
The scholarship amount also seemed a little fishy, like it was too good to be true, or some sort of trap. I had this confused notion as a newly minted 21 year old that i would have to pay all that scholarship back somebody anyway when I made it big and thereafter paid back all the scholarship money as a show of appreciation ( I know, not very logical) so I thought the money issue wasn't that big of a deal, and many law school advice books suggested "going to the best school you get in." USC was a few spots ahead in the rankings and better suited geographically, plus in a better city with a defined market with ample alumni connections. I was "sold" (probably a poor choice of words).
To make a long story short, I went to USC, and my personal history changed irrevocably. One of the few ways to judge how significant a decision is would be to see how irrevocable it was, like if I watch Superman movie instead of Batman movie tonight, I can easily reverse the decision by watching batman the next time and I'd be right back where I was before the decision. The USC decision can't be reversed: I can recover that 100,000 plus dollars (eventually, hopefully) but I can never recover the chance of going to WashU l, making innumerable memories, living debt free, possibly becoming a Cardinals baseball fan, etc. who knows. Luckily for me though the path I did take turned out really well: I met an ubforgettable group of friends and connections through law school, acclimated myself to one of the best cities in the world, stayed near my family, took up basically what I feel is my life's calling in dodgeball, and met the woman of my dreams (eventually). There's little to regret/revocate from those standpoints, just the money.
Anyway, the lesson here is for any kids out there (or if I could go back and make the same decision again) , when choosing between schools, the scholarship money IS a substantial factor especially at the escalating cost of tuition nowadays, and it is a very significant decision that effects a lot of what you do in the future, but it's not the k my decision. I would make the same decision again if I had to do it all over again.
And oh yea I should have bought Netflix stock today, the stock was down (along with the entire stock market) but then went up 20% in after hours trading (20%!!!!!! That means for every share you bought you gained $20 dollars today cuz it traded at $100! Geez what a buying opportunity. Shoulda, woulda, coulda known all those hyped Netflix shows like Stranger Things would give it a big sales bump). Money......it's fickle, and it's tiring chasing after it, get that scholarship money! Lol.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, October 14, 2016
Milk (牛乳)
Milk is "gyuunuu" in Japanese.
I remember back in the day when "Got Milk?" was a big commercial theme, where famous celebrities wore "milk moustaches" to advocate for the drinking of milk. Where has that gone? Apparently, it hasn't gone anywhere, and I've just moved.....Got Milk? was a phenomenon in California for California consumers and didn't really spread to other states, but it was sure memorable for me.
Lately, however, milk consumption has gone down. A Wall St. Journal recently showed that dairy farms are literally pouring milk down the drain due to it clogging up inventory and lack of sales/ oversupply (American farms apparently ramped up production a few years ago to meet demand but now have overdone it). I don't really see people drinking milk in the morning, and definitely not for other meals.....people prefer coffee in the morning to wake them up, or only consume milk to add to their coffee. To me, there's something wrong with a country that consumes more beer (the poison, in my opinion, makes you feel worse about yourself later on, is bad for you health wise, and makes people make bad decisions, all for those few hours of drunken debauchery and to have a good story in the morning) than milk, a healthy option that helps kids grown and actually has nutritious value. I've been in plenty of situations where just drinking milk filled me with some energy. ( I get that some people are lactose intolerant or fear that milk will make one fat, as my girlfriend thinks, so I won't hammer the point, but drink milk, not beer!0
I've been in the habit of drinking a class of milk per day since before I can remember. Back elementary school, milk was for lunch......in addition to breakfast. My parents would buy a large gallon of milk for the whole family and I was the main consumer. Something about the cool refreshing feel of milk in the morning to break the long hours of no food or water, I can feel the milk going down through my system and settling in on the bottom of my stomach. Milk also goes well with a lot of breakfast foods (almost anything really, except my mom keeps telling me not to drink milk with bananas. What she doesn't know is I've been doing that for years). It's especially good with peanut butter, serving kind of like a fabric softener for your mouth in separating that sticky peanut butter. And in grade school, milk wasn't done after breakfast! The school cafeteria also served milk, and in some cases it came as the school lunch! My parents always speculate why I grew to be taller than both of them, wondering if it was a hereditary issue or some sort of American diet issue, I assert that it was a milk issue! My parents didn't get much milk in Communist-ruled China (where even meat was rationed out and was in low supply), I got milk in abundance (possibly genetically enhanced milk, with growth-hormone cows, I admit, so maybe I was using HGH!) and grew to be taller. Pretty simple.
