Posted 11:35 PM by Blah blah

Sam Magazine (Media)

Starting today, I'm the managing editor for Sam Magazine, an Asian men's magazine. (Think sexy Asian girl pictures, or an Asian Maxim.) Each month we'll have a new Asian model on the cover. Most of these girls are from the Bay Area.

We won't publish the first print issue till next year. In the meantime, enjoy our website. Please send me (and Sam) comments on it!

I haven't done much yet. I'm gonna try to spice up the writing and articles. I'll also help with some web development. I know Sam (the founder) through Gap, a guy who works for a congresswoman here. Gap is head of the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club. He had been a guest on my political TV talk show, and he'd invited me to practice with the Stanford Taekwondo Club.

Sam takes stunning photos. Check out our site for a sample! Will women enjoy the magazine too? I certainly think so, especially since whenever I've linked to girls' pics here, it's the girls who keep urging me to post more girl pics!

Both Sam and Gap are Korean, and Sam had thought I was Korean too. Ha! People have also thought that I was Japanese or from Hong Kong.

Posted 9:05 PM by Blah blah

I Can't Republish Old Pages

For anyone who has found errors in my old writing, I unfortunately cannot republish my old pages now. Blogger has been unable to publish my blog archives for at least a week. Very frustrating. As soon as it works again, I will republish corrected entries. I apologize for that.

Posted 8:34 PM by Blah blah

Who Reads This Blog Regularly? (Blogging)

Honestly, some of you are so quiet I have no clue sometimes. Blogging is weird in that unlike TV, I can watch you while you watch me. Here's my little tongue-in-cheek survey:

1. Sheer numbers of readers have gone down, after China blocked Blogspot and those people looking for "chocolate pudding" + "Asian boy" have given up. Military hits have dropped. However, the numbers of people coming to this page SPECIFICALLY have gone up.

2. Bisexual women seem to like this blog. At least four of them I've talked to, plus one lesbian, read it. Is it the androgynous vibe of my brain?

3. The women who read this blog seem to fall into two unusual categories. One group are goody goody churchgoers. Another group are slightly "naughty" girls who like porn. (I'm not saying who!) And I'm sure at least some fall into BOTH categories! Back when I played more the "male Oprah," the readers were mostly women. Now that I've gone into more "dry" subjects like politics, the audience of men has grown.

4. Most people come from the West Coast (Bay Area, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix) and East Coast (i.e. New York, Washington D.C., New England, and Florida). Increasing numbers from the Midwest (Chicago and Indiana). At least a few come from Vienna, London, Paris, and Germany, plus the rest mainly come from Asia (Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia, Bangkok, Malaysia, and Singapore). A few Canadians---"sweet, 'ay?"

5. Universities: certain people (who never identify themselves) come from the U. of Washington, Northwestern University, and San Francisco State. Speak up, for heaven's sake!

6. Someone keeps returning from Paypal, from Speakeasy.net, from the California State Board of Equalization, and from the City of San Jose. All from the Bay Area. You know who you are. :p Break down that wall and say hi! I mean it. Are you my grandma or what?

7. Bloggers I know (sorry if I left you out accidentally): Cheshire, Christine, Dave, Eric, Paz, Pjammer, Raven, Sandy, Sordidfairytale, Alaysia, Belle, Ellen, Ina, Jo, Mira, Val, Elen, Christine, Duke, Fred, Jane, Thea, Tira, Ken, Danny, Kiki, Esther, Mark, and Peggy.

8. Other readers: my cousin Isabelle (who's a reporter in Florida now), Patrick, his friend Adrian, Chad, Moorthi, SM, someone from Houston (Birch.net), people I've met socially recently, friends who don't want to talk to me again, stalkers, shy people. And possibly my grandma. Nah! Do my parents read this? Honestly, if my parents ever discovered my blog, they'd fall asleep within five minutes. That's how tuned in they are to me and my writing. Ha!

9. Coolest hit this week: someone from the British Parliament.

To those who have never said hi to me, I don't bite. In fact, I take off my dentures when I blog (just kidding). There is no excuse for you to not say hi to me, unless I've wasted mounds of your time while you're supposed to be doing something more important, like WORK. Then that's between you and your boss.

Another thing. Some of you bloggers write very private stuff and constantly worry if your mailman, who may be looking you up and down in a strange but perverse way today, has just read about your sexual tryst with your best friend last night. You know how I throw off all readers who may know me personally but who might be getting too close to my (limited) info about my exes, my lovehandles, my embarrassing episode from 4th grade, etc?

