wong fu productions

Someone posted this movie on the Fighting44s site by Wong Fu Productions:

"Yellow Fever" (right click + save as)

Pretty funny, even if I think the rant by the East Indian guy in the middle of the movie was both corny and off the mark (anybody else notice he forgets his "accent" at the end?). The Western social plague of Asian fetish AKA "yellow fever" is a lot more complex than the tired argument "Asian men are weak, that's why Asian women chase after white men". Factors of institutional racism, such as the brainwashing of Asian women to a media-propagated white standard of beauty (blond hair, blue eyes, skinny, huge b00bs) that causes some women to validate their attractiveness by "getting" a WM BF, and the systematic dehumanization of all men of color (including Asian men) definitely exert an influence on relations.

Just for the record: I have nothing against interracial relationships, and yes, I believe there's also something to be said about "yellow fever" in the case of Asian men who ONLY pursue white women (BTW, for the un-informed, a huge topic of debate in the African American community is the high out-marry rates of African American men). Relationships of any kind need to founded on understanding and respect, and obviously, a violation of both like racism should never enter the equation.

I do however, have something against Asianphiles who exclusively target Asian women for their sick orientalist fantasies. While freaks like Michael Lohman are the worst variety, I would argue there's plenty of men out there whose racism and sexism in this regard is more covert - just type the word "Asian" in search field of Craigslist personal ads and you'll see scores of descriptions of guys look for their "exotic oriental princess". And I won't even begin to recount the number of times I've heard white boy jackasses crack jokes about "how easy Asian girls are" or "tight slanted p*ssies" in high school, college, and during my time in Japan.

Pshhht.


.:.


invisible children

In the music video section on the Wong Fu Productions site, I noticed an interesting video called "invisible children" (GONE GOING) made to support the non-profit organization of the same name, invisible children.

The "invisible children" NPO is dedicated to the cause of informing the world about horrible conditions in Uganda, and the ungoing civil war that has disrupted the lives of its citizens, most notably its children - many of whom are tragically forced to become child soldiers.

While a short-term solution is to get the war stopped and the practice of child soldiers abolished, there's plenty of long-term problems that Uganda faces that are common to rest of Africa - crushing poverty, lack of food, water, basic health care, and education. It really does boggle the mind and break your heart when you consider how enormous the task is in trying to help. I recommend checking the invisible children site, they have some interesting ideas about ways to start changing things...
posted by G at 6:33 PM   | (2) comments

dog day Mondays



Happy Year of the Dog. One day of grad school and I already feel beat. I just can't seem to muster up the energy these days.

Some dog idioms... these were always fun to teach to my students when I was teaching English.

Work like a dog.
Dog tired.
Sick as a dog.
Lead a dog's life.
Treat somebody like a dog.
Every dog has its day.
In the doghouse.
Top dog; Underdog.
Gone to the dogs.
Why keep a dog and bark yourself.
A barking dog never bites.
His bark is worse than his bite.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Dog eat dog.
Call off the dogs.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
The tail wagging the dog.
If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.

woof woof.
posted by G at 12:05 AM   | (2) comments

the ignorance that doesn't go away

If you're a regular reader of AngryAsianMan like me, you've probably been irritated by the news of Adam Carolla's radio show "joke" of making fun of the 2006 Asian Excellence Awards with a clip of actors saying "CHING CHONG CHING CHONG" repeatedly. I use the term "joke" rather loosely, because jokes are supposed to funny... and obviously, the tired "CHING CHONG" = "how Asian people really talk" is nothing but offensive.

You can listen to a clip of it here. (right click + save as)

Fellow blogger Xian has written a fantastic editorial on the whole incident right here with a follow up piece on the station's "apology" right here. I encourage everybody to read what he wrote.

Also, I encourage everybody to speak up and don't let the people behind this little incident off the hook with their insincere little retort, "The segment was meant to be humorous and was not meant to offend anyone" - pshhht, whatever. CBS has not issued a formal apology.

Hit these people up:

Adam Carolla: adam@adamcarolla.com
Dave Dameshek: dave@adamcarolla.com
Rachel Perry: rachel@adamcarolla.com
Ozzie Castillo: ozzie@adamcarolla.com

Here is CBS Radio's corporate contact info:

CBS RADIO
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
212-846-3939

Joel Hollander
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Radio
212-846-3939
joel.hollander@infinitybroadcasting.com

Dana L. McClintock
Senior Vice President, CBS Communications Group
212-975-1077
dlmcclintock@cbs.com

They probably think that us "Orientals" are just gonna bend over and take it in the back. That we're gonna shut up and accept their half-ass response.

They're wrong.
posted by G at 11:50 PM   | (4) comments

lazy Saturday



It was a pretty relaxed day... caught a movie (Underworld:Evolution) in the morning with Shiv, and spent most of the day just lounging.

In the evening, my Mom wanted to go out for Chinese New Year, so we met up with several of her friends at a restaurant in downtown Bellevue. I ended up cutting out early so I could meet up with my best friend to chat and relax over some beers at a joint called The Pumphouse, where we could exchange gripes and words of wisdom while tuning out a group of drunken hockey fans with impaired volume control. Idiots.

Did I mention that the joint served beer in these huge steins that were like almost two pints? Crazy... I took the picture above with my cellie's camera.

I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.
posted by G at 11:52 PM   | (0) comments

33% done and counting

So the good news is that the project I've been slaving over the past 2 weeks is finally done. The bad news is that I still have TWO more projects like it coming up this quarter - designing a literacy unit and designing a mathematics/science unit, both of which I'm supposed to use during my student teaching my 2nd graders.

Aiyah.

