Note: this entry is posted late... nearly a month late. Its not that I forgot by any means, but I was debating on whether I should post it or not. This blog is rarely this personal, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to stray off like this again. Well, then I went on vacation for 10 days, and to a couple weddings, and then decided that I'd post it. Had a couple of the usual drab lined up, but didn't feel like posting anything until I'd figured this out. It sounds like a big deal, but its really not I guess. Very little drama was involved. The small decision making process was more like a mental exercise for me.

(Oh, and yes, I'm back from the month's absence, thanks).

As September 18th rolls around again, I find that pain arrives at sporadic moments. It hits you not like the jab button in Street Fighter II, but more like an earthquake that comes with its own after tremors. Its no surprise that my deceased best friend, Kiki, still visits me after dark (via dreams). However, recently there was a dream that hit me ala earthquake style.

I had dreamt that I was five years old again, but with all the knowledge and experience of a 27 year old. I was basically living my life over again. My first reaction was how I could change the future, and most importantly, somehow prevent the death of my friend. Thoughts raced through my mind on how I would play out my life and what changes would be made. More impotantly, whether I would tell him the truth and somehow convince him not to get into his friend's SLK that night in September 2003, or would I simply blend in to his life and persuade him to do something else that night without revealing I knew the future. Still in the dream, I made plans to be in LA during that time, and I was super anxious to get through the next 17 years of growing up. Saving Kiki was the only thing on my mind, then *bloop*... I woke up.

The pain and disappointment hit me, and then came the tremors in waves. By waking up, I almost felt as if I had ruined the opportunity to make a difference.

Well, as they say, life goes on. So cheers brother, wherever you are. I will drink to you tonight.

What a Load of Crap

China's safest city is Hong Kong. Well... duh. I wouldn't expect anything less. Also, I'm totally unsurprised that Guangzhou was number 13 on that list. I wouldn't say GZ is a dump, but security/safety wise, its the pits. In fact, I'm wondering why it isn't lower than 13. Same goes for Shenzhen. Why is it 11 on the list? These two cities should both be something like 95.

What really tickles me (in a really negative way) is the list of most beautiful cities in China. They actually dared to put Shenzhen at third place on the list. Describing it as "青春都市美" (Young Beautiful City) on the "美態定位" (Beauty Position). Uhh... what? Chinese love to make up stupid bullshit when describing things. Plus, anyone who's been to Shenzhen knows that nothing there comes even remotely close to the word beauty. It is dirty, polluted, run down, and nothing close to beautiful.

Its almost like they make this shit up just to force people into believing these cities are actually somehow beautiful. Its so ludicrous and far from the truth, I get a headache as I'm typing this.

公道?

富 家 子 偷 竊 改 判 罰 款

【本 報 訊 】 國 際 速 遞 公 司 DHL 大 中 華 區 總 裁 許 克 威 的 兒 子 ， 去 年 五 月 被 指 於 名 店 Louis Vuitton （ LV ） 中 環 旗 艦 店 內 ， 偷 竊 兩 件 共 值 8,300 元 T 恤 ， 被 判 偷 竊 罪 成 入 獄 九 星 期 。 他 不 服 定 罪 及 判 刑 太 重 提 出 上訴 ， 高 等 法 院 昨 維 持 其 定 罪 裁 決 ， 但可 獲 減 刑 ， 改 判 罰 款 一 萬 元 。

26 歲 上 訴 人 Hsu Andrew Huang 曾 從 事 基 金 經理 工 作 ， 去 年 12 月 判 罪 成 後 准 保 釋 等 候 上 訴 。 法 官 昨 認 同 ， 上 訴 人 沒 有 案 底 ， 非集 團 式 偷 竊 ， 故 判 入 獄 九 星 期 確 明 顯 過 重 ， 遂 改 判 罰 款 。

Rich boy steals $8,300 t-shirt. He's sentenced to nine weeks in prison. Not happy with the sentence, he appeals and the judge decides to impose a $10,000 fine instead of the prison term. Now how is this fair? $10k barely covers the price of what he stole. At least tack on nine weeks of community service to go along with the fine. It should be obvious to the judge that $10k is pocket change to these people. How are people supposed to trust in a justice system like this?

Heroes

Anita Roddick 1942-2007

Dame Anita "Queen of Green" Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, was a hero of the environment. She started recycling and promoting environmental protection before it became fashionable. The difficult part about promoting green to the masses is that its not always fun and attractive. Roddick was able to achieve that. She made recycling, banning animal testing, human rights, and supporting third world countries fashionable. She was able to promote the causes she deemed important, while creating a great brand of cosmetics.

