So, I just spent the last few hours browsing various facts about Tibet. To sum up: the media hates on China because they have no fucking clue about its history and politics. Also, Chinese people seem to be completely ignorant of the plight of the Tibetan people.
How its going down:
- The media abuses the image of a "suffering Tibet" to express its hate of a socialist demon (China). This is obvious in the fact that they are protesting the Olympics (the fuck do sports have to do with fucking Tibet? I'll give you a clue... nothing).
- Chinese people are hating on the haters (I think people call this the "cycle of hate") because they, and Chinese-Americans especially, feel like the hate in the media is a manifestation of some sort of anti-Chinese racism.
- The Dalai Lama, in actuality a pretty smart and nice dude (he's no Gandhi though, he aint crazy), is telling people not to protest the Olympics or to be violent and is trying to bring about a very practical solution.
- Meanwhile, the Chinese don't give a flying fuck about Tibet, especially Chinese-Americans who are too busy stroking their egos and penises. Wake up and smell the coffee Chinese-Americans, you constantly hate on your own race and your organization blows, why do you think people walk all over you? Maybe you should just suck it up and realize the Tibetans have it much worse.
- The Western critics are retarded also. All they do is idolize the Dalai Lama and hug him saying dumb shit in really serious tones like "the world knows the truth, your holiness, the world knows," to thunderous applause. Ten minutes later they are criticizing China for "human rights" violations that have fuck all to do with the so-called "oppression of Buddhist tradition" in Tibet. Wake the fuck up too you noobs, do you know what its called when a group of religous monks run a country? It's called THEOCRACY you dumb fucks, maybe you should remove your stereotype of the Chinese government as a Communist devil and at least take a hard look at the facts (just as the Chinese should).
Since the coverage of the event is so one-sided, I'm including a video for China's side. I tend to agree with the French senator, but don't lump me in with those fake-ass Chinese people who don't give a fuck about other people's suffering but only about their own pride:
Anyways, all of this and the other shit going on just makes me ask the question: Where is the love? I'm feeling the love from 'Da Lama' and sendin it right back but... come on... I just wanna know...
What's wrong with the world, mama People livin' like they ain't got no mamas I think the whole world addicted to the drama Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism But we still got terrorists here livin' In the USA, the big CIA The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK But if you only have love for your own race Then you only leave space to discriminate And to discriminate only generates hate And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah Madness is what you demonstrate And that's exactly how anger works and operates Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight Take control of your mind and meditate Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all
People killin', people dyin' Children hurt and you hear them cryin' Can you practice what you preach And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us Send some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (The love) Where is the love (The love) Where is the love The love, the love
It just ain't the same, always unchanged New days are strange, is the world insane If love and peace is so strong Why are there pieces of love that don't belong Nations droppin' bombs Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug If you never know truth then you never know love Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know) Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know) Where's the love, y'all
People killin', people dyin' Children hurt and you hear them cryin' Can you practice what you preach And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us Send some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (The love) Where is the love (The love) Where is the love (The love) Where is the love (The love) Where is the love, the love, the love?
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder Most of us only care about money makin' Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction Wrong information always shown by the media Negative images is the main criteria Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity Whatever happened to the fairness in equality Instead of spreading love we're spreading animosity Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found Now ask yourself
Where is the love? Where is the love? Where is the love? Where is the love?
Father, Father, Father help us Send some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love?
Sing wit me y'all: One world, one world (We only got) One world, one world (That's all we got) One world, one world And something's wrong wit it (Yeah) Something's wrong wit it (Yeah) Something's wrong wit the wo-wo-world, yeah We only got (One world, one world) That's all we got (One world, one world)
For the last two weeks I have been a complete waste of life. All I do is watch endless amounts of asian movies, MMA videos, Korean Starcraft videos and partake in all sorts of tomfoolery on weekends.
