Memorial Day weekend here in Los Angeles, and other than THE WHOLE WORLD getting married this weekend (possibly due to the long weekend, summer months allow for fantastic sunsets, etc.) it was a great weekend for barbecuing, and the Yan family was no different. Corn, Korean style steaks, spicy pork, and Costco Grade A sausages were on the menu. But should they have been?
I've never even tried vegetarian, meat's always been on the menu at the Yan household, and it wasn't until I became an adult that I consciously went a whole day without meat (I may have just forgotten to eat meat once in a while, didn't keep count). I have gone a few days consecutively without eating meat, and I gotta say it's not a fun experience. My body feels empty inside, I'm constantly a little hungry, and I crave meats, anything. Tofu, beans, and other protein just don't fulfill the human desire like a raw, juicy slice of steak does. Alas, people do get used to being vegetarian, and even vegan (some vegans even judge meat-eaters and think they're better than us, which I think is a little extreme but maybe they have a point?) Vegetarians/ vegans can eat their meals with a clean conscience of knowing they didn't have to kill a living thing to have their meal. Certainly there's been distinctions about "what kind of animals are better to kill" like shrimp and fish don't have brains but cows and pigs and other farm animals feel emotions, etc., etc. To me it seems like that's a pretty hard distinction to draw, every single animal in the animal kingdom has been featured in an animated film (mostly Disney) and seemed really cool and too cute to eat certainly, so eating a snail seems just as morally damaging as eating a cow or chicken, or dare I say it, dog (in some cultures).
Ultimately, my moral code allows me to eat meat, but recently I've tried to do it sparingly, cuz not only is it wasteful to eat too much meat, health studies show it's not good to have too much (usually very oily, high in cholestrol, etc.) Barbecues, then, seem a little excessive to me. I would rather have a Southwestern salad (with chicken) than a big cheeseburger off a grill, I'd rather eat BCD Tofu (a famous Korean Tofu place) than Korean BBQ, and I'd rather have Mapo Tofu than Peking Duck at a Chinese restaurants. All my preferences have a little meat in them, but not excessively like BBQs do, and there's other nutrients that I can justify I'm going for a balanced diet, rather than just inhaling meat like some BBQs tend to do (I'm going to Kansas City next weekend so I'll be challenged to uphold my principles).
You know what place doesn't hold back on meats? In N' Out Burger. Especially on Friday nights, that' is the HOPPING place to be, 12AM Friday night/ Saturday morning is maybe the most crowded time for IN N' Out. It's mostly the late night food eaters craving the juiciness of the restaurant and losing all the discipline that they had over the course of the week (or never had at all, based on the size and portion amounts of the people I observed at In N Out). America, at least, seems like a place of excess, and BBQ is another example, just with meats.
Also, this weekend started the Muslim tradition of Ramadan, which first of all must be a great way to go on a diet, I guess unless you binge eat a lot after sunset and it actually becomes an unhealthy way to eat. It's also gotta be really tough for Ramadan to land on the summer months (the days are even longer than usual, and I gotta imagine border line impossible in places like Alaska where it almost never gets dark). It also seems like great practice for maintaining discipline about food, and indeed that seems to be what Ramadan is about, understanding people less fortunate and who don't have access to food like some of us do. I personally would get pretty hangry for about half the day, and it'd be an extended time of crankiness and risk of me blowing up about relatively mundane topics, so more power to the people who celebrate Ramadan.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, May 29, 2017
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Live Concert (ライブ)
Japanese refer to a live concert as "raibu," or "live," another example (like bartender in the last post!) of loan words from English to Japanese. Chinese and Korean both have similar English loan words (although not as many as Japanese) so don't be surprised next time you're listening to Asian tourists talk to each other that you hear some English sounding words that you can decipher.
Anyway, MJ and I went to the U2 live concert on Sunday, a really great one to attend for first time concertgoer like myself! The stadium was packed (except about 1/3 of the stadium which was behind the stage area), U2 was in regular beautiful form, and the Lumineers were also pretty entertaining. We were able to get REALLY up close to the stage because we had general admission standing-only tickets, which caused me to whine a lot at the end of the concert because my back hurt from standing a long time, but if the 40-50 year old primary audience members (the target audience for U2 apparently) could handle it, I had to bear it.
Despite complaining and whining about everything to MJ at the concert and possibly ruining the entire experience (ex: WHY do we have to wait almost an hour after the open for the main act? A: that's how most live concerts operate), I had a pretty enjoyable time. It was an awesome early summer evening, the weather was cooperative (I've been in stadiums that become humid with all the bodies and hot air inside), U2 had some cool visual effects, and the music was obviously very high level, I got a little into it. It's just like a baseball game: sure one can watch the game at home and know what's going on, but you don't get the atmosphere of the stadium, the knowledge that the music is being played live in front of you and there's magic happening before your very eyes. Or at least that's what the live concert company wants you to think. People were getting really into it, and I have to say I got into it along with them, a group mentality. And hey, I didn't even have to wear earphones! ( I dreaded that for about a week before the concert, whether I would go deaf or at least get a headache from the noise. Nothing of the sort came close to happening, this was U2, not Metallica).
Life hack 1; don't buy ANYTHING at the stadium. $7 bottled water, $8 lemonade, $5 hot dog (wrapped in tin foil paper). It's certainly tempting, but the regret will set in very soon.