At least this weekend, I can relax and enjoy (Chinese) Lunar New Year.


.:.


Hawaiian Goodness

The social studies unit design project sucked my life away this past week, but on Wednesday afternoon, I did receive a morale boost via mail - Cori very kindly hooked me up with a huge package of awesome goodies from Hawai'i in exchange for a couple of Densha Otoko DVDs I sent:



Hooo, dems dah grinds! Originally, all I had asked for was just the spam musubi mold (I wanted a backup), but she went above and beyond the call of duty. Hopefully, I'll be able to resist the temptation to eat all the candy at once. Isn't it nice when someone just spoils you with more kindness than you expect?

I think everyone (myself included) could use more of that these days...
posted by G at 11:48 PM   | (1) comments

ochazuke



I really like eating ochazuke. Not only is it a good use of day old rice (which usually gets turned to fried race), but the simplicity in both preparing it and enjoying it appeals to me. I like cooking, but sometimes it's nice to have a meal that's as easy (not to mention fast) as tearing open a packet and adding it to the rice.

I usually get my supply from Uwajimaya. Recently, I've discovered the value pack with it's multiple flavorings - nori(seaweed),?sake(salmon).?umeboshi(pickled plum), and tenchasorta tempura sauce + tea). It's probably one of the most healthiest things I eat on a regular basis... joy of joys.

...

Late munchies, insomnia, and ramblings.

My mind sorta spun a funny metaphor while I was preparing the ochazuke - I'm the same as the day old rice. Not fresh. Old. Lacking in flavor. A life completely left bland. I was both simultaneously weirded out and amused that my life has been reduced to comparisons to the food I eat... hell, I've already written about something involving apples. Being up late and having too much time to think about things sort of does that.

Anyways, now that the reality of 2006 sinks deeper in my brain, I feel more stale than ever. I've already written about how 2005 was all about "didn't happen's" for me, and like the cold rice in the bowl, I'm stale. Yeah, I'm doing my best to forward, to dutifully trudge onward and change things, to better my circumstances (ie get my master's degree, gainful employment, a place of my own, and lots 'o mammon, aka $$$). But honestly, I sometimes wonder how much a change in circumstances will help. Changing the circumstances of my life is analogous to adding the hot water to the old rice without the ochazuke packet - sure it'll change the temperature, but the rice will still be the same thing with the same taste. It's just one part of the equation.

...

Obviously, I'm touching on the fact that I'm very aware the void, that feeling of missing-ness. Anybody who knows me well knows that it has been one of my constant struggles to seek resolution to that emptiness, and for me, it centers all around The Man Upstairs. Yahweh. My lacking is not necessarily in believing that God is around, it's in my relationship to Him being around. I miss the confidence I once had that He cared about my life, and the lives of the people I love. I sense the reduction of the trust I feel that everything works out for the best and according to His plan. The confidence that came whenever I wasn't sure if I could help someone else or change something for the better, that He would be sufficient enough to provide that which was needed.

He's the ochazuke packet that despite my reservations, I still sense that I require to truly live (as corny as that sounds).

Now I find myself contemplating a lot of odd things. Like how immeasurably life would be easier if I didn't care to consider the spiritual side of things, and lived like an oblivious, consumeristic zombie listening to the latest Lindsey Lohan track and starching my A&F jeans with a "YAY BABYLON" t-shirt. Or how I could just ignore all the disappointments and heartache and tragedy that have happened in my life, especially in the past 4 years. I think of how if they ever invented to the technology to wipe out memories, I just might be the first step in line just so I could wipe the slate clean and start over. A new life, past every mistake and regret... a happier, more forward looking Gar. Hell, maybe I'd even settle for becoming some right-wing upper-class Christian yuppie blasting Sandy Patti & SCC out of my car, while I running over small animals in my SUV, and screaming "HALLEJAH" everytime I see Chuck Norris punch another black / latino drug dealer in the mouth on Walker Texas, Ranger, or cry tears of joy when I read the latest Amy Tam novel about how evil and oppressive us Chinese men are.

It's all foolish imaginings, though. The summation of my prayers over the past 4 years has been a painful silence, a blandness that this old bowl of rice, moment by moment, grows too accustomed too, and while I may possess the power to with just a though to open my ochazuke packet and pour the hot water, the entire focus of my spiritual anguish possess no power to move God and Heaven closer to me.

Instead, the bowl of old rice sits idle and waits, not so much by choice but by lack of choices. Similarly, I consign myself to the same. -_-

(sigh.)

...

One day left to finish the (doomsday) social studies unit plan.
posted by G at 2:35 AM   | (3) comments

congrats, Fong

I got notified late, but congratulations are in order for my friend Forrest & his girl on their engagement. He's proof that having an un-updated blog is no obstacle to pursuing marital bliss! haha.

Another one bites the dust.
posted by G at 10:57 PM   | (1) comments

half-empty



It's not just the glass, it's the teapot too.

I really hate some mornings.
posted by G at 8:00 AM   | (3) comments

doomsday project

I've got a huge project due at the end of this week that's worth about 30% of my grade. I have to design a social studies unit to teach my 2nd graders... the minimum length of the unit has to have enough lessons to cover a 2-week period. Completing this project is a mandatory requirement - basically, failure on this means flunking out of my grad program.

While I don't have to write up the exact details of every lesson in the 2-week period, there is a fairly substantial amount of writing required to describe the rationale behind why I chose to do the unit, the various psychological theories behind learning and child development that my unit is based on, etc. I'm supposed to include a complete grading rubric, a day-to-day calendar, and a completed bibliography citing my sources. The sample project we're supposed to model ours after is about 35 pages.

Aiyah.

