Dismissed
I'm just wondering, could there be a worse show than MTV's Dismissed? I remember watching it a couple times last semester at school before I realized it was a terrible waste of time. Then yesterday, I was flipping channels around 11 or 12 at night before going to sleep, and for some reason I ended up watching like 2/3 of an episode. I don't know why, because on any normal night I would be watching Baseball Tonight. Maybe I was a little spaced out and got careless with the remote. It's kind of like when I'm driving in my car and I don't pay attention to what's playing on the radio. Before I know it, I'm singing along to En-freak-ay Iglesias, subconsciously of course. That usually leads to a strong feeling of regret afterwards, when I finally realize what I just did. See, normally I am a vigilant radio station changer, otherwise I'll put in a CD or play something off my Rio rather than put up with a crappy song. But accidents do happen now and then.
So was the case with how I ended up watching Dismissed last night. Come to think of it, anything would have been better. Conan and Kilborn were on too. I'm such an idiot! Anyways, once in a while something entertaining might happen on the show, if only by pure chance, but the rest of the show is 100% garbage. If you watch one episode, you've seen them all. Two girls compete for a guy (or the other way around), they go out on a date, and after a couple hours, the guy picks the girl that is hotter (or if they are similar in hotness, he picks the one that is freakier). Seriously, I could tell you within the first 2 minutes of the show which one is gonna win. After the guy "Dismisses" someone, the winner gloats and they interview the loser, who always says "I don't care, I didn't like him to begin with" even though 5 minutes ago they just showed her all drooling over him. That's pretty much it.
Oh yeah, there's the Timeout card, how could I forget. Each contestant gets a card that they can use to spend like 20 minutes alone with the guy. This part is always pretty funny actually. Three people are all just sittin there, and one of them pulls out a special card, forcing the other girl to leave. I've always wondered what would happen if someone disobeyed the card. Maybe the MTV Dismissed Enforcers would come on and carry the rulebreakers off and set them in lockdown. But yeah, sometimes I seriously wish life was like a TV show. Like if a cop pulls me over, and I don't feel like talking so I would flash him a "Get out of my face" card. Or I'm at Dominick's and every line is long. I really don't want to wait this time, so I dig into my pocket for that "Move to the front of the line" pass that I've been saving for occasions like these. Ahh... that would be sweet. Anyways, when they have their Timeouts in Dismissed, it's basically just a matter of one girl trying her best to impress the guy by throwing herself on him, and they show the other one sitting around waiting patiently for her turn, while they interview her and she's insisting that she's not worried one bit.
Ugh... I really can't believe I watched that show for over 20 minutes. See, before when I watched it at school, it was a relatively new show so I might have tuned in once in a while for the novelty factor. Now, there is absolutely no excuse. Still... it might be one of those things like heroin, like Chris Rock says. You know somebody is doin it, but nobody will admit to it. Not me, I hereby refuse to watch another minute of that God-forsaken show from this moment on.
Wednesday, July 31, 2002
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Me And My Car
I've briefly mentioned how I love my car in previous blogs, but I thought this subject deserved its own entry. For the past few years, I've been the proud driver of a 1997 Nissan Maxima GLE, and in these years, I think I've fallen in love to the point where I don't think I ever want to give up my baby. (I don't think Olivia reads my blog, so that's probably a good thing). Anyways, a lot of guys will know what I am talking about, but the fact is that the relationship between a man and his machine is one of the most important in life. It might sound like overkill to consider it a relationship, seeing as how one side is living and the other is not, but I don't think there is any better way of describing it.
In any good relationship, the two sides are relatively balanced. That is, one should never dominate the other. If all you expect from your friends is to serve you, or do what you want them to do, that is hardly a healthy situation and chances are, it's not gonna last long. But, if by way of being friends, you "serve" each other, not doing things only to get something in return, then a true bond is formed and the relationship benefits both sides a whole lot more. When it comes to cars, a lot of people just see it as a thing to carry them around. We fill it with gas because we need to, and we step on the pedal and go. When the car breaks down, we curse at it and blame the car for being a piece of crap, not ourselves for failing to maintain it well. Sadly, these people fail to recognize their car as a relationship, as a friend to be treated with respect and care. As a result, they miss out on the benefits of such a relationship in the end.
Ok, so I realize that there are very many cars out there that are actually crappy, and that they break down even when the owner puts a lot of work into it. I'm very sorry for the owners of such cars, but keep in mind that most of you have some choice over what car you get. Of course, not everyone can afford a Benz or Lexus, but say you have around $20-25,000 to spend on a new car. This would allow you to pick between a mid-range Chevy Camaro and a pretty good Honda Accord. At the risk of insulting some Camaro owners, the one who chooses the Camaro is obviously more interested in speed and flashiness rather than the reliability and class you would find in an Accord. Then, should we feel sorry for the Camaro owner when, 5 years down the road, their car is falling apart, while the Accord is still running like it was new?
Anyways, when it comes to my personal experience, I drove an aging 1990 Ford Taurus for a few years before I got the Maxima. That thing was a piece of crap, my mom got it because it was a cheap used car, not realizing that it was cheap for a reason. When it came to be my turn to pick a car, I vowed not to buy American. Not because I am unpatriotic, but because it's very obvious that Japanese cars are a much better deal in the long run than domestic. I wanted a 4-door, because I like 4-doors, so that left me choosing between the Toyota Camry, an Accord, or Nissan Maxima (or to a lesser extent, the Corolla, Civic, or Altima). In the end, I figured that I did not want a Camry or Accord because every single Asian family has one. So, even though Nissans are not as reliable on the whole as Toyotas and Hondas, I went with the Maxima because it was a little bit cooler looking than the others, and with a little extra kick from the engine in comparison.
Since that time, I have not regretted for a moment that I chose the Maxima. I have been in love with this car pretty much since the first time I got in, sat down, and test drove it at the dealer. Other kids like to parade around in their 2-door sports cars, but I have never envied someone's Mustang or Celica. My car isn't all that slower than those, and it's supposed to be a family sedan.
Anyways, back to what I was saying about maintaining a relationship with my car. By now, a lot of you are probably thinking I am acting queer, but let me assure you that I am purely heterosexual. I'm sure I can't be the only one who understands that your car is more than your slave, more than a combination of moving parts. It is, in almost every sense, a living, breathing companion. So, I don't merely fill it with gas and go, waiting until the day it stops working. I put in my own sweat and blood to take care of my car, like it takes care of me.
Filling it with the right octane fuel is only a start. I recommend that anybody who owns a car should also wash their car and change its oil on their own at the very least. These are two relatively simple things that will help keep your car running smoothly and help you build a better bond between you and your car. When you take it to Jiffy Lube or Walmart to get your oil changed, it might save you time (and even money, maybe), but you lose out on the opportunity to take care of your baby yourself. It's like sending your kids to day care, when someone else is taking care of your children, who knows how they are gonna turn out. Well, if you don't have any idea what kind of engine oil people are putting in your car, what kind of oil filter they are using, and whether or not they tightened the bolts carefully, then don't complain if you don't know why your car is leaking or why the engine isn't sounding as quiet as it should. All you did was drop off your car and keys, and pick it up 20 minutes later, paying 15 bucks or so to have someone else do your job.
In the same way, it pains me to see so many people relying on the automatic carwash at the local gas station to clean their car. It's a simple thing to do: get a bucket, sponge, hose, and a few cleaning agents and towels. When you just drive through a one-size-fits-all car wash, there's no way it will get all the nooks and crannies of your car. And, it's bound to wear away at your paint's glossy finish in the long run, if not waxing in some dirt or unwanted water along the way. Just imagine if you had to take a shower by walking through a machine like that. High-speed spinning brushes press up to you until it feels "resistance" while high-powered jets of water spray from every direction. Then, globs of soap are splattered all over your body, before the brushes and jets return to rinse. Not only is this system gonna miss some spots, but I personally hope that it does miss certain spots, the sensitive ones especially. I would definitely be wise enough to wear an athletic cup or something at the very least. So next time you think it would be a good idea to take your car through the wash, please consider the pain. When you wash and wax your car yourself, it will make your car so much happier and appreciative for not having to endure the brushes and jets. And not only this, but you will get to know each and every last corner of your car's body, every nick and scratch, every stain in the carpet, every little detail that might all seem like imperfections, when in reality, they are all marks of age, or personality, of experience... making the machine more alive and less of an inanimate hunk of metal.
There are plenty more ways to treat your car right, but realistically, not everyone has hours on end to spend working on their car. I think it is one of those things where you get what you put in. I may not do as much for my car as some fanatics might, but I think I take care of it more than the typical owner. This car has given me so much through the years, and it's been one of my best friends, that it's the least I could do in return. There's few things I enjoy more than taking a long drive, just me and my car, listening to music and chilling for a bit. And when I need some time by myself to clear some thoughts, I take a couple hours off to wash my car, and that has never failed to cheer me up or at least get my mind off other things for a while.
My car never complains that I don't spend enough time with it, nor does it get jealous when I turn my head to check out a Ferrari going by. When I got my speeding tickets, or when I crashed into a mailbox, we shared the pain together, just the two of us when nobody else cared or understood. My baby isn't ever gonna leave me for another owner if I go through hard times. And I wouldn't ever trade in my car for a newer model unless it died, and in that case, there would still have to be a period of mourning. It never says a word, but I know what it's feeling at all times. Without my car to drive, I would be absolutely miserable, and without me to drive it, so would my car.
There are few things I love more than my car, because it's my car, I'm its owner, we have a great relationship, and it makes me happy. Some people have pet dogs, some people love fishing, but my car is what brings me joy. It's so much more than something to get me from one place to another, it's like my best friend. Don't laugh at me, it's true.
"I like to max in Maximas" - Notorious B.I.G.
I've briefly mentioned how I love my car in previous blogs, but I thought this subject deserved its own entry. For the past few years, I've been the proud driver of a 1997 Nissan Maxima GLE, and in these years, I think I've fallen in love to the point where I don't think I ever want to give up my baby. (I don't think Olivia reads my blog, so that's probably a good thing). Anyways, a lot of guys will know what I am talking about, but the fact is that the relationship between a man and his machine is one of the most important in life. It might sound like overkill to consider it a relationship, seeing as how one side is living and the other is not, but I don't think there is any better way of describing it.
In any good relationship, the two sides are relatively balanced. That is, one should never dominate the other. If all you expect from your friends is to serve you, or do what you want them to do, that is hardly a healthy situation and chances are, it's not gonna last long. But, if by way of being friends, you "serve" each other, not doing things only to get something in return, then a true bond is formed and the relationship benefits both sides a whole lot more. When it comes to cars, a lot of people just see it as a thing to carry them around. We fill it with gas because we need to, and we step on the pedal and go. When the car breaks down, we curse at it and blame the car for being a piece of crap, not ourselves for failing to maintain it well. Sadly, these people fail to recognize their car as a relationship, as a friend to be treated with respect and care. As a result, they miss out on the benefits of such a relationship in the end.
Ok, so I realize that there are very many cars out there that are actually crappy, and that they break down even when the owner puts a lot of work into it. I'm very sorry for the owners of such cars, but keep in mind that most of you have some choice over what car you get. Of course, not everyone can afford a Benz or Lexus, but say you have around $20-25,000 to spend on a new car. This would allow you to pick between a mid-range Chevy Camaro and a pretty good Honda Accord. At the risk of insulting some Camaro owners, the one who chooses the Camaro is obviously more interested in speed and flashiness rather than the reliability and class you would find in an Accord. Then, should we feel sorry for the Camaro owner when, 5 years down the road, their car is falling apart, while the Accord is still running like it was new?
Anyways, when it comes to my personal experience, I drove an aging 1990 Ford Taurus for a few years before I got the Maxima. That thing was a piece of crap, my mom got it because it was a cheap used car, not realizing that it was cheap for a reason. When it came to be my turn to pick a car, I vowed not to buy American. Not because I am unpatriotic, but because it's very obvious that Japanese cars are a much better deal in the long run than domestic. I wanted a 4-door, because I like 4-doors, so that left me choosing between the Toyota Camry, an Accord, or Nissan Maxima (or to a lesser extent, the Corolla, Civic, or Altima). In the end, I figured that I did not want a Camry or Accord because every single Asian family has one. So, even though Nissans are not as reliable on the whole as Toyotas and Hondas, I went with the Maxima because it was a little bit cooler looking than the others, and with a little extra kick from the engine in comparison.
Since that time, I have not regretted for a moment that I chose the Maxima. I have been in love with this car pretty much since the first time I got in, sat down, and test drove it at the dealer. Other kids like to parade around in their 2-door sports cars, but I have never envied someone's Mustang or Celica. My car isn't all that slower than those, and it's supposed to be a family sedan.
Anyways, back to what I was saying about maintaining a relationship with my car. By now, a lot of you are probably thinking I am acting queer, but let me assure you that I am purely heterosexual. I'm sure I can't be the only one who understands that your car is more than your slave, more than a combination of moving parts. It is, in almost every sense, a living, breathing companion. So, I don't merely fill it with gas and go, waiting until the day it stops working. I put in my own sweat and blood to take care of my car, like it takes care of me.
Filling it with the right octane fuel is only a start. I recommend that anybody who owns a car should also wash their car and change its oil on their own at the very least. These are two relatively simple things that will help keep your car running smoothly and help you build a better bond between you and your car. When you take it to Jiffy Lube or Walmart to get your oil changed, it might save you time (and even money, maybe), but you lose out on the opportunity to take care of your baby yourself. It's like sending your kids to day care, when someone else is taking care of your children, who knows how they are gonna turn out. Well, if you don't have any idea what kind of engine oil people are putting in your car, what kind of oil filter they are using, and whether or not they tightened the bolts carefully, then don't complain if you don't know why your car is leaking or why the engine isn't sounding as quiet as it should. All you did was drop off your car and keys, and pick it up 20 minutes later, paying 15 bucks or so to have someone else do your job.
In the same way, it pains me to see so many people relying on the automatic carwash at the local gas station to clean their car. It's a simple thing to do: get a bucket, sponge, hose, and a few cleaning agents and towels. When you just drive through a one-size-fits-all car wash, there's no way it will get all the nooks and crannies of your car. And, it's bound to wear away at your paint's glossy finish in the long run, if not waxing in some dirt or unwanted water along the way. Just imagine if you had to take a shower by walking through a machine like that. High-speed spinning brushes press up to you until it feels "resistance" while high-powered jets of water spray from every direction. Then, globs of soap are splattered all over your body, before the brushes and jets return to rinse. Not only is this system gonna miss some spots, but I personally hope that it does miss certain spots, the sensitive ones especially. I would definitely be wise enough to wear an athletic cup or something at the very least. So next time you think it would be a good idea to take your car through the wash, please consider the pain. When you wash and wax your car yourself, it will make your car so much happier and appreciative for not having to endure the brushes and jets. And not only this, but you will get to know each and every last corner of your car's body, every nick and scratch, every stain in the carpet, every little detail that might all seem like imperfections, when in reality, they are all marks of age, or personality, of experience... making the machine more alive and less of an inanimate hunk of metal.
There are plenty more ways to treat your car right, but realistically, not everyone has hours on end to spend working on their car. I think it is one of those things where you get what you put in. I may not do as much for my car as some fanatics might, but I think I take care of it more than the typical owner. This car has given me so much through the years, and it's been one of my best friends, that it's the least I could do in return. There's few things I enjoy more than taking a long drive, just me and my car, listening to music and chilling for a bit. And when I need some time by myself to clear some thoughts, I take a couple hours off to wash my car, and that has never failed to cheer me up or at least get my mind off other things for a while.
My car never complains that I don't spend enough time with it, nor does it get jealous when I turn my head to check out a Ferrari going by. When I got my speeding tickets, or when I crashed into a mailbox, we shared the pain together, just the two of us when nobody else cared or understood. My baby isn't ever gonna leave me for another owner if I go through hard times. And I wouldn't ever trade in my car for a newer model unless it died, and in that case, there would still have to be a period of mourning. It never says a word, but I know what it's feeling at all times. Without my car to drive, I would be absolutely miserable, and without me to drive it, so would my car.
There are few things I love more than my car, because it's my car, I'm its owner, we have a great relationship, and it makes me happy. Some people have pet dogs, some people love fishing, but my car is what brings me joy. It's so much more than something to get me from one place to another, it's like my best friend. Don't laugh at me, it's true.
"I like to max in Maximas" - Notorious B.I.G.
Monday, July 29, 2002
The Joys of Napping
With my schedule the way it is these days, I have been forced to take naps in the late afternoon-early evening every day in order to stay somewhat alert for the rest of the night. When I was at school, I was also known for my messed up napping habits. I would sleep at like 5 am, wake up for class at 9, go to class for a couple hours, come back, play Starcraft, and then nap for like 3 hours. Or, I'd pull an allnighter, try to make it through an entire day, then give in around dinnertime and "nap" for 16 hours (seriously, I did that). Anyways, you might consider me to be something of a nap expert, a nap connoiseur, if you will. So here are some of my thoughts on this wonderful art of life.
A lot of so-called "experts" say it is good to take short, 15-minute naps during the day as refreshers, rather than a long extended nap. To this, I say "pish-posh" and heartily disagree. So what if they have "medical degrees" and "years of research" and "scientific evidence"? Experts schmexperts... I really can't imagine getting anything out of a puny little 15 minute nap. It's comparable to eating 1 Pringle for a snack. It's like the Diet Coke of naps, "Just one calorie, not nappy enough."
Anyways, to me, a nap isn't a nap unless it's at least an hour and a half to two hours. Real men take long naps (real women, too). I personally feel very dissatisfied with a nap unless I wake up in a complete daze. You know what I mean, when you have no idea what time it is, your hair is all messed up, the wrinkles of your blankets and sheets are permanently engraved upon your face, arms, and legs, and drool is running continuously down your chin to your pillow. Ah, that's the stuff.
Whenever I get the chance to take a nice long nap, I make it a big deal and prepare for it in advance, kind of like when people invite a guest over and they prepare in advance. Well, when my favorite guest, the Nap Fairy, is coming to visit, I gotta make sure everything is in its right place (hey, that's a Radiohead song, "Everything in its Right Place"). That is, I gotta brush my teeth, wear my most comfortable clothes, shut down my computer (the sound of the fan gets annoying), and, for those naps when I treat myself to some extra sauce, I turn off my cell phone and lock my door. Ah, talking about it makes me want to take a nice long nap right this moment. But I guess I can wait for another 7 and a half hours. So as you can see, I don't take naps lightly, nor do I take light naps.
Oh man it's dark outside right now. I hope we don't get struck by a frickin tornado.
Ok, so naps are great and all, but even I will admit that they have their limitations. I'd take sleeping in any day over a 4 or 5 hour night's rest and 2 hour nap. And it's definitely inconvenient to depend on taking a long nap in the middle of the day. So that is why I value a good nap so much, because the opportunity to enjoy one is such a luxury that is not to be overlooked.
The moral of the story is, don't call me between the times of about 4:30 to 6 pm today.