Anyway, sorry for the random rant. Drink more milk! (not a milk spokesperson or working in the milk industry, just a milk enthusiast and nostalgic about the good ol' days of milk dominance) Look, milk still is put in the back of the grocery stores for a reason, people still feel it's an essential item that they'll go all the way to the back for so grocery stores put it there to make them look at other items around the store, so I guess it isn't dead, just diminished. Don't cry over spilt milk,ふくすいぼんにかえらず I guess.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
I remember back in the day when "Got Milk?" was a big commercial theme, where famous celebrities wore "milk moustaches" to advocate for the drinking of milk. Where has that gone? Apparently, it hasn't gone anywhere, and I've just moved.....Got Milk? was a phenomenon in California for California consumers and didn't really spread to other states, but it was sure memorable for me.
Lately, however, milk consumption has gone down. A Wall St. Journal recently showed that dairy farms are literally pouring milk down the drain due to it clogging up inventory and lack of sales/ oversupply (American farms apparently ramped up production a few years ago to meet demand but now have overdone it). I don't really see people drinking milk in the morning, and definitely not for other meals.....people prefer coffee in the morning to wake them up, or only consume milk to add to their coffee. To me, there's something wrong with a country that consumes more beer (the poison, in my opinion, makes you feel worse about yourself later on, is bad for you health wise, and makes people make bad decisions, all for those few hours of drunken debauchery and to have a good story in the morning) than milk, a healthy option that helps kids grown and actually has nutritious value. I've been in plenty of situations where just drinking milk filled me with some energy. ( I get that some people are lactose intolerant or fear that milk will make one fat, as my girlfriend thinks, so I won't hammer the point, but drink milk, not beer!0
I've been in the habit of drinking a class of milk per day since before I can remember. Back elementary school, milk was for lunch......in addition to breakfast. My parents would buy a large gallon of milk for the whole family and I was the main consumer. Something about the cool refreshing feel of milk in the morning to break the long hours of no food or water, I can feel the milk going down through my system and settling in on the bottom of my stomach. Milk also goes well with a lot of breakfast foods (almost anything really, except my mom keeps telling me not to drink milk with bananas. What she doesn't know is I've been doing that for years). It's especially good with peanut butter, serving kind of like a fabric softener for your mouth in separating that sticky peanut butter. And in grade school, milk wasn't done after breakfast! The school cafeteria also served milk, and in some cases it came as the school lunch! My parents always speculate why I grew to be taller than both of them, wondering if it was a hereditary issue or some sort of American diet issue, I assert that it was a milk issue! My parents didn't get much milk in Communist-ruled China (where even meat was rationed out and was in low supply), I got milk in abundance (possibly genetically enhanced milk, with growth-hormone cows, I admit, so maybe I was using HGH!) and grew to be taller. Pretty simple.
Anyway, sorry for the random rant. Drink more milk! (not a milk spokesperson or working in the milk industry, just a milk enthusiast and nostalgic about the good ol' days of milk dominance) Look, milk still is put in the back of the grocery stores for a reason, people still feel it's an essential item that they'll go all the way to the back for so grocery stores put it there to make them look at other items around the store, so I guess it isn't dead, just diminished. Don't cry over spilt milk,ふくすいぼんにかえらず I guess.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, October 10, 2016
CJK (Chinese, Korean, Japanese)
in my line of work there are 3 Asian languages that everybody wants to learn/ is envious of other people for knowing: Chinese, Korean, Japanese. These are the 3 largest countries in Asia.....and as I wrote this statement, I knew i was off, but I'm amazed at how off I was: China is the most populous country in the world, but India and Pakistan are not far behind, Japan is 11th in the world, while S. Korea is at 27th......Japan and Korea aren't even 2nd and 3rd in Southeast Asia, aka "oriental" Asia, with that honor belonging to Indonesia, with the 4th largest population in the world (that is actually truly, truly surprising. 260 million people rivals even that of the U.S. Gotta go to Indonesia one day, if I can ever find it on a map.....)