You will be missed, Anita.

Re: In Response...

Hey folks, see the original post and its responses here.

Re: John

Everyone I've talked to is excited about China's rapid development, and their "becoming a superpower", and "overtaking the US" mentality. I'm not excited. Can't stop development, but as China grows, they should really consider patching up its gaping problems at the same time.

I doubt the Olympics will fail more than it failed in Atlanta eleven years ago. I guess I hope they succeed, and at the same time shine a huge spotlight on the nation's issues. But does the world really care about starving Chinese kids in rural villages? A lot of China's problems are far from "global". Will the world care?

Re: Edith

Of course the US elections play a role. However, I think the problems I'm more focused on are China's own issues that the US deep down does not care about. I mean, is corruption in China really that important to the rest of the world? The people who ultimately suffer are Chinese citizens.

When someone tells you whether your market is free, then I guess its not really free.

Re: Joe

Thanks for the history lesson ;)

China is still considered by most of the world as a "Communist State"; hence my mistake. I'm no expert, and I don't claim to be. I just tell it as I see it.

Moving Rubber

Say what you will about men using hair product. I'd rather do without it, but on most days I need it to not look like an untidy loser. Having soft, thin hair doesn't help either, since hair has a mind of its own, and mine is always asleep or getting there. Hair product to the rescue.

Back in the 80s and early 90s, men used gooey gels and hair spray. Useful, but often too sticky and gross. It also made you look like you had just got out of the shower, all day long. Gels and sprays always smelled funny. A mix of alcohol and glue. Pretty disgusting stuff. Then some good people invented creams and clay to style the hair. Its so revolutionary, that many people wonder what they did before clay was invented, much like mobile phones.

Now you could make yourself presentable, without looking like you were trying too hard (read: Vanilla Ice circa 1990). Choose different levels of control and shine and a type of clay that suited your hair type. (Sure this sounds very metro, but just remember that women dig a well groomed man).

The whole point of this entry is to mention that I've found a great line of hair stuffs from the Japanese maker, Gatsby. They made six or seven types of hair cream/clay, and gave them a very Japanese name: Moving Rubber (pronounced "moo-bing laaba" in Japanese). At first it really looked like a marketing gimic, but they've made some good stuff! The wide array of clays is also very thoughtful on their behalf. Check it out, here.

Kimura is moving rubber.

Greetings from Sapporo (again)!

Just got back from a relaxing trip to Hokkaido. The weather was perfect: cool and dry. Summer really is the best time to visit Hokkaido. The food, the weather, and the natural beauty are just right. We spent the first afternoon doing some shopping, and had dinner at a izakaya style restaurant.

The next day was also spent in Sapporo, which included more sightseeing and shopping. Above is the shrine we visited. Below is the Sapporo Beer Garden.

Misuse of Office Resources

You hear stories about people stealing pens and paper and various office supplies for home use. Some companies even search the vehicles of employees upon exiting company grounds.

This case is a bit more extreme in terms of the misuse of company resources. CSI Ann Chamberlain tests her husband's underwear and finds another woman's DNA. Problem is that she tested it in the lab she works at (police crime lab, no less). She brought this evidence to court, and she was fired soon after.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2309780.ece

Think about it next time you decide to photocopy that encyclopedia on the office copier.

Oh, the irony

Its interesting to see how ideas and stances change in ten years. Was Cheney betting that everyone would forget what he said back in 94? Probably. How could he predict that over a decade later, his interview and clear stance on Iraq circa 1994 would be on YouTube, in plain view for everyone to see.

There's really no need for an explanation for this video, because the irony is so potent. Even back then when it was perhaps a better and easier option to invade Iraq, Cheney states that its not worth the casualties. Him stating that "for the 146 Americans who were killed in action and their families, it was not a cheap war". The number "146" seems so minuscule in relation to the Iraqi occupation casualties today.

Mix and Match

You've just heard about "Superman" and "4Real", but have you heard of the latest sensation in China? Yes, its naming your kid with both Chinese and English characters. So you could very soon meet someone named "陳誠S", or "黃A如". But that's not the end of it! Some people are going as far as using symbols. So if you're lucky, you'll meet someone named "王%$#".

Again, in my humble opinion, its a murder suicide waiting to happen (or perhaps just a name change).

Lumosity

http://www.lumosity.com/iq_tests

See what your "LumosIQ" is with this three part test. I recommend playing through it once first to see what the games are all about. The first one really confused me. Above is my score from my second "round". Sadly, it turns out that I am not a genius.

Superman is 4Real... yo.