Life hack 2: DO NOT park in the stadium parking lot for well-attended concerts, professional sports games, live performances, etc. Not only does it cost an arm and a leg to park ($40!!!! to park at the Rose Bowl for a U2 concert), it's also murder to get out of the lot after the concert unless you leave early or something. MJ and I parked safely outside of the stadium in a residential neighborhood and walked less than a mile to the concert, a nice walk especially in beautiful Pasadena. This applies to Disneyland also, I've parked there for free before instead of the Mickey and Goofy and friends parking lot.
Life hack 3: wait outside of the stadium with the anxious-looking groupies looking expectantly for some sort of car to arrive, we happened to stumble on Bono arriving at the stadium in his private vehicle waving to everyone as he entered the Rose Bowl. I'm not sure why people were so excited since we saw him on stage shortly after at about the same distance away, but hey these are rock stars.
Life hack 4: sit down if you can and rest your legs/ body at a concert, you're gonna need the rest later when everyone's standing and jumping up and down. Maybe this is a consequence-of-being-30-thing.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Anyway, MJ and I went to the U2 live concert on Sunday, a really great one to attend for first time concertgoer like myself! The stadium was packed (except about 1/3 of the stadium which was behind the stage area), U2 was in regular beautiful form, and the Lumineers were also pretty entertaining. We were able to get REALLY up close to the stage because we had general admission standing-only tickets, which caused me to whine a lot at the end of the concert because my back hurt from standing a long time, but if the 40-50 year old primary audience members (the target audience for U2 apparently) could handle it, I had to bear it.
Despite complaining and whining about everything to MJ at the concert and possibly ruining the entire experience (ex: WHY do we have to wait almost an hour after the open for the main act? A: that's how most live concerts operate), I had a pretty enjoyable time. It was an awesome early summer evening, the weather was cooperative (I've been in stadiums that become humid with all the bodies and hot air inside), U2 had some cool visual effects, and the music was obviously very high level, I got a little into it. It's just like a baseball game: sure one can watch the game at home and know what's going on, but you don't get the atmosphere of the stadium, the knowledge that the music is being played live in front of you and there's magic happening before your very eyes. Or at least that's what the live concert company wants you to think. People were getting really into it, and I have to say I got into it along with them, a group mentality. And hey, I didn't even have to wear earphones! ( I dreaded that for about a week before the concert, whether I would go deaf or at least get a headache from the noise. Nothing of the sort came close to happening, this was U2, not Metallica).
Life hack 1; don't buy ANYTHING at the stadium. $7 bottled water, $8 lemonade, $5 hot dog (wrapped in tin foil paper). It's certainly tempting, but the regret will set in very soon.
Life hack 2: DO NOT park in the stadium parking lot for well-attended concerts, professional sports games, live performances, etc. Not only does it cost an arm and a leg to park ($40!!!! to park at the Rose Bowl for a U2 concert), it's also murder to get out of the lot after the concert unless you leave early or something. MJ and I parked safely outside of the stadium in a residential neighborhood and walked less than a mile to the concert, a nice walk especially in beautiful Pasadena. This applies to Disneyland also, I've parked there for free before instead of the Mickey and Goofy and friends parking lot.
Life hack 3: wait outside of the stadium with the anxious-looking groupies looking expectantly for some sort of car to arrive, we happened to stumble on Bono arriving at the stadium in his private vehicle waving to everyone as he entered the Rose Bowl. I'm not sure why people were so excited since we saw him on stage shortly after at about the same distance away, but hey these are rock stars.
Life hack 4: sit down if you can and rest your legs/ body at a concert, you're gonna need the rest later when everyone's standing and jumping up and down. Maybe this is a consequence-of-being-30-thing.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, May 22, 2017
Bartender (バーテンダー)
I've always thought bartender was one of the easiest jobs in the world. You take the customer's money, pour alcohol into a cup or glass, hand it to the customer, rinse and repeat, AND you get a tip every time you do it. Oh, maybe sometimes you have to crack open a bottle, boo hoo. Or so I thought. Today, as part of the Venice Art Auctions Charity Event in Venice (Google office location), MJ and I both served as bartenders for just 3 hours, and it was quite the tough assignment. I think we both gained new appreciation for the profession, and it's not as easy as it looks.
First of all, you're standing the whole time. That in itself is quite the feat, as my back starts to ache or some part of my body goes wrong after just an hour or so.
Second of all, opening some bottles are harder than others. Wines have corks in them, and depending on the cork there's a fair amount of twisting and pulling with a corkscrew. Maybe I just have stone hands (really un-dexterous) but it takes me a little bit to get those things open, while customers are waiting berating me with their eyes for being slow.
Third of all, there's some subtle movements bartenders have to do, like remembering to take form of payment, then starting to pour, and always give customers a napkin along with their drink. Bartenders sometimes do those so subtly I don't even notice it, but it's a delicate process. I for one forgot to take drink tickets (the official currency of the auction today) a few times and could have just let someone off with a free drink, not exactly the end of the world but still one less proceed going to the charity event.
Fourth of all, you gotta be sociable! People get alcohol primarily to get wasted, but they also want to have a chat with the bartender! The bartender's gotta know about all kinds of different wines, beers, and other alcohols and know how to make certian things that customers order, all kinds of weird names of animals, (Moscow mule) locations (Manhattan), chasers (orange juice, etc.) and be able to provide that quickly. Our booth was only working with 5 different wines and I couldn't keep them straight already! Customers also ask plenty of questions like "which one is less oakey?" or "which one has more malt/ sugar/ hops, etc., etc. I would NOT know any of that. Bartenders also have to strike up a conversation to engage the customers' interest, not easy nowadays with the eclectic information out there in the internet age, the bartender's gotta have at least a broad knowledge.
