Sexy guy dancing

mmmm....so cute--makes me wanna dance too.

"Holy" tax benefits--what a concept!!

Have you ever looked at your paystub and felt enraged by the huge amount of taxes taken from your hard-earn money? You might even resent having your tax money being spent on things like the war in the middle east or on social programs like public assistance for people poorer than you. Taxation is required to cover the functions of our society--whether or not you agree with the individual programs. But when religious organizations abuse their tax exemption perks like this, it pisses me off to no end. (basically the news article covers examples of religious groups claiming tax breaks on things like luxury housing commonuities, etc.) These are probably the same people who oppose other people's right to marry, sex education for schoolchildren, abortion rights because it does not agree with their "spirituality" and "family value". Well, if they want to legally cram their religions down other people's throat, they should not be tax-exempt in any thing they do/own. Worse yet, when they abuse their tax breaks like this, I wish all their basic rights were stripped off and they all got sent to jail.

Congratulations you have a boy, oh wait!.....

another excellent article from the NY Times this past weekend:

What if It’s (Sort of) a Boy and (Sort of) a Girl?
By ELIZABETH WEIL

I have a doctor friend who once was called in an emergency to do a test on a newborn baby due to "ambiguous genitalia". This condition is not common but is well known in a small group of medical specialties. If you want to see what this looks like and read more about the medical background go to this picture and this article. This friend of mine, who at the time was not in the specialties, had little familiarity with this condition and was therefore quite surprised getting called in the middle of the night to rush in to do a test for such a thing. He was told that they needed to know the sex of the baby right away or otherwise it would create a lot of psychological stress and anxiety on the baby (while growing up). He posed a question, somewhat inappropriately but understandably, if this was a stress on the parents or the baby? (a dismissive and irresponsible response would have been: why dont you just name the kid "Pat" and went back to sleep!)

This is an interesting condition that raises a lot of questions about human sexuality requiring discussions in medical, ethical, religious and social aspects. For decades, doctors have performed gender (re)assignment surgery by hacking off infants' and young children's' small penises and large clitorises, and created all kinds of "reconstructive" surgery like vaginoplasty (making a vagina out of a piece of bowel.) Needless to say these procedures are not perfect and the patients become adults with severe sexual dysfunction and self image issues. I tend to side with the Intersex Society opinion of opposing surgery without the patients consent. But this also raises a question about circumcision and other procedures done during childhood, as discussed in the NY Times article. (cleft lip repair is easy--I think it should be done--by a good surgeon, of course.) Sadly many unfortunate parents (and doctors too) are left with little information on how to deal with these issues. So kudos to Cheryl Chase who pioneered the Intersex Society.

Showdown at the United Nations

This week the UN assembly so far has shown us the points of view of several of world's leaders. Regardless of one's opinion in the international conflicts, a few of the remarks are surprisingly off the wall, including the Venezuela Pres. calling Pres. Bush "the devil", and the Iranian president questioning the truth of the WW2 holocaust. US representative to the UN sort of ignored these comments totally. All I see is the lack of trust and reflection of the smaller and poorer countries, feeling alienated and oppressed, in turn react by behaving against the "conventional" rules set by the majority of the world. This obviously pisses of the US even more and they enter a vicious cycle of ego bashing on both sides. The response from the Bush administration seems somewhat dismissive and arrogant to me, and I think this is a very dangerous way to deal with these "rogue" groups. History repeats itself and this situation is reminiscent of how Germany and Japan were treated before the WW2. What the western world calls "the axis of evil" does have their own arguments and reasons, and these should get the attention. (it seems like the Iranian president is trying to express his, whether the ideas are right or not.)

The more I think about this, the more depressed I get.

Sex, lies, murder and news media: it's entertainment!!