Don't mean to be cruel, but this is a murder suicide waiting to happen. Why? Because when this kid grows up, and realizes what his parents did to him, he'll want to kill them.

See BBC article here.

New Zealand couple Pat and Sheena Wheaton attempt to name their son, "4Real". That's right folks, no typo there. This silly couple wanted to name their son 4Real, but it was rightfully rejected by the registry in New Zealand because it began with a number. So instead, these attention whorish dimwits decide to name him Superman instead. However, they continue to refer to him as 4Real.

The law also advises parents to avoid names that could cause their child to be teased or made fun of.

My thoughts exactly. How much shit is this kid going to get in school? The possibilities are endless. By no means is 4Real the weirdest real name ever (don't believe me? Check out this site, it will blow your mind), but it certainly sounds like the dumbest. Being named Superman is bad enough, but when the kids catch win that his "real" name is 4Real, there will be hell to pay.

In the past they have had to intervene to stop parents naming their offspring Satan and Adolf Hitler.

Why am I not surprised. Child abuse prevention, your tax dollars at work. Good grief.

In Response...

Below is the response to the comments for yesterday's entry.

Re: Robert

First of all, wow, I'm glad I got you guys to finally leave a comment. Now on to the nitty gritty.

Not sure where all this "US vs. China" comparison is coming from. Because it is definitely not coming from me. I did not once mention the US in my entry, and I don't recall initiating the use of the US as a comparison point during dinner. I won’t try to dissect communism, but I will judge their actions. This entry was supposed to be more about human rights and lack of fairness/freedom. I (perhaps mistakenly) tied in all of China’s issues which made for a much broader topic.

Healthcare. I never said that China should emulate the US system. In fact, the US system is the system that I hate the most. What I support is universal healthcare, and I also think that would suit China the best. Implementation and regulation are issues that I believe China is completely capable of dealing with. That is the “beauty” of communism: decisions can be made, and they are usually met with little resistance. I agree that we shouldn’t compare the US to China (which I did not), but I disagree when you compare China to India. Why compare yourself to a nation that is a failure? The two nations are similar, but China should be looking at their positive possibilities. With their recent success (and surely more to come), China should be looking at their upside potential and not compare themselves to India, or Russia, or Indonesia.

Yes, its great that China spends more of their GDP on healthcare than India, but all I care about are results. Numbers like that don’t give me much of a hard-on. All I know is that right now in China, if you have money, you can go to the hospital (emergency or not). If you don’t have money, you are literally left to die. There is such a thing as “fake ambulances” in China. You can call for one of these illegitimate “emergency” vehicles and go to the hospital… after first paying the driver. Again, I don’t support the US system, nor do I think China should adopt the current US healthcare model. 270 million. Sure, the US has one quarter of China’s population, but it costs a lot less to educate, feed, house, and heal a person in China. Chinese people don’t have high demands like they do in the US. It may be a less daunting task than we all think.

You know, I really do think it is about money. When Hong Kong businessmen can donate cash to have a school built, it gets done. In fact, it is all about money in China now. Chinese people are only motivated by money and very little else. Okay, maybe some are motivated by Andy Lau, but that’s it!

I don’t expect China to get this done overnight, but I hear of NO progress, and NO plan. The only policy changes you hear about are relevant to business and the economy. I want the government to throw us a bone. Let us know that steps are being taken to progressively improve education and healthcare. Right now we’ve got nothing. And though I don’t expect overnight change, I do expect it to happen quicker than it took the US and other western nations. Being the 21st century, I expect China to be able to have quicker and more efficient development.

To be completely honest, I laughed when I saw that whole rocket deal in China. I suddenly felt like the world regressed 30 years. Do you think anyone outside China was remotely impressed? I don’t see how a space program can help the economy at this point in time. If China needs help putting satellites in space, they can ask their buddy, Russia. China might want to develop a space program in the future for those purposes, but I feel that there are more pressing issues at hand. And no, I don’t agree with NASA and/or Bush wanting to send crap to Mars. I’m not comparing the two space programs because that would surely be like comparing a Chevelle to an Enzo

Stricter labor laws are great, but everything is for a purpose. When the government wants to push business out of a certain area, it CREATES and enforces tougher labor laws for that region only. Believe me when I tell you that these “labor laws” are far from universal. The central government changes the rules and regulations as they see fit. Its certainly not for the benefit of the people.

I never said we should sacrifice Chinese people for the economy, but that looks like what China is doing. I like democracy, but obviously China is not there yet. Of course not everyone in the US is happy, but I’ll bet that a majority of their problems are trivial when compared to the impoverished people in China.