Anyway, despite my way-off calculation of the significance of CJK (Chinese Japanese Korea), they're certainly major players in the Asian economy if not the world economy, and have a signficiant world presence, especially here in the US (judged anecdotally by the number of tourists that belong to each of those countries). They also share something else in common: language. That's right, I've probably stated it before, but CJK languages are like a triangle: they all borrow from each other, and have various similarities, not just in the kanji (each of the 3 languages uses some of the pictograph-like characters in its native language) but also shared grammar (Japanese and Korean), and sounds of words (Japanese, Chinese, and Korean all have words that sound very similar, just slightly nuanced). My dream, of course, is to one day master all of these languages, and I'm already on my way there! Some might argue I can barely speak English, which I wouldn't dispute on some days,
There's also stereotypes/ biases within each Asian community, which when I grew up was lost among some of my American friends: "aren't you Japanese or something? They would ask. Oh Chinese? All the same." They're not the same, and there's a lot of tension between the 3 countries and cultural differences and political turmoil, but I can understand how a 10-year kid living in America wouldn't be able to comprehend that. Heck, I barely do now.
One other thing they share in common: facial features. Google "alllooksame.com" and there are websites showing pictures of CJK people and asking viewers to decide which nationality each Asian person is, I always get one wrong. It is really hard to tell, and it makes sense: all coming from the same ancestors, the histories of the people are intertwined with each other, the physical proximity of the countries also lending to the similar features. There are slight nuances, and I defer to my girlfriend to make guesses, but to me it's really shallow way, and a better way is just to talk to them. What language they speak is a pretty good indicator!
I mean I might as well just start making a list of similarities, they're coming to me so quickly.
1.) rice-based food/ noodles
2.) superiority at net sports: ping pong/ badminton come to mind
3.) starting to develop baseball talent in Major League baseball: well Korea and Japan are ahead in this field, but Chinese people......have Ching Mien Wang (still pitching in the MLB as late as this year!)
One day, I hope to appreciate all 3 cultures. I understand I am in a unique position to understand all 3 from a neutral perspective and many who live in those countries aren't offered that opportunity due to parental influence, growing up, reading through history, etc., but I think all 3 languages and cultures are very enjoyable to learn for a America-raised banana like me! (My girlfriend probably disagrees) I hope to be versed in the power triangle of CJK soon!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Anyway, despite my way-off calculation of the significance of CJK (Chinese Japanese Korea), they're certainly major players in the Asian economy if not the world economy, and have a signficiant world presence, especially here in the US (judged anecdotally by the number of tourists that belong to each of those countries). They also share something else in common: language. That's right, I've probably stated it before, but CJK languages are like a triangle: they all borrow from each other, and have various similarities, not just in the kanji (each of the 3 languages uses some of the pictograph-like characters in its native language) but also shared grammar (Japanese and Korean), and sounds of words (Japanese, Chinese, and Korean all have words that sound very similar, just slightly nuanced). My dream, of course, is to one day master all of these languages, and I'm already on my way there! Some might argue I can barely speak English, which I wouldn't dispute on some days,
There's also stereotypes/ biases within each Asian community, which when I grew up was lost among some of my American friends: "aren't you Japanese or something? They would ask. Oh Chinese? All the same." They're not the same, and there's a lot of tension between the 3 countries and cultural differences and political turmoil, but I can understand how a 10-year kid living in America wouldn't be able to comprehend that. Heck, I barely do now.
One other thing they share in common: facial features. Google "alllooksame.com" and there are websites showing pictures of CJK people and asking viewers to decide which nationality each Asian person is, I always get one wrong. It is really hard to tell, and it makes sense: all coming from the same ancestors, the histories of the people are intertwined with each other, the physical proximity of the countries also lending to the similar features. There are slight nuances, and I defer to my girlfriend to make guesses, but to me it's really shallow way, and a better way is just to talk to them. What language they speak is a pretty good indicator!