Recently, it has been impossible to ignore the news on Jon Benet Ramsey's case. This murder-mystery has all the elements of "news as entertainment", a tragic ending to a beautiful thing/person/place, on Christmas day, many surprise suspects and, at least what has been implied, sex. The public just loves this and keeps sucking up the stories, regardless of the real value/relevance to their lives. The media in turn keeps churning out things that are barely of any importance. Although I am all for freedom of expression (artistic or otherwise), I think there is something inherently strange about dressing up little children in costumes and heavy makeup, putting them through rigorous training and expose them into public scrutiny and showcase like a "beauty contest". Any one who went through any sports, music or whatever competition as a young child know how stressful that is. But in most cases the kids like what they do and have some fun with it, with varying degrees of encouragement (or, admittedly, coercion) by the parents. Maybe Jon Benet did enjoy it, but it just does not seem like a natural thing a kid would be willing to do.

Another weird thing about the case is about the attention John Mark Karr has been getting. This story line is creepy at so many levels. John Karr seems to enjoy the "15 minutes of fame" a little bit too much, whether or not he actually is guilty of the Ramsey murder or other allegations of child molestation in Bangkok. Many people also made an observation that Bangkok is a haven for sex offenders and other creepy child molesters. Child prostitution is still rampant and all kinds of pervs are flocking there for a cheap thrill. Many probably live and work there under a disguise of English teachers like Karr.

Reverse B&T, anyone?

Most people in NYC use this somewhat derogatory term called: "B & T" which refers to the "bridge and tunnel" crowd who live in New Jersey, Staten Island, Queens/Long Island or Brooklyn, who would flock to Manhattan for work or play. It implies that these visitors or commuters are less sophisticated than Manhattanites (whatever that means....) and therefore inferior. In some cases its true, in others its just jealousy. People in Manhattan certainly don't have the luxury of space. We live in crowded space. The streets and subways are filthy, and we shop, and eat in really expensive places.

Last weekend I was lucky enough to enjoy the perfect weather at a house with a nice swimming pool in Rockland County which is about 1 hour north of the city (and I guess would qualify also as B & T). Needless to say, it was an awesome afternoon. On the way back I dropped by this giant Asian supermarket in Edgewater, NJ, called Mitsuwa, formerly called Yaohan. For those of you who ever lived in or visited Japan, you would feel like you have died and gone to heaven. The store is huge, clean and has endless array of fresh and packaged food, decent takout and bakery sections and a very nice "food court". Walking around inside really feels like you are in Japan, except the store aisles are REALLY wide!!! There is also a little mall outside and a Japanese steakhouse near the Hudson river, with supposedly awesome view of Manhattan. Don't have a car? Take the door-to-door shuttle bus from Port Authority ($2 each way). It's a short hop from the ferry and the NJ light rail if you wanna go that route.

This beats going down to NY Chinatown for grocery shopping and dining anyday. Going to Fire Island or the beach from Manhattan is a huge time consuming ordeal. You end up paying the city price and seeing the same people there. You hear also of people having a reverse commute from Manhattan. The thought of getting the hell out of here and living in a bigger, nicer, quieter place crosses my mind often. I guess the little masochist in me still keeps me from moving away. You just don't get the NYC energy (and the smell !) like the Big Apple.

Cool gadget if you have money to burn

There's a new digital SLR camera which is soon to be released by Fuji . It uses either infrared or UV wavelenghts. So what?, you might ask... but imagine the cool things you can do--like night time photography or other home grown "forensic" projects (sounds kinky !!). Check it out..its supposed to cost a little less than $2000 which I'm sure will drop significantly once other newer models come out.

Politics, gay marriage, and the WMD

I love John Stewart's The Daily Show. It should be required viewing for everyone. I know many of the "interviews" and new clips are edited to make them funny and may not reflect the entire context, but I think the basic messages are the same, either edited or not. Check out this clip by the very loud (and funny) Lewis Black on this show about Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican senator. Most of this bit is about the elusive weapons of mass destruction (WMD) with a little about gay issues thrown in.