While part of me is pretty sure that doing this project won't be a major problem, another part of me just completely lacks confidence in my ability to plan, organize, and write the whole thing out. This whole past weekend I've been marinating on it in my mind, because honestly, it's for me to write it out unless I think it through in my head. Unfortunately, the majority of what's in my head hasn't translated to much typing on the screen - I've written barely 2 pages.

I just know I'm not going to be sleeping much this week until it's done... O_o
posted by G at 10:08 PM   | (3) comments

testing, children, and class privilege

A big topic that constantly gets visited in my grad school program is our current government administration's so-called "No Child Left Behind" act, whose biggest mandate is the implementation of standardized testing.

While it may seem to be a harmless thing to subject today's students to regular standardized testing, generally speaking the law neither provides the adequate funding to administrate these tests nor adequate positive motivation - instead, the big penalty is a double-whammy: children who fail the tests are not allowed to graduate school, and schools with low test scores receive cuts rather than boosts to funding.

Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

After all, most of the nation's worst schools are located in the inner city, in school districts already strapped for cash and who desperately need more funding to improve personnel, facilities, and teaching materials. Many of these schools can't afford to hire the best teachers, provide the latest textbooks, or even a safe environment for their students. It's no concidence that the quality of the public school education of an area is directly correlated to its affluence, especially in regards to personal incomes.

Someone else's direct and insightful commentary on the subject:

NO CHILD'S BEHIND LEFT: THE TEST Tuesday, January 10, 2006 by Greg Palast New York -- Today and tomorrow every 8-year-old in the state of New York will take a test. It's part of George Bush's No Child Left Behind program. The losers will be left behind to repeat the third grade. Try it yourself. This is from the state's actual practice test. Ready, class? "The year 1999 was a big one for the Williams sisters. In February, Serena won her first pro singles championship. In March, the sisters met for the first time in a tournament final. Venus won. And at doubles tennis, the Williams girls could not seem to lose that year." And here's one of the four questions: "The story says that in 1999, the sisters could not seem to lose at doubles tennis. This probably means when they played A two matches in one day B against each other C with two balls at once D as partners" OK, class, do you know the answer? (By the way, I didn't cheat: there's nothing else about "doubles" in the text.) My kids go to a New York City school in which more than half the students live below the poverty line. There is no tennis court. There are no tennis courts in the elementary schools of Bed-Stuy or East Harlem. But out in the Hamptons, every school has a tennis court. In Forest Hills, Westchester and Long Island's North Shore, the schools have nearly as many tennis courts as the school kids have live-in maids. Now, you tell me, class, which kids are best prepared to answer the question about "doubles tennis"? The 8-year-olds in Harlem who've never played a set of doubles or the kids whose mommies disappear for two hours every Wednesday with Enrique the tennis pro? Is this test a measure of "reading comprehension" -- or a measure of wealth accumulation? If you have any doubts about what the test is measuring, look at the next question, based on another part of the text, which reads (and I could not make this up): "Most young tennis stars learn the game from coaches at private clubs. In this sentence, a club is probably a F baseball bat G tennis racquet H tennis court J country club" Helpfully, for the kids in our 'hood, it explains that a "country club" is a, "place where people meet." Yes, but which people? President Bush told us, "By passing the No Child Left Behind Act, we are regularly testing every child and making sure they have better options when schools are not performing." But there are no "better options." In the delicious double-speak of class war, when the tests have winnowed out the chaff and kids stamped failed, No Child Left results in that child being left behind in the same grade to repeat the failure another year. I can't say that Mr. Bush doesn't offer better options to the kids stamped failed. Under No Child Left, if enough kids flunk the tests, their school is marked a failure and its students win the right, under the law, to transfer to any successful school in their district. You can't provide more opportunity than that. But they don't provide it, the law promises it, without a single penny to make it happen. In New York in 2004, a third of a million students earned the right to transfer to better schools -- in which there were only 8,000 places open. New York is typical. Nationwide, only one out of two-hundred students eligible to transfer manage to do it. Well, there's always the Army. (That option did not go unnoticed: No Child has a special provision requiring schools to open their doors to military recruiters.) Hint: When de-coding politicians' babble, to get to the real agenda, don't read their lips, read their budgets. And in his last budget, our President couldn't spare one thin dime for education, not ten cents. Mr. Big Spender provided for a derisory 8.4 cents on the dollar of the cost of primary and secondary schools. Congress appropriated a half penny of the nation's income -- just one-half of one-percent of America's twelve trillion dollar GDP -- for primary and secondary education. President Bush actually requested less. While Congress succeeded in prying out an itty-bitty increase in voted funding, that doesn't mean the extra cash actually gets to the students. Fifteen states have sued the federal government on the grounds that the cost of new testing imposed on schools, $3.9 billion, eats up the entire new funding budgeted for No Child Left. There are no "better options" for failing children, but there are better uses for them. The President ordered testing and more testing to hunt down, identify and target millions of children too expensive, too heavy a burden, to educate. No Child Left offers no options for those with the test-score Mark of Cain -- no opportunities, no hope, no plan, no funding. Rather, it is the new social Darwinism, educational eugenics: identify the nation's loser-class early on. Trap them then train them cheap. Someone has to care for the privileged. No society can have winners without lots and lots of losers. And so we have No Child Left Behind -- to provide the new worker drones that will clean the toilets at the Yale Alumni Club, punch the cash registers color-coded for illiterates, and pamper the winner-class on the higher floors of the new economic order. Class war dismissed. ********** Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy. Read his investigative reports at www.GregPalast.com (the portion of the actual test discussed in the article can be seen right here)

I guess I don't really have to say much more than the sad irony of "No Child Left Behind" is that children really are getting left behind. I don't know about you, but the prospect of living in a country that's even less educated than it is now is frightening. Be afraid... be very afraid.
posted by G at 7:54 PM   | (0) comments

the simple is sublimely superior

During this past quarter in grad school, usually the highlight of my week has been Thursdays because I get to go to my student teaching internship and work with my 2nd grade class. It's a crappy commute up 405, but working with the kids really does brighten my week. Their enthusiasm gives me energy.