With my schedule the way it is these days, I have been forced to take naps in the late afternoon-early evening every day in order to stay somewhat alert for the rest of the night. When I was at school, I was also known for my messed up napping habits. I would sleep at like 5 am, wake up for class at 9, go to class for a couple hours, come back, play Starcraft, and then nap for like 3 hours. Or, I'd pull an allnighter, try to make it through an entire day, then give in around dinnertime and "nap" for 16 hours (seriously, I did that). Anyways, you might consider me to be something of a nap expert, a nap connoiseur, if you will. So here are some of my thoughts on this wonderful art of life.
A lot of so-called "experts" say it is good to take short, 15-minute naps during the day as refreshers, rather than a long extended nap. To this, I say "pish-posh" and heartily disagree. So what if they have "medical degrees" and "years of research" and "scientific evidence"? Experts schmexperts... I really can't imagine getting anything out of a puny little 15 minute nap. It's comparable to eating 1 Pringle for a snack. It's like the Diet Coke of naps, "Just one calorie, not nappy enough."
Anyways, to me, a nap isn't a nap unless it's at least an hour and a half to two hours. Real men take long naps (real women, too). I personally feel very dissatisfied with a nap unless I wake up in a complete daze. You know what I mean, when you have no idea what time it is, your hair is all messed up, the wrinkles of your blankets and sheets are permanently engraved upon your face, arms, and legs, and drool is running continuously down your chin to your pillow. Ah, that's the stuff.
Whenever I get the chance to take a nice long nap, I make it a big deal and prepare for it in advance, kind of like when people invite a guest over and they prepare in advance. Well, when my favorite guest, the Nap Fairy, is coming to visit, I gotta make sure everything is in its right place (hey, that's a Radiohead song, "Everything in its Right Place"). That is, I gotta brush my teeth, wear my most comfortable clothes, shut down my computer (the sound of the fan gets annoying), and, for those naps when I treat myself to some extra sauce, I turn off my cell phone and lock my door. Ah, talking about it makes me want to take a nice long nap right this moment. But I guess I can wait for another 7 and a half hours. So as you can see, I don't take naps lightly, nor do I take light naps.
Oh man it's dark outside right now. I hope we don't get struck by a frickin tornado.
Ok, so naps are great and all, but even I will admit that they have their limitations. I'd take sleeping in any day over a 4 or 5 hour night's rest and 2 hour nap. And it's definitely inconvenient to depend on taking a long nap in the middle of the day. So that is why I value a good nap so much, because the opportunity to enjoy one is such a luxury that is not to be overlooked.
The moral of the story is, don't call me between the times of about 4:30 to 6 pm today.
Thursday, July 25, 2002
Pop-up Ads Suck
I think for as long as I have used web browsers, Espn.com has been my "Home" page. I know it shows that I value sports maybe a little too much, but it's always been a solid site to open my browser with, providing a quick summary of the top sports stories as well as some interesting columns that go more in depth. So, I never thought twice about setting all my Home pages to espn.com.
That is, until now. Lately, the page has been opening up pop-up ads every time I load it, which was annoying me more and more by the day. At first, the windows were just a little nuisance which I got used to closing. But today, it seemed like they had switched to some sort of super-pop-up-ad that opens up but makes it hard for you to close by switching between the espn window and the ad window until both are fully loaded. I don't think this was by design, but I open up new browsers probably over a hundred times during the course of the day, and as you might expect, by mid afternoon (around now) I was soooooo pissed. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be on a slow internet connection and have to go through that.
So I wrote a nasty email to the folks at espn.com who brought such atrocity upon my life, but being quite confident that they don't give a schnitt about my ordeal, I will probably end up having to change my Home page to something else before the pop-up madness makes me flip. Here's the thing: I know that me writing a strongly-worded email isn't gonna change anything, and that's pretty much why I don't usually do that kind of stuff. But, if more people write emails, and more people switch from espn to some other site, then they will be forced to take notice. I'm hoping this will happen and that the idiots who decided to sic these dumb ads on me will be forced to endure punishment similar to what I faced with these stupid ads this morning.
Anyways, this leaves me somewhat open to what my new home page shall be. So far, the possible candidates include:
1. cbs.sportsline.com, cnnsi.com - Two other major sports sites that don't have pop-up ads (I think)
2. www.google.com - A simple page that loads fast with no ads. I like google.
3. my.yahoo.com - I customized a page a while back on yahoo and it's pretty good. A Search bar near the top, weather, my email, news, links to my yahoo fantasy teams, and movie showtimes. Convenient and organized.
4. dudo509.blogspot.com - An awesome page that I visit frequently anyways. This guy has some of the most brilliant thoughts ever and we all could learn a lot from him. Plus, he's pretty darn good looking.
5. www.cnn.com - I've found myself visiting CNN a lot lately, maybe it's because I'm bored from reading sports all day, or maybe I am becoming more mature and world-conscious. It's not boring at all, as many people think, many of these stories are relevant and worth reading.
6. www.salon.com - You may have noticed that I included this site, which is kind of like an online magazine, on the links at the left of this page (I'll change them when I get around to it). I used to visit it more, but not so much lately. Still, it has a good coverage of recent events and overall, its writers put out well written pieces (unlike my blog entries). I doubt it will end up being my Home though, among all the other choices I'm listing.
7. www.espn.com - Ah, in many ways, I am still a stubborn, stubborn man. It's hard to change the habits that have been formed over 4 or 5 years, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Hmmm.... I think I am gonna grow up to be one of those old grandpas that annoys the crap out of everybody by refusing to listen to anyone.
If anyone reading this has any thoughts or suggestings about what I'm writing, feel free to contact me. Also, if anyone knows where the espn.com offices are located, please tell me so I can go reward them with eggs and toilet paper. Just kidding, vandalism is never the answer. But whoever wants to harrass espn.com with emails like I did has my full blessing.
I think for as long as I have used web browsers, Espn.com has been my "Home" page. I know it shows that I value sports maybe a little too much, but it's always been a solid site to open my browser with, providing a quick summary of the top sports stories as well as some interesting columns that go more in depth. So, I never thought twice about setting all my Home pages to espn.com.
That is, until now. Lately, the page has been opening up pop-up ads every time I load it, which was annoying me more and more by the day. At first, the windows were just a little nuisance which I got used to closing. But today, it seemed like they had switched to some sort of super-pop-up-ad that opens up but makes it hard for you to close by switching between the espn window and the ad window until both are fully loaded. I don't think this was by design, but I open up new browsers probably over a hundred times during the course of the day, and as you might expect, by mid afternoon (around now) I was soooooo pissed. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be on a slow internet connection and have to go through that.
So I wrote a nasty email to the folks at espn.com who brought such atrocity upon my life, but being quite confident that they don't give a schnitt about my ordeal, I will probably end up having to change my Home page to something else before the pop-up madness makes me flip. Here's the thing: I know that me writing a strongly-worded email isn't gonna change anything, and that's pretty much why I don't usually do that kind of stuff. But, if more people write emails, and more people switch from espn to some other site, then they will be forced to take notice. I'm hoping this will happen and that the idiots who decided to sic these dumb ads on me will be forced to endure punishment similar to what I faced with these stupid ads this morning.
Anyways, this leaves me somewhat open to what my new home page shall be. So far, the possible candidates include:
1. cbs.sportsline.com, cnnsi.com - Two other major sports sites that don't have pop-up ads (I think)
2. www.google.com - A simple page that loads fast with no ads. I like google.
3. my.yahoo.com - I customized a page a while back on yahoo and it's pretty good. A Search bar near the top, weather, my email, news, links to my yahoo fantasy teams, and movie showtimes. Convenient and organized.
4. dudo509.blogspot.com - An awesome page that I visit frequently anyways. This guy has some of the most brilliant thoughts ever and we all could learn a lot from him. Plus, he's pretty darn good looking.
5. www.cnn.com - I've found myself visiting CNN a lot lately, maybe it's because I'm bored from reading sports all day, or maybe I am becoming more mature and world-conscious. It's not boring at all, as many people think, many of these stories are relevant and worth reading.
6. www.salon.com - You may have noticed that I included this site, which is kind of like an online magazine, on the links at the left of this page (I'll change them when I get around to it). I used to visit it more, but not so much lately. Still, it has a good coverage of recent events and overall, its writers put out well written pieces (unlike my blog entries). I doubt it will end up being my Home though, among all the other choices I'm listing.
7. www.espn.com - Ah, in many ways, I am still a stubborn, stubborn man. It's hard to change the habits that have been formed over 4 or 5 years, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Hmmm.... I think I am gonna grow up to be one of those old grandpas that annoys the crap out of everybody by refusing to listen to anyone.
If anyone reading this has any thoughts or suggestings about what I'm writing, feel free to contact me. Also, if anyone knows where the espn.com offices are located, please tell me so I can go reward them with eggs and toilet paper. Just kidding, vandalism is never the answer. But whoever wants to harrass espn.com with emails like I did has my full blessing.
Yao Ming
The latest #1 draft pick in the NBA just happens to be a 7'6" Chinese guy who can shoot three pointers. While it would be great to see him do well in the NBA, the more I think about it, the more I think it's gonna be a disaster. I mean, the guy is tall and everything, and I'm sure he has good fundamentals, but I fear that the first time he tries to put a body on Shaq will also be his last. He's gonna get so crushed it's not even funny. Shaq is gonna knock him over and eat him.
We've already seen skinny 7'6" guys in the NBA, and they usually end up being freak shows instead of dominating players. Can we forget Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley so easily, they might block some shots but they don't do much else other than stand there and look goofy.
And today I read an article on how they are gonna make Yao a huge endorsement commodity like Tiger Woods. Sorry, but that is gonna be more hilarious than anything. There is no way people in this country are gonna think this thuggish Yao Ming character is cool. Unfortunately, Chinese guys are not meant to be cool, especially oversized awkard-looking ones. Ichiro is cool, but Yao Ming is not gonna be Ichiro. At most, they might get him to appeal to the Asian-American community by having him do commercials for rice or something. And they might sell a bunch of "Yao #11" jerseys to Asian kids trying to be hip. But McDonalds and Nike should probably stick to players like Jordan and Tiger if they are any wiser.
Hopefully I am wrong, because heaven knows I would love to see a Chinese athlete succeed in professional sports (I almost bought a Bruce Chen jersey a couple years ago when he came up with the Atlanta Braves, boy, would I have looked dumb). But in a year or two, we may be looking at Yao Ming as the biggest disappointment, the biggest bust ever. I predict he will foul out every other game now that he isn't playing in China where everyone is like 2 feet shorter than him.
The latest #1 draft pick in the NBA just happens to be a 7'6" Chinese guy who can shoot three pointers. While it would be great to see him do well in the NBA, the more I think about it, the more I think it's gonna be a disaster. I mean, the guy is tall and everything, and I'm sure he has good fundamentals, but I fear that the first time he tries to put a body on Shaq will also be his last. He's gonna get so crushed it's not even funny. Shaq is gonna knock him over and eat him.
We've already seen skinny 7'6" guys in the NBA, and they usually end up being freak shows instead of dominating players. Can we forget Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley so easily, they might block some shots but they don't do much else other than stand there and look goofy.
And today I read an article on how they are gonna make Yao a huge endorsement commodity like Tiger Woods. Sorry, but that is gonna be more hilarious than anything. There is no way people in this country are gonna think this thuggish Yao Ming character is cool. Unfortunately, Chinese guys are not meant to be cool, especially oversized awkard-looking ones. Ichiro is cool, but Yao Ming is not gonna be Ichiro. At most, they might get him to appeal to the Asian-American community by having him do commercials for rice or something. And they might sell a bunch of "Yao #11" jerseys to Asian kids trying to be hip. But McDonalds and Nike should probably stick to players like Jordan and Tiger if they are any wiser.
Hopefully I am wrong, because heaven knows I would love to see a Chinese athlete succeed in professional sports (I almost bought a Bruce Chen jersey a couple years ago when he came up with the Atlanta Braves, boy, would I have looked dumb). But in a year or two, we may be looking at Yao Ming as the biggest disappointment, the biggest bust ever. I predict he will foul out every other game now that he isn't playing in China where everyone is like 2 feet shorter than him.
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
New Cell Phone Number
As of Tuesday evening, my old cell phone number no longer works. I got a new number in the (630) area code. If you would like to know, please call my cell and I will tell you. haha just kidding, I'm pretty funny aren't I. Anyways, I will hopefully get an email sent out to everyone who calls me ever, but if you are dying to know, try calling my house or emailing me to ask.
As of Tuesday evening, my old cell phone number no longer works. I got a new number in the (630) area code. If you would like to know, please call my cell and I will tell you. haha just kidding, I'm pretty funny aren't I. Anyways, I will hopefully get an email sent out to everyone who calls me ever, but if you are dying to know, try calling my house or emailing me to ask.
Monday, July 22, 2002
Stop Unwanted Spam Emails
One of the few good things about my jychen@uiuc.edu email expiring soon is that I won't have to sort through all the dumb ad emails I get all the time. Seriously, there's at least 3 or 4 of these messages in my mailbox every day, and I swear I have been very careful about giving my email out. The annoying thing is that these clever folks title their emails "From: John" or something generic and subject as "I got it working" or "Quick question" so I have to open it up and make sure it's not someone I know. Unfortunatley, 99 to 100% of the time it is some ad for refinancing my home, signing up for traveler's clubs, or gay porn... leaving me feeling frustrated and somewhat bamboozled. One was from McAfee and titled "Stop unwanted spam emails," which I thought was ironic. SO STUPID!!! I know somewhere, some guy is having himself a hearty chuckle at my expense.
But once that address is deactivated, it will be I that is heartily chuckling. All that effort put into hoodwinking me will have been wasted... and what better revenge than for these punks to receive a good old dose of "Returned mail: address unknown"? muahahahahah... ugh. Anyways, if I ever find one of these people who have nothing better to do than annoy millions of people at once through email, then I am gonna have to pull out their eyes and shove them down their pants so they can watch me kick the crap out of them (courtesy of Moe in Simpsons, again. gotta love Simpsons).
One of the few good things about my jychen@uiuc.edu email expiring soon is that I won't have to sort through all the dumb ad emails I get all the time. Seriously, there's at least 3 or 4 of these messages in my mailbox every day, and I swear I have been very careful about giving my email out. The annoying thing is that these clever folks title their emails "From: John" or something generic and subject as "I got it working" or "Quick question" so I have to open it up and make sure it's not someone I know. Unfortunatley, 99 to 100% of the time it is some ad for refinancing my home, signing up for traveler's clubs, or gay porn... leaving me feeling frustrated and somewhat bamboozled. One was from McAfee and titled "Stop unwanted spam emails," which I thought was ironic. SO STUPID!!! I know somewhere, some guy is having himself a hearty chuckle at my expense.
But once that address is deactivated, it will be I that is heartily chuckling. All that effort put into hoodwinking me will have been wasted... and what better revenge than for these punks to receive a good old dose of "Returned mail: address unknown"? muahahahahah... ugh. Anyways, if I ever find one of these people who have nothing better to do than annoy millions of people at once through email, then I am gonna have to pull out their eyes and shove them down their pants so they can watch me kick the crap out of them (courtesy of Moe in Simpsons, again. gotta love Simpsons).
Thoughts on Shopping
After spending much of the past couple days shopping at Oakbrook and Water Tower with Olivia, I came away feeling somewhat worn out, but not left without some random observations to share.
If you ever feel like seeing a bunch of really bored men, just visit a local department store and observe the area right outside the women's waiting room. There you will find men of all ages and races waiting impatiently for their woman while she tries on 8 different tops in various shades of pink and in each size within a relatively large range. I saw an old man about 60 or 70 years old at Marshall Fields, reading a book outside the women's dressing room. Ah, his age must have made him wiser... next time I shall bring a book or buy a Game Boy for such situations.
When it comes to sizes, men use "Small," "Medium," "Large," and "Extra-Large." Pretty simple and self explanatory, and it does the job pretty nicely. Women, unfortunately, must have missed reading my blog on simplicity and they must use sizes 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, in addition to the small/medium/large categories. I'm wondering, what's wrong with good old small/medium/large? And how can something be size 0? If size 0 is too big for someone, do they need a size negative 2?
Banana Republic makes about 300,000 types of men's pants that are all apparently different from each other. That's apparent to everyone but me, it seems. I can't seem to tell if there is actually the slightest different between an "Emerson" and a "Gavin" fit is, not to mention a "Dawson" vs. "Smithfield." Nor do I really care. Just give me a pair of normal pants, for cryin out loud.
Girls use the term "power-shopping" to describe the act of going to the mall with a mission, having either a mental or written list of exactly what they need and trying to get everything as efficiently as possible. You know, that is how I would choose to shop all of the time if it were up to me. If I don't go to the mall knowing what I want, there's almost no point in going at all because I will pretty much never end up getting anything in those situations. Unfortunately, while "power-shopping" is a good thing in my opinion, the other 95% of times girls head to the mall is usually a matter of walking around the stores for a few hours and letting yourself be sucked in by a cute dress, a big sign that says "CLEARANCE," or the smell of cookies. That is why I must conclude that shopping malls were definitely designed with women in mind, not men, because all of these signs, or the cute dresses, or the cookie and ice cream shops are so well placed so as to lure the typical shopper, who wasn't really planning to get anything, to suddenly feel like they need to buy everything. You ever see beer sold on a clearance rack? No, beer sells itself. When you go to a hardware store or auto parts shop (yes I am being stereotypical here please forgive me), every aisle is clearly marked and organized to save the shopper time. You go to Oakbrook, Woodfield, whatever, they are designed to force shoppers to walk past as many stores as possible. Evil, evil, evil. If the rest of the world ran like that, it would take 2 hours to find a pack of gum at the gas station or the local 7-11.
I don't think I've ever encountered a girl who doesn't need something at any given time. Especially shoes, have you ever met a girl who wasn't looking for a new pair of shoes? They could have 18 pairs of shoes for any given occasion I could imagine, but obviously girls have a stronger imagination than me because there's always a new reason for needing some new shoes. Wedding coming up? Gotta get new shoes. Got a new skirt in baby blue? Better get some baby blue shoes to match. Allergies bothering you? I know just the cure, how about some new shoes.
One other thing I've always wondered is, how come for every dance or special occasion or whatever, girls need to go out and get a new dress? Are there strict classifications like some dresses are only for homecoming and others for prom? Or, are formal dresses designed like kleenex, you can only use it once or else you risk it falling apart? Some might argue that having a different dress for every occasion is a way of making each occasion special and unique. I guess I might be able to accept that, but not every dance is like your wedding, you know? Plus, how come guys don't get a new tux for every new dance they go to (ok, so it's more expensive but still). I'm kind of afraid to ask a girl these questions because I have a feeling they will think I am dumb. If you ask me, I think it's just because it's a convenient excuse for girls to get themselves a new dress.
This is somewhat unrelated, but I got a linen shirt a couple weeks ago, and I must say that I am very unimpressed. It's probably the only non-cotton shirt I've ever gotten, and I thought cotton wrinkled easily but linen is 50 times worse. All I do is sit down for a couple minutes and when I get up, there are folds galore on the bottom half of my shirt. Seriously, it's like Fold-land down there. Fold-city at least. Anyways, there's no point in ironing it at all because no matter what, by the end of the day, I will find myself wearing the "wrinkliest shirt ever" (said like the Comic Book Guy in Simpsons).