I write about politics. About business. About the NEWS. Yep, that's Raymond's Weapon of Mass Distraction. Ha!

Ok, enough nonsense. Now I'm firmly back to my goal of boring you to death.

Posted 12:49 PM by Blah blah

Bush Cartoon (Humor)

Pow! Adam Felber, whom I consider the funniest blogger about current events, does a zinger with this comic about Bush. Ha!

Posted 11:28 AM by Blah blah

Rollerblading This Sunday, 10 am, with Me? (Sports)

As you know, every Sunday morning at 10 am, I take rollerblading lessons from Patrick in Mountain View. For this Sunday, I've made it a social event for people I know through this social site called MixerMixer, which has a heavy fraction of people from the South Bay.

If anyone is interested, you're welcome to join us this Sunday (and every Sunday morning afterwards)!

Here's the skating event I just created.

You may sign up online here. First lesson is free!

If you just want to say hi to me, it's fine too. Please come by. After skating from about 10 am-noon, we may go to Shoreline Park and skate for at least another two hours. Wear sunblock! I got slightly toasted a few weeks ago.

Posted 10:13 AM by Blah blah

Adrian's Poems

By Adrian, a friend of Patrick's. He just started reading this blog regularly.

Poem 1:

I am letting my beard grow.
It is coming in the color of silver.

And as I stare in the mirror I see each silver hair transformed
Into the silver chinks of an armor
Or perhaps the orderly rows of scales of an ancient fish,
Each scale growing ever so slowly
Growing to cover an imperfection, a sin,
One perhaps I committed, one perhaps against me.

Slowly, ever so slowly I am transformed into a living armored fish,
Cold and impervious to the outside world.

Soon all that is left of me,
Of my true face, are two blue eyes staring incongruously
Out of a mass of silver scales,
The only part alive.

Each scale bears an inscription,
Each notes a long forgotten or never forgotten jab at my heart.

I blink one last time,
Perfectly blue eyes outlined by silver scales
Closing in like the diaphragm of a lens.

Then it’s dark.

Poem 2:

I want to take my camera out on the street
And flash it in your face.

I want to stop you, every stranger that takes my fancy,
Stop you in your tracks in silver.

I want to scream, holding the finished product,
Here! Here you are! Here IT is!

Details, details, I want to photograph the details
As time passes by.

I want to stop time,
I want to wrestle with the concept,
I want to rearrange silver molecules
In my fight with time.

But really, really,
What I really want to do is fight with me,
Fight with you being me and me being you,
And the whole Sartre and Camus thing.

That’s what I really want to do.

Posted 5:21 PM by Blah blah

Raymond's Cab Service (Humor)

Pjammer just called me today from the San Jose Airport, after coming from New York City. He'd just lost his ride and wondered if I'd take him to the Fremont BART station. I said sure and we had a good lunch together. He just came back from his conference in New York.

A few days ago, Patrick called me from the Oakland Airport, after coming from Chicago. He'd also lost his ride, for another reason, and wondered if I'd pick him up from the Fremont BART. We also had a good talk.

Tomorrow, I'm picking up The Hulk from the San Francisco Airport. He's flying in from Los Angeles after shooting his movie that comes out this Friday. Since he weighs at least 3,000 pounds, I'm asking him to sit on the trunk of my car so he'll fit. Contrary to the movie Hulk, the real Hulk doesn't have super-strength, eats lots of ice cream (green tea), and has a pot belly. Normally he's not a gym fanatic. He only worked out his body for the movie. In real-life the Hulk is shy, likes interior decorating (mainly green wallpaper), eats that green grass jelly Asian stuff, and has mostly gay friends. He also rarely gets angry. He became a Buddhist many years ago and suffers from "nice guy syndrome."

Who's next? I only drive people with websites.

Posted 10:05 PM by Blah blah

Scary Time for White-Collar Workers (Jobs)

This is scary and is exactly what has been happening in my world of software. I've seen a lot of companies (including my own) moving software work to engineers in India and China. How do we deal with this problem? For one thing, more and more people are abandoning computer science and software as a career.

Down and Out in White-Collar America: Professionals have never had a tougher time finding a job. It's not just the economy; the rules of the game are changing (Fortune):
______________
Increasingly, supereducated and highly paid workers are finding themselves traveling the same road their blue-collar peers took in the late '80s. Then, hardhats in places like Flint, Mich., and Pittsburgh were suffering from the triple threat of computerization, tech-led productivity gains, and the relocation of their jobs to offshore sites. Machines--or low-wage foreigners--could just as easily do their work.