In the evening, I had dinner with Moi, mom, and Shiv in Chinatown. The dishes: string green beans in black bean sauce, salt & pepper porkchops, fish & doufu hotpot, hong kong style chow mein, and of course, rice. I ate a lot and then went home to take a nap.

A completely uncomplicated and boring day, but it made me happy. I'm grateful...

Too bad I gotta wake up early tomorrow to drive all the way up to freak'n Shoreline. =[
posted by G at 11:47 PM   | (0) comments

wo chi le hen duo

I'm tired... I blame both my ridiculously long commute to Shoreline (where I have class and some practicum observation of teaching this week) and the fact that the guys from my Bible study (the Wudan crew, of course) went out to eat tabehodai hot pot at Sichuanese Cuisine again...

Many dumplings were consumed. I lost track after the 9th or 10th plate.

I have a bad feeling I'll be regreting the meal tomorrow when I sit atop the porcerlain throne.


.:.


Chinese music for Chinese food

The nice thing about GarPOD is that it always seems to find a old song I like during the "magic" of a playlist shuffle. The tune in question is an old Faye Wong joint that is probably one of my all-time favorite Faye songs...

"Reservedness" (Jing Chi) wo cong lai bu ceng kang ju ni de mei li suiran ni cong lai bu ceng dui wo zhao mi wo zong shi wei xiao de kan zhe ni wodeqing yi zong shi qing yi jiu yang yi yan di (I have never refused your charm Even though you have never been in love with me I have always looked at you with a smile My love has always easily overflowed in front of [your] eyes) wo ceng jing xiang guo zai ji mo de ye li ni zhong yu zai yi zai wodefang jian li ni bi shang yan jing qin wen le wo bu shuo yi ju jin jin bao wo zai nide huai li (I once imagined on a lonely night That you were finally in my room You closed your eyes and kissed me You silently held me tight in your arms) woshi ai nide, wo ai ni dao di sheng pindi yi ci wo fang xia jing chi ren ping zi ji huan xiang yi qie guan yu wo he ni (I really love you, I love you deeply [This is] the first time I've let go of my reservedness And let myself freely imagine everything about you and me) nishi ai wode, ni ai wo dao di sheng pin di yi ci wo fang xia jing chi xiang xin ziji zhen de keyi shen shen qu ai ni (You really love me, you love me deeply [This is] the first time I've let go my reservedness I believe that I can truly love you deeply...)

Her voice and the words are so beautiful. Thanks to this site for the help with the Yingwen, though I still feel like it's still a little off.

For a taste, click here (right click + save as). It won't be up long.
posted by G at 11:47 PM   | (3) comments

happy birthday, MLK Jr.

The older I get, the more I have mixed feelings about the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day - none of which have to do with the man himself (he's a real American hero), but more with how Americans have chosen to celebrate the holiday. Yes, it's a government holiday, but besides a couple of rallies, parades, most people rarely think about Dr. King's work or how much of it remains undone today in our country in overcoming discrimination, racism, and poverty.

Hurricane Katrina, anyone?

The prevailing attitude among those of us who are privileged and wealthy is that the Civil Rights Movement is a thing of a past and we live in a tolerant society. Of course, this attitude changes quickly once someone personally experiences discrimination or racism, either through someone close to them or through themselves... everyone, from the most militant activist rock'n a beret to the suburban housewife picking up her kids, should reflect more on the state of how things are in this country.

Keep the Dream alive.
posted by G at 9:43 PM   | (5) comments

trust, pain, sacrifice, hope

From a good book that MoiMoi bought me for Christmas...

Trusting God is dangerous business. Unless we're trusting Him for what He's promised to provide, the step after trust is disillusionment. In his college days, Ted Turner trusted God. When a loved one contracted cancer and, in spite of his prayers, died a painful death, the young Mr. Turner turned from God. He lost hope when his dreams were shattered. He could no longer depend on God. And he was right. God cannot be trusted to always minimize our suffering in this life. So what can He be trusted for? Exactly what is He doing with His considerable power? What would be different if we experienced that power, if His power were released in us? These questions are like arrows on the rim of a circle, each pointing to the hub, the central issue of hope. When dreams shatter, we lose hope. We may get on, but the fire is gone. The spark has been doused, our passion for life extinguished. At least that's how it seems... That is my problem with God (and perhaps yours): To people whose whole souls have been inudated with pain, God seems so unresponsive. We pray and nothing happens. We cannot manage to write His name at the top of our list of most cherished friends. We know we should and we know we would... if we could see things as they really are. How do we find the faith that lets us see what is invisible, to passionately believe that He's always wonderfully and lovingly responsive when He seems so callous? That's the question: What does it mean to hope in God as we continue to live in a world where good dreams shatter and God seems to do nothing about it? -Shattered Dreams, by Larry Crabb.