Although I think labels tend to take away the truth and confuse the issue, Sen. Santorum deserves a label "ultraconservative". He strongly opposes gay marriage and has been quoted of equating gay marriage to incest, polygamy and some other crazy shit. (I'm not into "marriage" of any kind personally--I think marriage is basically "mutual misunderstanding" and just an arbitrary stamp of approval which is more trouble than its worth. However I do believe in equal rights for gay-lesbian couples in ALL aspects. The laws need to change. If Spain, Canada and the Netherlands can do it, why can't everyone else?? They can call it "civil union" or whatever the f*** they want and maybe that will piss off the extreme religious fanatics a little less. The can preserve their "sanctity" of marriage, which is a religious/church issue, NOT a legal/state issue. But I digress....)

Anyway, there are many influential senators and other high-power people out there who share the same non-tolerant views with Santorum. What scares and depresses me even more is not these people, but the people who elected them!! They are, in my opinion, the WMD.

Net neutrality: check it out!

I saw this link on craigslist for "save the internet". Sounds like the giant media corporate world is again trying to taka a big chunk of our pocketbook and restrict our internet freedom. I would totally support this network neutrality concept. I encourage you all to check out and petition for it. As in anything else, there are two sides to every issue and I would like to hear the arguments against this concept.

The Diva Returns....

One of my favorite female
singers is Lisa Stansfield. If you are not a dedicated fan, you at least probably remember a few of her songs, like All Around the World, Change, Real Thing, or Someday (I'm coming back), which for the most part would be classified as pop/R&B. A few of her remixes were also great. She sort of disappeared from the radar for a while (especially in the US). Recently I got her latest DVD release, Live at Ronnie Scott's, which is a recorded live performace at the legendary London Jazz club. She was the first non-traditional jazz musician to be invited to perform there. You may or may not like it since it does not have the energy of a big arena concert or the high-production value of a music video, but I love it. The essence of the her vocal style really comes through. Get the DVD if you like her old stuff. It will not play on a regular DVD player in the US unless you have the "all zone" player. ( or you can play it on your PC, of course.) 

Soccer mania--its not so bad

It's weird that the US is so out of synch with the rest of the world. One example which cannot be more obvious is the love for football (or as the Yanks call it "soccer"). The apathy towards this game is in so much contrast with what is going on elsewhere. Soccer seems to be so boring and action-less, as described by most in the US. But in most other countries, football is like the air people breath--it's so ingrained in the lives of the people young and old. But to each his own, I think the love of sports is based on nostalgia and what you have experienced as you were growing up. I can never grasp what fun is in baseball, for example.

Anyway I sat down and watched the World Cup Italy VS Germany semifinal. I couldn't help rooting for Italy, the underdog, and to my surprise, I ended up enjoying the game quite a lot. Italy scored 2 goals in the last few minutes of the game and sent the Germans packing. They are now going to the final. For those who watch the sports for "secondary" gain, you can see a lot of nice looking lads doing amazing soccer skills. One dude certainly caught my attention. Alessandro Del Piero, who scored the second goal, is pretty hot (the guy in the pic). Eat your heart out, Beckham!! See it for yourself. I think I'm gonna watch the final this time.

Unhappy with tiny living space in NYC?

Sometimes people take things for granted and forget to see how lucky they are with things/people they already own/relate to. Having a big house or apartment may seem like a status symbol and a sure way to happy daily living. But I know of a lot of people with huge properties who are totally miserable. Take a look at these pictures by photographer Michael Wolf and you will complain less about the dingy apartments you have in NYC. (it is never big enough, you know). He took 100 pictures of 10x10 foot apartments in a housing complex in Hong Kong with the residents and all their belongings. The variety of faces and layouts are fascinating. It's also kinda fun to peer into these characters' living space and try to imagine their stories. Also see if you can score a few decorating ideas.....

My trip to San Francisco

This is the pic I snapped as we were approching SFO. The colorful fields below are so fascinating to look at from above. I'm not sure what they are, but prob they are some sort of chemicals released by algae? The airport in the background is probably San Jose Int'l. I love SF and I think SF'ciscans are so lucky. The city and (the guys) are beautiful and you can access outdoor activities within 1-2 hours easily. The politics and way of life are progressive. It is also somewhat cheaper than Manhattan in a lot of ways. However I still love the energy that NYC has though. 