“Give me fairness, give me freedom…” sounds like sweeping comments, but it is truly what I and many others value the most. Right now in China, you may not even be able to have a fair, open, and honest discussion without being censored by the government.

Re: Jamee

I’m not comparing the US to China. See above.

Again, all the answers to your questions seem to be: money and communism. In terms of social welfare, I’m only asking for education and healthcare. You don’t have to feed a billion people, but you do have to get them started on feeding themselves. I do have ideas on how to employ these people, but I’ll save that for another time.

Again, all I ask for is freedom and fairness. These two things are virtually free, so no, I cannot cut China a break. Not when innocent people are in prison, and not when my words are censored.

Why are you comparing China to a failing country (India)? Why stoop to that level? No one in China is comparing themselves to India. Its like saying my 81 Honda Civic is faster than your 75 Toyota Corolla. Big fuckin whoop.

I criticize the US as well. Please see my “Only in America” entries. Small but growing.

The US shot rockets into space in the 1970s in order to compete with the Soviet Union. It was much different then because they were actually COMPETING. Space was the new frontier and the two nations were on equal footing to see who could one up the other. Thwart Soviet aggression? Fine. What’s China’s excuse? I believe there are better ways to give hope and increase patriotism. The Olympics are a good example. However, what saddens me is that we actually have to worry whether the now clean streets of Beijing will become dirty again after the Olympics leave town. Is our government really so “spur of the moment”? Do they have a vision? If so, tell me what it is.

There is no doubt that the US poses a greater threat to global peace than China. Which is why I think China should cut their military funding and spend it elsewhere. China's biggest threat is its economy and its tainted food/consumer products.

我們的祖國... 唉 Part VII

During dinner the other night, a couple friends asked me what I have against China. That question led to a discussion on what was right/wrong with China, and whether they're headed in the right direction.

To make a long argument short, I stand firm on my opinion that China's economy is growing too quickly. While big cities flourish, smaller rural areas remain stagnant and people there suffer.

Some argue that in order for China to become successful, sacrifices need to be made. Grow now, and take care of your people later.

I'm not saying China should abandon their economy to take care of their people, but their negligence towards poverty and corruption is absurd. Plus, in this day and age, I think it is plausible to expect a nation to do both. We have technology, we have transportation, we can see the big picture.

Then there's the silly argument of national pride. The Chinese have been stepped on for so many decades, that its time for them to show off a little with their booming economic prowess, and their ability to sent a little rocket into space. To me, this is soooo high school. If China had just a little bit of foresight, they would see that by building strong base, their success can only be prolonged. The opportunity to show off will be endless. Why blow your wad now?

I have high hopes for China. I don't want them to fail. I want China to succeed. However, their current actions don't even meet my lowest expectations. Political prisoner, journalist, and patriot, Ching Cheong has now been in prison for 837 days on trumped up charges of spying. While we discuss wealth and China's success, many innocent people are rotting away in Chinese prisons.

Give me fairness, give me freedom, then we'll talk. So sorry, but China isn't even in the same league as its western counterparts.

Whoa Boston...!

First it was Randy Moss, then Kevin Garnett, and now Eric Gagne. Boston teams are loading up on talent, and in my memory, its the first time that all three relevant teams are looking to be contenders.

The Pats

Even during the three Superbowl years, the Pats didn't look this dominant. With Randy Moss, Troy Brown, and Dante Stallworth (plus others), Tom Brady finally has the WRs he deserves. With a much healthier lineup, the Pats look like a super team this season and may finally shed the role of underdog (Ha!).

The Sox

Their giant lead slipping away as the Yanks are finally playing like they should be, the still pretty dominant Sox get Eric Gagne for Kason Gabbard (had some quality starts) and David Murphy (CF prospect we don't quite need. See: Jacoby Ellsbury). I guess the lingering question is, how good is Eric Gagne today? Aside from a low K count, Gagne's numbers are not much worse than those of Jonathan Papelbon; not too shabby. Instead of two dominant closer type pitchers, the Sox now have three. A huge difference from last year's one. Comparing last season's entire pitching staff to this season's, the front office has done a tremendous job in creating both more than solid starting pitching, and a dominant bullpen. Despite a couple minor speed bumps, it is amazing how the offense and defense just came together this season.

The Cs

The biggest story of the three. Just as it looked every Celtic fan was about to slit their wrists over the Ray Allen acquisition, the Cs somehow are able to get KG while giving up Al Jefferson. KG and Pierce alone would have already been a dominant force. I hesitate to say that Ray Allen is complimenting them because he himself is fully capable of carrying a bad team. Suddenly, the Jordanesque Flymaster is looking to shine even brighter, no longer having to be the only good player on the team. Its a 270 degree turn for the Cs. It was all about putting right minded players with the same maturity level together. They still need to build a solid supporting cast, but what a change! Long gone are the days when Pierce and Antoine Walker are expected to lead this team into the playoffs.