So yes, after today, I decided that bartending is NOT the easiest job in the world. That's actually beer/snacks vending at a baseball game/ music concert/ stadium. SEVEN American dollars for a bottle of water today. Holy cow. That's a story for next blog though.......
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
First of all, you're standing the whole time. That in itself is quite the feat, as my back starts to ache or some part of my body goes wrong after just an hour or so.
Second of all, opening some bottles are harder than others. Wines have corks in them, and depending on the cork there's a fair amount of twisting and pulling with a corkscrew. Maybe I just have stone hands (really un-dexterous) but it takes me a little bit to get those things open, while customers are waiting berating me with their eyes for being slow.
Third of all, there's some subtle movements bartenders have to do, like remembering to take form of payment, then starting to pour, and always give customers a napkin along with their drink. Bartenders sometimes do those so subtly I don't even notice it, but it's a delicate process. I for one forgot to take drink tickets (the official currency of the auction today) a few times and could have just let someone off with a free drink, not exactly the end of the world but still one less proceed going to the charity event.
Fourth of all, you gotta be sociable! People get alcohol primarily to get wasted, but they also want to have a chat with the bartender! The bartender's gotta know about all kinds of different wines, beers, and other alcohols and know how to make certian things that customers order, all kinds of weird names of animals, (Moscow mule) locations (Manhattan), chasers (orange juice, etc.) and be able to provide that quickly. Our booth was only working with 5 different wines and I couldn't keep them straight already! Customers also ask plenty of questions like "which one is less oakey?" or "which one has more malt/ sugar/ hops, etc., etc. I would NOT know any of that. Bartenders also have to strike up a conversation to engage the customers' interest, not easy nowadays with the eclectic information out there in the internet age, the bartender's gotta have at least a broad knowledge.
So yes, after today, I decided that bartending is NOT the easiest job in the world. That's actually beer/snacks vending at a baseball game/ music concert/ stadium. SEVEN American dollars for a bottle of water today. Holy cow. That's a story for next blog though.......
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Mom's Cooking (おふくろの味)
Often I get asked a very common question when a dinner/ first meeting someone: "What's your favorite food?" My gut instinct in my 20's was to answer, "free food," cuz it's true, anything that's free really tickles my fancy. It's also very difficult to choose between all the thousands and millions of combinations of food out there, with different ethnic backgrounds and including different food groups, to select just ONE favorite out there, it'd be literally comparing apples and oranges, spicy Italian meats to sweet fruit delicacies, there's really no comparison. It's kind of like trying to come up with a favorite movie, or a favorite song. There's just so much out there.
One answer that I've been moving towards from the joking "free food" is "my Mom's cooking." Ofukuro no aji in Japanese. I've always craved my mom's ethnic Chinese home cooking, whether it be "ants going up a tree" 蚂蚁上树, or tofu skins, or Fried Sauce Noodles (炸酱面), aka "Jaja Mian," or just homemade dumplings/ gyoza. (餃子). My Mom can make a whole lot of good food, and I appreciate all of it. It also happens to be pretty "rich" in nutrients, and somewhat oily (MJ would probably call it VERY oily), which caused me to be suffer through some weight issues as a kid. I still haven't to this day found cooking that I would rank over my mother's in terms of sheer reliability of quality and what would be agreeable to my stomach when hungry. Sure, there's equals that are hard to compare (like a five-star restaurant's main course, done with art and pizzazz, but taste wise maybe my taste buds have also favored my mother's cooking. It also helps that my mom is objectively a pretty good cook, as my friends and MJ can attest to when coming over for dinner. It's a great balance actually, my Mom likes to cook food for other people which makes her feel good about herself feeding others, and I like to eat. Perfect combo. Oh and I prefer washing dishes to cooking food, I feel like there's so many cooks and food aficionados out there but not enough dishwashers to match.
I wonder how many people out there prefer Ofukuro no aji over all other meals. I also wonder how many people have mothers who DO NOT cook very well (I feel for them, I really do) and live their childhood not liking their mom's cooking (if their mom was the one who did the cooking, of course: this blog is very aware of societal changes in views towards the woman's role in the family). But maybe they get skinny! Natural weight loss method. Also, how do you tell your mom, or anybody who cooks for you, that their cooking isn't great? It's like the toughest thing to tell somebody, who just went through all the hard work of buying groceries, preparing food, cutting them into pieces, lighting a fire, putting on seasoning/condiments, whatever, trying to make the dish nice, but then you have to break the news to them that their cooking is bad. This kind of scenario is one universal element in all cultures, and Japan/ China/ America all have cultural references to it, putting people in tough positions to either swallow down the ill-tasting food or have to risk offending their friend/ not showing their appreciation. Lying and saying "it's good!" might cause more encouragement of making that specific dish, but being too blunt and saying the food is bad ( 身も蓋もない) might hurt feelings. Personally, I wouldn't be offended if I made the food because I know I'm not a good cook already, but for someone who has aspirations of being a cook/ good food provider, it could be devastating. A compromise is to just offer suggestions, but when everyone else is always saying "oishii!" or "it's good!" even to mediocre food, which seems like the standard nowadays, offering suggestions might already hint to the preparer that you didn't like their food. Sigh.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
One answer that I've been moving towards from the joking "free food" is "my Mom's cooking." Ofukuro no aji in Japanese. I've always craved my mom's ethnic Chinese home cooking, whether it be "ants going up a tree" 蚂蚁上树, or tofu skins, or Fried Sauce Noodles (炸酱面), aka "Jaja Mian," or just homemade dumplings/ gyoza. (餃子). My Mom can make a whole lot of good food, and I appreciate all of it. It also happens to be pretty "rich" in nutrients, and somewhat oily (MJ would probably call it VERY oily), which caused me to be suffer through some weight issues as a kid. I still haven't to this day found cooking that I would rank over my mother's in terms of sheer reliability of quality and what would be agreeable to my stomach when hungry. Sure, there's equals that are hard to compare (like a five-star restaurant's main course, done with art and pizzazz, but taste wise maybe my taste buds have also favored my mother's cooking. It also helps that my mom is objectively a pretty good cook, as my friends and MJ can attest to when coming over for dinner. It's a great balance actually, my Mom likes to cook food for other people which makes her feel good about herself feeding others, and I like to eat. Perfect combo. Oh and I prefer washing dishes to cooking food, I feel like there's so many cooks and food aficionados out there but not enough dishwashers to match.