The white-collar crowd was concerned, but they knew that those three forces would also help get the American economy humming. And they did. Now that trust has come back to haunt them. Technology has allowed companies to handle rising sales without adding manpower. Gains in productivity mean one white-collar worker can do the work that would have taken two or three of his peers to do ten years ago. All that has led to slower wage growth. Back in 2000 wages for professional and technical workers were growing by nearly 5% annually--today they're rising by less than 2% a year.

The scariest blue-collar parallel, however, is only just beginning to be felt in the white-collar world: overseas competition. Like automakers that moved production from Michigan to Mexico or textile firms that abandoned the Southeast for the Far East, service firms are now shifting jobs to cheaper locales like India and the Philippines. It's not just call centers anymore. Indian radiologists now analyze CT scans and chest X-rays for American patients in an office park in Bangalore, not far from where Ernst & Young has 200 accountants processing U.S. tax returns. E&Y's tax prep center in India is only 18 months old, but the company already has plans to double its size. Corporate America is quickly learning that a cubicle can be replicated overseas as easily as a shop floor can.

Posted 9:57 PM by Blah blah

How to Bypass Internet Censorship (Internet)

Speaking of governments blocking access to blogs, look at this:

HOWTO bypass Internet Censorship. China is STILL blocking access to Blogspot, dammit. My friends in China still can't read this site.

Posted 9:50 PM by Blah blah

Blogging Explodes in Iran (Blogs)

Prostitute diary tops Iran Web hit (CNN):
_________________
The diary of a former prostitute is one of the hottest Web sites in Iran, a strict Islamic society where the Internet is coveted for the access it gives users to a forbidden world....Iranian youths have launched 20,000 active Web logs, or "blogs,"...

In April, Sina Motallebi became the first blogger to be arrested in Iran where dozens of reformist journalists have been charged by hardline courts. He was freed on bail three weeks later but still faces undisclosed charges.

Women have been especially active bloggers, seizing the opportunity to speak out freely and anonymously on subjects such as dating and romance.

Besides popular political and news sites, half of the 10 most visited Persian blogs are about sex, according to figures from a service providing statistics on Web usage.

"Blogs show us a new generation . . . that is self-expressive, tolerant and individualistic," said Hossein Derakhshan, a Toronto-based veteran Iranian blogger.

Posted 4:12 PM by Blah blah

Dead Body Blog (Forensic Medicine)

Uggh! This new blog gives me the chills. Read

Autopsy Report, about "experiences as an intern for the medical examiner." CSI in real-life. I quote from June 17:

"Today I saw some of the more gruesome things that I have seen so far. The first involved a man that had been drinking and then met up with a bunch of trees in his car. The accident subsequently turned into a human barbeque (MMmmmm BBQ -I couldn't resist that one). He reminded of times when I have left chicken on the grill for too long. He was burnt to a crisp. He was blackened from head to toe. They are going to need dental records to identify this chap. It was interesting to see how they are able to determine if he died before he burned or if he burned alive (luckily for him, this guy died before being burnt). If he had elevated levels of carbon monoxide in his blood, that would suggest that he was alive while burning. They also look at the lungs to see if there is a large amount of soot to suggest that he aspirated smoke. Then came the ever enjoyable task of sewing this roast turkey up, which of course I had the honor of doing. Most of the time, the skin is flexible and fairly elastic. However, not this guy. The fact that his skin was burnt made it kind of brittle. It was very difficult to sew.

Then we had the homicide/suicide. This fella decided to shoot his ex-wife in the chest followed by a shot to the head before swallowing one for himself. The chest shot did not kill her, but was plenty to knock her down. The damage was done by a shot to the head, which basically exploded the back of her skull into pieces. He then put the shotgun to his mouth and pointed up. This basically exploded his entire head. At a quick glance it looks like he is decapitated, but upon further inspection you can see the lower jaw mixed in with the bloody mess of a neck.

Then we had the guy who was stabbed in his chest by his disgruntled wife. It was a pretty clear-cut case (pun intended). No findings that were too out of the ordinary with this one. Just a stab wound to the heart. The other cases we had were fairly straightfoward, such as the guy who thought it would be a good idea to take his sport motorcycle out for a spin at 110 mph. I guess it wasn't such a good idea after all. As I mentioned before, we have a bunch of cases waiting for us tomorrow. Until then, wait in suspense."