I mean I might as well just start making a list of similarities, they're coming to me so quickly.
1.) rice-based food/ noodles
2.) superiority at net sports: ping pong/ badminton come to mind
3.) starting to develop baseball talent in Major League baseball: well Korea and Japan are ahead in this field, but Chinese people......have Ching Mien Wang (still pitching in the MLB as late as this year!)
One day, I hope to appreciate all 3 cultures. I understand I am in a unique position to understand all 3 from a neutral perspective and many who live in those countries aren't offered that opportunity due to parental influence, growing up, reading through history, etc., but I think all 3 languages and cultures are very enjoyable to learn for a America-raised banana like me! (My girlfriend probably disagrees) I hope to be versed in the power triangle of CJK soon!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Flowers in Full Bloom (花ざかり = Hanazakari)
Hanazakari means 'flowers in full bloom" in Japanese, or a woman at the height of her beauty. It's such a popular phrase in Japanese that it inspired a television drama, and totally understandable because for woman, aging is one of the worst enemies: worse than rotten apples, men who don't pay child support, and controlling mother in laws. This might become a creepy post and you might cringe when reading some of these descriptions (I know my girlfriend already is), but I'm gonna discuss when a woman is at her highest peak of beauty.
First of all, when discussing pure aesthetic beauty, it's hard to say due to the miracles of makeup. As women grow older, they realize how to use makeup better, so it really becomes a work of art, not pure beauty. (I'm reminded of a video I watched one time where a pretty plain-looking woman used makeup to totally change her appearance and at the end looked like someone else entirely). There's also the miracles of plastic surgery and botox and whatnot, so nowadays no one's 100% pure. There's a famous Japanese tale where a husband never knows what his wife really looks like (her suppin = face without makeup) because the wife wakes up before the husband and puts on makeup, adds more to fortify it during the day, then goes to sleep with her husband with the makeup on only to finally remove it after husband goes to sleep. So I guess the hanazakari can be in full effect!
Wrinkles: I'm actually ok with wrinkles (mainly cuz I proudly display them on my forehead too... my hanazakari ended when I went through puberty, I lost my boyish good looks at like age 15) but some women are deeply afraid of them. For women it's probably like, once a wrinkle has extended past 1mm on one's face, it's OVER....Hanazakari season has officially ended.
Grey hairs (still not sure whether grey is grey or gray, btw, one of those weird words in English language): I had a coworker who would OBSESS about any grey hairs that would pop up: dye them, spray paint them, pluck them, pray that they go away, etc., grey hairs have got to be one of the worst things about waking up ( I remember those days of waking up dreading to see what new pimples had popped up), grey hairs are probably like that for women.
At the end of the day, one quote I heard one time really hit home: Women don't really dress up and look pretty for men to look at, they dress up and look pretty for other women. (not necessarily to attract sexual attention as in a lesbian relationship, but more just to show superiority, like "Hey I'm prettier than you!" much like the guy's testosterone-inspired "I can beat you up!" or "I'm better than you at so-and-so!" girls' way of competition is to be more beautiful, to be the prettier flower in full bloom. And guys just benefit. To a certain extent, guys do this too, but the competition is not as intense, it's more about muscles, cars, athletic ability, and dissipates pretty quickly after getting into a fight or resolving it in some other way, but women.......that's a race that lasts for years. It's probably a good thing, then, that Asian woman don't age between the years of 20 to 40.......
No scientific study has dared to approach that subject before, but it is anecdotally true and I call it the Asian Hanazakari effect: Asian woman, due to protection of skin (using lotions, creams, magic powders, etc. etc......I know, my girlfriend has at least 100 of these....) they don't age out at all between these years, like a flower that's in full bloom for 2 years. I've honestly been 10 years off in guessing a woman's age (from afar, of course, and only when a woman reveals her true age, which is not common for anyone over 20) due to this phenomenon.