That being said this week I've actually gotten a start on a few things. As always, a list: 1. Finally working with "main dev team" at CHNM, doing one of several design mock-ups that will be chosen and implemented for a new website. 2. Books arrived for GMAT study... anyone out there taken the GMAT, gone to business school, or have any advice on these kinds of things? 3. Researched a lot of business schools with MBA degrees with global concentration. Will be trying to get into a really good program with large foreign student populations. This is gonna be tough for me as my GPA is far from outstanding, and of course I have no professional management experience. I do, however, have lots of work experience, some loosely acceptable management experience (go Neoshock references hah!), a solid and easily obtainable recommendation letter from the GMU History dep chair, and (fingers crossed), academically published status as an undergrad! 4. Thought a little about that paper which I need to work really hard on to get published... 5. Sent my good vibes out for Obama and the people's revolution
...and to think Hard Gay was still wildly popular at the beginning of this year! I haven't heard or seen him for a while now, I guess he is no longer in style :(
Anyways, as is becoming the custom, this lengthy LJ post will chronicle the changes in my life over the past year and also make an attempt at identifying the direction of my momentum going into the new year, in all the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual senses. To be honest, I haven't gotten a chance to write for leisure for a while now so I'm actually quite excited to be writing this post! Anyways, lets get on to it...
Academics / The Past Semester Over the semester I've been writing essays like a madman and totally nerding it up. For the first time in my life I was (actually) a good student this semester. The good news is that it paid off, with my one professor recommending to me that I could get my paper published in an academic journal if I work hard on it next semester!! I queried some female friends and the verdict is in on being published academically: doesn't get girls hot. Too bad, but if you are interested in the role of hip-hop youth culture in the former Yugoslavia, holla at me, hah!
Visit to Harvard I visited my childhood friend Alex in Boston recently. It was a very motivating experience for me just because it was nice to see an old friend. Chances are high that I will be on an adventure in the Amazon rain forest sometime this spring with my buddy and his girlfriend, so prepare to be amazed at some Planet-Earth photos... or to never hear from me again.
Post-Graduation Plans Well, I will be finishing up my last three classes next semester and then graduating. A lot of you are already way ahead of me so won't bore you with my tingly feelings of excitement about finally finishing. I am sorry to disappoint here but I still HAVE NOT decided on what I will be doing after graduation. Best-case-scenario for me at this point would be for me to go to China for the summer and party my face off, maybe hit up Korea and Japan along the way. Having accumulated a vast amount of credit card debt in this dream-scenario, I would then attend graduate school and get my MBA. Post-grad-school, I would then proceed to make big dollars doing international business in China, OR teaching english abroad while fucking around, OR opening up a bar in Beijing. Those are the possible plans of action as of now.
China, Again! My time spent in China definitely did not get the treatment it deserved in previous LJ posts. Certainly, an essay on cosmopolitanism in the constantly transforming 21st century was nice, but I definitely need to write here about my personal experience there.
As with my trip in 2005, I once again rediscovered what kind of person I can be when removed from my surroundings here in Virginia. I definitely had a great time and the words I would use to describe my time there can be along the lines of "transformative," "empowering," or "fucking awesome." The bottom line was that I had more fun this summer than perhaps any other time in my life. As in 2005, I was at one moment anxious about the adventure of traveling abroad, and then at the next finding myself more comfortable with myself and surroundings than I am at home. The difference this time around was that every aspect was intensified. From my exploration of my own identity as a Chinese-Canadian-American, to the ridiculous nights of drinking, dancing and generally partaking in all sorts of tomfoolery... the entire thing was a hell of a ride. I have some interesting stories if you are ever sharing a drink with me and want to hear. In case you didn't catch it... I broke my face while biking on the ancient wall of Xian, thats one good story.
Anyways, its undeniable that I'm a lot cooler in Beijing than I am in NOVA, this is just reality. Also like in 2005, since returning home I have definitely lost a lot of the energy that I had while abroad, but I think I understand it better now. Previously I had used my experience to motivate me and inspire me to try harder in life, but this time around I don't feel the same pressure to try harder. I think I had such a good time in China this time that I've become entirely comfortable with myself, and no longer feel the need to prove myself (or maybe I'm just lazy). I think basically what I realized is that, just because not many people around appreciate you for who you are, doesn't mean that there aren't (a lot) of people out there who can/will. You might think that sounds cheesy and retarded, and if you do, fuck you! Fuck you because it's true, and there needs to be more cheesy, lubby dubby, shit out there thats true instead of hip, cool, fundamentally flawed and false shit.