Barbarian invasion of NYC

In case you haven't heard, there was a gay bashing incident in NYC East Village this past weekend. The victim happens to be Kevin Aviance, a drag artist/performer whom I once met in person and in fact was quite a nice individual. This incident really disturbs me. In a city where tolerance is supposed to be expected and crime stats are improving, this kind of thing still occurs. The attackers are a bunch of 16-20 year-olds. Regardless of the outcome of the trial, I would never feel safe again. Kevin suffered a broken jaw but was already released from the hospital. I wish him a speedy recovery....

Immigration-are you in or are you out? or "who got here first?"

One of the most perplexing issues any country has to face is the issue of immigration. As in anything else, there are always 2 polar opposite sides of the issues. A common ground or reasonable peaceful compromise, which should be attempted, is hardly ever successful. Other than 2 types of immigration: legal and illegal, there are also so many aspects and levels of this complicated problem (national or patriotic, cultural/ethnic, economic, environmental, criminal, among others). The boundaries we have for each country are physical but I think the "nationality" concept is somewhat arbitrary. (even the physical boundaries of land can sometimes be disputed and lead to endless fights and violence, eg. the Palestine). Are we supposed to claim our citizenship based on birthrights or how much we contribute to the country we live in? We hear of stories of people getting citizenship by marrying into it (real or not.) There are people who are born here, carry a US passport but spend most or all of their lives elsewhere and have practically no connection to this country, economically, politically, emotionally or otherwise.

The ongoing immigration issue in the US has really become a hot debate and intensely emotional thing for a lot of people. There are also many facts (and factoids or outright lies) about the problems that people simple choose to forget/believe or be ignorant about. I am no expert in legal or security matter, but I do feel that this problem can spiral out of control and make or break the way we live. Do I support or oppose immigration? I generally support it but honestly cannot answer the question as I think it is impossible to come up with a "right" answer. At the least the process should be legal. But then again to what degree and by what legal definitions? How can we ensure that limited national resources, taxation and labor conditions are manged fairly.  And more importantly how do we implement the restrictions or enforce the law?  Xenophobia, often based on ignorance, should be eradicated.

The benefits of allowing or restricting immigrants, quoted in the ongoing discussions, are often based on self-interest with not much regards of other issues. So what are we supposed to do as a conscientious member of our society? I came across this article which talks about this organization. The DASA seems to have a rather "conservative" tone to me but it presents many statistics and discussions I myself have never given much thought to before. (how truthful the presented figures are, I don't know.) Interestingly the leader of this group is a woman who is a naturalized US citizen and might probably now have a difficult time qualifying for the status had she had to go through the naturalization process she did years ago.  Is it ok for any group of native citizens to impose restrictions of incoming immigrant, merely on the basis of "I got here before you, therefore this land belongs to me!"?  In the USA, the often used vitriol, "go back to where you came from", is intrinsically invalid and rather stupid.  If we consider our available documented history, then almost everyone in the US should leave and only a few remaining Native American people were allowed to remain.

Maybe John Lennon had the right idea: "Imagine there's no countries...imagine all the people living life in peace."

Plane spotting

I love airplanes/airports and aviation in general. When I was young, I used to look forward to going to the airport. For some reason, watching airplanes taking off and landing never bored me. Too bad now that flying is not fun any more. The security issues and having to fly in cramped economy class have turned flying into an act of absolute torture. Still, a sight of a big jet in action still fascinates me. If you want to see cool pictures of airplanes and airports, this website has tons of pictures sent in by people who I guess have the same freakish fascination like me. The above picture is one of many taken at the St. Maarten Airport where the runway is so close to the beach that you can see the landing jet up close. (really close). Another airport which gives you amazing views is the former Hong Kong Airport (Kai Tak) which is right in the middle of the city on Kowloon side. (you can search for pics by choosing the airport). I remember flying in and out of that airport as a yound kid. It was so much fun and scary at the same time.

And for those of you who have a morbid desire to see the same stuff in a less beautiful protrayal, then check out the "plane crash website".