The ideas of suffering, sacrifice, and hope has been marinating in my brain recently. I wonder if it's because the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Adha happened recently, which commemorates the trial where God asked him to sacrifice his son. Maybe it's this continuing premonition that I'll be asked to sacrifice more of the things I love the further I get on this journey toward getting my master's degree and becoming a teacher...
posted by G at 12:00 AM   | (0) comments

a class divided

It was an interesting prelude to MLK Jr. weekend today... in my Justice & Diversity class, there was a lot of discussion after the class watched clips of Frontline news' "A Class Divided", where in April of 1968, a 3rd grade teacher named Mrs. Elliot (while working at a small school in an Iowa farming town) decided to teach her class a powerful lesson about racism, discrimination, and the politics of power. The book "A Class Divided" goes into more detail about the lesson and the class itself.

She set up the exercise by dividing her class by their eye color (blue-eyed vs brown-eyed) and then proceeded to tell the children about the "new reality" of the class - blue-eyed children would be allowed extra recess, blue-eyed children were smarter and better behaved, and blue-eyed children would be recognized as superior. Brown-eyed children on the otherhand would not be allowed extra recess, they would not be allowed to play with blue-eyed children, they were less intelligence and unruly, they couldn't drink from the water fountain unless they had a cup, and worst of all - brown-eyed children would be required to wear a black collar around their necks to visibly show others their identity as "brown-eyed". This treatment continued for an entire day and then on the next day, the roles were reversed - brown-eyed children became the "superior children", and blue-eyed children were relegated to second class.

The results, all caught on camera, were nothing short of powerful - when a child was placed in the dominant/superior group, their academic performance excelled and their interest in class remained high. When a child was placed in the subordinate/inferior group, the result was dramatic - children became angry, sullen, depressed, and withdrawn... their ability to do schoolwork diminished and they performed poorly. Children began to instantly self-segregate by eye color. Taunting of children in the inferior group was tolerated. Fights broke out on the playground and the entire mood of the class had changed - in just two days, the entire class was rendered easily into two groups.

Most important to the lesson was the time spent by the teacher dialoguing with the students about their first-hand experiences - both in the role of the privileged and the underprivileged. Even at the young age of 3rd grade, the children were remarkably open and direct in what they had learned... one child remarked about wearing the black collar denoting his inferior status, "I felt like a dog on a leash..."

So why would Mrs. Elliot even dare to teach such a provocative lesson? Well, those who know their history know that something fairly significant happened in April of 1968... something terrible that every American should be ashamed of...
posted by G at 11:51 PM   | (0) comments

there's plenty of fools, but a dearth of true beauty



Despite the busy-ness of my current schedule, I've managed make time to watch some TV... which is a pretty ridiculously thing for me to say, given my hatred for the squawking box of distraction and my picky nature about the shows I can actually stand to watch. While LOST and Battlestar Galatica were on break, I managed to get into a great Japanese drama series called Densha Otoko ("Train Man") thanks to a BitTorrent site link provided for me by the law student formerly known as GahLeiGai. I first remember hearing about the show in this Japan Times article.

The story of Densha Otoko follows a 23-year old nerd obsessed with anime (AKA otaku) named Yamada Tsuyoshi who by chance, saves a beautiful woman, Aoyama Saori, a train from harassment by a dirty drunken old man. Grateful, Aoyama mails a thank you present of Hermes teacups to the love-struck Yamada who hasn't stopped thinking about Aoyama since the night he met her. The story basically follows the genre of "bumbling man falls in love with beautiful woman" that has been explored in movies like My Sassy Girl, though an important twist to the story of Densha Otoko is that Yamada, looking for advice, posts anonymously on an internet BBS for single men asking for help (which made me laugh and think of the IIStix crew).

The girl on the right in the picture of above is the main actress in the show, Misaki Ito.

Another interesting parallel to My Sassy Girl is that the story for Densha Otoko is also based on a written novel, detailing the real story (for those who can read Japanese, these BBS chat threads archived here are supposedly the originals!)

Anyways, I think it may be the most entertaining Japanese drama I've watched inawhile, almost on-par with watching Long Vacation back in highschool Japanese class. The series has been really fun to watch, maybe because underneath my hardened, jaded, cynical exterior, I'm a nerd who loves toy robots, cartoons, and video games... though I sort of draw the line "descension to ultimate nerd-dom" at attending conventions or doing cosplay, haha. >=P


.:.


Speaking of geeks and beautiful women, there's a new season of Beauty & The Geek. They got a couple of Asian guys this time... one is an Indian American MIT grad who's into Indian dancing, and the other is a world's record holder for solving Rubik's cubes.

How geek-tastic.
posted by G at 11:30 PM   | (6) comments

re-focusing, perspective

Tonight, my Bible study wrapped up a series that one of our members suggested called "Cat & Dog Theology" (someone else's notes here). It's a funny title, but basically the core question of the study was this: as Christians, do we truly live lives devoted to God or do we live lives selfishly devoted to our ownselves? Materialism and the "ME ME ME" culture have arguably dominated the modern Christian Church in America pretty much since the post-WWII era.

Anyways, it was a good meeting. Though all the guys in my Bible study are in the same age range (mostly post-college) and Asian American (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, & Filipino), we represent a pretty wide spectrum of careers, interests, and personality types. These past couple of weeks of school have been hectic, the stress also of my financial situation (gotta find a job, renew FAFSA, etc.), and my geezer accident, so it was good catching up with them.

Good friends help give you perspective, even if the problems they're dealing with are different - one guy is engaged and busy marriage planning, one guy just got back from a vacation in Japan and has jury duty, one guy is working long hours at a new job, another guy has just started up college again while working FT, another one of our guys is undergoing full chemo and radiation treatment for a life-threatening cancer... somehow we all draw strength from each other. It's sorta like the problems of this world are reminders of the spiritual struggles we all face.

Next week will be good too... time to relax, plan our next study, and HOT POT! All men think better with hot food in their bellies.