What else... I want to thank my buddy Jeffrey Chen for being a great roomie who I did not hate even after spending almost every night sleeping in the same room as him for almost 3 months. Cheers mate! And to sum up my trip to China... I would say that while 2005 showed me what kind of man I could be, in 2007 I took very large steps towards becoming that man and I'm quite happy with my progress.
Revolutionary Philosophy My ideology concerning politics, government, clashes in culture, generation gaps, etc. is all coming together. In case you missed the last 10 links to Immortal Technique songs I posted, I am very into independent hip-hop that is socially conscious. My respect for law and order and those who enforce it has dramatically declined over the past year, and especially my sensitivity to soldiers who fight for fill-in-the-blank causes around the world. As I wrote this year: in this day and age, to be a pacifist, at least to a certain extent, is not to be a radical or an extremist, but it is simply being historically accurate while keeping your humanity in mind. All of my studies have led me to a very conclusive stance on war, on poverty, and on class struggle. I can and do call out people on bullshit when they speak now, I no longer hold a neutral, learning stance. This carries over to other things as well, including religion.
Goals I think I'm past goals to be honest. These days if I really want to do something I will just go ahead and do it. But, these sort of things are kind of like tradition for me so I will set some ridiculously impossible goals for myself... in 2008 I want to: - Find the girl of my dreams and make sweet love to her - Get filthy rich - Learn to actually play the piano - Be able to do over a hundred super-burpee sprawls in under a minute - Facilitate world peace - Have my Chinese at the same level as my English - Leave Northern Virginia behind for a beautiful land - Get an awesome tattoo and if not able to get it at least have it researched
Well, I think that suffices as a decent new years post. As always I strive to constantly improve myself and become a better person in every sense. I'm definitely far from being mature, but I feel like I can handle myself pretty well these days, and not just when jerking off you perverts. 2008 will surely bring some tremendous and welcomed change to my life, and I look forward to facing it head-on.
There was an article on Hiroshima/Nagasaki on hnn.us, which I posted a comment on. The comment ended up turning into an essay and captures my anti-war ideology, here it is:
Tip of the iceberg... (#112339) by Pin Wang on August 17, 2007 at 1:41 PM
Why put Hiroshima and Nagasaki into a historical ghetto like the holocaust already has been?
Note: This is actually three posts in one, just never posted. It's VERY long. Updating with pictures later as well.
It’s June 22nd: this is my second day in California. I’m lying on a grassy hill, trees around me, and the high rise architecture of down-town San Francisco peeking through the leaves. There is a clear blue sky above me, with sunshine warming my body and a cool breeze running through my hair. An open novel lies face-down on my chest, and sunglasses cover my closed eyes. Couples lie scattered around, relaxing and soaking up the sun. The shouts of a mob of small children tackling a teenager float through the air. I think to myself: “this is perfect.” Finally, I had escaped my little bubble life and entered the vast world.
The cold I had was seemingly cured for that moment, and I don’t think I have ever felt more relaxed.
Fast forward to a month ago: I’m sitting at a MacDonalds near my university in Beijing. I’m trying to take a break from the relatively intense lifestyle I’ve been living since I got here. Apparently MacDonalds is so packed here that people have to sit down at tables with other people already there, so I’m sitting at this table with a 7 year old girl and her mother standing beside us. This little girl is devouring what appears to be a giant burger with 3 meat patties. Meanwhile, the truth of the world is being revealed to me through Howard Zinn’s “A Power Governments Cannot Suppress,” and I can’t help but laugh a little on the inside at the seeming lack of connection between whats in front of me and whats in the book in my hands. Its deceiving because I know there IS a connection. Despite how they are generally taken for granted, the overarching trends of the world do have a very direct effect on what occurs in our day-to-day lives. Meeting people from all over the world, and once again being torn from the context of being a sub-urban asian-american college student in Fairfax county, this has become overwhelmingly clear to me.