After spending much of the past couple days shopping at Oakbrook and Water Tower with Olivia, I came away feeling somewhat worn out, but not left without some random observations to share.
If you ever feel like seeing a bunch of really bored men, just visit a local department store and observe the area right outside the women's waiting room. There you will find men of all ages and races waiting impatiently for their woman while she tries on 8 different tops in various shades of pink and in each size within a relatively large range. I saw an old man about 60 or 70 years old at Marshall Fields, reading a book outside the women's dressing room. Ah, his age must have made him wiser... next time I shall bring a book or buy a Game Boy for such situations.
When it comes to sizes, men use "Small," "Medium," "Large," and "Extra-Large." Pretty simple and self explanatory, and it does the job pretty nicely. Women, unfortunately, must have missed reading my blog on simplicity and they must use sizes 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, in addition to the small/medium/large categories. I'm wondering, what's wrong with good old small/medium/large? And how can something be size 0? If size 0 is too big for someone, do they need a size negative 2?
Banana Republic makes about 300,000 types of men's pants that are all apparently different from each other. That's apparent to everyone but me, it seems. I can't seem to tell if there is actually the slightest different between an "Emerson" and a "Gavin" fit is, not to mention a "Dawson" vs. "Smithfield." Nor do I really care. Just give me a pair of normal pants, for cryin out loud.
Girls use the term "power-shopping" to describe the act of going to the mall with a mission, having either a mental or written list of exactly what they need and trying to get everything as efficiently as possible. You know, that is how I would choose to shop all of the time if it were up to me. If I don't go to the mall knowing what I want, there's almost no point in going at all because I will pretty much never end up getting anything in those situations. Unfortunately, while "power-shopping" is a good thing in my opinion, the other 95% of times girls head to the mall is usually a matter of walking around the stores for a few hours and letting yourself be sucked in by a cute dress, a big sign that says "CLEARANCE," or the smell of cookies. That is why I must conclude that shopping malls were definitely designed with women in mind, not men, because all of these signs, or the cute dresses, or the cookie and ice cream shops are so well placed so as to lure the typical shopper, who wasn't really planning to get anything, to suddenly feel like they need to buy everything. You ever see beer sold on a clearance rack? No, beer sells itself. When you go to a hardware store or auto parts shop (yes I am being stereotypical here please forgive me), every aisle is clearly marked and organized to save the shopper time. You go to Oakbrook, Woodfield, whatever, they are designed to force shoppers to walk past as many stores as possible. Evil, evil, evil. If the rest of the world ran like that, it would take 2 hours to find a pack of gum at the gas station or the local 7-11.
I don't think I've ever encountered a girl who doesn't need something at any given time. Especially shoes, have you ever met a girl who wasn't looking for a new pair of shoes? They could have 18 pairs of shoes for any given occasion I could imagine, but obviously girls have a stronger imagination than me because there's always a new reason for needing some new shoes. Wedding coming up? Gotta get new shoes. Got a new skirt in baby blue? Better get some baby blue shoes to match. Allergies bothering you? I know just the cure, how about some new shoes.
One other thing I've always wondered is, how come for every dance or special occasion or whatever, girls need to go out and get a new dress? Are there strict classifications like some dresses are only for homecoming and others for prom? Or, are formal dresses designed like kleenex, you can only use it once or else you risk it falling apart? Some might argue that having a different dress for every occasion is a way of making each occasion special and unique. I guess I might be able to accept that, but not every dance is like your wedding, you know? Plus, how come guys don't get a new tux for every new dance they go to (ok, so it's more expensive but still). I'm kind of afraid to ask a girl these questions because I have a feeling they will think I am dumb. If you ask me, I think it's just because it's a convenient excuse for girls to get themselves a new dress.
This is somewhat unrelated, but I got a linen shirt a couple weeks ago, and I must say that I am very unimpressed. It's probably the only non-cotton shirt I've ever gotten, and I thought cotton wrinkled easily but linen is 50 times worse. All I do is sit down for a couple minutes and when I get up, there are folds galore on the bottom half of my shirt. Seriously, it's like Fold-land down there. Fold-city at least. Anyways, there's no point in ironing it at all because no matter what, by the end of the day, I will find myself wearing the "wrinkliest shirt ever" (said like the Comic Book Guy in Simpsons).
Thursday, July 18, 2002
Don't Be An EE-diot
You know, I'm not a person that gets irritated easily. But one thing people say that gets on my nerves is "Shouldn't you know? I thought you were an electrical engineer," applying it to anything that they feel like asking me about. This was an actual conversation that happened last year with my aunt:
Aunt: What kind of batteries do I need for my cell phone?
Me: I dunno, good ones?
Aunt: Which ones are good?
Me: What kind of cell phone do you have?
Aunt: I don't know
Me: Well, just go to Best Buy or something and show them your phone. I don't know what kind of batteries you need.
Aunt: Shouldn't you know? I thought you were an electrical engineer
Well, that is probably an extreme example. But almost without fail, someone will say that idiotic thing to me at least once a month. Why doesn't my watch work? (Don't know) Aren't you EE? How come my car is making funny noises? Isn't it somehow related to electrical engine-ering? Why did Enron fail? It was an electrical company, you know right?
Granted, there are plenty of things that I should know, having taken 4 years of EE classes, but either forgot or never understood. There is a certain scope of what is reasonable to ask a college graduate in relation to his major. Just because someone graduated with an Econ degree, doesn't mean he is a walking ticker that can provide you with the current exact price of IBM's stock or the last 36 month trend of the Producer Price Index. Similarly, an EE Bachelor's degree doesn't automatically make me an expert in Windows XP or a fantastic web designer. We cover a lot, but we don't learn every single thing that is technology/computer related.
Now, if you were working for Intel, I might expect you to be able to tell me a little about high speed processors. Just like if you were a plumber, you should know about pipes and a mechanic should know about engine oils, etc. But that's because it's what you do for a living. Honestly, there's only a limited amount of practical things you learn in college, and most aren't even taught in class.
So yes, next time you feel like asking me to fix your calculator, stop and take it to a real expert. Or just go get a new one. Or learn to do some freaking math yourself. Thank you, that is all.
You know, I'm not a person that gets irritated easily. But one thing people say that gets on my nerves is "Shouldn't you know? I thought you were an electrical engineer," applying it to anything that they feel like asking me about. This was an actual conversation that happened last year with my aunt:
Aunt: What kind of batteries do I need for my cell phone?
Me: I dunno, good ones?
Aunt: Which ones are good?
Me: What kind of cell phone do you have?
Aunt: I don't know
Me: Well, just go to Best Buy or something and show them your phone. I don't know what kind of batteries you need.
Aunt: Shouldn't you know? I thought you were an electrical engineer
Well, that is probably an extreme example. But almost without fail, someone will say that idiotic thing to me at least once a month. Why doesn't my watch work? (Don't know) Aren't you EE? How come my car is making funny noises? Isn't it somehow related to electrical engine-ering? Why did Enron fail? It was an electrical company, you know right?
Granted, there are plenty of things that I should know, having taken 4 years of EE classes, but either forgot or never understood. There is a certain scope of what is reasonable to ask a college graduate in relation to his major. Just because someone graduated with an Econ degree, doesn't mean he is a walking ticker that can provide you with the current exact price of IBM's stock or the last 36 month trend of the Producer Price Index. Similarly, an EE Bachelor's degree doesn't automatically make me an expert in Windows XP or a fantastic web designer. We cover a lot, but we don't learn every single thing that is technology/computer related.
Now, if you were working for Intel, I might expect you to be able to tell me a little about high speed processors. Just like if you were a plumber, you should know about pipes and a mechanic should know about engine oils, etc. But that's because it's what you do for a living. Honestly, there's only a limited amount of practical things you learn in college, and most aren't even taught in class.
So yes, next time you feel like asking me to fix your calculator, stop and take it to a real expert. Or just go get a new one. Or learn to do some freaking math yourself. Thank you, that is all.
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
Not By The Hair of My Chinny Chinn Chinn
Yesterday was my momma's bday and we took her out to eat at Bob Chinn's Crabhouse in Wheeling. It's supposed to be one of the best and most well known restaurants in the area, if not around the country, but if you've never heard of it, don't worry cause neither did I up till last year and I've lived in Chicagoland my whole life.
So the restaurant is owned by Bob Chinn (go figure), who is this Chinese-looking man that was born in Minnesota. The guy is almost 80 years old, but he still looks young, healthy, and he's friendly enough to be roaming his restaurant on a Tuesday night to talk and interact with his customers. Plus I bet that 2003 Mercedes SL500 he drives keeps him pretty young too.
Anyways, we were just about finishing up our dinner when he came by and started talking to us at our table, and this ended up being almost an hour long conversation. He was telling us about how he started the restaurant, about business and the economy, and just joking around about stuff, but I have to say that just listening to the guy talk was quite a learning experience.
Besides the fact that he wanted to "introduce" me to his granddaughter who is around my age (uhhh.....) I've gotta say that he is pretty full of genius and great things to say. He never went to college, yet now he owns a restaurant worth about $25 million that entertains about 3000 customers a day, including some of the world's richest and most powerful men, like casino owners or billionaire law-firm executives. The college thing has always intrigued me. Many of the world's most successful men either dropped out of college or never attended, such as Bill Gates, Michael Dell, or Tiger Woods (ok, Tiger doesn't count). Now, I'm not saying you and I shouldn't work to attend college and get a degree, because not all of us are as smart, business-savvy, and motivated as those guys. Also, the world needs both businessmen and scholars to exist. But if you think about it, going to college and earning a degree, whether it's a B.S., M.S., or Ph.D, probably means that you will eventually be working under someone else. And the fact is that most people would rather work for themselves or have people working for them than to work for other people.
Now, this doesn't mean that you can't graduate college, work for a large company, and work your way up. I mean, this is what I originally planned to do 4 years ago when I entered U of I, and I haven't abandoned this plan all of a sudden now. My dad, who now works for himself, spent many years working in large corporations before becoming well-respected in his field and moving to management positions, and he would not tell you that his time in school or in those corporations was worthless. But, I am willing to say that if you are satisfied with following the crowd to college, getting a degree, etc., you will end up where the crowd is at any given time, whether it's up or down.
A few years ago, the crowd was high and rising, and following the lead of most people was probably not too shabby of an idea. But today, this same exact crowd is suffering. College graduates with supposedly respectable degrees are having trouble finding respectable jobs. Meanwhile, hardworking people who have been loyal to their companies for years are being screwed by greed in the higher ups. Put simply, it sucks to be in the crowd today. It's not right or fair either, but what can we do about it now? Throughout life, most of us have acted passively thus far in going through school and doing as we're taught by others to do. We learn from textbooks written by others, containing knowledge that is usually at least 15 years old at best. Many enter jobs straight out of college blindly without really knowing or understanding what the job is about, if they are good at it, or if they will enjoy it. Rarely is this prototypical college graduate appreciated in what he/she does, nor is he/she living up to his God-given potential. Sadly, this is the life we choose to live.
When we were young, people always asked that question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Most kids said they wanted to be firemen, teachers, doctors, or the President of the United States. Snoop Dogg wanted to be "a muthaf*ckin hustler. u better ask somebody!" As for me, I wanted to be an astronaut and my sister wanted to be a librarian or cashier at Dominick's (because she liked to read to kids/stuffed animals and she thought operating the cash register was the coolest thing ever... kind of like my Air Jordan shoes). Now, I don't remember what everyone else said, but I can tell you one thing: I never heard anyone say they wanted to be an engineer, accountant, or software designer, or patent lawyer. Not that there's anything wrong with those jobs, but what changed since then? Thankfully, some kids did grow up to be firemen, teachers, and doctors. Snoop Dogg indeed became a muthaf*ckin hustler. But where did all the engineers and consultants come from? I can only guess that somewhere along the way, they learned from someone else that these were better jobs and decided to abandon plan A. Again, I'm not saying it's bad to choose these professions, because I didn't even know what an engineer was until senior year of high school, and then proceeded to take 4 years in EE in one of the toughest undergrad curriculums in the nation.
By the time we reach this age, practicality has all but crushed the spirit of idealism that we all once had. When we look for jobs, it's all about the benefits, the pay, the job security, opportunities for advancement; all good things, of course, but what about "doing something meaningful" or "doing something I enjoy"? Consider the following words written by the fictional Jerry Maguire from the movie titled Jerry Maguire (again, go figure), a successful sports agent but failing person:
"How can we do something surprising, and memorable with our lives? How can we turn this job, in small but important ways, into a better representation of ourselves? Most of us would easily say that we are our jobs. That's obvious from the late hours we all keep. So then, it is bigger than work, isn't it? It is about us.
How do we wish to define our lives? So that when we are sixty, or seventy, or eighty and we're sinking down onto that cool floor of O'Hare airport, with playoff tickets in our pockets, perhaps we too can know that we led A Happy Life? Is it important to be a Person and not just a slave to the commerce of Professional Sport? Do we want to be Remembered?
Or do we just want to be the guy who sold the guy who sold shoes that came with the little pump?
Recently I was asked by the son of a client, in so many words, "what do you stand for?" I was lost for an answer. At 14, I wasn't lost for that answer. At 18, I wasn't lost for an answer. At 35, I was blown away that I had no answer. I could only look at the fade of a 12 year-old boy, concerned about his dad, needing my help, just looking at me for the answer I didn't have."
Back to Bob Chinn. Here he is, nearing age 80, working 5 months a year and spending the rest in Hawaii. He drives fancy cars and rubs elbows with important people regularly. I don't necessarily envy any of these things. But I am quite impressed and I do admire his life, for all that he has accomplished. For whatever reason, he did not go to college and earn a degree. This world tells us that we need a degree to succeed, but Bob proved them wrong. A degree may help you succeed, but not if you are intent on relying on it to get you where you want to go. Not if you are satisfied with being a follower of the crowd. And certainly not if you don't know what you want in life.
At age 22 and a half, I honestly don't think I know what I stand for, what I want in life - at least not just yet. I still believe that I could be a good electrical engineer, technology consultant, or patent lawyer. I just don't know what God put me here on this world to do. Maybe it's for the better that the economy continues to sputter. If it hadn't, I might very well be sitting in one of those jobs right now and have continued on that path to end up wasting 40 years of my life. Right now, I still have my whole life open to me. By age 30, Bill Gates had made himself a billionaire by pursuing a vision he had conceived perhaps 10 years before. Props to him, I know I'm no Bill Gates and never will be. But if Bob Chinn can open a restaurant at age 60 and succeed, I might be able to say that I've got 30-some years to discover my calling and find a niche to succeed in my own life. Hopefully, it won't take that long.
Last year, we were all discussing how much the job-hunting sucked, when one day, Chras said something like "I should just teach tennis camp for a living." He was probably half joking, half serious, but we all just laughed and never took the thought for anything more. What a silly idea, to waste a perfectly good degree in Mechanical Engineering to teach tennis! But, maybe we all need to step back for a moment and consider why it is that we think this is such a universally silly idea. Is it really common sense to choose Mechanical Engineering over tennis? What if one can make a living teaching tennis, and be doing something that makes them happy? Should we rip on him for not taking the ME route, which might pay him twice as much but probably won't leave him as much time and freedom, and may even leave him on the street in 10 years if the economy dumps again? Maybe, maybe not.
Let's not ignore the recent experiences of all those Enron, Anderson, and WorldCom employees. We can never blame them for being screwed over by bad bosses, but if they made one critical mistake, it was trusting the corporate system a little too much, following the crowd a little too blindly. If you get nothing else out of this long blog, remember this: A foolish man never learns from his own mistakes. A normal man always learns from his own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of the normal and foolish men.
While we are still young, we may be able to learn from the "mistakes" (if it can be called that) of those poor employees and avoid a similar fate. You don't have to buck all the trends, you don't have to drop out of school and start a business right now. But you (and I) should never be content to follow in the steps of others; we should never make the unforgivable mistake of trusting our life, our livelihood, and our happiness to the ebb and flow of economic and social trends, or worse yet, place these valuable things entirely in the hands of a large corporation, its greedy executives, and insensitive stockholders. While we have a choice of what path to take, and the luxury of time, lets use the opportunity not to continue blindly down a path leading nowhere, but instead to figure out what you are heading for, and whether you are working towards what you really want in life.
This message brought to you by the dudo509.blogspot.com Inspiration Division.
Yesterday was my momma's bday and we took her out to eat at Bob Chinn's Crabhouse in Wheeling. It's supposed to be one of the best and most well known restaurants in the area, if not around the country, but if you've never heard of it, don't worry cause neither did I up till last year and I've lived in Chicagoland my whole life.
So the restaurant is owned by Bob Chinn (go figure), who is this Chinese-looking man that was born in Minnesota. The guy is almost 80 years old, but he still looks young, healthy, and he's friendly enough to be roaming his restaurant on a Tuesday night to talk and interact with his customers. Plus I bet that 2003 Mercedes SL500 he drives keeps him pretty young too.
Anyways, we were just about finishing up our dinner when he came by and started talking to us at our table, and this ended up being almost an hour long conversation. He was telling us about how he started the restaurant, about business and the economy, and just joking around about stuff, but I have to say that just listening to the guy talk was quite a learning experience.
Besides the fact that he wanted to "introduce" me to his granddaughter who is around my age (uhhh.....) I've gotta say that he is pretty full of genius and great things to say. He never went to college, yet now he owns a restaurant worth about $25 million that entertains about 3000 customers a day, including some of the world's richest and most powerful men, like casino owners or billionaire law-firm executives. The college thing has always intrigued me. Many of the world's most successful men either dropped out of college or never attended, such as Bill Gates, Michael Dell, or Tiger Woods (ok, Tiger doesn't count). Now, I'm not saying you and I shouldn't work to attend college and get a degree, because not all of us are as smart, business-savvy, and motivated as those guys. Also, the world needs both businessmen and scholars to exist. But if you think about it, going to college and earning a degree, whether it's a B.S., M.S., or Ph.D, probably means that you will eventually be working under someone else. And the fact is that most people would rather work for themselves or have people working for them than to work for other people.
Now, this doesn't mean that you can't graduate college, work for a large company, and work your way up. I mean, this is what I originally planned to do 4 years ago when I entered U of I, and I haven't abandoned this plan all of a sudden now. My dad, who now works for himself, spent many years working in large corporations before becoming well-respected in his field and moving to management positions, and he would not tell you that his time in school or in those corporations was worthless. But, I am willing to say that if you are satisfied with following the crowd to college, getting a degree, etc., you will end up where the crowd is at any given time, whether it's up or down.
A few years ago, the crowd was high and rising, and following the lead of most people was probably not too shabby of an idea. But today, this same exact crowd is suffering. College graduates with supposedly respectable degrees are having trouble finding respectable jobs. Meanwhile, hardworking people who have been loyal to their companies for years are being screwed by greed in the higher ups. Put simply, it sucks to be in the crowd today. It's not right or fair either, but what can we do about it now? Throughout life, most of us have acted passively thus far in going through school and doing as we're taught by others to do. We learn from textbooks written by others, containing knowledge that is usually at least 15 years old at best. Many enter jobs straight out of college blindly without really knowing or understanding what the job is about, if they are good at it, or if they will enjoy it. Rarely is this prototypical college graduate appreciated in what he/she does, nor is he/she living up to his God-given potential. Sadly, this is the life we choose to live.