I wonder how many people out there prefer Ofukuro no aji over all other meals. I also wonder how many people have mothers who DO NOT cook very well (I feel for them, I really do) and live their childhood not liking their mom's cooking (if their mom was the one who did the cooking, of course: this blog is very aware of societal changes in views towards the woman's role in the family). But maybe they get skinny! Natural weight loss method. Also, how do you tell your mom, or anybody who cooks for you, that their cooking isn't great? It's like the toughest thing to tell somebody, who just went through all the hard work of buying groceries, preparing food, cutting them into pieces, lighting a fire, putting on seasoning/condiments, whatever, trying to make the dish nice, but then you have to break the news to them that their cooking is bad. This kind of scenario is one universal element in all cultures, and Japan/ China/ America all have cultural references to it, putting people in tough positions to either swallow down the ill-tasting food or have to risk offending their friend/ not showing their appreciation. Lying and saying "it's good!" might cause more encouragement of making that specific dish, but being too blunt and saying the food is bad ( 身も蓋もない) might hurt feelings. Personally, I wouldn't be offended if I made the food because I know I'm not a good cook already, but for someone who has aspirations of being a cook/ good food provider, it could be devastating. A compromise is to just offer suggestions, but when everyone else is always saying "oishii!" or "it's good!" even to mediocre food, which seems like the standard nowadays, offering suggestions might already hint to the preparer that you didn't like their food. Sigh.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, May 15, 2017
ポルノ
Pornography seems to be one of those taboo subjects in society, with good reason. If sex is not to be discussed openly and seen as offensive for normal conversation, then for sure the depiction of sex in media form should also be obscene and lewd, inappropriate. Yet pornography is definitely out there, and many MANY people consume it on a pretty regular basis, especially nowadays due to the ubiquitous nature of it and ease of access, no barrier to entry (anyone with internet access, essentially).
Porn is one of those things that shows the opposite extremes of people and the opinions they hold (so it's not like ice cream cuz everyone likes ice cream!) Some people despise porn and say it's a hindrance on society, that it objects women (and really men too) into mere sexual objects and shows the exploitation of women, gives people the wrong image of what sex should be, what expressing love physically should be like. Then there's people who are totally fine with pornography, not only as a form of self-expression and art but also because it's the natural to the human race. In fact, there's Hollywood movies out there that are borderline pornography films, (Eyes Wide Shut with Tom Hanks comes to mind) so why shouldn't everyone see pornography.
I personally think that pornography is different for men than women, in the same way that sex might mean different things for men and women, men might use it as just an urge to fulfill their desires. I haven't met many women who have claimed to like pornography or even watch it, so it's hard to dissect, hard to form an opinion on the matter. I'm sure women do watch porn, but I wonder if it's viewed differently as a form of expressing love, or that their outlet is more romantic novels than the aggressive, even violent nature of sex. Also, I think general nudity is attractive for both genders, it's very tempting to look at nudity of the opposite gender and admire the various idyllic physical features. It's the "hardcore" material of actual sexual contact that probably sets apart what men and women want in the experience.
Personally, as I've grown older I've taken a more conservative stance on porn: I feel (unfortunately) very excited about porn before watching it, and then very guilty after watching it (too late) and realize it's like a bad drug, like alcohol or tobacco, without necessarily the health effects, but it lures you in with a physical response and is used to fund some shady organizations (not illegal organizations like illegal drugs do) but companies that trick women (and maybe some men) into performing sexual acts on camera and for all I know causes pain and suffering and a lifetime of notoriety for the female "porn stars." Essentially, I feel bad that every time I watch porn, I support an industry that manipulates women into selling their bodies, which even though they're past the age of consent and getting paid to do so, still inadvertently raises the market for such media, all so I can have a little bit of pleasure which is very momentary and turns into regret and feeling of wastefulness soon after. Especially because I have MJ now, have someone to share my life with, I don't think I need porn all that much anymore.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Porn is one of those things that shows the opposite extremes of people and the opinions they hold (so it's not like ice cream cuz everyone likes ice cream!) Some people despise porn and say it's a hindrance on society, that it objects women (and really men too) into mere sexual objects and shows the exploitation of women, gives people the wrong image of what sex should be, what expressing love physically should be like. Then there's people who are totally fine with pornography, not only as a form of self-expression and art but also because it's the natural to the human race. In fact, there's Hollywood movies out there that are borderline pornography films, (Eyes Wide Shut with Tom Hanks comes to mind) so why shouldn't everyone see pornography.