I apologize if this post has been extremely sexist or projected some sort of double standard against women. I think women are beautiful even if they look mature, and trying to look better than other women is just a rat race that you're not going to win, definitely not forever. I think I should end by saying I love my girlfriend, she is beautiful in every way, and she is definitely in full bloom. Hanazakari!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
First of all, when discussing pure aesthetic beauty, it's hard to say due to the miracles of makeup. As women grow older, they realize how to use makeup better, so it really becomes a work of art, not pure beauty. (I'm reminded of a video I watched one time where a pretty plain-looking woman used makeup to totally change her appearance and at the end looked like someone else entirely). There's also the miracles of plastic surgery and botox and whatnot, so nowadays no one's 100% pure. There's a famous Japanese tale where a husband never knows what his wife really looks like (her suppin = face without makeup) because the wife wakes up before the husband and puts on makeup, adds more to fortify it during the day, then goes to sleep with her husband with the makeup on only to finally remove it after husband goes to sleep. So I guess the hanazakari can be in full effect!
Wrinkles: I'm actually ok with wrinkles (mainly cuz I proudly display them on my forehead too... my hanazakari ended when I went through puberty, I lost my boyish good looks at like age 15) but some women are deeply afraid of them. For women it's probably like, once a wrinkle has extended past 1mm on one's face, it's OVER....Hanazakari season has officially ended.
Grey hairs (still not sure whether grey is grey or gray, btw, one of those weird words in English language): I had a coworker who would OBSESS about any grey hairs that would pop up: dye them, spray paint them, pluck them, pray that they go away, etc., grey hairs have got to be one of the worst things about waking up ( I remember those days of waking up dreading to see what new pimples had popped up), grey hairs are probably like that for women.
At the end of the day, one quote I heard one time really hit home: Women don't really dress up and look pretty for men to look at, they dress up and look pretty for other women. (not necessarily to attract sexual attention as in a lesbian relationship, but more just to show superiority, like "Hey I'm prettier than you!" much like the guy's testosterone-inspired "I can beat you up!" or "I'm better than you at so-and-so!" girls' way of competition is to be more beautiful, to be the prettier flower in full bloom. And guys just benefit. To a certain extent, guys do this too, but the competition is not as intense, it's more about muscles, cars, athletic ability, and dissipates pretty quickly after getting into a fight or resolving it in some other way, but women.......that's a race that lasts for years. It's probably a good thing, then, that Asian woman don't age between the years of 20 to 40.......
No scientific study has dared to approach that subject before, but it is anecdotally true and I call it the Asian Hanazakari effect: Asian woman, due to protection of skin (using lotions, creams, magic powders, etc. etc......I know, my girlfriend has at least 100 of these....) they don't age out at all between these years, like a flower that's in full bloom for 2 years. I've honestly been 10 years off in guessing a woman's age (from afar, of course, and only when a woman reveals her true age, which is not common for anyone over 20) due to this phenomenon.
I apologize if this post has been extremely sexist or projected some sort of double standard against women. I think women are beautiful even if they look mature, and trying to look better than other women is just a rat race that you're not going to win, definitely not forever. I think I should end by saying I love my girlfriend, she is beautiful in every way, and she is definitely in full bloom. Hanazakari!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, October 3, 2016
Rural town (田舎)
This weekend I had the pleasure of traveling through rural Wisconsin (woo hoo!) north past Milwaukee (I didn't know there was civilization beyond Milwaukee neither) to a town called Kewaunee, Wisconsin, population 2,200. (we passed through Manitowac County, Wisconsin, on our way, and it's very reminiscant of the image that the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" encapsulates. Granted, we didn't stop in town and didn't want to drive too fast for fear of being pulled over and falsely accused for some crime we didnt' commit, see series for reference) A totally isolated small town, surrounded by farm land, not a college to support its population, apart from everything else in the world it seemed like. Home of cheese curds, which are either delicious or vomit-inducing depending on who you ask, and "a historic downtown" area that consisted of a half of a block of stores and then just fades away.