When we were young, people always asked that question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Most kids said they wanted to be firemen, teachers, doctors, or the President of the United States. Snoop Dogg wanted to be "a muthaf*ckin hustler. u better ask somebody!" As for me, I wanted to be an astronaut and my sister wanted to be a librarian or cashier at Dominick's (because she liked to read to kids/stuffed animals and she thought operating the cash register was the coolest thing ever... kind of like my Air Jordan shoes). Now, I don't remember what everyone else said, but I can tell you one thing: I never heard anyone say they wanted to be an engineer, accountant, or software designer, or patent lawyer. Not that there's anything wrong with those jobs, but what changed since then? Thankfully, some kids did grow up to be firemen, teachers, and doctors. Snoop Dogg indeed became a muthaf*ckin hustler. But where did all the engineers and consultants come from? I can only guess that somewhere along the way, they learned from someone else that these were better jobs and decided to abandon plan A. Again, I'm not saying it's bad to choose these professions, because I didn't even know what an engineer was until senior year of high school, and then proceeded to take 4 years in EE in one of the toughest undergrad curriculums in the nation.
By the time we reach this age, practicality has all but crushed the spirit of idealism that we all once had. When we look for jobs, it's all about the benefits, the pay, the job security, opportunities for advancement; all good things, of course, but what about "doing something meaningful" or "doing something I enjoy"? Consider the following words written by the fictional Jerry Maguire from the movie titled Jerry Maguire (again, go figure), a successful sports agent but failing person:
"How can we do something surprising, and memorable with our lives? How can we turn this job, in small but important ways, into a better representation of ourselves? Most of us would easily say that we are our jobs. That's obvious from the late hours we all keep. So then, it is bigger than work, isn't it? It is about us.
How do we wish to define our lives? So that when we are sixty, or seventy, or eighty and we're sinking down onto that cool floor of O'Hare airport, with playoff tickets in our pockets, perhaps we too can know that we led A Happy Life? Is it important to be a Person and not just a slave to the commerce of Professional Sport? Do we want to be Remembered?
Or do we just want to be the guy who sold the guy who sold shoes that came with the little pump?
Recently I was asked by the son of a client, in so many words, "what do you stand for?" I was lost for an answer. At 14, I wasn't lost for that answer. At 18, I wasn't lost for an answer. At 35, I was blown away that I had no answer. I could only look at the fade of a 12 year-old boy, concerned about his dad, needing my help, just looking at me for the answer I didn't have."
Back to Bob Chinn. Here he is, nearing age 80, working 5 months a year and spending the rest in Hawaii. He drives fancy cars and rubs elbows with important people regularly. I don't necessarily envy any of these things. But I am quite impressed and I do admire his life, for all that he has accomplished. For whatever reason, he did not go to college and earn a degree. This world tells us that we need a degree to succeed, but Bob proved them wrong. A degree may help you succeed, but not if you are intent on relying on it to get you where you want to go. Not if you are satisfied with being a follower of the crowd. And certainly not if you don't know what you want in life.
At age 22 and a half, I honestly don't think I know what I stand for, what I want in life - at least not just yet. I still believe that I could be a good electrical engineer, technology consultant, or patent lawyer. I just don't know what God put me here on this world to do. Maybe it's for the better that the economy continues to sputter. If it hadn't, I might very well be sitting in one of those jobs right now and have continued on that path to end up wasting 40 years of my life. Right now, I still have my whole life open to me. By age 30, Bill Gates had made himself a billionaire by pursuing a vision he had conceived perhaps 10 years before. Props to him, I know I'm no Bill Gates and never will be. But if Bob Chinn can open a restaurant at age 60 and succeed, I might be able to say that I've got 30-some years to discover my calling and find a niche to succeed in my own life. Hopefully, it won't take that long.
Last year, we were all discussing how much the job-hunting sucked, when one day, Chras said something like "I should just teach tennis camp for a living." He was probably half joking, half serious, but we all just laughed and never took the thought for anything more. What a silly idea, to waste a perfectly good degree in Mechanical Engineering to teach tennis! But, maybe we all need to step back for a moment and consider why it is that we think this is such a universally silly idea. Is it really common sense to choose Mechanical Engineering over tennis? What if one can make a living teaching tennis, and be doing something that makes them happy? Should we rip on him for not taking the ME route, which might pay him twice as much but probably won't leave him as much time and freedom, and may even leave him on the street in 10 years if the economy dumps again? Maybe, maybe not.
Let's not ignore the recent experiences of all those Enron, Anderson, and WorldCom employees. We can never blame them for being screwed over by bad bosses, but if they made one critical mistake, it was trusting the corporate system a little too much, following the crowd a little too blindly. If you get nothing else out of this long blog, remember this: A foolish man never learns from his own mistakes. A normal man always learns from his own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of the normal and foolish men.
While we are still young, we may be able to learn from the "mistakes" (if it can be called that) of those poor employees and avoid a similar fate. You don't have to buck all the trends, you don't have to drop out of school and start a business right now. But you (and I) should never be content to follow in the steps of others; we should never make the unforgivable mistake of trusting our life, our livelihood, and our happiness to the ebb and flow of economic and social trends, or worse yet, place these valuable things entirely in the hands of a large corporation, its greedy executives, and insensitive stockholders. While we have a choice of what path to take, and the luxury of time, lets use the opportunity not to continue blindly down a path leading nowhere, but instead to figure out what you are heading for, and whether you are working towards what you really want in life.
This message brought to you by the dudo509.blogspot.com Inspiration Division.
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
Chinese American
I've written a little about this before, but I thought that maybe I could do the world a small favor and spread a little inter-cultural understanding. As one of many that were born into a Chinese family living in America, I have had the opportunity to observe two different cultures at close range. In addition to being born and raised here in the US, I also got to live in Taiwan for a year during when I was a freshman in high school, which some of you may not know.
Anyways, it's no secret that Chinese people and American people are different. We look different, for starters, but we are also brought up differently and think differently as a result. Unfortunately, it's hard for people who don't know the whole story of both cultures to understand all of these differences. I thought I would point out some of these differences so maybe more people will gain the gift of understanding. Don't expect it to be too deep though.
Every time you go to the supermarket to buy stuff, you have to get in line to pay. I've personally found that this is one of the places where human nature becomes most manifest, and we can observe a lot about different people by seeing how they act in these situations. Picture two ladies, one Chinese and one American, coming from opposite directions of the store. Both happen to spot a line that is significantly shorter than the others, and both decide to head for it at the same moment. It looks like at the rate they are going, both will arrive at the line simultaneously. Not a small predicament by any means, what do they each do about it? I'll tell you what happens. The Chinese woman speeds up and jumps in line before the other lady, who in turn reacts by just rolling her eyes and feeling disgusted. How did I know that would happen? Because that is what the typical Chinese lady would do, and I know this because my mom is a Chinese lady. Not to disrespect my mom, I love my mom but that's just how she, and most Chinese moms are.
Now, why would a sweet little Chinese woman be so rude? Well, unfortunately, it's a product of the Chinese way of life. Even if she's not in a rush, she's been conditioned throughout her entire life to save every moment, save every penny, and not let anyone else get the best of her. When the supermarket incident happens, it's a natural reaction to try to save those 2 minutes as much as possible. When it comes to money, the Chinese save every penny because that is their inborn culture. I always wondered why my grandparents, who are retired and have enough money saved to live comfortably for many years, continue to clip coupons and drive a crappy car (the old school Ford Taurus handed down from my mom to me, me to my sister, and my sister to them). But how do you tell a man and woman who worked from the ground up, raised a family with six children, and earned everything they ever owned by the product of their own sweat and blood over decades, to "live a little" and spend some more money? And if you ever experience city traffic in Taiwan, you'll see this ugliness more than ever. Taxi drivers, buses, scooters, pedestrians pack every open space on the street at any given time because if they don't take the opening, someone else will. If you thought people here were bad drivers, you have no idea.
You know, people born in China or Taiwan or Hong Kong, etc, are born into places where the population density is much greater than any of us can really relate to. As a suburban kid raised here in the States, it was definitely hard for me to get used to the pushing and shoving I experienced living in downtown Taipei. Thankfully, in America, everyone has their own personal space. People don't bump into each other all the time for lack of room without saying "excuse me," and it's considered threatening to touch someone you don't know. Even when I was at Taste of Chicago a couple weeks ago, the place was packed to Taipei proportions and I still felt more comfortable there. Not the case with people in Taiwan, and I can only assume the same holds for China, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries. Even if people wanted to be polite, it would be so impractical as to bring the nation to a halt. Crossing the street, I'm almost guaranteed to bump into at least 6 other people. If I stopped to say "excuse me" to every single one, and wait for them to smile and nod back, 300 vehicles would have already crushed me and left me for dead in the street before I got to the second person. That's just how it is over there, take it from someone who's lived there. Of course, I'm still used to the polite folk here. God Bless America and its manners. Unfortunately, this means that more times than not, the Asian lady at the supermarket is gonna push her way in front of the American lady in line. Yes, it's rude no matter what, but now you know why.
Scenario number two: It's Christmas season, and the yuletide spirit is in the air. Nearly every house up and down the street is decorated with Christmas lights to highlight the festive occasion. But look, one house is completely dark. Hey wait, that's my house. And come to think of it, we're a Chinese family. Coincidence? I think not. This is probably very typical of Chinese (and many other Asian) families across the country. Not that Asian households never put up lights around Christmastime, but even the most "Americanized" Chinese families have pretty conservative decorations - I challenge you to find me an Asian-owned house with a life-sized Santa, elves, and reindeer set on the front lawn.
What does this mean, that Chinese people are not the festive type? Well, if you have ever gotten a chance to see how much excitement surrounds the Chinese New Year, then you would not be asking this question. It's crazy how much time, effort, and money is spent in preparing for and celebrating the New Year. So, it can't be said that Chinese people don't like to celebrate special occasions. The only explanation is that Christmas (or Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.) is a foreign holiday to the Chinese and they don't get what the big deal is, to be putting up lights and setting up statues of Santa Claus. Just like it might seem weird for Americans to see dancing dragon heads and red/gold paper plastered everywhere when Chinese New Year arrives. On an somewhat off-topic note, I remember one Halloween, my sister's costume was to be a "boy." Why, I don't know. But the fact is, she borrowed my T-Shirt and Air Jordan shoes and off to trick-or-treating we went. I'm sure many families were pretty puzzled that night. "Hey, look, she's a... er... right..." But I think she mostly wanted to do that because she liked my Air Jordans and wanted to find some excuse to wear them. Also she was somewhat of a tomboy (see her blog I also recommend reading her entry on PMS and no, I did not tell her to write that).
Anyways, those are some of the differences I can think of and write about off the top of my head. Maybe sometime I will write an in-depth entry about what Chinese people and American people have in common. Like alcohol, everybody loves alcohol and it transcends all cultures. Good old booze. Well, I guess I will save that for another time. Have a nice day.
I've written a little about this before, but I thought that maybe I could do the world a small favor and spread a little inter-cultural understanding. As one of many that were born into a Chinese family living in America, I have had the opportunity to observe two different cultures at close range. In addition to being born and raised here in the US, I also got to live in Taiwan for a year during when I was a freshman in high school, which some of you may not know.
Anyways, it's no secret that Chinese people and American people are different. We look different, for starters, but we are also brought up differently and think differently as a result. Unfortunately, it's hard for people who don't know the whole story of both cultures to understand all of these differences. I thought I would point out some of these differences so maybe more people will gain the gift of understanding. Don't expect it to be too deep though.
Every time you go to the supermarket to buy stuff, you have to get in line to pay. I've personally found that this is one of the places where human nature becomes most manifest, and we can observe a lot about different people by seeing how they act in these situations. Picture two ladies, one Chinese and one American, coming from opposite directions of the store. Both happen to spot a line that is significantly shorter than the others, and both decide to head for it at the same moment. It looks like at the rate they are going, both will arrive at the line simultaneously. Not a small predicament by any means, what do they each do about it? I'll tell you what happens. The Chinese woman speeds up and jumps in line before the other lady, who in turn reacts by just rolling her eyes and feeling disgusted. How did I know that would happen? Because that is what the typical Chinese lady would do, and I know this because my mom is a Chinese lady. Not to disrespect my mom, I love my mom but that's just how she, and most Chinese moms are.
Now, why would a sweet little Chinese woman be so rude? Well, unfortunately, it's a product of the Chinese way of life. Even if she's not in a rush, she's been conditioned throughout her entire life to save every moment, save every penny, and not let anyone else get the best of her. When the supermarket incident happens, it's a natural reaction to try to save those 2 minutes as much as possible. When it comes to money, the Chinese save every penny because that is their inborn culture. I always wondered why my grandparents, who are retired and have enough money saved to live comfortably for many years, continue to clip coupons and drive a crappy car (the old school Ford Taurus handed down from my mom to me, me to my sister, and my sister to them). But how do you tell a man and woman who worked from the ground up, raised a family with six children, and earned everything they ever owned by the product of their own sweat and blood over decades, to "live a little" and spend some more money? And if you ever experience city traffic in Taiwan, you'll see this ugliness more than ever. Taxi drivers, buses, scooters, pedestrians pack every open space on the street at any given time because if they don't take the opening, someone else will. If you thought people here were bad drivers, you have no idea.
You know, people born in China or Taiwan or Hong Kong, etc, are born into places where the population density is much greater than any of us can really relate to. As a suburban kid raised here in the States, it was definitely hard for me to get used to the pushing and shoving I experienced living in downtown Taipei. Thankfully, in America, everyone has their own personal space. People don't bump into each other all the time for lack of room without saying "excuse me," and it's considered threatening to touch someone you don't know. Even when I was at Taste of Chicago a couple weeks ago, the place was packed to Taipei proportions and I still felt more comfortable there. Not the case with people in Taiwan, and I can only assume the same holds for China, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries. Even if people wanted to be polite, it would be so impractical as to bring the nation to a halt. Crossing the street, I'm almost guaranteed to bump into at least 6 other people. If I stopped to say "excuse me" to every single one, and wait for them to smile and nod back, 300 vehicles would have already crushed me and left me for dead in the street before I got to the second person. That's just how it is over there, take it from someone who's lived there. Of course, I'm still used to the polite folk here. God Bless America and its manners. Unfortunately, this means that more times than not, the Asian lady at the supermarket is gonna push her way in front of the American lady in line. Yes, it's rude no matter what, but now you know why.
Scenario number two: It's Christmas season, and the yuletide spirit is in the air. Nearly every house up and down the street is decorated with Christmas lights to highlight the festive occasion. But look, one house is completely dark. Hey wait, that's my house. And come to think of it, we're a Chinese family. Coincidence? I think not. This is probably very typical of Chinese (and many other Asian) families across the country. Not that Asian households never put up lights around Christmastime, but even the most "Americanized" Chinese families have pretty conservative decorations - I challenge you to find me an Asian-owned house with a life-sized Santa, elves, and reindeer set on the front lawn.
What does this mean, that Chinese people are not the festive type? Well, if you have ever gotten a chance to see how much excitement surrounds the Chinese New Year, then you would not be asking this question. It's crazy how much time, effort, and money is spent in preparing for and celebrating the New Year. So, it can't be said that Chinese people don't like to celebrate special occasions. The only explanation is that Christmas (or Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.) is a foreign holiday to the Chinese and they don't get what the big deal is, to be putting up lights and setting up statues of Santa Claus. Just like it might seem weird for Americans to see dancing dragon heads and red/gold paper plastered everywhere when Chinese New Year arrives. On an somewhat off-topic note, I remember one Halloween, my sister's costume was to be a "boy." Why, I don't know. But the fact is, she borrowed my T-Shirt and Air Jordan shoes and off to trick-or-treating we went. I'm sure many families were pretty puzzled that night. "Hey, look, she's a... er... right..." But I think she mostly wanted to do that because she liked my Air Jordans and wanted to find some excuse to wear them. Also she was somewhat of a tomboy (see her blog I also recommend reading her entry on PMS and no, I did not tell her to write that).
Anyways, those are some of the differences I can think of and write about off the top of my head. Maybe sometime I will write an in-depth entry about what Chinese people and American people have in common. Like alcohol, everybody loves alcohol and it transcends all cultures. Good old booze. Well, I guess I will save that for another time. Have a nice day.
Working at Home
A lot of people might be wondering what I'm doing all day that allows me to write endlessly long blog entries. You'd think that I should have something better to do. Truth be told, I do indeed have lots of important work at hand, but there is also a lot of down time in the midst of this work which gives me opportunity to record some thoughts.
Anyways, I'm basically just working with my dad, who is, for lack of a better term, a day-trader. Except he primarily trades commodities, not stocks (if you don't know what the difference is, you may have to ask me to explain in person because it is somewhat of a long explanation). He has had 20 years of experience doing what he does, as well as significant time spent in the corporate world either doing business as a broker or managing the commodities division of a financial company in Taiwan. As for me, I'm starting out by entering orders for him and observing how he trades, while dabbling in a little bit of trading myself. Of course, 20 years of experience in no way translates to a month's worth of teaching, so let's just say I'm still pretty fresh at this stuff. So, don't ask me for any tips, at least not for a few years minimum.
With the economy in the dumps for now, I guess I can count this as a temporary internship/co-op in something non-electrical engineering related. At the very least, it's a decent way to spend my time doing something useful and learn more while I consider grad school or look for a job. The best case scenario is that I somehow get good at this, and enjoy it enough to make it into a full time career, but I'm not counting on that to happen. I've seen that it is one of the toughest jobs to have, with lots of ups and downs that probably make for plenty of stress, gray hairs, ulcers, all that sweet that nasty that gushy stuff.
At this point, I've probably just begun to scratch the surface, and I must say it is all pretty interesting, more so than EE, and just as challenging, if not more. If nothing else, it's given me a much greater understanding of what my dad does and also helped me to gain a new angle of respect for him. Anyways, the grad school thoughts and job hunt continue for now, while I keep learning, working, and writing blogs. I've also compiled a short list of the best and worst things about working at home.
The Good
1. Fast commute (about 3 seconds from my bed to my desk)
2. Private bathroom with exfoliating soap
3. Free lunch and breakfast prepared by my favorite cook (my mom)
4. I can do laundry while I work (this is crucial, see #2 below)
5. Covered parking
6. I don't have to be surrounded by older, boring people... oh wait
7. No need to wear a suit or tie... or even anything other than a t-shirt and pajama pants actually
8. I have an office with a window
9. Time to write blogs
10. It's fun to say things like "I bought mad loads of cotton and pork bellies today" or "I'm getting myself pretty badly British Pound-ed" hee-hee
The Bad
1. I don't get to meet any new people at work, especially ones who use the word "spice-ay" (see this) or people with funny British-accents like how the guy talks in the movie Snatch
2. I always spill food on my bed or my pants trying to eat lunch and work at the same time. I should get a frickin bib. Throw me a frickin bib here! I'm the boss... need the info! haha the Austin Powers references continue and anticipation for July 26th escalates...