This is what happens when you mix Chinese MacDonalds with Howard Zinn.
5 days ago: I’ve fallen in love again, this time with a city: Tokyo. I’m swept away by its beauty (not just the girls, although they are extraordinarily beautiful), its overly polite inhabitants, and its sheer density in terms of space, culture, and wealth. Traveling to Tokyo is like taking a trip to the future, where everything is cleaner, more convenient, and of higher quality. All of this is buttressed by a foundation of an extremely hard-working population (this is probably the only non-futuristic aspect of Tokyo, since you’d think people would work less in the future) that is unique in its ability to take any one thing and improve on it until it is better than anything else of its kind. I was relieved upon arrival to finally hear good music once again (the music industry in China blows, don’t get me started), and despite my inability to speak the language I felt at home as I quickly found others who shared the same passions as I do.
Right outside the Shibuya station, where the busiest street intersection in the world is, there is a small courtyard area called “Hachiko Plaza”. At the center of this plaza sits a statue of a dog. The story behind the statue goes something like this: once before, there was a professor at the University of Tokyo who rode the subway everyday. This professor had a dog named Hachiko, who saw him off to work and waited to greet him at Shibuya station every day throughout the man’s life. Even after the man’s death, the dog returned to the station at the time of his master’s arrival, and did so continuously for the next 11 years. The loyalty of Hachiko moved those who saw the dog every day, who fed him food and water, and eventually the loyalty of Hachiko became a national sensation (it’s a true story). The statue marks an extremely popular meeting spot for young people in Tokyo.
Right now: I’m sitting at work writing this post. I’m thinking about meeting friends at Hachiko in Shibuya and walking across the intersection in a sea of people. Walking across that street at night, I felt like I was at the center of the world. Although I know it’s not true, I feel like I couldn’t be farther from the center of the world right now. When I got back a few days ago it was like all the craziness of the past two months caught up with me, and I just slept and did nothing for a good two days. Sitting at work now, I’m munching on a protein bar in preparation for the gym later and easing back into my routine. I have a lot of debt (of the literal, credit card type) to pay and I know things are going to get relatively a lot less amazing for me starting right now. But I also know that this trip has inspired me to be a much better person and to work hard to attain the things I want, so I will do my best starting now!
P.S. My boss left a couple hours ago because his wife started having contractions. He seemed very happy for his third child but I was/am being very afraid for him. So here are my congratulations and good wishes for my boss Ammon Sheperd!
P.P.S. There is this kid here who mumbles, loudly, incoherent blurbs in our open office. Damn that’s annoying
First off, congrats to everyone who is graduating! I'm jealous of and scared for you at the same time. Either way, I'll be depending on you guys to pay for my restaurant bills!
On to the point, I've been singing a lot recently, like everyday. Don't misunderstand me though, I still suck, but I've been 'practicing' for a quite a while now. Some of you might remember my cover of Wonderwall from last year. I just posted a new cover of Tyrone Well's Sea Breeze (a lot of you have probably already been made to 'give feedback' on this song already haha) on my MySpace, and although my singing is still worlds away from my piano playing, it's been really fun.
[edit: just listened to it again, going to have to do another take tomorrow and repost... i sang this song way too much today...]
It's just funny to me how in high school my voice was so underused, I couldn't produce any falsetto and nobody could understand me because my voice was so deep and muted. Although its still the case that nobody understands me... I feel like my voice has gotten a lot stronger through singing, which actually comes through when I'm just talking to people on a day to day basis.
I hate the sensationalism of it. I hope someone corrects me here, but to me it seems people are less interested with the fact that 30+ people DIED, and more interested with the fact that a shooting took place on a university campus. Everyone is talking about it, but they aren't talking about the loss of life.
I mean, people fucking die everyday. Yes, what happened today was a tragedy, and yes, it was a senseless loss of life, but what kind of death makes sense? Honestly, what separates these hokies from civilian Iraqis or children in Darfur? Is it because they are wonderful students? Because they live in Virginia like us? Because they are good fucking Americans?
I'm guilty like everyone else. The first thing I did when I heard about the shooting was message Brian and ask "are you OK?" ... "thank god" ... "is everyone else I know ok?"
