Rough Trade

funny little frog belle and sebastian happy song of the week

I love young couples (and their children)! They are adorable. There's something about their selflessness in setting aside whatever youthful pursuits and dreams they possess to care for a very needy and selfish person that is very, very admirable. It's difficult for me to think about my parents when they were at this stage .. the human life cycle is so fascinating, in terms of attitudes and acquisition of life knowledge as one passes through its stages. Sometimes I agree with the statement below, but I know there is reason behind the created order.

Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.
- George Bernard Shaw

Like everyone else my age and below, I don't know what I want to do. Color schemes really perk my interest. The ideas are there, but the means of transferring to the concrete form is not. Really, art seems so gratuitous in the face of the injustices of this world. Could I focus my working energies on creating instead of caring, and be OK with that?

This weekend has been a whirlwind of meeting many people in the church. It's great in that fellowship is fostered, but I must be careful not to put my need to belong above my need to serve. For some reason, yesterday my tense grip on my time and resources were relaxed and I was able to give some of that away. What scared me in the end was that it pointed me to the call to love the unlovely, something that I have absolutely no inclination to do. And what about terrible hardships that are to come? It is beyond my imagination.

Valentine Olivetti, bye

About last week, I was really looking into purchasing a vintage typewriter, but the more I think about it, the more I realize how little good it would do a 21st century middle classer like me. You know, give me enough time and I can learn the ins and outs of nearly anything you can convince me that I am interested in. For example, from not paying attention in stat lab, I now know that the Remington No. 5 is the run-of-the-mill antique typewriter, it's pretty common; the Valentine Olivetti, it is all red and one was going on eBay for $9.99, is a relic of fine Italian design and is displayed in the MoMA; and then 50's teal, white and red make a great word processor color scheme. But it's useless if I can't save my work, even if I do get neat ink marks to smudge up my school papers. I didn't choose to be a slave to technology, but it is one of our age's captivating masters.

I am writing a research proposal for a class investigating the effects of the model minority stereotype on "Asian Americans." Being an Asian American myself, I've been wondering about that lately. It's different from most stereotypes in that it serves as an advantage to a group .. or does it? Other topics I had in the brainstorm basket were associated with why the Church lacks so much in mercy ministry when caring for "the orphans and widows" is a Biblical command. Or is it a thinly veiled attempt to evade the issue of why I don't actively assist the poor and needy? And then I wanted to insert a personal rant about how men are still valued more for achievement and women for physical appearance. But she made me elaborate: for example, you will rarely see an ugly woman on TV, but it's not weird to see ugly men playing large roles in shows, and then they are either real witty or humorous. But then what defines "ugly"? the media? Ug, too convoluted for my undergraduate mind. Thought for food.

Yum-de-dum! Here are my latest splurges on body products:
Kiss My Face Olive Oil and Aloe Soap
"It's like candy in a bottle"
Burts Bees Honey Lip Balm
"It's like smearing honey on me puckers."

Listening to: Belle & Sebastian "The Life Pursuit"
Here's one of my favs, Sukie in the Graveyard. I'm not advocating illegal d/ling, so stream it here.

Ha! I've recently begun to leave single spaces after each sentence, instead of double. According to graphic designer and tutorial writer R. Williams, two spaces is tacky and juvenile. Even though it makes you have to write a few more sentences to meet a required length, that's ok because it looks more professional that way.

Today's outfit, each piece so common that I could easily find images of them online.


























Alright, time to head home, perhaps to snuggle in my PUNDLE! Aww.

I don't love you, I'm letting you go

Few food items annoy me more than traditional "trail mix," which tends to be infested with cheap-ass peanuts and raisins. Considering that, it's also ridiculously pricey. Who really likes consuming a pairing of snacks so bland, and yet so calorific? Raisins are great in raisin bread and peanuts in peanut butter, but when standing alone, keep that crap away from me. Friends, it's OK to think about what you are eating and why. Yesterday, I purchased a small bag of "Cherry Delite trail mix" from Wheatsville Co-op, and seven dried cherries and fifteen white chocolate chips later, I was left with a hefty bag of dusty peanuts and deceptively giant raisins.

The solution: Make your own trail mix! I made some last year and posted the recipe on Website #4 (archive), but here it is again. The ingredients aren't cheap, but you gotta stop paying them to feed you inferior.

Suggested bulk items for Upper Middle Class Tasteless-Crap-Free Trail Mix:

1 Roasted Cashews
2 Dried Bing Cherries
3 Pine Nuts
4 Yogurt Raisins
5 Pistachios
6 Banana Chips

Banana Party

A painted tin box with hair.
A (not from China) hat made out of woven hair.
Attempted straightened curly hair.
A sleeping Socrates left on my new sleeping pad some cat hair.

OK Sarah, I will update.
I like my new major, but it's also rapidly reshaping my worldview. Not surprising. Few people think before adopting certain beliefs about the world. I expected to be behind in my classes, since I have little knowledge of how things really are, but it hasn't been the case. If anything, one thing I've realized that nothing is simple. How to eradicate racism? We learned that race is a social construction - biology has nothing to do with it. True knowledge, who knows it? How to fix the education system? You cannot achieve anything you put your mind to, that is the White idea of meritocracy. If you are Black in America, the cards are stacked against you. That I was one of the few students "chosen" to succeed in the educational system exposes a hidden privilege I've enjoyed all my life. I don't pretend to know what it's like on the other end ... Even though I'm not White, the stereoype of Asian Americans being the "model minority" has padded me from any real threat of failure. Why do human beings place so much significance on phenotypical traits?

It weirds me out a bit to talk about societal problems, when we ourselves are the problem. Does it not make Whites uncomfortable to talk about racism and discrimination? Sure it does. But I guess awkwardness is a small price to pay for improvement.

A few days ago I got a position at KAB as an the Environmental Education Intern. KAB stands for Keep Austin Beautiful, a non-profit organization in Austin that focuses on cleanup, beautification and education. It's the perfect job for me, as I am new to the whole networking/professionalism thing, and for the interview, I walked into a small office with papers everywhere, spoke less than five sentences and secured the position. It shouldn't be too difficult putting together a booklet for kids with facts about litter and fun activities. I am looking forward to getting an idea of what it's like to work as a professional advocate.. need overwhelms our world.

I love me a Japanese clown! No, I don't. Ethnocentrism is annoying isn't it? Who decided that eating large insects, kittens and chicken feet were gross? Oh, well, if America deems it uncivilized and nasty, then without a doubt it most certainly is. Please, let's learn how to understand each other. And, it really makes one wonder how long it will be before the US is stripped of its superpower status.

For a homework assignment in Intro, I gotta violate a social norm and then write a paper on it. Even if this doesn't shock or disturb too many Austinites, I would like to eat a meal of noodles (or soup!) with my hands. I bet hands really work better than stiff utensils anyway. And if I had an iron, I'd walk around campus carrying it in my arms. Did you know that in Europe, pelting each other with dog feces used to be considered festive, not rude?