3. There's no company days at Great America
4. I can't take sick days unless I'm really sick
5. My boss probably won't write me a good recommendation for future job employers... I swear my dad has never liked me (haha just kidding, I hope)
6. It's hot in herre
7. Watching the NASDAQ and Dow Jones indexes (indices?) keep falling and my dad telling me "See, that's why you can't get an engineering job." Sweet, I guess at least now I know why...
A lot of people might be wondering what I'm doing all day that allows me to write endlessly long blog entries. You'd think that I should have something better to do. Truth be told, I do indeed have lots of important work at hand, but there is also a lot of down time in the midst of this work which gives me opportunity to record some thoughts.
Anyways, I'm basically just working with my dad, who is, for lack of a better term, a day-trader. Except he primarily trades commodities, not stocks (if you don't know what the difference is, you may have to ask me to explain in person because it is somewhat of a long explanation). He has had 20 years of experience doing what he does, as well as significant time spent in the corporate world either doing business as a broker or managing the commodities division of a financial company in Taiwan. As for me, I'm starting out by entering orders for him and observing how he trades, while dabbling in a little bit of trading myself. Of course, 20 years of experience in no way translates to a month's worth of teaching, so let's just say I'm still pretty fresh at this stuff. So, don't ask me for any tips, at least not for a few years minimum.
With the economy in the dumps for now, I guess I can count this as a temporary internship/co-op in something non-electrical engineering related. At the very least, it's a decent way to spend my time doing something useful and learn more while I consider grad school or look for a job. The best case scenario is that I somehow get good at this, and enjoy it enough to make it into a full time career, but I'm not counting on that to happen. I've seen that it is one of the toughest jobs to have, with lots of ups and downs that probably make for plenty of stress, gray hairs, ulcers, all that sweet that nasty that gushy stuff.
At this point, I've probably just begun to scratch the surface, and I must say it is all pretty interesting, more so than EE, and just as challenging, if not more. If nothing else, it's given me a much greater understanding of what my dad does and also helped me to gain a new angle of respect for him. Anyways, the grad school thoughts and job hunt continue for now, while I keep learning, working, and writing blogs. I've also compiled a short list of the best and worst things about working at home.
The Good
1. Fast commute (about 3 seconds from my bed to my desk)
2. Private bathroom with exfoliating soap
3. Free lunch and breakfast prepared by my favorite cook (my mom)
4. I can do laundry while I work (this is crucial, see #2 below)
5. Covered parking
6. I don't have to be surrounded by older, boring people... oh wait
7. No need to wear a suit or tie... or even anything other than a t-shirt and pajama pants actually
8. I have an office with a window
9. Time to write blogs
10. It's fun to say things like "I bought mad loads of cotton and pork bellies today" or "I'm getting myself pretty badly British Pound-ed" hee-hee
The Bad
1. I don't get to meet any new people at work, especially ones who use the word "spice-ay" (see this) or people with funny British-accents like how the guy talks in the movie Snatch
2. I always spill food on my bed or my pants trying to eat lunch and work at the same time. I should get a frickin bib. Throw me a frickin bib here! I'm the boss... need the info! haha the Austin Powers references continue and anticipation for July 26th escalates...
3. There's no company days at Great America
4. I can't take sick days unless I'm really sick
5. My boss probably won't write me a good recommendation for future job employers... I swear my dad has never liked me (haha just kidding, I hope)
6. It's hot in herre
7. Watching the NASDAQ and Dow Jones indexes (indices?) keep falling and my dad telling me "See, that's why you can't get an engineering job." Sweet, I guess at least now I know why...
Monday, July 15, 2002
Simple Pages On My Mind
I'm starting to realize that as I get older and more "mature" (?), things get more complicated and I lose track of the simpler things in life. That's quite unfortunate, because simplicity rules. I already wrote a blog on why bumming around is nice, but in general, we should appreciate the value of all that is simple and good.
For example, I recently watched the movie "Minority Report." I thought it was a good movie, definitely intense and thought provoking. But nowadays, it seems like every movie tries its best to be as complex or elaborate as possible. Everything is loaded with special effects, a twisted plot, or big-name stars, in an attempt to "impress" the audience into liking the movie. To a large extent, this is the gap that separates the original Star Wars trilogy from from Episodes I and II, or the difference between "Good Will Hunting" and any Ben Affleck or Matt Damon movie since then.
If you ask me, one of my all-time favorite movies was, and still is, Home Alone (and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, but not as much). Not only because it was set in Chicago, and I love Chicago, but because it is such a beautifully simple movie. I mean, comedy just doesn't get much more primitive than bad guys stepping on nails and getting shot in the balls with a BB gun, but when I was a kid, I could watch it over and over, thinking it was hilarious every time. To this day, I probably still have most of the movie's lines memorized, which makes me quite a loser but I don't care. I already got a girl that loves me in spite of that.
Another example I can think of is food. I do enjoy the finer things like sushi or steak, but there's a certain undeniable charm to something like a peanut butter & jelly sandwich that can't be easily replaced. I'm telling you, it's possible to spend a hundred dollars on a meal at a fancy restaurant and not be as satisfied as you would be with something an 8 year old kid could make on the kitchen counter. And while everyone loves watching the Iron Chef make the dishes look all pretty and colorful, I like to watch the hot-dog eating contests just as much, if not more. By the way, that Japanese guy is a beast. You wouldn't think some skinny Asian kid could lay the smack down on a big 300 pound black man in anything, especially not in eating hot dogs, but wonders never cease. That's another story though.
Or, what about video games. Everyone knows that I love Starcraft, but there's something to be said for good old Minesweeper and Solitaire. Or, even simpler, Snake on my cell phone. I could just as easily spend hours on those games as the latest PS2 game. Still, as the world moves along, video game systems get fancier and more powerful while the games get crappier and less inspired. People my age remember the time when Super Mario Brothers was awesome, the cutting edge of gaming. Now, it looks crude and unimpressive to today's kids, even though I would argue that it's still a better game than 90% of what's out there today.
I sense I'm in danger of being called a "Luddite" again, so I better qualify all I just said by reiterating that I do appreciate the finer things in life as well as the simple. It's just that modern day folk tend more to overlook the simple in favor of the shiny, new, or elaborate stuff. I'm just trying to point out that fact.
Kick it on back, kick it on back, kick it on back to what you know
Gimme some love, gimme some love, sugar on the hard rock radio
When they play tunes, when they play tunes, when they play riffs of the hard rock beat,
Gimme some love, gimme some love, sugar from the drop with the old school beat
- Weezer, "Simple Pages"
I'm starting to realize that as I get older and more "mature" (?), things get more complicated and I lose track of the simpler things in life. That's quite unfortunate, because simplicity rules. I already wrote a blog on why bumming around is nice, but in general, we should appreciate the value of all that is simple and good.
For example, I recently watched the movie "Minority Report." I thought it was a good movie, definitely intense and thought provoking. But nowadays, it seems like every movie tries its best to be as complex or elaborate as possible. Everything is loaded with special effects, a twisted plot, or big-name stars, in an attempt to "impress" the audience into liking the movie. To a large extent, this is the gap that separates the original Star Wars trilogy from from Episodes I and II, or the difference between "Good Will Hunting" and any Ben Affleck or Matt Damon movie since then.
If you ask me, one of my all-time favorite movies was, and still is, Home Alone (and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, but not as much). Not only because it was set in Chicago, and I love Chicago, but because it is such a beautifully simple movie. I mean, comedy just doesn't get much more primitive than bad guys stepping on nails and getting shot in the balls with a BB gun, but when I was a kid, I could watch it over and over, thinking it was hilarious every time. To this day, I probably still have most of the movie's lines memorized, which makes me quite a loser but I don't care. I already got a girl that loves me in spite of that.
Another example I can think of is food. I do enjoy the finer things like sushi or steak, but there's a certain undeniable charm to something like a peanut butter & jelly sandwich that can't be easily replaced. I'm telling you, it's possible to spend a hundred dollars on a meal at a fancy restaurant and not be as satisfied as you would be with something an 8 year old kid could make on the kitchen counter. And while everyone loves watching the Iron Chef make the dishes look all pretty and colorful, I like to watch the hot-dog eating contests just as much, if not more. By the way, that Japanese guy is a beast. You wouldn't think some skinny Asian kid could lay the smack down on a big 300 pound black man in anything, especially not in eating hot dogs, but wonders never cease. That's another story though.
Or, what about video games. Everyone knows that I love Starcraft, but there's something to be said for good old Minesweeper and Solitaire. Or, even simpler, Snake on my cell phone. I could just as easily spend hours on those games as the latest PS2 game. Still, as the world moves along, video game systems get fancier and more powerful while the games get crappier and less inspired. People my age remember the time when Super Mario Brothers was awesome, the cutting edge of gaming. Now, it looks crude and unimpressive to today's kids, even though I would argue that it's still a better game than 90% of what's out there today.
I sense I'm in danger of being called a "Luddite" again, so I better qualify all I just said by reiterating that I do appreciate the finer things in life as well as the simple. It's just that modern day folk tend more to overlook the simple in favor of the shiny, new, or elaborate stuff. I'm just trying to point out that fact.
Kick it on back, kick it on back, kick it on back to what you know
Gimme some love, gimme some love, sugar on the hard rock radio
When they play tunes, when they play tunes, when they play riffs of the hard rock beat,
Gimme some love, gimme some love, sugar from the drop with the old school beat
- Weezer, "Simple Pages"
Friday, July 12, 2002
The Gap
Is it me, or does something about the Gap just seem irritating? I don't know what it is, but I freakin hate that store. Hopefully people reading this who like the Gap or even worked there before don't feel insulted. The clothes appear to be fine. The store looks clean enough. They don't have T-Shirts that insult Chinese people, either.
But everytime I go there, it just feels uncomfortable or something. Maybe the store is simply too normal or bland/cookie-cutter. Maybe it's those annoying commercials. Maybe it's the canned rock music they play in the stores while you shop. Or the fact that they have like 3 people hired just to greet you when you walk in and when you walk out. I know other stores do that but doesn't it seem like the greeters at Gap are significantly weirder?
It's a strange thing, though, Banana Republic is owned by the same company and I don't really have any problem with that place. Except that more than half the clothes there are made in the ugliest earth-tone or pastel color. And there's too much stretch-fabric shirts for men, seems a little too gay for me. I guess I'm just not trendy like that, or fashion savvy. Wait a tick, I'm hip, I'm with it... Don't look at me like I'm frickin Frankenstein. (Austin Powers. 7/26/02).
Or, you'd think that someone like me who wears a lot of JCrew, Abercrombie, and old Structure clothes would like the Gap too. Nope. Ok, I know people are gonna start ripping on me for still wearing Abercrombie after all that racism commotion (see http://www.umich.edu/~uaao/boycottaf/) of a few months back. Well, for one thing, I haven't gotten anything from there in a long time, since way before that stuff happened. Honestly, though, it's not like I love the store, I just like the pants mostly, and I have maybe a few shirts, none of which say "Buddha Bash." But I think everyone needs to chill, it's just a dumb clothing store. Nobody over the age of 25 shops there and no one takes it seriously either. Not trying to hate on the people organizing the boycott because they are supporting the Asian cause in their own way. I grew up in a school surrounded by idiot white kids who thought it was hilarious to say "I Chink I know you, but I may be Wong" and if anything, there are far more blatant acts of racism in this world today to worry about.
Anyways, think about all the people you're hurting with a boycott. All those poor Abercrombie employees! You know they all have families, and they're gonna starve to death if we stop shopping there. Please, think of the children! If there's anything we shouldv'e learned from this whole fiasco, it's that "Two Wongs don't make it white" and it's certainly Wong to be starving the innocent folk who work our local Abercrombie stores. Ok, I'm just kidding. I doubt anyone who works at A&F has a family to support. Actually, I don't think nobody important really works there. Except Liz, of course. I wonder if she reads this. If so, I bet she is throwing a fit. Sorry Lizzie...
Oh yeah, one more thing. When did all the Walgreen'ses get to look so pimp? Those used to all be so ghetto and run-down, or at least plain outside, as if it were just a regular drugstore or something. Now they all got these shiny glass windows and fancy lighting like Vegas casinos. Pretty soon they will have girls walking around in there with trays to serve you drinks while you get your prescription filled. And you will start getting comp-ed if you shop there frequently for all your Tylenol or contact lens solution needs. Wouldn't that be cool? Dang, now I wish my house was like a Walgreens. We'd be the hotshots on our block if we replaced our front aluminum siding with some glass panels and a big lighted sign that said "Chen Residence - Don't Hate, Congratulate." Um, right...
Is it me, or does something about the Gap just seem irritating? I don't know what it is, but I freakin hate that store. Hopefully people reading this who like the Gap or even worked there before don't feel insulted. The clothes appear to be fine. The store looks clean enough. They don't have T-Shirts that insult Chinese people, either.
But everytime I go there, it just feels uncomfortable or something. Maybe the store is simply too normal or bland/cookie-cutter. Maybe it's those annoying commercials. Maybe it's the canned rock music they play in the stores while you shop. Or the fact that they have like 3 people hired just to greet you when you walk in and when you walk out. I know other stores do that but doesn't it seem like the greeters at Gap are significantly weirder?
It's a strange thing, though, Banana Republic is owned by the same company and I don't really have any problem with that place. Except that more than half the clothes there are made in the ugliest earth-tone or pastel color. And there's too much stretch-fabric shirts for men, seems a little too gay for me. I guess I'm just not trendy like that, or fashion savvy. Wait a tick, I'm hip, I'm with it... Don't look at me like I'm frickin Frankenstein. (Austin Powers. 7/26/02).
Or, you'd think that someone like me who wears a lot of JCrew, Abercrombie, and old Structure clothes would like the Gap too. Nope. Ok, I know people are gonna start ripping on me for still wearing Abercrombie after all that racism commotion (see http://www.umich.edu/~uaao/boycottaf/) of a few months back. Well, for one thing, I haven't gotten anything from there in a long time, since way before that stuff happened. Honestly, though, it's not like I love the store, I just like the pants mostly, and I have maybe a few shirts, none of which say "Buddha Bash." But I think everyone needs to chill, it's just a dumb clothing store. Nobody over the age of 25 shops there and no one takes it seriously either. Not trying to hate on the people organizing the boycott because they are supporting the Asian cause in their own way. I grew up in a school surrounded by idiot white kids who thought it was hilarious to say "I Chink I know you, but I may be Wong" and if anything, there are far more blatant acts of racism in this world today to worry about.
Anyways, think about all the people you're hurting with a boycott. All those poor Abercrombie employees! You know they all have families, and they're gonna starve to death if we stop shopping there. Please, think of the children! If there's anything we shouldv'e learned from this whole fiasco, it's that "Two Wongs don't make it white" and it's certainly Wong to be starving the innocent folk who work our local Abercrombie stores. Ok, I'm just kidding. I doubt anyone who works at A&F has a family to support. Actually, I don't think nobody important really works there. Except Liz, of course. I wonder if she reads this. If so, I bet she is throwing a fit. Sorry Lizzie...
Oh yeah, one more thing. When did all the Walgreen'ses get to look so pimp? Those used to all be so ghetto and run-down, or at least plain outside, as if it were just a regular drugstore or something. Now they all got these shiny glass windows and fancy lighting like Vegas casinos. Pretty soon they will have girls walking around in there with trays to serve you drinks while you get your prescription filled. And you will start getting comp-ed if you shop there frequently for all your Tylenol or contact lens solution needs. Wouldn't that be cool? Dang, now I wish my house was like a Walgreens. We'd be the hotshots on our block if we replaced our front aluminum siding with some glass panels and a big lighted sign that said "Chen Residence - Don't Hate, Congratulate." Um, right...
Updating Your Blog Is For Winners
I don't have time to write a long thing right now. While all of you are sighing in relief, I just wanted to take a little time to say that I am impressed with how many people started a new blog lately. I would especially like to say that whoever updates their blog regularly is cool. I personally spend too much time writing stuff because there is lots of downtime when I am working and also because I have a lot of random thoughts with little discretion on what is worth writing about. But normal people who write a few times a week is good. Plus, you all have much more interesting things to say than me.
Wow, shortest post ever. Only cause it's getting busy here. Or should I say it's gettin busy in herre. Whatever. Whateverre. Alright yo, I gotta rage!! (hahaha I was told that phrase would catch on... we'll have to see about that).
I don't have time to write a long thing right now. While all of you are sighing in relief, I just wanted to take a little time to say that I am impressed with how many people started a new blog lately. I would especially like to say that whoever updates their blog regularly is cool. I personally spend too much time writing stuff because there is lots of downtime when I am working and also because I have a lot of random thoughts with little discretion on what is worth writing about. But normal people who write a few times a week is good. Plus, you all have much more interesting things to say than me.
Wow, shortest post ever. Only cause it's getting busy here. Or should I say it's gettin busy in herre. Whatever. Whateverre. Alright yo, I gotta rage!! (hahaha I was told that phrase would catch on... we'll have to see about that).
Thursday, July 11, 2002
The Joys of Bumming Around
I was just thinking about how my everyday life has evolved throughout the years, and it struck me that as I've gotten older, I fill up so much more of my time "doing stuff" instead of "bumming around." Nowadays, it seems like I'm always doing something, every moment of every day. I get up in the morning, work for my dad till afternoon, take a nap if I'm lucky, then either I have dinner at home and then go out, or go out for dinner and don't get back till 11 or 12, when I brush my teeth, check baseball scores, and go to sleep. If I don't go out, I'm usually tired as a sack, mowing the lawn, or doing some extra work for my dad. On the weekends, it's even busier because that's the only time a lot of the people who work can hang out or that I can see Olivia for more than a couple hours (she's taking a class every day at UIC). Point is, I don't seem to have time to just sit around and bum.
It wasn't always like that. I remember back in high school, when I didn't really have to study to get good grades. I also didn't have any real friends, or at least any that liked to hang out a lot. So basically all I ended up doing every day was going to school, coming home, watching Simpsons (twice), eating dinner, maybe do some homework and/or listen to Q101, then watch more TV, then listen to more Q101 (I used to listen to Loveline every day, cause I thought it was hilarious... not so much anymore), then go to sleep. Some days, I would stay at school later for Math Team practice or go to a Math Team competition on certain nights (haha math team, I could probably write a whole long thing on that too, that would be amusing). So as you can see, I was pretty much a downright loser, whereas now I've managed to climb up to quasi-loser status.
But the thing is, I get the feeling that life was a lot more fun back then. Even though I never really "did anything," I enjoyed doing nothing so it was all good. These days, I see a lot more movies, do the bowling thing or shoot pool now and then, play softball once in a while, or whatever, but what's the point of it all? Now I wonder if I go out and do stuff just for the sake of going out. I don't think I'm the only one who does, either.