I guess it is only natural for us, who have friends and family at Virginia tech, to be concerned for the ones we love, but what about everyone else?
Even for us, however justified and naturally human it may be, how is it that we can disconnect ourselves from the greater world? Here we are playing fucking internet detective on an almost negligible 30 something deaths, we're suddenly consumed by it as if its of the utmost importance to know every stupid irrelevant detail...
Meanwhile, innocent people die all around the world... from a war against 'terrorism,' from the greed to exploit natural resources, from the legacies of western imperialism, and from poverty that could be erased in 5 years by a minuscule tax on ice cream in Germany or an even more minuscule tax on alcoholic drinks in the U.S.
So what is the difference, REALLY, between those people who die every day and these students? It's been bothering me all day...
Maybe you can give me an answer, maybe you can provide something I haven't thought of that will make sense, that will allow me to believe that human beings actually care for each other and we don't just pretend to.
V-Tech has received enough wishes and prayers, so mine go out to those innocent people all around the world who die every day, and whose deaths noone gives a flying fuck about.
If you keep up with my myspace updates, then you'll know that I just added a new improv track featuring yida on his new guitar (about 4 hours ago haha). Anyways, you can check it out hurr:
A while ago, Barack Obama visited the Mason campus for a rally. At the time I was angry at him because the crowd was blocking my way to the inconvenience store (I forgot to bring a protein bar and needed one), but now that I'm over it: here's a plug for my favorite candidate.
Check out the video at my buddy's website: masonunlimited.com, bringing you original video interviews of athletes and student leaders at Mason.
Before I get to the meat of this post, I want to show off my new music player. Not only is it extremely sexy, but it also downloads lyrics automatically from the internet and shows them. Jealous? You better be, I spent way too much time setting it up…
My host upgraded dramatically, so now my package includes 200GB of space and 2000GB of bandwidth a month. I guess web space is not as useful these days, but if you need any... just let me know.
If you have the time, read this piece by Howard Zinn. He is one of my favorite writers, and if you read this you will get a taste of the kind of history I like.
To anyone who had to read my last post before I took it down: I apologize. My customary post of self-motivating inspiration and passion following the new year was hamstrung by a heaping helping of self-criticism... and ended in failure. Reading it a week later, I decided the bullshit contained in that post was an embarrassment to my otherwise perfectly mediocre journal. ( Sad story )
Beating my former record, I've made about 8 pounds in the last month, putting me squarely back where I left off half a year ago. The secret this time around? A measure of consistency and protein shakes. But not just ordinary protein shakes, I've been drinking MRPs, or Meal Replacement Shakes. If you are at all interested in this option, here's how to go about it:( MRP Directions ) Now, this shake has 30g protein, 60g carbs + however much milk you put in. Drink 3 of these a day, combined with peanut butter toast and avocados for EFAs, and you are virtually guaranteed large weight gains. And don't forget to lift.
Moving on. My desire/need to keep busy has led me to (re)discover guitar. ( Guitar Rant )My main inspiration in learning and practicing every day is this guy right here:
JerryC, he's the bomb. Taiwanese people... please make Jerry C come out with an album, and I will consider the possibility of your independence. But seriously, it's enough to say that I am falling fast in love with this instrument.
Finally, in relieving news, Mirko "Cro Cop" (an ex-Croatian-anti-terrorism commando turned star MMA fighter, who while not KO-ing bitches in the ring has a seat in the Croatian parliament) made his debut in the UFC on Saturday night. ( Mirko owning it up )
To sum things up: I'm somewhat depressed at the moment but still happy about at least a couple things in life. For some reason I am very disappointed in myself. Mostly, I think I am disappointed in the way I interact with others. I'd like to think I'm a nicer, more sociable, respectful and genuine kind of guy, but I also think I have a long way to go. Some people say that not everyone has to be so social and can be introverted, but I truly believe that you are defined by your relationships with others. As Bruce Lee said: "To study oneself is to study oneself in action with others."
Anyways, off to deal with this cold, till next time, Cheers, -Pin
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