The 11th Hour

Who's the Loser?

See this article from ESPN (watch the video too).

This is a perfect example of poor full of shit "shock jock" type sports journalists who aren't funny or entertaining... but they think they are. So news breaks that China is a definite no on whether Yi can play for the Milwaukee Bucks. So these stooges decide to downplay Yi's skill, make fun of his workout videos, and compare him to Darko.

My question for them is, if he's so bad, why was he picked 6th overall (and projected at 5th if not for the Boston trade)? If it was a big Bucks mistake like the Darko pick, then shouldn't they be grilling the Bucks for making a lousy pick? Just because Yi isn't allowed to play in the US, they turn on him and downplay his value as a player.

They also make fun of China and their "reasoning" for not allowing Yi to play for the Bucks. Is this even news? China already said they want Yi playing for a big city team from the beginning. For some reason, the Bucks continued to choose Yi, and now they have this mess on their hands. Why are these dumb sports jockeys even remotely surprised? I suspect that they just have nothing better to say.

Okay. The last couple paragraphs were more rant than reason. On to the more important part of this entry: who's the loser?

BUCKS: they took a big gamble in taking Yi at sixth overall, but it wasn't that big of a gamble in my opinion. I could totally see Yi playing for the Bucks. They have a great young team that is in contention for the playoffs. I thought the Bucks had a good chance of convincing Chinese officials of letting Yi play in Milwaukee. Even now, the Bucks didn't really lose that much. Yi's potential is unknown, and they still have a decent team. Not the loser.

CHINA: they already have Yao as their global icon (despite him being a disappointment NBA wise). Yi would probably take attention away from Yao Ming, and if Yi turned out to be a disappointment, China would see that as a negative. In their eyes, it may be a good thing that Yi's not going to the NBA. Not the loser (this time).

YI: poor guy never had a say in this decision. I'm sure he would have loved to play for the Bucks and make his millions, even if it was just for a couple years. Who knows, he might have busted out and actually become a decent NBA player. For now, we just don't know. Yi has lost his NBA opportunity and its not his fault. Unfortunately, Yi is the big loser.

At least Yi is a player on the Chinese national team. He'll get treated well whether he joins the NBA or not I guess.

Fun with Chemistry

Another experiment gone err... well, perhaps it wasn't so bad.

In hope of making my ice coffee stay cold longer while avoiding dilution by ice cubes, I froze some milk into cubes and put that in instead. Results were... interesting. The milk melted into tiny little pieces that resembled milk that had gone bad. What actually happened was that the high fat content in the milk caused it to separate while freezing. So the little chunks of milk fat floated out first.

In the end, it turned out great, but perhaps a better way is in order. Until next time.

I Win! (in a meaningless war)

We all hate telemarketing. In an attempt to prevent robots from taking over the world, Hong Kong passed legislation last year to outlaw automated telemarketing. This is a small victory for the people; however, human telemarketing is still allowed in full force. So if a person calls you instead of a robot, then its okay. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for robots is staggering.

I still get a marketing call about once every couple days. When I pick up, I refuse to be impolite unless they call when I'm roaming (because telemarketers should be smart enough to hang up when they hear the roaming ringtone). So instead I just pretend that I can't speak Chinese, and they usually hang up immediately. Thankfully my English is good enough to pull it off, but even if my English was shoddy, what could they do? Claim that I'm lying? Heh.

Anyways, even if they did attempt to sell me crap in English, I could probably outmaneuver them easily by using difficult SAT words. Yes, it is mean to step on someone for their loose grasp of a language, but then again they didn't have to call me in the first place.

Excellent Combination

Two recent discoveries:

1) The Palm Treo 750's camera sucks. I'm not picky about camera phones (kind of an oxymoron as it is), but with a sticker price of HKD6000 (relax, I didn't pay nearly that much) I expect something a little better than 1.3 megapixels.

2) Avocado goes really well with ponzu sauce.

I first saw people eat avocado this way in the late Juzo Itami's The Funeral. They basically cut the avocado in half, add a little soy sauce to where the seed used to be, and spoon it out. Not sure if that's how all Japanese people eat avocado, but it looked great.

A couple weekends ago I decided to try it with ponzu instead. The result was delightful.

So next time you get a ripe avocado, instead of making guacamole or a salad, try this method instead.