Whatever happened to the fine art of "bumming around"? Why do I feel like I gotta be doing something all the time? OK, so it's not good to be wasting all my time doing nothing, but I would like to contend that doing nothing is actually doing something (this is starting to sound Seinfeld-ish). Just because there's no name for what you're doing, doesn't mean that it's not worthwhile. I believe everyone needs some time to themselves, some time off to sit around, watch TV, lie in bed, and not worry about anything. It might not seem like you're really doing anything useful or interesting, but that's the whole point. The best part about bumming around is that you can just chill and not worry about anything. Clear your thoughts and relax.
Of course, like I said, you can't bum around all day, every day, or else you will turn into a slug. Be sure to practice a healthy mix of bumming and actually doing stuff. Not everyone will require quite the same "Nothing:Something" ratio, but everyone needs at least a little of both. Figure out what you need in your life to achieve that balance and live a happier life with minimal stress.
I was just thinking about how my everyday life has evolved throughout the years, and it struck me that as I've gotten older, I fill up so much more of my time "doing stuff" instead of "bumming around." Nowadays, it seems like I'm always doing something, every moment of every day. I get up in the morning, work for my dad till afternoon, take a nap if I'm lucky, then either I have dinner at home and then go out, or go out for dinner and don't get back till 11 or 12, when I brush my teeth, check baseball scores, and go to sleep. If I don't go out, I'm usually tired as a sack, mowing the lawn, or doing some extra work for my dad. On the weekends, it's even busier because that's the only time a lot of the people who work can hang out or that I can see Olivia for more than a couple hours (she's taking a class every day at UIC). Point is, I don't seem to have time to just sit around and bum.
It wasn't always like that. I remember back in high school, when I didn't really have to study to get good grades. I also didn't have any real friends, or at least any that liked to hang out a lot. So basically all I ended up doing every day was going to school, coming home, watching Simpsons (twice), eating dinner, maybe do some homework and/or listen to Q101, then watch more TV, then listen to more Q101 (I used to listen to Loveline every day, cause I thought it was hilarious... not so much anymore), then go to sleep. Some days, I would stay at school later for Math Team practice or go to a Math Team competition on certain nights (haha math team, I could probably write a whole long thing on that too, that would be amusing). So as you can see, I was pretty much a downright loser, whereas now I've managed to climb up to quasi-loser status.
But the thing is, I get the feeling that life was a lot more fun back then. Even though I never really "did anything," I enjoyed doing nothing so it was all good. These days, I see a lot more movies, do the bowling thing or shoot pool now and then, play softball once in a while, or whatever, but what's the point of it all? Now I wonder if I go out and do stuff just for the sake of going out. I don't think I'm the only one who does, either.
Whatever happened to the fine art of "bumming around"? Why do I feel like I gotta be doing something all the time? OK, so it's not good to be wasting all my time doing nothing, but I would like to contend that doing nothing is actually doing something (this is starting to sound Seinfeld-ish). Just because there's no name for what you're doing, doesn't mean that it's not worthwhile. I believe everyone needs some time to themselves, some time off to sit around, watch TV, lie in bed, and not worry about anything. It might not seem like you're really doing anything useful or interesting, but that's the whole point. The best part about bumming around is that you can just chill and not worry about anything. Clear your thoughts and relax.
Of course, like I said, you can't bum around all day, every day, or else you will turn into a slug. Be sure to practice a healthy mix of bumming and actually doing stuff. Not everyone will require quite the same "Nothing:Something" ratio, but everyone needs at least a little of both. Figure out what you need in your life to achieve that balance and live a happier life with minimal stress.
Links Toolbar on Explorer
People who surf around webpages as much as I do use the Favorites feature of Internet Explorer. When you observe a list of someone's favorites, it's a lot like going through their CD collection, photo album, or even their fridge; you can learn a lot about the person. And not only can you see what kind of pages that person is interested in, but you can see how organized he/she is in arranging them.
Especially interesting to me is the Links toolbar that some people, such as myself, use in addition to the Favorites menu. The links toolbar provides an easy-to-access line of buttons that will take you to your desired site with a single click, thus representing the "elite" members of your Favorites list.
It's similar to the Links feature on the Windows taskbar, which I also use a lot. I don't know why, but I've just been thinking about the significance of my own links bars and felt like sharing it in my blog.
For starters, my Windows links changed when I moved from school to back home. A couple of them have been there forever, such as Show Desktop, Internet Explorer, and Instant Messenger. In addition, a link to my Mp3zz folder (yes, that is what it is called and how I spelled it don't ask me why), telnet to students.uiuc.edu, and Winamp have survived the cut since I got back. The links that failed to make it were Kazaa Media Desktop, and yes, I'm sad to say, Starcraft. Replacing them were two programs I use a lot in working with my dad. When my uiuc email is deactivated, the telnet link will probably be removed and either Starcraft will return to take its place or something else, who knows.
Similarly, my links on IE are highly susceptible to the winds of change. I once had 4 links devoted to my class webpages, but those are all gone. 2 new links are for work, and Yahoo! Mail has also merited a spot with my students email ending soon. Most of the rest are sports/fantasy sports related, as you might expect. The latest change was kind of amusing, yet bittersweet, as Yahoo Euchre replaced Monster.com. I'm guessing eventually I will be replacing some of my current links with links to people's blogs. Yes, you too can have a blog and be linked on my IE toolbar! Just update frequently with interesting things to say and you will be there in no time.
So as you can see, links kind of act as a mini-barometer for my life. I can step back and evaluate my life by seeing what I'm linking to on my desktop and in my web browser. Try it yourself, think about what you consider important enough to merit "1-click status" and what it all means. Either you will be fascinated like me and say "man, you are so insightful," or you will be so pissed that I wasted your time and kick me in the nuts next time you get the chance.
People who surf around webpages as much as I do use the Favorites feature of Internet Explorer. When you observe a list of someone's favorites, it's a lot like going through their CD collection, photo album, or even their fridge; you can learn a lot about the person. And not only can you see what kind of pages that person is interested in, but you can see how organized he/she is in arranging them.
Especially interesting to me is the Links toolbar that some people, such as myself, use in addition to the Favorites menu. The links toolbar provides an easy-to-access line of buttons that will take you to your desired site with a single click, thus representing the "elite" members of your Favorites list.
It's similar to the Links feature on the Windows taskbar, which I also use a lot. I don't know why, but I've just been thinking about the significance of my own links bars and felt like sharing it in my blog.
For starters, my Windows links changed when I moved from school to back home. A couple of them have been there forever, such as Show Desktop, Internet Explorer, and Instant Messenger. In addition, a link to my Mp3zz folder (yes, that is what it is called and how I spelled it don't ask me why), telnet to students.uiuc.edu, and Winamp have survived the cut since I got back. The links that failed to make it were Kazaa Media Desktop, and yes, I'm sad to say, Starcraft. Replacing them were two programs I use a lot in working with my dad. When my uiuc email is deactivated, the telnet link will probably be removed and either Starcraft will return to take its place or something else, who knows.
Similarly, my links on IE are highly susceptible to the winds of change. I once had 4 links devoted to my class webpages, but those are all gone. 2 new links are for work, and Yahoo! Mail has also merited a spot with my students email ending soon. Most of the rest are sports/fantasy sports related, as you might expect. The latest change was kind of amusing, yet bittersweet, as Yahoo Euchre replaced Monster.com. I'm guessing eventually I will be replacing some of my current links with links to people's blogs. Yes, you too can have a blog and be linked on my IE toolbar! Just update frequently with interesting things to say and you will be there in no time.
So as you can see, links kind of act as a mini-barometer for my life. I can step back and evaluate my life by seeing what I'm linking to on my desktop and in my web browser. Try it yourself, think about what you consider important enough to merit "1-click status" and what it all means. Either you will be fascinated like me and say "man, you are so insightful," or you will be so pissed that I wasted your time and kick me in the nuts next time you get the chance.
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
Politically Correct This
Last night's Baseball All Star Game was only the latest example of something insidious that is eating away at this nation's consciousness. The game I'm talking about ended in an 11-inning, 7-7 tie, and the insidiosity (haha) I'm referring to is the so-called "PC" revolution; that is, a society's obsession with being politically correct in everything it does.
To put this tie-ballgame thing in perspective, it was only the second tie in the game's history, and the only one ended because of baseball's ineptitude (the other was called because of rain). There is no clear scapegoat in this situation, but I can only say that there must be something really messed up if two teams can play a game, which so happened to tout itself as "the only All-Star game that matters," and finish with neither team winning (and everyone losing). You can't lay all of the blame on Commissioner Bud Selig, nor the players or either manager, but you can blame all of them (and a little of ourselves as fans) for succumbing to this dumb phenomenon called political correctness.
Two ideas borne out of the politically correct school of thought were the biggest factors in causing this travesty to occur. First, the rule that a player from every team must be chosen for the All-Star team. Not only does this rule cause less deserving players to be chosen over the more deserving, but it severely limits the effectiveness and power of the managers who are supposed to be running the team (I will acknowledge that this rule was not instituted just to be PC, but there were economic reasons that were more prevalent. Just bear with me, please).
The other idea, that all players on the roster should appear in the game at some point, is an even bigger cause of last night's result. While it's understandable that players don't want to be overworked for an exhibition game, using a pitcher for 1/3 of an inning is simply a joke. You're better off leaving him on the bench to rest and watch the game - doing that doesn't take away from the honor of being chosen for the All-Star game. And when you use pitchers like that, no one should be shocked when the teams run out of players in an extra-inning game, which was exactly what happened. By that time, it's too late.
So while the game might be more politically correct these days, it is obvious that the outcome is not important anymore; you definitely can't call it "the only All-Star Game that matters." Not that winning or losing is all that counts, but this is baseball at the Major League level (not little league), players are there to compete and win. Fans paid $175 to watch them compete and win. And after playing a great game for a few hours, all was for naught, because we had to be politically correct about everything.
I know not everyone who reads this blog cares about baseball as much as me, so I'll move on and make my point more general. It's not just about baseball, but it is about almost everything we see and hear nowadays. Only a few months ago, a pair of Russian figure skaters won the gold medal in the Winter Olympics over a pair of better performing Canadian skaters, because of shadiness and scandal within the ranks. Amid controversy, the Olympic Committee decided to award the Canadians a gold while letting the Russians keep theirs as well. A great solution, eh? Not in the least! Such an action is an insult to all intelligent life - it diminishes the value of the gold medal for both pairs, basically saying that "neither of you are the best in the world, we just majorly f---ed up so here you go, have a gold medal on us." You might also argue that all past and future gold medal winners should feel a little less proud about "earning" that honor.
In case you are wondering if my whole life is sports, the answer is no. I'm getting to making a point about the big picture. So how does this political correct crap relate to our lives? I'm not talking about the euphemisms we hear so much of these days, even if those are annoying. If you must, use the phrase "biologically inactive" instead of "dead" or say someone is "vertically challenged" instead of "short." As for stuff like the All-Star Game, I didn't waste $175 but I did waste a few hours of my time following an exhibition that was insulting to me as a fan. Even that much, I can deal with.
But the fact is, it starts with these little things that seem like they don't matter, but translates into bigger things that do affect us. Example: affirmative action. I'm not bashing all of affirmative action, but in most cases it has been taken too far. I know that some of it is necessary to account for the disparity in opportunities between the different groups, so we shouldn't get rid of it completely. But, there is this strange idea that in everything we should have a certain percentage of this type of person, a certain percentage of another, etc. in all our institutions and organizations. Recently, in my last semester at U of I, a friend came across an ad to be a "model" for pictures to be used in University brochures and stuff. He emailed responding to the ad, and the guy emailed back with a message that sounded something like this:
"We are still looking for a limited number of candidates. To provide a more diverse representation of our school, we are especially welcoming models of underrepresented minorities or possibly individuals that have facial piercings (nose ring, etc.) or dyed hair."
I wish I had kept a copy of that email, but as silly as it sounds, believe me, it read pretty much exactly like that, no lie. You can ask Chras if he remembers. Now this type of thing is pretty trivial, but what I'm trying to say is, think about it: if this type of thing goes on in something this small, it goes on in the bigger things too. Just the other day I was told about how cliques are a fact of life at UIC medical school. This is partly because Urban Health Program (UHP) students benefit over other "normal students" from more access to TA help and lab study, based purely on the fact that they are identified as underrepresented minorities. This is happening even though they are in the same class, take the same tests, and will eventually seek many of the same positions as the other med students. And there's no doubt in my mind that any time I apply to a school or interview for a job, I am at a disadvantage to someone if they have the exact same credentials, but belong to an "underrepresented minority." Is it fair that two people can work equally hard, achieve equal performance, but get treated unequally because of race, gender, or whatever else? Racism against minorities isn't right, but reverse discrimination is not a solution.
To better show how dumb this kind of thing can get, imagine if each NFL team (yes, I am resorting back to sports) were forced to have at least 3 Asian players. Not that there's no good Asian players around, but this would be an absolutely ridiculous rule and everyone knows it. Players don't get to the NFL by chance, they get there because they are the best at what they do. That's how it is, and that's how it should be, whether it's the NFL, NBA, MLB, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, IBM, Intel, or Price Waterhouse Coopers. That may make me sound overly capitalistic, but this country was built on capitalism. We shouldn't have to drive on roads and bridges designed and by any less than engineers and construction workers who got there by being the best in their field. We all use and benefit greatly from computer software and operating systems every day because someone used their genius to develop such a thing (and that someone deserves to be as rich as he is now). Kmart is soon out of business, but Walmart is still here and going strong because it is the best at what it does, selling good products at lower prices.
Affirmative action is not the only idea spawned by PC that is hurting America. Consider how the country reacted to the Sept. 11 attacks and the fear of further terrorist threats. Suddenly, President George W. Bush could do no wrong. It's not wrong to support your leader when your country is in precarious times, and even cut him some slack when you don't agree with everything he says or does. But it seemed like the guy had morphed overnight from the man everybody thought was dumb as wood to the man with the highest approval rating. Criticize Bush, and you border on the risk of being considered a traitor. This example might not exactly fit with the all of my points about political correctness. But it certainly rings quite loudly in my mind that the poster boy of all that is not PC in this country, Bill Maher, did happen to criticize Bush after 9/11, and quickly found himself out of a job hosting his show, which was so aptly titled "Politically Incorrect."
Or, what about the whole Eminem controversy of a couple years ago. There's nothing cool about describing the killing of your wife and daughter, and using words like "bitch" and "fag" a lot is probably such not a great thing either, especially in music that little kids seem to listen to a lot. Still, why did people make such a huge deal about a rapper? Gay rights activists and women's groups are obviously gonna be insulted, but it wasn't just them. Politicians jumped on the bash-Eminem-for-destroying-our-kids bandwagon because it was the easy way out. What they shouldv'e been doing, but were too sissy to do, was say something more to the tune of "it's a free country, and we have free speech. We don't necessarily condone Eminem's lyrics, but it's the parent's job to keep an eye on what their kids are listening to, not the government's."
Unfortunately, all this PC sentiment has been growing for at least a few years now, and I don't see it going away any time soon. Quite frankly, I'm getting real tired of it. All PC really comes down to is saying something because "it seems like the right thing to say" or doing something because "it seems like the right thing to do." It doesn't matter if we're talking about the Baseball All-Star Game, affirmative action, supporting our President, or bashing Eminem, we should all just say and do what we believe is right, without having to care about being politically correct.
Once again, it seems I've managed to write a horrendously long blog such that people who have read this far will be bored by now, but the always insightful Chris Rock knows exactly what I mean. I'll just let him sum things up for me:
"a lot of politics this year... people saying 'Colin Powell, Colin Powell! He should run! He could win!' ... Colin Powell can't win - Colin Powell's got a better chance of winning the bronze in female gymnastics, than being President of the United States ... white people ain't voting for Colin Powell! they say they are, they are not ... white people say they're gonna vote for Colin Powell cause it seems like the right thing to say ... it just seems like a cool thing to say, 'yeah i'm gonna vote for him' [snicker snicker] ... just like if you ask somebody if they wanna be an organ donor, they're gonna say 'yeah' ... nobody want's to be an organ donor, it just seems like the right thing to say!!"
Last night's Baseball All Star Game was only the latest example of something insidious that is eating away at this nation's consciousness. The game I'm talking about ended in an 11-inning, 7-7 tie, and the insidiosity (haha) I'm referring to is the so-called "PC" revolution; that is, a society's obsession with being politically correct in everything it does.
To put this tie-ballgame thing in perspective, it was only the second tie in the game's history, and the only one ended because of baseball's ineptitude (the other was called because of rain). There is no clear scapegoat in this situation, but I can only say that there must be something really messed up if two teams can play a game, which so happened to tout itself as "the only All-Star game that matters," and finish with neither team winning (and everyone losing). You can't lay all of the blame on Commissioner Bud Selig, nor the players or either manager, but you can blame all of them (and a little of ourselves as fans) for succumbing to this dumb phenomenon called political correctness.
Two ideas borne out of the politically correct school of thought were the biggest factors in causing this travesty to occur. First, the rule that a player from every team must be chosen for the All-Star team. Not only does this rule cause less deserving players to be chosen over the more deserving, but it severely limits the effectiveness and power of the managers who are supposed to be running the team (I will acknowledge that this rule was not instituted just to be PC, but there were economic reasons that were more prevalent. Just bear with me, please).
The other idea, that all players on the roster should appear in the game at some point, is an even bigger cause of last night's result. While it's understandable that players don't want to be overworked for an exhibition game, using a pitcher for 1/3 of an inning is simply a joke. You're better off leaving him on the bench to rest and watch the game - doing that doesn't take away from the honor of being chosen for the All-Star game. And when you use pitchers like that, no one should be shocked when the teams run out of players in an extra-inning game, which was exactly what happened. By that time, it's too late.
So while the game might be more politically correct these days, it is obvious that the outcome is not important anymore; you definitely can't call it "the only All-Star Game that matters." Not that winning or losing is all that counts, but this is baseball at the Major League level (not little league), players are there to compete and win. Fans paid $175 to watch them compete and win. And after playing a great game for a few hours, all was for naught, because we had to be politically correct about everything.
I know not everyone who reads this blog cares about baseball as much as me, so I'll move on and make my point more general. It's not just about baseball, but it is about almost everything we see and hear nowadays. Only a few months ago, a pair of Russian figure skaters won the gold medal in the Winter Olympics over a pair of better performing Canadian skaters, because of shadiness and scandal within the ranks. Amid controversy, the Olympic Committee decided to award the Canadians a gold while letting the Russians keep theirs as well. A great solution, eh? Not in the least! Such an action is an insult to all intelligent life - it diminishes the value of the gold medal for both pairs, basically saying that "neither of you are the best in the world, we just majorly f---ed up so here you go, have a gold medal on us." You might also argue that all past and future gold medal winners should feel a little less proud about "earning" that honor.
In case you are wondering if my whole life is sports, the answer is no. I'm getting to making a point about the big picture. So how does this political correct crap relate to our lives? I'm not talking about the euphemisms we hear so much of these days, even if those are annoying. If you must, use the phrase "biologically inactive" instead of "dead" or say someone is "vertically challenged" instead of "short." As for stuff like the All-Star Game, I didn't waste $175 but I did waste a few hours of my time following an exhibition that was insulting to me as a fan. Even that much, I can deal with.