I don't mean to make fun of or belittle Kewaunee, Wisconsin, or any other small rural cities in the world, they have a certain quaintness about them. For example, there's not that many people, which naturally garners more nature, more wildlife, and an awesome lighthouse that's not overcrowded with people like the Santa Monica Pier on a busy weekend. (granted, not every small town has a lighthouse, but most do have some sort of symbolic landmark that signifies the spirit of the city). And people actually know each other in small towns: my friend who lives there is known as "Mr. K" by all the townspeople and has a high reputation, gaining the respect of his peers through robust Pokemon training. So there's a sense of trust, family within the neighborhood as opposed to a sense of being squeezed in an elevator getting to work or packed like sardines into a train and fighting to get off at the proepr stop. There's no bustling trains interrupting your nightly rest, and one can actually see the stars pretty clearly without a smog-inducing metropolis nearby.
Some people love the rural experience, and I don't blame them, but I had enough after 1 day and a half of the countryside. It's like a lot of vacation spots: nice to visit once in awhile, cool to know people do lead that sort of lifestyle, but can't imagine being there every day of the rest of my life. Definitely, what I've learned from my experiences is that I'm a city dweller...I thrive in large communities, where access to resources (like grocery stores) is readily available, and there are social dodgeball leagues (shudders to think about living without a dodgeball league). Cities are also where professional, white-collar types work with offices in tall buildings and wearing business casual is the standard, not farmwear and work clothes, and I'm definitely of the former type (nerdy, works in an office, doesn't want to get hands dirty, really just bad with my hands, needs to use utilize my mind and not my hands to make a living). I also LOVE running in urban areas like urban parks with a backdrop of the skyline, and a river or some body of water cutting through the city that allows for running along the shore doesn't hurt neither. People, in general, our social animals.....we like to socialize, and I socialize pretty well with most people (my gf probably agrees!) so for now, until I commit some sort of social crime that ostracizes me from most people and I find everyone grotesque or vice versa, I'd like to live (and really, have to live in order to work the jobs that I do) in an urban area.
Fantasize on,
Rober tYan
I don't mean to make fun of or belittle Kewaunee, Wisconsin, or any other small rural cities in the world, they have a certain quaintness about them. For example, there's not that many people, which naturally garners more nature, more wildlife, and an awesome lighthouse that's not overcrowded with people like the Santa Monica Pier on a busy weekend. (granted, not every small town has a lighthouse, but most do have some sort of symbolic landmark that signifies the spirit of the city). And people actually know each other in small towns: my friend who lives there is known as "Mr. K" by all the townspeople and has a high reputation, gaining the respect of his peers through robust Pokemon training. So there's a sense of trust, family within the neighborhood as opposed to a sense of being squeezed in an elevator getting to work or packed like sardines into a train and fighting to get off at the proepr stop. There's no bustling trains interrupting your nightly rest, and one can actually see the stars pretty clearly without a smog-inducing metropolis nearby.
Some people love the rural experience, and I don't blame them, but I had enough after 1 day and a half of the countryside. It's like a lot of vacation spots: nice to visit once in awhile, cool to know people do lead that sort of lifestyle, but can't imagine being there every day of the rest of my life. Definitely, what I've learned from my experiences is that I'm a city dweller...I thrive in large communities, where access to resources (like grocery stores) is readily available, and there are social dodgeball leagues (shudders to think about living without a dodgeball league). Cities are also where professional, white-collar types work with offices in tall buildings and wearing business casual is the standard, not farmwear and work clothes, and I'm definitely of the former type (nerdy, works in an office, doesn't want to get hands dirty, really just bad with my hands, needs to use utilize my mind and not my hands to make a living). I also LOVE running in urban areas like urban parks with a backdrop of the skyline, and a river or some body of water cutting through the city that allows for running along the shore doesn't hurt neither. People, in general, our social animals.....we like to socialize, and I socialize pretty well with most people (my gf probably agrees!) so for now, until I commit some sort of social crime that ostracizes me from most people and I find everyone grotesque or vice versa, I'd like to live (and really, have to live in order to work the jobs that I do) in an urban area.
Fantasize on,
Rober tYan
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