Wednesday, December 08, 2004
anti-everything and the cheeks are burning



The older I get, the more I find I'm not cut out for the "American Lifestyle" or even fitting the average definition of being "an American".

I don't want to go shopping every weekend, walk alongside hundreds of other consumerist zombies. I don't care about name-brand clothes or the latest sale at the GAP, so I can be dressed like the latest TOOL. I like gadgets and electronics, but if I could, I'd probably use the same computer for 10 years if it wasn't for the fact that software continually presses hardware to upgrade. I don't mind driving a car, but if it was an option, I'd ride the train a lot because it's generally safer, better for the environment, and I don't have to spend my time on a freeway dodging yuppie soccer moms and their obnoxious SUVs. Christmas shopping season magnifies the insanity by a hundred times.

I don't think Europeans accents are sexy, and I despise the worship of the Westernized Ideal of Beauty that can be boiled down to "White Folks are the Best-est... especially men!" I don't obsess about my weight, but I'm pretty sure that if I want to be healthy, I have to eat right AND exercise - a revolutionary idea, I know. I don't want plastic surgery either.

When I'm hungry, I don't want to eat at McDonald's, or Burger King, or drink coffee at Starbucks... I'd rather dine & drink at the smaller local Mom & Pop restaurant like Miyako's, Pasta Freska, Than Brothers, Orange King, Five Spot, Jitterbug, or a somewhere in Chinatown. When I go grocery shopping, I'd like to buy organic groceries, but realistically, I'll just buy whatever is on sale - because I know I can probably use just about anything to cook myself something odd, but edible.

I like homemade cookies and my Mom's Chinese spareribs. Actually, I like just about anything my Mom cooks.

I hardly ever watch television, and when I do, it's usually the news, movies, and music videos - in that order. I don't follow any sitcoms, but I admit, recently I've become a fan of Jack & Bobby, which I don't feel so guilty watching because it's an attempt at socially conscious and intelligent television. I don't turn on the radio, because usually it's playing the same 10 crappy songs day after day, and the only stations I can stand for more than a few minutes are 98.1 and 88.5 - classical and jazz music. For the latest hip.hop music that I like, I browse the internet, and download songs - but I usually end copping the albums because I believe in supporting quality artists like Dilated Peoples, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Jurassic 5, Binary Star, and Blue Scholars. I also spend a lot of time listening to "old music" too - because Frank Sinatra, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Rage Against the Machine can still tear it up.

I enjoy reading the newspaper, but nowadays, I do that mostly on the internet. I often get lost inside bookstores, new and used.

I'd like to work, but I'm not so interested in being rich, though, hey - what person wouldn't mind it? I don't own stock, and besides being a cheapskate, my knowledge of manipulating my mammon to maximize my stash is pretty limited. I want a job, but not for the possibility of it helping me accumulate crazy cash flows, but because I believe it's good to work and I just want enough money to support myself, a family, and any future seeds.

I want my children to be able to speak more languages than just English and I want them to live abroad outside of America at least once so they can understand what it means to be American.

I enjoy competition because part of my personality is naturally competitive, but I don't take it as seriously as many of my friends do. I can enjoy watching basketball, baseball, and football, but I don't obsess over stats or follow every single game, because I find I want to spend my time doing something else. I do play a lot of video games, which admittedly is a bit of a time-consuming interest, but hey, everybody needs a hobby and outlet to blow off some steam.

Speaking of blowing off steam, I guess that's what this entry is about. Sometimes, I'm just tired of it all.


.:.


nothing sacred


Beckham and Posh Spice posing as the parents of Jesus
? Ugh. European disrespect for all things spiritual continues.

  |


Comments:
good post, bro...i can definitely relate.
 
you're not the only one. it's not just you...
 
i lost count of how many times i was thinking 'ditto'.

-f
 
i was more disgusted with Bush as one of the Wise Men
 
reg, dave, faye - u guys are unique... just like me. haha.

anon - word up.
 
I can relate to the lifestyle of not being so caught up in consumerism. A lot of the things you mentioned, I personally agree. Funny how I was just thinking about that today with all the frenzy surrounding Xmas time and buying things. As I've become older, it has made me take a bit of a step out of "that box". There is such an excessive amount of advertising and the corporate philosophies that's shoved in your face where ever you go.
 
true say. Xmas just magnifies everything that's wrong by x10000 times.
 
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in?scrip?tion (n-skrip-shun)n.
1. The act or an instance of inscribing.
2. Something, such as the wording on a coin, medal, monument, or seal, that is inscribed.
3. A short, signed message in a book or on a photograph given as a gift.
4. The usually informal dedication of an artistic work.
5. Jeremiah 31:33

the facts.
name. Gar AKA "that Chinese guy" "Sleepy.McSleeping"
ethnicity/nationality. Chinese/American, 4th gen.
location. Sea-Town, WA, USA Kawanishi, JAPAN
occupation. less-cynical poor grad student
age. younger than you think, older than you know

 



 

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UnseenGC @ AIM
(myname) @ gmail.com

 

 

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