But the fact is, it starts with these little things that seem like they don't matter, but translates into bigger things that do affect us. Example: affirmative action. I'm not bashing all of affirmative action, but in most cases it has been taken too far. I know that some of it is necessary to account for the disparity in opportunities between the different groups, so we shouldn't get rid of it completely. But, there is this strange idea that in everything we should have a certain percentage of this type of person, a certain percentage of another, etc. in all our institutions and organizations. Recently, in my last semester at U of I, a friend came across an ad to be a "model" for pictures to be used in University brochures and stuff. He emailed responding to the ad, and the guy emailed back with a message that sounded something like this:
"We are still looking for a limited number of candidates. To provide a more diverse representation of our school, we are especially welcoming models of underrepresented minorities or possibly individuals that have facial piercings (nose ring, etc.) or dyed hair."
I wish I had kept a copy of that email, but as silly as it sounds, believe me, it read pretty much exactly like that, no lie. You can ask Chras if he remembers. Now this type of thing is pretty trivial, but what I'm trying to say is, think about it: if this type of thing goes on in something this small, it goes on in the bigger things too. Just the other day I was told about how cliques are a fact of life at UIC medical school. This is partly because Urban Health Program (UHP) students benefit over other "normal students" from more access to TA help and lab study, based purely on the fact that they are identified as underrepresented minorities. This is happening even though they are in the same class, take the same tests, and will eventually seek many of the same positions as the other med students. And there's no doubt in my mind that any time I apply to a school or interview for a job, I am at a disadvantage to someone if they have the exact same credentials, but belong to an "underrepresented minority." Is it fair that two people can work equally hard, achieve equal performance, but get treated unequally because of race, gender, or whatever else? Racism against minorities isn't right, but reverse discrimination is not a solution.
To better show how dumb this kind of thing can get, imagine if each NFL team (yes, I am resorting back to sports) were forced to have at least 3 Asian players. Not that there's no good Asian players around, but this would be an absolutely ridiculous rule and everyone knows it. Players don't get to the NFL by chance, they get there because they are the best at what they do. That's how it is, and that's how it should be, whether it's the NFL, NBA, MLB, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, IBM, Intel, or Price Waterhouse Coopers. That may make me sound overly capitalistic, but this country was built on capitalism. We shouldn't have to drive on roads and bridges designed and by any less than engineers and construction workers who got there by being the best in their field. We all use and benefit greatly from computer software and operating systems every day because someone used their genius to develop such a thing (and that someone deserves to be as rich as he is now). Kmart is soon out of business, but Walmart is still here and going strong because it is the best at what it does, selling good products at lower prices.
Affirmative action is not the only idea spawned by PC that is hurting America. Consider how the country reacted to the Sept. 11 attacks and the fear of further terrorist threats. Suddenly, President George W. Bush could do no wrong. It's not wrong to support your leader when your country is in precarious times, and even cut him some slack when you don't agree with everything he says or does. But it seemed like the guy had morphed overnight from the man everybody thought was dumb as wood to the man with the highest approval rating. Criticize Bush, and you border on the risk of being considered a traitor. This example might not exactly fit with the all of my points about political correctness. But it certainly rings quite loudly in my mind that the poster boy of all that is not PC in this country, Bill Maher, did happen to criticize Bush after 9/11, and quickly found himself out of a job hosting his show, which was so aptly titled "Politically Incorrect."
Or, what about the whole Eminem controversy of a couple years ago. There's nothing cool about describing the killing of your wife and daughter, and using words like "bitch" and "fag" a lot is probably such not a great thing either, especially in music that little kids seem to listen to a lot. Still, why did people make such a huge deal about a rapper? Gay rights activists and women's groups are obviously gonna be insulted, but it wasn't just them. Politicians jumped on the bash-Eminem-for-destroying-our-kids bandwagon because it was the easy way out. What they shouldv'e been doing, but were too sissy to do, was say something more to the tune of "it's a free country, and we have free speech. We don't necessarily condone Eminem's lyrics, but it's the parent's job to keep an eye on what their kids are listening to, not the government's."
Unfortunately, all this PC sentiment has been growing for at least a few years now, and I don't see it going away any time soon. Quite frankly, I'm getting real tired of it. All PC really comes down to is saying something because "it seems like the right thing to say" or doing something because "it seems like the right thing to do." It doesn't matter if we're talking about the Baseball All-Star Game, affirmative action, supporting our President, or bashing Eminem, we should all just say and do what we believe is right, without having to care about being politically correct.
Once again, it seems I've managed to write a horrendously long blog such that people who have read this far will be bored by now, but the always insightful Chris Rock knows exactly what I mean. I'll just let him sum things up for me:
"a lot of politics this year... people saying 'Colin Powell, Colin Powell! He should run! He could win!' ... Colin Powell can't win - Colin Powell's got a better chance of winning the bronze in female gymnastics, than being President of the United States ... white people ain't voting for Colin Powell! they say they are, they are not ... white people say they're gonna vote for Colin Powell cause it seems like the right thing to say ... it just seems like a cool thing to say, 'yeah i'm gonna vote for him' [snicker snicker] ... just like if you ask somebody if they wanna be an organ donor, they're gonna say 'yeah' ... nobody want's to be an organ donor, it just seems like the right thing to say!!"
Tuesday, July 09, 2002
Girls
All I really want is girls
and in the morning it's girls
cause in the evening it's girls
I like the way that they walk
and it's chill to hear them talk
and I can always make them smile
from White Castle to the Nile - Beastie Boys
Since it might seem like I always rip on girls, I thought I should write a more positive piece. Maybe I don't obsess about girls as much as the Beastie Boys, but I do appreciate the female gender more than you think. We all know the obvious reason to value women in life: without them, there would be no babies. Not to overlook that fact, but I'm here to point out some of the finer things I've noticed which I like most about girls.
Exfoliating soap. I never knew about this stuff up until a couple years ago when my sister bought some at Bath and Body Works and put it in our bathroom at home. But now, I don't think I could go back to plain soap. Especially after my hands get dirty from doing manly things like mowing the lawn or changing my engine oil, there's nothing like the feel of those lovely exfoliating agents to make my hands feel thoroughly cleansed. I even had to get a couple bottles for my apartment so I could use it there. Now, the most common reaction I get when I talk about this (from both guys and girls) is "dang, you're pretty flaming aren't you." All I have to say is, give it a try and tell me it doesn't feel good. If you are then willing to deprive yourself of that sensation each and every time you wash your hands, just to avoid feeling gay, then fine. As for me, I choose clean, baby.
Candles. I would never be caught dead with a candle on my desk, but since Olivia gave it to me, then it's okay. Unlike exfoliating soap, it's not something where I recommend everyone go get, but I like to have it around and light it now and then. If you do want some candles, though, don't get too many, and get lightly scented or non-scented kind because no matter what, people are quick to question your manhood when it comes to things like these. Candles are pretty good to light so your room doesn't smell and if you're bored, it's kind of mesmerizing to watch the flame. I'm not a pyromaniac but still...
I could probably write a lot more, but to keep things short, let's just try to appreciate the little things about girls and not belittle their quirks.
And since we all came from a woman
got our name from a woman
and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
why we rape our women
do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women
be real to our women
... so would the real men get up?
I know you're fed up, ladies
but keep your head up - 2Pac
All I really want is girls
and in the morning it's girls
cause in the evening it's girls
I like the way that they walk
and it's chill to hear them talk
and I can always make them smile
from White Castle to the Nile - Beastie Boys
Since it might seem like I always rip on girls, I thought I should write a more positive piece. Maybe I don't obsess about girls as much as the Beastie Boys, but I do appreciate the female gender more than you think. We all know the obvious reason to value women in life: without them, there would be no babies. Not to overlook that fact, but I'm here to point out some of the finer things I've noticed which I like most about girls.
Exfoliating soap. I never knew about this stuff up until a couple years ago when my sister bought some at Bath and Body Works and put it in our bathroom at home. But now, I don't think I could go back to plain soap. Especially after my hands get dirty from doing manly things like mowing the lawn or changing my engine oil, there's nothing like the feel of those lovely exfoliating agents to make my hands feel thoroughly cleansed. I even had to get a couple bottles for my apartment so I could use it there. Now, the most common reaction I get when I talk about this (from both guys and girls) is "dang, you're pretty flaming aren't you." All I have to say is, give it a try and tell me it doesn't feel good. If you are then willing to deprive yourself of that sensation each and every time you wash your hands, just to avoid feeling gay, then fine. As for me, I choose clean, baby.
Candles. I would never be caught dead with a candle on my desk, but since Olivia gave it to me, then it's okay. Unlike exfoliating soap, it's not something where I recommend everyone go get, but I like to have it around and light it now and then. If you do want some candles, though, don't get too many, and get lightly scented or non-scented kind because no matter what, people are quick to question your manhood when it comes to things like these. Candles are pretty good to light so your room doesn't smell and if you're bored, it's kind of mesmerizing to watch the flame. I'm not a pyromaniac but still...
I could probably write a lot more, but to keep things short, let's just try to appreciate the little things about girls and not belittle their quirks.
And since we all came from a woman
got our name from a woman
and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
why we rape our women
do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women
be real to our women
... so would the real men get up?
I know you're fed up, ladies
but keep your head up - 2Pac
Monday, July 08, 2002
Dear Diary
Dear Diary
Today I saw a boy
And I wondered if he noticed me
He took my breath away
Dear diary
I can't get him off my mind
And it scares me
'Cause I've never felt this way
No one in this world
Knows me better than you do
So diary I'll confide in you
um.... ok, actually I didn't write that myself. It's from a Britney Spears song (track 12 in Oops I Did It Again, in case you don't believe me and are wondering if I turned gay. it's a JOKE! not that funny, I'll admit). Anyways, I've never had much of a real diary before. It's always seemed more like a girl thing to me, kind of like Sanrio characters and sticker pictures. Not that having a diary/journal type thing makes you girly... but if you write daily in a Hello Kitty notebook and put lots of sticker pictures in it, be careful, that's what we call a warning sign.
This blog isn't supposed to be a diary or a record of everything I do. I started this thing in the hopes of writing down some thoughts now and then to clear my head, but also just to post anything I feel like posting. Since I've been busy this past week, though, here's a short summary of some of the things I've been up to and some of my thoughts along the way.
Taste of Chicago
I went to the Taste on the 3rd, mainly to watch the fireworks. It was completely packed with people that day, even more than the times I went in the past few years. I guess all that terrorism fear didn't really stop people from going out, which is good of course. It will be a sad day when a small number of religiously deluded people ruin life for the rest of us. As far as the food goes, it wasn't the best year I've experienced but I did get a good CheeseburgerCheeseburgerCheeseburger and some quality cherries. The fireworks were good. I know that they do it every year, and that people should be bored with the same old by now, but 4th of July is one day when fireworks are always appropriate and it just doesn't seem right without them. By the way, is it me, or can we not call it "Independence Day" any more without thinking of Will Smith and aliens? Same with Pearl Harbor and Ben Affleck. Stupid movie titles are going too far...
Ping Pong
I don't think you can be Chinese and not have played ping-pong. Not that white people or other races can't play, but there are very few Chinese friends of mine who don't play. It's probably because every Chinese dad plays and taught his kids how to play. At least that's how I learned, because my dad would always say he needed some exercise and get me to play him. It wasn't for the exercise, I'm sure, it's probably because he liked to destroy me in the game. Anyways, I played some of the boys last week (not all Chinese) and let me say that ping-pong is a very underrated game. It's simple, but fun, and as long as you're not way out of shape, you should be able to play for hours without getting that tired. You can play singles or doubles, and half the fun is talking smack to the other people when you're playing. It seems like the hugest feeling when you make an awesome slam, but when I step back and think about it, it's just a smacking a little plastic ball around on a table so it's probably overkill to celebrate like Terrell Owens when he scores a touchdown.
BBQ
Besides fireworks, probably the only other given for the 4th of July is people having barbeques. Props to anyone who offers up their house and time to prepare one. It takes a good deal of work, but I've honestly never been to a barbeque and not had a good time. TM is very cool for letting me chill with them even though I'm not Thai. Nobody's perfect, right?
At the Movies
If you have the time to burn, theater hopping is the way to go. Since me and Olivia had nothing better to do, we decided to go illegal and enact our own Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Being the nerd I am, I printed out the showings ahead of time knowing that we were gonna see Minority Report and Lilo & Stitch, then figured out the optimum combination for our plan of action. So we ended up seeing Minority Report first, then moseying our way around the whole theater while trying to subtly peek at the titles at each door until we found the 10:30 Lilo & Stitch. You should have seen us acting all sneaky, James Bond would be envious. I would feel bad for not paying to see the second movie if it weren't for the fact that I always seem to waste about 10 bucks getting a drink, popcorn, and Sour Patch Kids there. It's a ridiculous amount to pay, but no matter how many times I swear I will never be ripped off again, the smell of popcorn and those cute little colorful sour children always manage to reel me in.
Now would also be the time to point out that there is this high school dude that works there who is on a major power trip. If you ever see this kid at AMC Cantera, you will know who I'm talking about. It's kind of funny that there's a social hierarchy at the movie theater, but the employees are separated by the color of their shirt. I think this guy was wearing a dark red shirt while everyone else was navy blue, plus he was toting around his walkie talkie instead of a broom and dustpan so he must have been the big cheese there. Basically, he does stuff like check people's ticket stubs for the matinee showing of Undercover Brother or tell people to move to the center seats in each row when the theater starts getting full, kind of like what the conductors in Japan do when they prod people into the subway cars trying to fit the maximum number of passengers. I think it's pretty amusing, and I'm just waiting for the day when he tries to boss around some big angry man in a bad mood and the guy throws him across the room.
As for the movies, Minority Report was intense and weird, but thought provoking and pretty filled with action. I'd recommend it to whoever doesn't mind some unpleasant scenes. It seems like Tom Cruise is developing a penchant for doing weird movies. I think the last two of his movies I saw were Magnolia and Vanilla Sky, both of which left me scratching my head and feeling somewhat flabbergasted. Lilo & Stitch was kind of weird too, but in a less threatening way of course. This is one of those movies that I have to give a "FG-13" rating - female guidance strongly suggested, especially for ages 13 and over. Yeah, I would not be caught dead seeing this movie by myself ever, but it was okay because I had a girl with me. But if you were to see a movie like this, might as well go with Disney. When I was growing up, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and the Lion King were all solid, and I haven't watched too many since then but Mulan and Lilo were both decent for someone my age watching a kid's movie. Though I remember Mulan pissed me off cause they even drew her horse with slanty eyes.
Wisconsin
For the second time in three weeks, I made the drive north up 94 to the 'Sconz. This time it was to Milwaukee to visit my roommate from school (interning at GE) and check out Summerfest like I did 2 years ago. If you don't know what Summerfest is, it's basically like Taste of Chicago, except it's in Milwaukee with a $11 admission and has pretty famous bands performing there. One thing about Milwaukee is that it looks like a city, with the buildings, streets and all, but it is nothing like Chicago because the streets are empty and there is nothing to do. When I went to Summerfest, I could probably guarantee that the entire population of Milwaukee was either there or sitting at home drinking beer and talking about Ray Allen.
This time, Summerfest was pretty good but not nearly as fun as the last, but you just can't expect to duplicate the Britney experience, even if we got to see Sugar Ray (they suck by the way). But once again I was reminded that it's usually not about what you do, but who you're with, and being with about 10 of my best friends made it a good time right there.
Another thing that I noticed is that it seems like no matter where you go, there will be radio stations that are called "Kiss-FM," "The Mix," or "The Lite." Interesting, eh.
The best part was driving back at around 1 and getting back at 3 or 4, only to find that every door was locked in my house and I did not have a key to anything. I resorted to calling my sister's cell phone, and thankfully she woke up and opened the door for me. Then I proceeded to fall asleep till 1pm, missing church completely. Oops...
Dear Diary
Today I saw a boy
And I wondered if he noticed me
He took my breath away
Dear diary
I can't get him off my mind
And it scares me
'Cause I've never felt this way
No one in this world
Knows me better than you do
So diary I'll confide in you
um.... ok, actually I didn't write that myself. It's from a Britney Spears song (track 12 in Oops I Did It Again, in case you don't believe me and are wondering if I turned gay. it's a JOKE! not that funny, I'll admit). Anyways, I've never had much of a real diary before. It's always seemed more like a girl thing to me, kind of like Sanrio characters and sticker pictures. Not that having a diary/journal type thing makes you girly... but if you write daily in a Hello Kitty notebook and put lots of sticker pictures in it, be careful, that's what we call a warning sign.
This blog isn't supposed to be a diary or a record of everything I do. I started this thing in the hopes of writing down some thoughts now and then to clear my head, but also just to post anything I feel like posting. Since I've been busy this past week, though, here's a short summary of some of the things I've been up to and some of my thoughts along the way.
Taste of Chicago
I went to the Taste on the 3rd, mainly to watch the fireworks. It was completely packed with people that day, even more than the times I went in the past few years. I guess all that terrorism fear didn't really stop people from going out, which is good of course. It will be a sad day when a small number of religiously deluded people ruin life for the rest of us. As far as the food goes, it wasn't the best year I've experienced but I did get a good CheeseburgerCheeseburgerCheeseburger and some quality cherries. The fireworks were good. I know that they do it every year, and that people should be bored with the same old by now, but 4th of July is one day when fireworks are always appropriate and it just doesn't seem right without them. By the way, is it me, or can we not call it "Independence Day" any more without thinking of Will Smith and aliens? Same with Pearl Harbor and Ben Affleck. Stupid movie titles are going too far...
Ping Pong
I don't think you can be Chinese and not have played ping-pong. Not that white people or other races can't play, but there are very few Chinese friends of mine who don't play. It's probably because every Chinese dad plays and taught his kids how to play. At least that's how I learned, because my dad would always say he needed some exercise and get me to play him. It wasn't for the exercise, I'm sure, it's probably because he liked to destroy me in the game. Anyways, I played some of the boys last week (not all Chinese) and let me say that ping-pong is a very underrated game. It's simple, but fun, and as long as you're not way out of shape, you should be able to play for hours without getting that tired. You can play singles or doubles, and half the fun is talking smack to the other people when you're playing. It seems like the hugest feeling when you make an awesome slam, but when I step back and think about it, it's just a smacking a little plastic ball around on a table so it's probably overkill to celebrate like Terrell Owens when he scores a touchdown.
BBQ
Besides fireworks, probably the only other given for the 4th of July is people having barbeques. Props to anyone who offers up their house and time to prepare one. It takes a good deal of work, but I've honestly never been to a barbeque and not had a good time. TM is very cool for letting me chill with them even though I'm not Thai. Nobody's perfect, right?
At the Movies
If you have the time to burn, theater hopping is the way to go. Since me and Olivia had nothing better to do, we decided to go illegal and enact our own Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Being the nerd I am, I printed out the showings ahead of time knowing that we were gonna see Minority Report and Lilo & Stitch, then figured out the optimum combination for our plan of action. So we ended up seeing Minority Report first, then moseying our way around the whole theater while trying to subtly peek at the titles at each door until we found the 10:30 Lilo & Stitch. You should have seen us acting all sneaky, James Bond would be envious. I would feel bad for not paying to see the second movie if it weren't for the fact that I always seem to waste about 10 bucks getting a drink, popcorn, and Sour Patch Kids there. It's a ridiculous amount to pay, but no matter how many times I swear I will never be ripped off again, the smell of popcorn and those cute little colorful sour children always manage to reel me in.