.:.


here to (not) save the day

During lunch between classes today, a group of us grad students from my program somehow got to talking about "mundane superpowers" and if we were superheroes, what our superhero name would be - there was the Baker (she bakes a lot), the Clarifier (always is asking questions in class to clarify things), the Ice Breaker (no fear of walking up to strangers and striking up a convo), the Prism (always is breaking things down to their parts), the Cynic-cissor (always cynical... the title I'd characterize myself as). However, my classmates correctly observed my true superpower.

Whadda ya think?

...

...

...


...yeah, I'm the 'Sleeper', gifted with the power to fall asleep anytime (but esp. long class periods) while sometimes appearing to still be half-awake. Haha.


.:.


NWAAFF

I really want to go to the Northwest Asian American Film Festival here in Seattle, but tickets are helluva expensive, even with the student discount. Maybe I'll just try to pop in and see whatever is a free screening... =/
posted by G at 11:58 PM   | (4) comments

interview 101 for wannabe teachers

Today my school's department held a special 6 hour career workshop for all the grad students in the MIT program - both my Fall cohort (~50 students) and the '05 Spring cohort (~50 students). Out of those 100 students, I'm only 1 of 4 male students of color, though men as a whole only make up about third of the whole combined group. =/

Anyways, most school districts here in the Seattle area start their hiring process in the early spring, so this is supposed to be one of many workshops that will prep us grad students for the job hunting through various complex school processes. For the most part, it was pretty informative and there was a lot of emphasis on "interview techniques", some of which I thought were common sense for most sensible people - arrive early, dress formally & conservatively, cover up any tatts/piercing, go easy on the cologne/perfume, etc. - but I guess there's a lot of crazy hippies showing up to interviews in polyester shirts, with guitar and spliff in hand who wanna be teachers.

The best part of the day was watching a board of real principals and admin people from various school districts grill pre-selected volunteers in a "mock interview". I wasn't selected (nor did I want to be selected), but it was a good demonstration of what sort of questions to expect. Looking over the questions, I think most would be pretty easy to answer even if you didn't know them beforehand, assuming that as a candidate, you were serious as a teacher and had some experience.

But imagine if somebody *ahem* less qualified or ignoble tried interviewing for a teaching position...


.:.



SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERVIEWER
Thank you for coming in today, Mr... ummm, excuse me if I mispronounce this... "Mack-Cracker-Heed"?

MARTY MCCRACKHEAD
Mick-CRACK-Head... it's French.

SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERVIEWER
Well, Mr. McCrackhead, I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about your background and education. What experiences have led you to a career in teaching?

MARTY MCCRACKHEAD
Well, I haven't always wanted to be a teacher. I attended community college for half a year studying pottery, until the department kicked me out for only fashioning lumpy ashtrays, lopsided coasters, and large bongs. I then started in a career in government service, delivering confidential correspondence to the abodes of private citizens.

SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERVIEWER
You mean delivering the mail?

MARTY MCCRACKHEAD
Yeah. Anyways, I quit that last week after seeing that Barney show on TV while under the influence, naw mean? I realized, "Hey, if a big purple dinosaur can teach kids, I can too!"

SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERVIEWER
I guess it's... umm, admirable... that you take an interest in children's programming. Well, can you describe your approach to classroom discipline? What sort of style of classroom management do feel is the most effective?

MARTY MCCRACKHEAD
I have my own personal style of discipline that I call "PIMP DISCIPLINE", where I cuss a lot and instill fear in my students. I like to scream things like, "LINE UP OR IMMA CUT YOUR FACE", or "POP QUIZ, BEEYOTCHES!"... you know.

I also feel random beatings with lots of slapping are important too. At least 2-3 a day, minimum. More if I'm high.

SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERVIEWER
...riiight. Well, in terms of curriculum, how would you differentiate your instruction to teach your students? How would you structure your teaching to match research on multiple intelligences and learning styles?

MARTY MCCRACKHEAD
The only learning styles I believe that all students possess is "dumb ass" or "dumber ass". If they can't learn anything from me talking, I'll just send them out into the hall to practice writing their name or something.

SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERVIEWER
I think we should move on... what about your philosophy on diversity? How will you incorporate different perspectives, ethnicities, and cultures in your curriculum?

MARTY MCCRACKHEAD
I love all children, both the normal kids and the black kids. I figure on Martin Luther King Jr. day we can watch "Roots" and talk about how important it is for black kids to study really hard, because they're not as smart as the other students and stuff. Damn, the Mexican kids can't even speak English and they still do better!

Oh yeah, I think it's also OK to let the Chinaman kiddies eat whatever weird stuff they want for lunch, like dog. Maybe they can bring fortune cookies on China day, whenever that is.

SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERVIEWER
!!!

Mr. McCrackhead, I'm speechless. Do you honestly believe that you're qualified to be a teacher?

MARTY MCCRACKHEAD
Yeah man, of course! I'm totally ready.

SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERVIEWER
You may think so, but I've yet to hear a single satisfactory response that would let me to begin to even remotely consider the thought of allowing you within 25 feet of any children, let alone teach them.

MARTY MCCRACKHEAD
What if I told you I have "Mona Lisa Smile" in my Netflicks queue?

SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERVIEWER
...

GTFO.

posted by G at 7:52 PM   | (2) comments

let go



I was reading someone's xanga and a song popped into my head that I really like, called "Let Go" by m-flo, in one their collabs with Yoshika (AKA 'm-flo <3 loves Yoshika'). Whenever I hear the words, I think of the time I spent in Japan. It's great song, and a line from it that always sticks out to me goes:

amaku, shizukani tokiwa nagareteku noni...
(lyrics from Cori-chan's page)

A rough translation might be, "Sweet and quiet, time still passes by..."