I personally think that pornography is different for men than women, in the same way that sex might mean different things for men and women, men might use it as just an urge to fulfill their desires. I haven't met many women who have claimed to like pornography or even watch it, so it's hard to dissect, hard to form an opinion on the matter. I'm sure women do watch porn, but I wonder if it's viewed differently as a form of expressing love, or that their outlet is more romantic novels than the aggressive, even violent nature of sex. Also, I think general nudity is attractive for both genders, it's very tempting to look at nudity of the opposite gender and admire the various idyllic physical features. It's the "hardcore" material of actual sexual contact that probably sets apart what men and women want in the experience.
Personally, as I've grown older I've taken a more conservative stance on porn: I feel (unfortunately) very excited about porn before watching it, and then very guilty after watching it (too late) and realize it's like a bad drug, like alcohol or tobacco, without necessarily the health effects, but it lures you in with a physical response and is used to fund some shady organizations (not illegal organizations like illegal drugs do) but companies that trick women (and maybe some men) into performing sexual acts on camera and for all I know causes pain and suffering and a lifetime of notoriety for the female "porn stars." Essentially, I feel bad that every time I watch porn, I support an industry that manipulates women into selling their bodies, which even though they're past the age of consent and getting paid to do so, still inadvertently raises the market for such media, all so I can have a little bit of pleasure which is very momentary and turns into regret and feeling of wastefulness soon after. Especially because I have MJ now, have someone to share my life with, I don't think I need porn all that much anymore.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, May 12, 2017
嫌中憎韓 (Disliking other Asian Cultures)
I'm not sure why, but growing up as a Chinese American in suburban America, I didn't regard other Asian cultures that highly. It wasn't that I disliked Korea or Japan, it's just that I went to Chinese school, hung out with Chinese friends, and didn't deal with many people of those ethnicities (boy did that change when I moved to LA). I had a tough enough time getting other kids to like me and accept me into their group in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood (with some African American, Latin American, and South Asian populations). My parents always seemed to show a slight disfavor towards other Asian cultures, not outright rejecting them but sort of hinting that they preferred Chinese better, people who they could trust. (I suspect that was also due to influences from their native country and where they grew up). Well apparently other Asian cultures ( I really only am familiar with the "Big 3" of Chinese, Korean, Japanese) also harbor a little of that sentiment, not necessarily an outright hatred but distrust or dislike. The Japanese even have coined a phrase for it, called, kanchuuzoukan (dislike Chinese, dislike Korean).
It's an interesting topic because the recent trend in U.S. entertainment is the rise of Asian actors, and there's a sort of alliance between Asian Americans (ex: John Cho from "Harold and Kumar," Constance Wu of "Fresh Off the Boat, etc.) to promote more Asian Americans into mainstream media. It would be great if Asians could set their differences aside and unite to promote harmony and peace in the area, but it seems like it's a long way away. Not only is the Korean War, World War II, and various other conflicts still fresh in people's minds (neighboring countries tend to get in each others' way and have a history of war) but there are new scars being made every day, whether it's China's objection to the South Korean THAAD program or the rift over the Senkaku Islands (aka Diaoyu Islands). As an American citizen living thousands of miles away and free from danger, it's easy for me to stay neutral and look at it objectively, whereas people living in the situation are much more emotionally and personally invested. As with anything, though, I think it's important to look at it from each side's viewpoint first and try to understand what the other side is feeling and why they would feel that way, and try to come to a solution that is acceptable to both (Sometimes there's none!)
This whole "train" of thought, btw, is due to MJ and I watching "Train to Busan," an excellent movie made in South Korean, starring all Korean actors. It's an excellent movie in its own right with twists, good premise, edge-of-seat thrill.....and it happens to be a zombie movie, one of my favorite genres. For some reason the scary movie avoidance I have doesn't apply to zombie movies, perhaps because I know what's coming (humans who turn rabid, eat human flesh) and can accept that, whereas other movies have unknown forces and much more jumpy (intended to surprise you with creepy music) situations. Anyway, the great Korean work reminded me that I shamefully used to have a negative stereotype of Koreans as the guys in college who didn't pass me the ball at the gym, or gambled a lot at the late night underground poker games, presumably with their parents' money. I forgot a lesson that everyone should realize by now, is that every race has bad representatives, but also really good representatives. Every person is his or her individual, and shouldn't be judged solely based on race. So, too, apparently, when judging the qualify of Asian movies.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
It's an interesting topic because the recent trend in U.S. entertainment is the rise of Asian actors, and there's a sort of alliance between Asian Americans (ex: John Cho from "Harold and Kumar," Constance Wu of "Fresh Off the Boat, etc.) to promote more Asian Americans into mainstream media. It would be great if Asians could set their differences aside and unite to promote harmony and peace in the area, but it seems like it's a long way away. Not only is the Korean War, World War II, and various other conflicts still fresh in people's minds (neighboring countries tend to get in each others' way and have a history of war) but there are new scars being made every day, whether it's China's objection to the South Korean THAAD program or the rift over the Senkaku Islands (aka Diaoyu Islands). As an American citizen living thousands of miles away and free from danger, it's easy for me to stay neutral and look at it objectively, whereas people living in the situation are much more emotionally and personally invested. As with anything, though, I think it's important to look at it from each side's viewpoint first and try to understand what the other side is feeling and why they would feel that way, and try to come to a solution that is acceptable to both (Sometimes there's none!)