Now would also be the time to point out that there is this high school dude that works there who is on a major power trip. If you ever see this kid at AMC Cantera, you will know who I'm talking about. It's kind of funny that there's a social hierarchy at the movie theater, but the employees are separated by the color of their shirt. I think this guy was wearing a dark red shirt while everyone else was navy blue, plus he was toting around his walkie talkie instead of a broom and dustpan so he must have been the big cheese there. Basically, he does stuff like check people's ticket stubs for the matinee showing of Undercover Brother or tell people to move to the center seats in each row when the theater starts getting full, kind of like what the conductors in Japan do when they prod people into the subway cars trying to fit the maximum number of passengers. I think it's pretty amusing, and I'm just waiting for the day when he tries to boss around some big angry man in a bad mood and the guy throws him across the room.
As for the movies, Minority Report was intense and weird, but thought provoking and pretty filled with action. I'd recommend it to whoever doesn't mind some unpleasant scenes. It seems like Tom Cruise is developing a penchant for doing weird movies. I think the last two of his movies I saw were Magnolia and Vanilla Sky, both of which left me scratching my head and feeling somewhat flabbergasted. Lilo & Stitch was kind of weird too, but in a less threatening way of course. This is one of those movies that I have to give a "FG-13" rating - female guidance strongly suggested, especially for ages 13 and over. Yeah, I would not be caught dead seeing this movie by myself ever, but it was okay because I had a girl with me. But if you were to see a movie like this, might as well go with Disney. When I was growing up, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and the Lion King were all solid, and I haven't watched too many since then but Mulan and Lilo were both decent for someone my age watching a kid's movie. Though I remember Mulan pissed me off cause they even drew her horse with slanty eyes.
Wisconsin
For the second time in three weeks, I made the drive north up 94 to the 'Sconz. This time it was to Milwaukee to visit my roommate from school (interning at GE) and check out Summerfest like I did 2 years ago. If you don't know what Summerfest is, it's basically like Taste of Chicago, except it's in Milwaukee with a $11 admission and has pretty famous bands performing there. One thing about Milwaukee is that it looks like a city, with the buildings, streets and all, but it is nothing like Chicago because the streets are empty and there is nothing to do. When I went to Summerfest, I could probably guarantee that the entire population of Milwaukee was either there or sitting at home drinking beer and talking about Ray Allen.
This time, Summerfest was pretty good but not nearly as fun as the last, but you just can't expect to duplicate the Britney experience, even if we got to see Sugar Ray (they suck by the way). But once again I was reminded that it's usually not about what you do, but who you're with, and being with about 10 of my best friends made it a good time right there.
Another thing that I noticed is that it seems like no matter where you go, there will be radio stations that are called "Kiss-FM," "The Mix," or "The Lite." Interesting, eh.
The best part was driving back at around 1 and getting back at 3 or 4, only to find that every door was locked in my house and I did not have a key to anything. I resorted to calling my sister's cell phone, and thankfully she woke up and opened the door for me. Then I proceeded to fall asleep till 1pm, missing church completely. Oops...
Saturday, July 06, 2002
My Patriotic Blog
Well, tis the season for some patriotism, so I thought I'd write about some national pride. I've already written some stuff about why I'm proud to be Chinese, but I'm "Chinese-American" so I should be proud to be American as well (which I am, of course).
Even though this country is currently dominating the world as the lone economic and political superpower, Americans are generally thought of by other people as having little culture. Basically, Europeans think of fat, ill-mannered slobs when it comes to Americans, and Asians think all we have is Michael Jordan and crappy cars. When it comes to history and tradition, the United States and its 226 years of existence is of course no match compared to other civilizations that have been around for thousands of years. But, I personally find that it is just as rich in culture as any other country, if not more. There's a lot more to be proud of as an American than hot dogs and TV.
While the US has a relatively short history, it's a great and unique story which alone should make Americans proud to be Americans. It started with a few settlers that came to this land and start a new life, do some farming and trading, but grew to overcome its oppressive rulers and become an international giant that now dominates the rest of the world with the strongest military, economy, and Olympic Basketball team. Endless monuments have been built, books been written, and movies been made about our history because it is so unlikely and inspiring. We all appreciate the underdog story because if it hadn't been for the underdog colonists that were brave enough to fight the high and mighty British, none of us would be here.
One thing that I think is great about America is that it is pretty good at just about everything it does, and simply the best at anything else. Look at the Olympics, for example. We blow away the competition in many events, but in the others, our athletes are almost always competitive. Like the Russians are always awesome in gymnastics, Canada at Hockey and Curling, Kenya good at track and field, but Team USA is up there in all of those. It's not just sports, though. People (like me) joke about how domestic cars suck so much, but the fact of the matter is that people buy Fords all over the world. Japanese make more reliable cars that cost less, and Germans make the coolest and most finely engineered cars, but American makers are still respectable in their own way, and this is typical of Americans across the board.
It's also interesting to me that while other countries like to rip on the US for having no culture, they like to watch American movies, listen to American music, and follow the NBA more than anything. The extent of culture is not limited to popular entertainment, but Americans should be appreciated for being today's trendsetters, even if it's "just" Britney Spears and Mel Gibson.
Politically, the US has a lot to be proud of as well. It hasn't always been pretty, but despite the fact that the US military is by far the most powerful in the world, we've never had the urge to take over other countries and expand our own empire. With the Romans, the British, the Nazis, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, their goal was to rule the world and use their power to get more power. When we get involved in international affairs, it's almost always to "protect our interests." It hasn't always been pretty, and as with anything else, there are exceptions, but for the most part, Americans use their military strength to defend ourselves and our allies, not to attack (it's like the dark side vs. the light side of the Force... haha).
I don't know why it is that everything I write turns into a long drawn out essay, but I am trying to become a more disciplined writer. Anyways, to make things short, happy late 4th of July, we should all be proud to be a part of the greatest nation in the world.
Well, tis the season for some patriotism, so I thought I'd write about some national pride. I've already written some stuff about why I'm proud to be Chinese, but I'm "Chinese-American" so I should be proud to be American as well (which I am, of course).
Even though this country is currently dominating the world as the lone economic and political superpower, Americans are generally thought of by other people as having little culture. Basically, Europeans think of fat, ill-mannered slobs when it comes to Americans, and Asians think all we have is Michael Jordan and crappy cars. When it comes to history and tradition, the United States and its 226 years of existence is of course no match compared to other civilizations that have been around for thousands of years. But, I personally find that it is just as rich in culture as any other country, if not more. There's a lot more to be proud of as an American than hot dogs and TV.
While the US has a relatively short history, it's a great and unique story which alone should make Americans proud to be Americans. It started with a few settlers that came to this land and start a new life, do some farming and trading, but grew to overcome its oppressive rulers and become an international giant that now dominates the rest of the world with the strongest military, economy, and Olympic Basketball team. Endless monuments have been built, books been written, and movies been made about our history because it is so unlikely and inspiring. We all appreciate the underdog story because if it hadn't been for the underdog colonists that were brave enough to fight the high and mighty British, none of us would be here.
One thing that I think is great about America is that it is pretty good at just about everything it does, and simply the best at anything else. Look at the Olympics, for example. We blow away the competition in many events, but in the others, our athletes are almost always competitive. Like the Russians are always awesome in gymnastics, Canada at Hockey and Curling, Kenya good at track and field, but Team USA is up there in all of those. It's not just sports, though. People (like me) joke about how domestic cars suck so much, but the fact of the matter is that people buy Fords all over the world. Japanese make more reliable cars that cost less, and Germans make the coolest and most finely engineered cars, but American makers are still respectable in their own way, and this is typical of Americans across the board.
It's also interesting to me that while other countries like to rip on the US for having no culture, they like to watch American movies, listen to American music, and follow the NBA more than anything. The extent of culture is not limited to popular entertainment, but Americans should be appreciated for being today's trendsetters, even if it's "just" Britney Spears and Mel Gibson.
Politically, the US has a lot to be proud of as well. It hasn't always been pretty, but despite the fact that the US military is by far the most powerful in the world, we've never had the urge to take over other countries and expand our own empire. With the Romans, the British, the Nazis, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, their goal was to rule the world and use their power to get more power. When we get involved in international affairs, it's almost always to "protect our interests." It hasn't always been pretty, and as with anything else, there are exceptions, but for the most part, Americans use their military strength to defend ourselves and our allies, not to attack (it's like the dark side vs. the light side of the Force... haha).
I don't know why it is that everything I write turns into a long drawn out essay, but I am trying to become a more disciplined writer. Anyways, to make things short, happy late 4th of July, we should all be proud to be a part of the greatest nation in the world.
Wednesday, July 03, 2002
Baseball Politics: Sammy Sosa, Steroids, and Sports Illustrated
This week in Sports Illustrated, columnist Rick Reilly publishes his story about testing for steroids in the Major Leagues. Apparently, he recently asked Sammy Sosa personally to help clear his own name and do a positive thing for baseball by submitting himself to a test for steroids, even providing the information for a local clinic. Sosa angrily declined, yelling at Reilly for his suggestion, to which Reilly decided that Sosa must be hiding something to react in such a way. There are many different ways to look at this thing, but here is the dudo509 blogspot breakdown.
First of all, neither Sosa nor Reilly is the good guy in this story. Sammy, for all his home run hitting and MVP numbers, is a very egocentric man. Beneath that wide friendly smile, that dumb little home run hop he does, and the kissing his fingers and pointing at his chest and the camera is an attention-hungry and image-driven player. While he's put up some amazing numbers the past few seasons, his game could be even better. He's too talented to strike out and pop up as much as he does in clutch game situations. Compared to Barry Bonds, his home runs are much less meaningful to the team if you look at the relevant stats. Still, mention even a hint of these facts to him and you'll see the shiny happy Sammy disappear and transform into a defensive, ill-tempered man. Rather than humbly accepting the challenge to improve his game and further his talent, Sammy will quickly remind you that he hit 66 home runs in a season or that his teammates aren't backing him up, and that's why the Cubs are losing. Which isn't untrue, but from the man's reaction you can see the true person's attitude.
I guess you can't blame Sammy for being that way. I mean, he's become such a media darling the past few years, and he's used to hearing nothing but praise from everyone around him. Every time I see someone interview him, I can't help but be reminded of the SNL sketch with Chris Farley interviewing some actor or rock star with questions like "Dude, why are you so awesome?" or "You know that time when you did [this or that, fill in the blank]... heh .... that was cool."
Anyways, how does all that relate to this steroid thing? Well, weeks ago when the hot topic was "who's on the juice in baseball?" and people were clamoring for steroid testing to be implemented in MLB, Sammy took it upon himself to come out and say that if testing were approved by the Players Union, he'd be the "first in line." Well, this statement means very little to begin with. If testing is eventually approved, it won't be for at least a year, and by that time players would be stupid to be still taking steroids. Plus, what exactly is "first in line" supposed to mean? It doesn't matter if you're first in line or last in line, Sammy, it's the results that matter. What it comes down to is, he figured nobody would take him up on his words anyways, why not try to make some bold statements and be a hero? (since Piya loves this song so much, why don't we cue the cheesy electric guitar riff once again "and they say that a hero could save us, i'm not gonna stand here and waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit......"). Nice try, Sammy, it turns out that someone actually tries to hold you accountable and now you don't know what to say, do you?
As for Rick Reilly, let's not kid ourselves here. He's been a writer for many years now, fairly well-respected, but he definitely didn't cook up this little Sammy steroid test thing to help Sammy or the MLB look better. Reilly knew he had a huge story on his hands and went with it. Also, he could have chosen anybody: Bonds, Luis Gonzalez, Roger Clemens, Jeromy Burnitz, or Herbert Perry; why Sammy Sosa? Maybe it was because of his "first in line" statement. Maybe it was because everyone loves Sammy. Or maybe it was because he had a feeling that Sammy would respond this way. Whatever it was, as a writer, Reilly did this thing with an agenda of his own, not so he could help these poor accused players.
It's not like Reilly had the right to do any of this, either. Basically, he's going up to a player and saying, "if you're not using steroids, prove it by taking this test!" and if the player declines, then he's guilty as sin. We're still innocent until proven guilty in this country. That is like if someone is accused of being gay, then you say if he doesn't show us a tape of him with a woman, then he must be gay (I'm surprised nobody did that to Mike Piazza). We might as well go back to the McCarthy era or the Salem Witch trials if reporters are allowed to do this.
In the end, we still don't know for sure if Sammy is using steroids. Maybe by his angry reaction, one might lean more towards thinking he's trying to hide something. But there are legitimate reasons for not wanting to take a test. For example, if he agrees to be tested, where does this type of thing end? Who's gonna stop every reporter in America from hounding each and every baseball player with the address of the nearest clinic, saying "Sammy did it, why don't you?" And if he agreed, it's also undermining the cause of the Players Union to which he belongs, even if it's not a great cause at all. Or it could just be that he felt insulted by the way he was approached; some writer trying to impose his will on a prideful sports star isn't gonna fly too often.
It's not my place to accuse, but if you ask me what I think, I would almost be surprised if Sammy Sosa (and more than half the stars we see on SportsCenter these days, for that matter) were using steroids. Not that it's right, but if there's no testing for it, a lot of these players probably think, "everyone else is doing it, I've got to stay competitive." And if all you desired was fame, attention, and glory, then steroids would be an easy answer. Unfortunately, we'll never know who's using and who isn't. Whether players get tested or not isn't going to be mandated by a magazine columnist. Ultimately, it comes down the fans. Speaking as someone who loves the game of baseball, it's disgusting that these players are binding together to collectively avoid being tested for something that undermines their credibility, takes away from the game's integrity, and shrinks their testicles! Nobody pays these players to play except for the fans. How sad would it be for people to be forced to stop attending games and buying jerseys in order for these stupid players to take notice and show some respect.
This week in Sports Illustrated, columnist Rick Reilly publishes his story about testing for steroids in the Major Leagues. Apparently, he recently asked Sammy Sosa personally to help clear his own name and do a positive thing for baseball by submitting himself to a test for steroids, even providing the information for a local clinic. Sosa angrily declined, yelling at Reilly for his suggestion, to which Reilly decided that Sosa must be hiding something to react in such a way. There are many different ways to look at this thing, but here is the dudo509 blogspot breakdown.
First of all, neither Sosa nor Reilly is the good guy in this story. Sammy, for all his home run hitting and MVP numbers, is a very egocentric man. Beneath that wide friendly smile, that dumb little home run hop he does, and the kissing his fingers and pointing at his chest and the camera is an attention-hungry and image-driven player. While he's put up some amazing numbers the past few seasons, his game could be even better. He's too talented to strike out and pop up as much as he does in clutch game situations. Compared to Barry Bonds, his home runs are much less meaningful to the team if you look at the relevant stats. Still, mention even a hint of these facts to him and you'll see the shiny happy Sammy disappear and transform into a defensive, ill-tempered man. Rather than humbly accepting the challenge to improve his game and further his talent, Sammy will quickly remind you that he hit 66 home runs in a season or that his teammates aren't backing him up, and that's why the Cubs are losing. Which isn't untrue, but from the man's reaction you can see the true person's attitude.
I guess you can't blame Sammy for being that way. I mean, he's become such a media darling the past few years, and he's used to hearing nothing but praise from everyone around him. Every time I see someone interview him, I can't help but be reminded of the SNL sketch with Chris Farley interviewing some actor or rock star with questions like "Dude, why are you so awesome?" or "You know that time when you did [this or that, fill in the blank]... heh .... that was cool."
Anyways, how does all that relate to this steroid thing? Well, weeks ago when the hot topic was "who's on the juice in baseball?" and people were clamoring for steroid testing to be implemented in MLB, Sammy took it upon himself to come out and say that if testing were approved by the Players Union, he'd be the "first in line." Well, this statement means very little to begin with. If testing is eventually approved, it won't be for at least a year, and by that time players would be stupid to be still taking steroids. Plus, what exactly is "first in line" supposed to mean? It doesn't matter if you're first in line or last in line, Sammy, it's the results that matter. What it comes down to is, he figured nobody would take him up on his words anyways, why not try to make some bold statements and be a hero? (since Piya loves this song so much, why don't we cue the cheesy electric guitar riff once again "and they say that a hero could save us, i'm not gonna stand here and waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit......"). Nice try, Sammy, it turns out that someone actually tries to hold you accountable and now you don't know what to say, do you?
As for Rick Reilly, let's not kid ourselves here. He's been a writer for many years now, fairly well-respected, but he definitely didn't cook up this little Sammy steroid test thing to help Sammy or the MLB look better. Reilly knew he had a huge story on his hands and went with it. Also, he could have chosen anybody: Bonds, Luis Gonzalez, Roger Clemens, Jeromy Burnitz, or Herbert Perry; why Sammy Sosa? Maybe it was because of his "first in line" statement. Maybe it was because everyone loves Sammy. Or maybe it was because he had a feeling that Sammy would respond this way. Whatever it was, as a writer, Reilly did this thing with an agenda of his own, not so he could help these poor accused players.
It's not like Reilly had the right to do any of this, either. Basically, he's going up to a player and saying, "if you're not using steroids, prove it by taking this test!" and if the player declines, then he's guilty as sin. We're still innocent until proven guilty in this country. That is like if someone is accused of being gay, then you say if he doesn't show us a tape of him with a woman, then he must be gay (I'm surprised nobody did that to Mike Piazza). We might as well go back to the McCarthy era or the Salem Witch trials if reporters are allowed to do this.
In the end, we still don't know for sure if Sammy is using steroids. Maybe by his angry reaction, one might lean more towards thinking he's trying to hide something. But there are legitimate reasons for not wanting to take a test. For example, if he agrees to be tested, where does this type of thing end? Who's gonna stop every reporter in America from hounding each and every baseball player with the address of the nearest clinic, saying "Sammy did it, why don't you?" And if he agreed, it's also undermining the cause of the Players Union to which he belongs, even if it's not a great cause at all. Or it could just be that he felt insulted by the way he was approached; some writer trying to impose his will on a prideful sports star isn't gonna fly too often.
It's not my place to accuse, but if you ask me what I think, I would almost be surprised if Sammy Sosa (and more than half the stars we see on SportsCenter these days, for that matter) were using steroids. Not that it's right, but if there's no testing for it, a lot of these players probably think, "everyone else is doing it, I've got to stay competitive." And if all you desired was fame, attention, and glory, then steroids would be an easy answer. Unfortunately, we'll never know who's using and who isn't. Whether players get tested or not isn't going to be mandated by a magazine columnist. Ultimately, it comes down the fans. Speaking as someone who loves the game of baseball, it's disgusting that these players are binding together to collectively avoid being tested for something that undermines their credibility, takes away from the game's integrity, and shrinks their testicles! Nobody pays these players to play except for the fans. How sad would it be for people to be forced to stop attending games and buying jerseys in order for these stupid players to take notice and show some respect.
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