If you'd like to hear the song for yourself, I've uploaded a taste of both the original and a nice reggae remix to Rapidshare:

http://rapidshare.de/files/10698033/m-flo.letgo.zip.html
(instructions for Rapidshare can read in a previous post)

The music video can be watched here.
posted by G at 12:33 AM   | (0) comments

I've fallen and I can't get up

If you recognize the above line, you too might remember the cheesy commercial in which a company tries to sell senior citizens living alone at home an automatic paging device to summon medical assistance. The phrase popped into my head today because - yep - I slipped and fell down.

I happened to be cleaning up around my computer desk, looking for my old Microsoft Office CD when it happened. Since large piles of papers and books collect around my computer desk, it can be as they say in Japan, gucha gucha da (messy). My computer desk is in my house's living room (carpeted) but it borders the kitchen (linoleum). I was trying to carefully maneuver stacks of my stuff when my foot slipped on the kitchen floor and down I went. I think my added bulk (from all the food I ate during the holiday) contributed to the pain of the experience. Ow.

Despite the pain (which was more to my pride than my body), I guess I should consider myself fortunate. According to these statistics, falls are the leading cause of fatal home accidents, next to poisonings. Of course, most of those who die from falling happen to be the elderly who are 65 years or older, but hey... I'm getting up there too, right?

I feel old at least.... O_o


.:.


Yesterday, I finally caught a matinee of Munich and I liked it a lot. Very beautiful cinematography, with several perfectly positioned shots (I think of a beautiful shot of two characters at dusk, walking up to their friend slumped on a bench)... and of course, Spielberg's masterful humanization of his characters. Another interesting part of the movie I liked that I didn't hear about before seeing it: Mr. Spielberg's non-sequential pacing of the Bana's character's story juxtaposed with the dramatized events of the Munich massacre. I was really impressed by Eric Bana's performance as the lead Israeli MOSSAD agent, Avner.

Ultimately, I came out of the film thinking that Western civilization, especially Americans, need to more critically think about issues of terrorism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of governments in maintaining peace. The movie provoked a lot of wrinkle-inducing questions in my mind.

Good stuff.
posted by G at 3:04 PM   | (2) comments

your head in the mouth of the lion

The stink over revelations about our government's handling of domestic security just won't go away, and now Mr. VP is on the warpath, claiming that if we're "serious" about fighting terrorism, us Americans should just shut up and let the government keep spying on whoever they want, even if they're innocent, law-abiding citizens. While some Republicans have been vocal in their opposition, domestic spying has become another partisan issue - the irony being that the same folks who were crying foul about the over-extension of government power in issues like intellectual design now are the same ones who are proposing that our government should have more power when it comes to spying.

Where's the consistency?

As for government claims of self-regulation and self-restraint, that's already failed miserably with revelations that the NSA destroyed evidence related to its domestic spying activities. So much for accountability.

.:.

If all this talk about the abuse of government power sounds all rather vague and theoretical to you, I'm more than happy to provide a contemporary example of the tyranny being conducted against innocent people in our country today... the film Persons of Interest documents the real stories of people our government has wrongfully harassed, arrested, and imprisoned (link from this blog). You can watch a couple of clips right here.

It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of these people are of South Asian or Middle Eastern descent. After all, nothing's more American than blaming yellow-skinned and brown-skinned folks for our problems!

Do you feel safe yet? 'Cause I sure as hell don't...
posted by G at 8:40 PM   | (0) comments

movies movies

It's been awhile since I've taken note, but my constant movie watching continues. I still haven't caught Munich yet, but with my new (ghetto) set-up, it has been more comfortable.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shambala - Probably one of the best anime series I've watched inawhile, Fullmetal Alchemist's story did end with room for a sequel even after the 51st episode. The movie picks up right after the anime ends, with the main theme of the movie dealing with war, xenophobia, racial supremecy, and even Nazi occultism - with the main character Ed Elric being in Nazi-era Germany, these themes are all easily illustrated and accessible. A must-see for FMA fans.

Transporter 2 - The first Transporter movie had some pretty cool fighting / driving sequences (the oil slick fight was memorable), but the slapped-on romantic sub-plot really annoyed me and bogged down the pacing. This second movie does a better job setting up the action scenario, with "the Driver" (Jason Statham), fighting this time to save the life of a young boy. Cory Yuen handles the fighting choreography again, and there's an impressive fight sequence near the end involving a metal pipe and a firehose. Not high art, but everyone needs a popcorn action flick every once inawhile.

Sword in the Moon - A Korean-style wuxia / period drama set in 17th century Korea, the movie follows the stories of two friends, swordsmen who train under the same master. The title comes from the name of the organization they belong to, though a better translation of the Chinese characters for the organization's name would be "Clear Wind Shining Moon" (not "Sword in the Moon"). After graduating from the school, one friend, Choi, (Choi Min-su) is sent out into the country to join the army; the other friend, Yun, (Jae-hyeon Jo) is sent to Seoul to become a palace guard. Despite the friendship between the two characters, there's a coup and the two find themselves on opposite sides. The plot of the movie features a lot of flashbacks, and while the story gets interesting, it takes some focus to catch all the details. Unfortunately, the ending was a big letdown and failed to wrap up all the loose ends. Too bad... it started off good at least.