This whole "train" of thought, btw, is due to MJ and I watching "Train to Busan," an excellent movie made in South Korean, starring all Korean actors. It's an excellent movie in its own right with twists, good premise, edge-of-seat thrill.....and it happens to be a zombie movie, one of my favorite genres. For some reason the scary movie avoidance I have doesn't apply to zombie movies, perhaps because I know what's coming (humans who turn rabid, eat human flesh) and can accept that, whereas other movies have unknown forces and much more jumpy (intended to surprise you with creepy music) situations. Anyway, the great Korean work reminded me that I shamefully used to have a negative stereotype of Koreans as the guys in college who didn't pass me the ball at the gym, or gambled a lot at the late night underground poker games, presumably with their parents' money. I forgot a lesson that everyone should realize by now, is that every race has bad representatives, but also really good representatives. Every person is his or her individual, and shouldn't be judged solely based on race. So, too, apparently, when judging the qualify of Asian movies.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, May 8, 2017
みそじ (Turning Thirty), 三十而立
For whatever reason, people all over the world tend to place a disproportionate importance on a person's 30th birthday, so much so that it's become probably one of the Top 5 most hyped birthdays (1st birthday, 18th birthday, 21st birthday, 10th birthday, 40th birthday all come to mind). It means a lot to many people: Some in Japan make 30 the magical age to try to stop your single days, so much so that some women set goals and try their darnedest to get married before 30. For some it's a wake-up call that you better get started doing something while you're still "young." I know a friend whose parents gave him a deadline of 30 to stop "fooling around" in life and actually find a job. Some dread 30 because it's the end of the roaring twenties, the best generation in human life. For some it's like a road marker for marking one's path, allowing one to assess where one is in one's life.
Goals at age 10
1.) Get good grades in school!
2.) Beat that video game!
3.) Make more friends!
4.) Eat more vegetables!
5.) Learn to drive a car!
6.) Read more books!
7.) Be a superhero! (preferably Spiderman) Save the world!
Goals at age 20 for the next 10 years:
1.) Have a girlfriend. (Check, although belatedly)
2.) Go to law school (Check)
3.) Get a job (Check, and many more after that)
4.) Travel the world (Check)
5.) Get superpowers (I distinctly remember this one because I was hooked on a show called "Heroes" at the time, and safe to say not check).
6.) get on Reality TV, either Survivor, Big Brother, Amazing Race, or the Mole. Not check, but props for 3 of those shows for still being on air).
Realistic goals for 30 for the next 10 years:
1.) Buy and live in a home
2.) Possibly adopt a pet (flexible on this one, might settle for some fish)
3.) establish a long-lasting, life long career
4.) Continue to pursue my passions....including dodgeball, until I can't play anymore.
5.) Have a kid....eventually.
6.) Spend time with my parents.....I probably did this too much in my twenties already, but I think it's still important especially now my parents are getting even older and will retire in the next 10 years, to think of them and assure them.
In Chinese there's a phrase 三十而立, a Confucian quote meaning one is independent, and should establish something for oneself. Other than the fact my parents will remember it every time they see me for the next year and until infinity, it does mean a great deal to me to be responsible, act my age. Honestly, though, there's a lot to be said for not caring about how old one is. I read an article my Mom sent me randomly (she does that from time to time to check in on me) called "Chicken Soup for the Adult Soul" with the general point being, people do different things at different ages, there's no deadline to buy a house, there's no deadline to get one's first job, there's no deadline to become president (Trump started when he was 70, Obama retired at age 55). There IS a deadline to have kids, I guess (mostly for women, sorry ladies) but it doesn't mean that one should feel anxious, feel left behind, or even feel proud for having done it early and "gotten it out of the way." So really, despite the prejudice that 30 is a magic number where there needs to be a drastic change or get something done, life changes can happen at any time, and I will do what's best for me and not be worried about the number. Because in Korean age, I've already been 30 for a while anyway.
Happy birthday to me!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Goals at age 10
1.) Get good grades in school!
2.) Beat that video game!
3.) Make more friends!
4.) Eat more vegetables!
5.) Learn to drive a car!
6.) Read more books!
7.) Be a superhero! (preferably Spiderman) Save the world!
Goals at age 20 for the next 10 years:
1.) Have a girlfriend. (Check, although belatedly)
2.) Go to law school (Check)
3.) Get a job (Check, and many more after that)
4.) Travel the world (Check)
5.) Get superpowers (I distinctly remember this one because I was hooked on a show called "Heroes" at the time, and safe to say not check).
6.) get on Reality TV, either Survivor, Big Brother, Amazing Race, or the Mole. Not check, but props for 3 of those shows for still being on air).
Realistic goals for 30 for the next 10 years:
1.) Buy and live in a home
2.) Possibly adopt a pet (flexible on this one, might settle for some fish)
3.) establish a long-lasting, life long career
4.) Continue to pursue my passions....including dodgeball, until I can't play anymore.
5.) Have a kid....eventually.
6.) Spend time with my parents.....I probably did this too much in my twenties already, but I think it's still important especially now my parents are getting even older and will retire in the next 10 years, to think of them and assure them.