Geeky Cool--The new Apple Store, NYC

I went by the new Apple Store last Friday after work (5th Avenue and 59th Street) hoping to get a glimpse of the cool new store by showing up 30 minutes before opening. Boy, was I wrong! There were several hundred people waiting in line to get in. The rumor was that U2 would be performing live. I do like the new exterior. It must look even nicer at night. I just hope that someone cleans it regularly so the NYC dust and grime won't turn it into a black box. 

Are we safe in NYC?

I have always been interested in sociology. It is fascinating to see how people in different areas interact and the statistics derived from sociology studies can be surprising. This NY Times article talks about the patterns of murders in NY area and presents us with charts and interactive Google map showing where murders happened in 2003-2005. (check out how many people got killed around the block where you live!) People say New York City is actually a safe place to live as most killings happen to people who know each other and who live in socioeconomically depressed areas. This is somewhat reassuring but I'd love to see comparative stats between NYC and others like SF, Chicago, Tokyo London, etc.

Ultimate virtual idiot box

I came across this neat little gadget recently called, Slingbox. It came out months ago and has gotten good reviews and seems to be doing things the advertisement says it does. Basically you hook it up to your TV signal (cable or DISH or whatever video signal) and link it to the internet via your router or cable modem, install the software on your laptop, desktop, or any portable phone/PDA with MS Windows mobile. When you are away from home, anywhere around the world, you can virtually "sling" your cable TV signal from home to your portable device, as long as you have broadband access. The thing costs about $200, no monthly fee!! The MAC OS version is on its way.

For those who are addicted to TV, this could be potentially dangerous!! Your work productivity may go to shit....

Getting wet can be so good and fun!

There is an interesting festival in Southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Laos), called Songkran Festival which occurs every April and has traditionally been considered the "New Year" celebration. What comes with this is plenty of water. The original purpose is for "purification" of the body and soul. Water is poured on Buddha figures and respected senior members of the family and society. People would return home to be with their families (kind of like Christmas Holidays for the West.) For some reason, the use of water in "water fight" has also become the favorite pastime of natives and tourists alike which is a welcome relief in the hottest month of the year. One can expect to get drenched going outside by any strangers. People would clog the streets to throw water at each other. Adults and kids get on water trucks to go around the city and throw water at other trucks and pedestrians. The festival lasts about 3 days but may last up to a week in certain areas.

Yummy smoothie

I had an earlier post about my failed trip to TenRen Tea Time. Last weekend I went there again and this time there was no line. I got a bag of green tea powder (about $10 for dozens of doses). Once I got home I made myself a green tea smoothie which is really easy and so delish!! Go ahead and try...

Recipe for green tea smoothie:

3 cups or so of ice cubes
1 teaspoon of green tea powder
1-2 tablespoons of syrup or honey (or 2 "squeezes" from honey bear)
1/2 cup or so of evaporated milk (or use milk---whatever fat % you like)
Dissolve the powder and honey in milk (adding a little water may help)
Pour everything in the blender--use high speed till well blended.

Let me know how you like it! The only thing I have to do is find where to buy those gooey tapioca balls and make a real "bubble tea".

a movie that grips me

I got a copy of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind months ago but just came around to watch it last night. It's a kind of movie that the preview totally fails the movie itself. When I saw the trailer in a theater when it came out, I thought this was a silly sci-fi romantic comedy bullshit and put the DVD on my shelf for several months. To my pleasant surprise, this collaboration of Charlie Kaufman (who wrote Adaptation and Being John Malkovich-movies I like but not love) and Michel Gondry (who made several music videos by Massive Attack, Bjork, and others) ranks way up there on my favorite movie list. Aside from the fantasy aspects of the memory-machine gizmo and whacked-out brain MRI images used in the movie (I do allow some "scientific license" here), the movie is pretty close to perfect. It is perfectly casted, well acted, with great direction and cinematography and the story telling is really crafty. For those who are (or have ever been) in love, you will see both the beautiful and ugly truths of any relationship. Ultimately true love just cannot be denied and it is healthier to hold on to the positive images of your past love than to dwell on the negative ones. (sorry for this sappy posting-but that is my interpretation of the movie.) I read somewhere that Gondry has also done the Dave Chapelle Block Party which is showing now in NYC. Let me know if anyone has seen it.