Die Bad - A Korean flick divided into four different chapters, each section features a different story told in a different style, but the characters are all related. The first chapter tells the story of a brawl between a bunch young Korean college students in a pool hall, ending in the accidental death of one the students. The second chapter tells the story of an ex-con just released from prison, who turns out to be the student from the first chapter who was convicted for the death of the student in the brawl. Unable to find any legitimate work, he joins the Korean mafia. The third chapter tells the story of ex-con's Korean mafia boss, and his arrest by a cop, who ironically was the friend of the ex-con back during college. The fourth chapter, and final chapter, wraps up all the stories, with the little brother of the cop wanting to join the ex-con's gang. It's not a high-budget flick with lots of fancy effects, but the character acting and pacing of the story were more than enough to engage me. I liked this movie a lot.

JSA (Joint Security Area) - Before director Park Chan-wook got famous for directing the controversial and brilliant Oldboy, this big budget movie made him famous. Released back in 2000, I think this was one of the first movies that really made me realize, "Whoa! South Korea is really making some good movies nowadays" (the other movies being Shiri, and of course, My Sassy Girl). I don't want to give away the plot of the movie except to say that it starts out as military suspense movie, where a half-Korean Swiss officer investigates the death of two North Korean soldiers by The Bridge of No Return in the DMZ, allegedly killed by a South Korean soldier. The story builds slowly, but once the movie begins to examine the soldiers' lives in the DMZ, larger themes emerge. Like many movies that focus on a "grunt's perspective", the message is one of humanity and brotherhood, the yearning of both South and North Koreans for peace, and the ridiculous insanity of war. The final scene is powerful and moving in its symbolism - a clever CGI photograph depicting each of the soldiers in Panmunjeom.

Tom Yum Goong - A Thai action flick starring human special effect Tony Jaa (of Ong Bak fame), Jaa plays Kham, a simple guy whose rural family lives in harmony with elephants. When the family elephant gets jacked by unscrupulous people, Kham follows them to Australia to - you guessed it - get his elephant back. While the plot itself might be something to laugh at, Jaa's martial art skills are nothing to be laughed at - the movie gives a virtual demonstration on Muay Thai kicking, punching, and the multiple ways in which the limbs of the human body can be broken. For me, the most bad ass fight scene occurs in a burning Buddhist temple, with Jaa taking on a skilled capoeira fighter and a Chinese swordsmen. A good watch for martial arts fiends.
posted by G at 9:44 PM   | (2) comments

back to school

New definitions for intimidating:

-Your first day of class your professors pass out a 70+ page syllabus detailing the course content over the next 3 months.

-The syllabus informs you that out of the 20 different assignments during the quarter, your performance on just three projects will comprise the bulk of your grade for all assignments - 75%.

While last quarter focused on a lot of the various foundational theories behind education, learning, and child development, this quarter is the more "applicable knowledge" such as designing, implementing, and refining a curriculum for elementary school children. The three projects I mentioned earlier are units that I will have to make and use in my student teaching - a social studies unit, a literacy unit, and a mathematics/science unit.

It should be interesting.
posted by G at 9:08 PM   | (3) comments

news news

-"Oil drilling alters landscape, life for tiny Inupiat village" The front page of the Seattle Times featured this great story how oil money from drilling has seriously affected life in a small Native Alaskan village. While plenty of money has been brought to the people there, a host of problems have come along with it.

-"Chinese language study catching on in U.S. classrooms" I make fun of whOregon and Portland a lot, but they do have one thing better than Seattle - a $700k grant from the government to develop a full-scale Mandarin Chinese language program, starting from kindergarten and continuing to the end of high school.

With the large population of Chinese Americans on the West Coast, along with the many business ties to Asia, you'd think Chinese as a language would be more widespread - but even nationwide, the article points out that the number of students studying Chinese is only 24,000 compared to over 3 million students who study Spanish. While I do think Spanish is important, the next two most popular languages in schools, French and German, are of rather questionable value to both to our country's economic and political future. It's going to be the Pacific Century, right?
posted by G at 8:41 PM   | (2) comments

Megatron must be stopped... no matter the cost

It's not the usual way to think about the past year, but props to David for noticing that this past year, 2005, is the year in which the storyline of the classic Transformers the Movie takes place. So humanity has yet to discover or invent anthropomorphic robots, but damn... I'm still holding out hope that someday my morning commute will be superseded by a kick-arse ride inside a heroic, paternal tractor / trailer.



After all, amidst the carnage of Transformers the Movie (where several major Transformers were killed), one of the saddest moments of my childhood was watching Optimus Prime die after fighting singlehandedly against an entire gang of Decepticons and their leader, Megatron. Screw crying when Bambi's mother got capped... my first tears at the cinema were for Optimus' noble death in defense of his comrades.

As an eight year old boy, it was even more real to me than Jesus dying (sounds heretical, I know).

Still, I took this key moral lesson to heart as a kid: true heroes are those who live unselfishly and when it is necessary, they willing sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Who says kids don't learn anything good from cartoons?

.:.

Did I also mention that as a kid, I thought the rockin' 80s soundtrack of the movie was unbelievably cool too? True Transformer geeks will know exactly when this song first plays in the movie...

You never bend, you never break
You seem to know just what it takes
You're a fighter

It's in the blood, it's in the will
It's in the mighty hands of steel
When you're standin' your ground

And you never get hit when your back's to the wall
Gonna fight to the end and you're takin' it all

You got the touch
You got the power

Awesome. For some more Transformers tune-age, there's a taste in this .ZIP file right here on RapidShare:

http://rapidshare.de/files/10227843/transformersthemovie-songs.zip.html

How to Use Rapidshare (it's easy!):
1. After you click on the link, a new window will pop up
2. Scroll down and find the "free" button
3. You'll be taken to a page with a countdown
4. When the countdown expires, enter the code they give
5. It'll give you a download link for the file.
posted by G at 3:38 PM   | (0) comments

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