In Chinese there's a phrase 三十而立, a Confucian quote meaning one is independent, and should establish something for oneself. Other than the fact my parents will remember it every time they see me for the next year and until infinity, it does mean a great deal to me to be responsible, act my age. Honestly, though, there's a lot to be said for not caring about how old one is. I read an article my Mom sent me randomly (she does that from time to time to check in on me) called "Chicken Soup for the Adult Soul" with the general point being, people do different things at different ages, there's no deadline to buy a house, there's no deadline to get one's first job, there's no deadline to become president (Trump started when he was 70, Obama retired at age 55). There IS a deadline to have kids, I guess (mostly for women, sorry ladies) but it doesn't mean that one should feel anxious, feel left behind, or even feel proud for having done it early and "gotten it out of the way." So really, despite the prejudice that 30 is a magic number where there needs to be a drastic change or get something done, life changes can happen at any time, and I will do what's best for me and not be worried about the number. Because in Korean age, I've already been 30 for a while anyway.
Happy birthday to me!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, May 5, 2017
Friday (金曜日)
So many things happening today, a Friday, Cinqo de Mayo Day, or in japan, Kodomo No Hi (Children's Day), or Revenge of the Fifth Today (A Star Wars day that comes after May the Force be With you day- May the Fourth). Or it can just be the end of the work week for some people, the start of the weekend, time to relax or get crazy, do something other than sit at home. And yet, here I am sitting at home on a Friday night writing in this blog. Whereas in previous years I would feel bummed and lonely and anxious to do something and be suffering from major bouts of FOMO (Fear of missing out), though, I feel perfectly at home on a Friday night.
The Japanese name for Friday is "Golden Day," whereas Tuesday is Fire Day, Wednesday is Water Day, etc. I'm not sure about the actual origin of why it's called Golden Day, but for all my life Friday night seems to be just a way for the economy and the world to suck money out of its unsuspecting citizens. Bars are busiest on Friday nights selling alcohol to workers who need desperately to wipe clean the memory of their horrible work week, travelers are busiest on Friday night getting elsewhere for the weekend (heck, just look at the traffic from LA to Las Vegas every Friday), clubs are hopping, movie theaters are full, anecdotally drug dealers sell most of their product on Friday nights, restaurants do the most business, birthday parties, etc. etc. When in reality, weekends aren't that special- they're another day of the calendar, the weather's not necessarily nicer on Fridays, we don't get paid more on Fridays, yet a disproportionate amount of wealth gets done on Fridays.
Not being active on Friday is the epitome of my personal go-against-the-stream philosophy, or contrarian. It states that if everyone is against something, that's when you should get it because it's at the best value, or when everyone wants something, that's when you wait because you would get the least value. It works in so many walks of life, to buying stocks at their lowest, picking up fantasy baseball players, etc., etc. It's hard to go against what the masses are saying (and all the cool kids are doing) and it takes a certain amount of conviction (see last post) to carry out the philosophy, but it does pay off in my opinion. Sometimes you can't get around doing something that everyone else is doing (like buying health insurance, finding a place to live,
Top 5 contrarian things I do:
1.) go to work/ get off work at non-peak hours, run during rush hour and get on the roads after the rush is over.
2.) live slightly off the ideal locations but still close enough to commute over/ live comfortably.
3.) Don't drink alcohol
4.) Don't buy name brand items.
5.) Travel during non-peak seasons (avoid summers, holidays).
Top 5 things to avoid on Friday:
5.) traveling. LOTS of people both on the road and on flights, better to book a ticket on a random weekday if it's a tourist destination.
4.) trying to get to a downtown location for a concert.........it's murder on the roads.
3.) Drinking on Friday nights......cops are all over the roads if you drive, and all bars/ clubs charge their max rates and get away with it.....instead of Happy Hour rates, you get Unhappy Hour rates.
2.) Don't hold a wedding on Friday night. Actually, do hold a wedding on Friday night.....it's Saturday nights you want to avoid that are the peak times.
1.) If you're in LA, don't try to find parking.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
The Japanese name for Friday is "Golden Day," whereas Tuesday is Fire Day, Wednesday is Water Day, etc. I'm not sure about the actual origin of why it's called Golden Day, but for all my life Friday night seems to be just a way for the economy and the world to suck money out of its unsuspecting citizens. Bars are busiest on Friday nights selling alcohol to workers who need desperately to wipe clean the memory of their horrible work week, travelers are busiest on Friday night getting elsewhere for the weekend (heck, just look at the traffic from LA to Las Vegas every Friday), clubs are hopping, movie theaters are full, anecdotally drug dealers sell most of their product on Friday nights, restaurants do the most business, birthday parties, etc. etc. When in reality, weekends aren't that special- they're another day of the calendar, the weather's not necessarily nicer on Fridays, we don't get paid more on Fridays, yet a disproportionate amount of wealth gets done on Fridays.
Not being active on Friday is the epitome of my personal go-against-the-stream philosophy, or contrarian. It states that if everyone is against something, that's when you should get it because it's at the best value, or when everyone wants something, that's when you wait because you would get the least value. It works in so many walks of life, to buying stocks at their lowest, picking up fantasy baseball players, etc., etc. It's hard to go against what the masses are saying (and all the cool kids are doing) and it takes a certain amount of conviction (see last post) to carry out the philosophy, but it does pay off in my opinion. Sometimes you can't get around doing something that everyone else is doing (like buying health insurance, finding a place to live,
Top 5 contrarian things I do:
1.) go to work/ get off work at non-peak hours, run during rush hour and get on the roads after the rush is over.
2.) live slightly off the ideal locations but still close enough to commute over/ live comfortably.
3.) Don't drink alcohol
4.) Don't buy name brand items.