Lost in translation (or rost in tlansration?)

You probably have seen many unintentionally hilarious signs and labels from foreign countries (mostly Japan and China.) Most of them are out right silly and confusing but a few can actually be profound. My personal experiences were signs in restaurants (banana "spit" and "fired" oyster.) The NY Times recently talked about this website. Check out the photos and comments. Some examples here.

Crouching Britney, Hidden agenda???

I stumbled upon this article today on the controversial sculptor and his new piece, to be displayed in Billyburg this April. Although I have not seen it in the flesh, this odd looking piece of sculpture stirs up a mixture of emotions in me. There is also the issue of "prolife" message supposedly attached to this thing. For some reason I just cannot see Britney Spears as a model or inspiration for a sculpture related to childbirth (especially in that weird crouching pose.) And regardless of where you stand in the prolife vs prochoice issue, I can't help wondering what the real motive of the sculptor is. But as they say, controversy makes art interesting.

Sound investment advice

Getting a bad advice from someone and being totally retarded, I bought Krispy Kreme stocks a while ago. Now that money has evaporated into thin air. Although the sum was only a tiny fraction of my total (meager) investments, I can't help feeling sorry for myself and millions of people out there who lost money on the stock market. Then I got this note from a friend of mine:

"If you had bought $1000.00 worth of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00. With Enron, you would have $16.50 of the original $1,000.00. With Worldcom, you would have less than $5.00 left. If you had bought $1,000.00 worth of Budweiser (the beer, not the stock) one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the 10-cent deposit, you would have $214.00. Based on the above, my current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle."

Drink up, fellas!

Sexy guy on HDTV

I'm a big fan of Jeremy Piven. So when I saw that the Discovery Channel is doing a 2-episode series on India, I was satisfied in so many ways. For those of you who are lucky enough to have a hi-def TV set, you know that the Discovery HD programs are of very high quality and look great on an HD monitor. (happy fact #1: audio-visual freak in me rejoice!) Traveling to exotic places has always been my favorite activity, and India is certainly tough to beat for its rich cultural and historical features. (happy fact #2: good travel TV documentary program). And if you know who the Pivster is, this program should be interesting. Besides he's so damn hot!! (very happy fact #3: hot dude on HDTV). Set your telly to Discovery Ch. on Saturday April 1st @ 8pm and enjoy. Or catch him on the Entourage on HBO. His role of the sleazy yet sexy Hollywood agent, Ari Gold, is right on.

Asian (not so ancient) secret and other peculiarities

If you are in Chinatown in any city, you will probably see a bubble tea shop which is all the rage among young and hip Asians. This weekend I trekked to NYC Chinatown and headed to TenRenteatime to get my favorite green tea smoothie and found about 20 people waiting in line for bubble tea(tea-based beverage with any flavor of your choice and chewy tapioca balls at the bottom.) This pissed me off to no end as good things can never be kept a secret. (I know, I'm selfish that way). So Chris and I headed to Grand Street for my second favorite tea shop, Quickly's tea and noticed the unintentionally funny sign (like in many Asian signs and logos). You have to be "quick" to go there becuase of the impossibly short store hours. (it actually says 10am-11pm in very small print.)

My debut

Hello again,

After years of curiosity and just plain laziness, I've managed to put together my own blog, with encouragement and guidance from my good buddy, Robocub. (Thanks, E!--you now have introduced me to a new hobby which will no doubt make me procrastinate even more). This is a blog where I like to share my experiences, opinions, or just to simply journal my routine existence, vent/blow of some steam. It is not meant to be judgmental or insulting to anyone (I'm sure it will be politically incorrect at times). It is still a work in progress. I'll be adding more stuff (pics, sounds, and hopefully some worthy literary material) soon as time allows and my pathetic blog writing skills improve. Any help and suggestions in this regard will be most welcome.

Greetings

Hello! Welcome to my new blog. This is a work in progress--check back later for more stuff.