5.) Travel during non-peak seasons (avoid summers, holidays).
Top 5 things to avoid on Friday:
5.) traveling. LOTS of people both on the road and on flights, better to book a ticket on a random weekday if it's a tourist destination.
4.) trying to get to a downtown location for a concert.........it's murder on the roads.
3.) Drinking on Friday nights......cops are all over the roads if you drive, and all bars/ clubs charge their max rates and get away with it.....instead of Happy Hour rates, you get Unhappy Hour rates.
2.) Don't hold a wedding on Friday night. Actually, do hold a wedding on Friday night.....it's Saturday nights you want to avoid that are the peak times.
1.) If you're in LA, don't try to find parking.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, May 1, 2017
Decisiveness (決断力)
Decisiveness.......One day when I look back at my life, I might surmise that one of my fatal flaws is the lack of decisiveness in some areas. Sure, when I get stuck in traffic and one side of traffic is obviously going faster than the others, I make a decision quickly to get into the fast lane. When someone at a traffic light approaches me pleadingly asking for money, I make a quick decision to avoid eye contact and not give them any money (see "Why I don't give homeless people money" post). When MJ criticizes me for not cleaning the sink or leaving a mess in our new apartment, I quickly apologize and admit my mistakes.......those are very decisive.
For instance, being an attorney.......so difficult to be decisive in choosing an argument to go with, because I can see the argument from both sides. I think I'd be a terrible judge, it would be impossible for me to choose either side of an argument because I could feel for both sides of the argument. Similarly, when I act as the referee of a dodgeball game, I have a hard time whistling someone out because they seem so sure that they were safe and I would hate to take that away from them, and I would be the only one making that decision as a team, while the whole team would be upset at me for making a bad call.
I think what is behind decisiveness is conviction. If one has a strong belief in something, they'll be settled in their decision. Sure, conviction in a lost cause/ the wrong thing can lead to disastrous results, but not having any conviction (I'm not talking about going to prison, btw, this is the determined type of conviction) makes one not stand for anything at all and always bending to the wills of others. ("Bend too far, and you're already broken." - Lieutenant Daniels, the Wire). Conviction is easy when you're one of a lot of people with the same opinion (Trump is terrible, United Airlines acted wrongfully in treatment of their passenger, etc.). I applaud those people who have conviction in the face of overwhelming odds and popular opinion. I personally think that the United Airlines passenger was partly in the wrong in the situation, and I do want passengers acting aggressively and crazily in a plane to be ejected from the plane ASAP for my personal safety, and I've seen it done successfully on some flights that I've been on. However, the passenger's been rewarded for his ill behavior and paid out millions of settlement dollars, whose costs will be passed on to other passengers I'm sure due to increased flight fare and fees, and also airlines will be discouraged from handling any misbehaving passengers and the next guy will try to get a huge payment from being unruly. It's not great and I've gone on a rant that's gone astray fro the topic.
It's weird, sometimes I agonize for hours over whether to go to a dodgeball game or stay home and do something else, weighing the merits of dealing with traffic, (or choosing between 2 fantasy baseball players I want to pick up but not being able to decide and irking MJ (YOU'RE STILL LOOKING AT FANTASY BASEBALL????) but then sometimes I make huge decisions with tens of thousands of dollars of ramifications or choosing to live my life a certain way for the next few months without much thought- renting an apartment, accepting a job position, etc., paying for health insurance, etc.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
For instance, being an attorney.......so difficult to be decisive in choosing an argument to go with, because I can see the argument from both sides. I think I'd be a terrible judge, it would be impossible for me to choose either side of an argument because I could feel for both sides of the argument. Similarly, when I act as the referee of a dodgeball game, I have a hard time whistling someone out because they seem so sure that they were safe and I would hate to take that away from them, and I would be the only one making that decision as a team, while the whole team would be upset at me for making a bad call.
I think what is behind decisiveness is conviction. If one has a strong belief in something, they'll be settled in their decision. Sure, conviction in a lost cause/ the wrong thing can lead to disastrous results, but not having any conviction (I'm not talking about going to prison, btw, this is the determined type of conviction) makes one not stand for anything at all and always bending to the wills of others. ("Bend too far, and you're already broken." - Lieutenant Daniels, the Wire). Conviction is easy when you're one of a lot of people with the same opinion (Trump is terrible, United Airlines acted wrongfully in treatment of their passenger, etc.). I applaud those people who have conviction in the face of overwhelming odds and popular opinion. I personally think that the United Airlines passenger was partly in the wrong in the situation, and I do want passengers acting aggressively and crazily in a plane to be ejected from the plane ASAP for my personal safety, and I've seen it done successfully on some flights that I've been on. However, the passenger's been rewarded for his ill behavior and paid out millions of settlement dollars, whose costs will be passed on to other passengers I'm sure due to increased flight fare and fees, and also airlines will be discouraged from handling any misbehaving passengers and the next guy will try to get a huge payment from being unruly. It's not great and I've gone on a rant that's gone astray fro the topic.
It's weird, sometimes I agonize for hours over whether to go to a dodgeball game or stay home and do something else, weighing the merits of dealing with traffic, (or choosing between 2 fantasy baseball players I want to pick up but not being able to decide and irking MJ (YOU'RE STILL LOOKING AT FANTASY BASEBALL????) but then sometimes I make huge decisions with tens of thousands of dollars of ramifications or choosing to live my life a certain way for the next few months without much thought- renting an apartment, accepting a job position, etc., paying for health insurance, etc.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)