He also notes that HBO makes a series about forensics, called Autopsy. Fascinating site.

If you want more blood and gore, read Crime Library, my favorite site about gruesome stories of famous crimes. It's really addictive.

Posted 3:53 PM by Blah blah

The A-List Bloggers (Humor)

Ha! This page parodies some of the most popular bloggers on the Net: Simple Guide to the A-List Bloggers. Pjammer, you'll love this.

Posted 2:39 PM by Blah blah

Former Bush Counterterrorism Aide Resigns, Now Helping Democrat Sen. John Kerry (Terrorism)

Is Bush harming the war on terror?

Former Aide Takes Aim at War on Terror (Washington Post):
______________
[Rand] Beers's resignation surprised Washington, but what he did next was even more astounding. Eight weeks after leaving the Bush White House, he volunteered as national security adviser for Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), a Democratic candidate for president, in a campaign to oust his former boss. All of which points to a question: What does this intelligence insider know?

"The administration wasn't matching its deeds to its words in the war on terrorism. They're making us less secure, not more secure," said Beers, who until now has remained largely silent about leaving his National Security Council job as special assistant to the president for combating terrorism. "As an insider, I saw the things that weren't being done. And the longer I sat and watched, the more concerned I became, until I got up and walked out."...

Part of that stemmed from his frustration with the culture of the White House. He was loath to discuss it. His wife, Bonnie, a school administrator, was not: "It's a very closed, small, controlled group. This is an administration that determines what it thinks and then sets about to prove it. There's almost a religious kind of certainty. There's no curiosity about opposing points of view. It's very scary. There's kind of a ghost agenda."

More by Princeton economist Paul Krugman: Dereliction of Duty (NY Times). (Krugman's website.)

Posted 2:22 PM by Blah blah

N. Korea Threatens War Throughout Asia-Pacific (Politics)

VERY SCARY. Bush people, please step back from your usual brinksmanship! We must calm this baby down.

N. Korea: Blockade means war (CNN):
______________
North Korea is warning that any U.S.-led blockade against it could spark an "all out" war that would engulf much of the surrounding region, including Japan.

A statement published in state-run media Tuesday warned that retaliation could include "all possible means and ways a sovereign state can take," adding that any such action would be "limitless."

"Nobody can vouch that this blockade operation will not lead to such a serious development as an all-out war," the statement went on.

The stark warning comes after the United States and its allies started cracking down on an alleged North Korean trade in illicit drugs and weapons....

Last week, after months of allegations, North Korea made what was seen as its first public confirmation that it possesses nuclear weapons and was willing to use them in response to threats posed by the United States.

Posted 10:15 AM by Blah blah

Libra C'est Moi: I Psychoanalyze Myself (Revealing)

I don't believe in astrology, but some of this description of Libra so captures me, what I wish to be, or what people have said about me. So I keep returning to it.

"Libra is the only inanimate sign of the zodiac, all the others representing either humans or animals. Many modern astrologers regard it as the most desirable of zodiacal types because it represents the zenith of the year, the high point of the seasons, when the harvest of all the hard work of the spring is reaped. There is a mellowness and sense of relaxation in the air as mankind enjoys the last of the summer sun and the fruits of his toil. Librans too are among the most civilized of the twelve zodiacal characters and are often good looking. They have elegance, charm and good taste, are naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty, harmony (both in music and social living) and the pleasures that these bring.

They have good critical faculty and are able to stand back and look impartially at matters which call for an impartial judgment to be made on them. But they do not tolerate argument from anyone who challenges their opinions, for once they have reached a conclusion, its truth seems to them self-evident; and among their faults is an impatience of criticism and a greed for approval. But their characters are on the whole balanced, diplomatic and even tempered.

Librans are sensitive to the needs of others and have the gift, sometimes to an almost psychic extent, of understanding the emotional needs of their companions and meeting them with their own innate optimism - they are the kind of people of whom it is said, 'They always make you feel better for having been with them.' They are very social human beings. They loathe cruelty, viciousness and vulgarity and detest conflict between people, so they do their best to cooperate and compromise with everyone around them, and their ideal for their own circle and for society as a whole is unity.

Their cast of mind is artistic rather than intellectual, though they are usually too moderate and well balanced to be avant garde in any artistic endeavor. They have good perception and observation and their critical ability, with which they are able to view their own efforts as well as those of others, gives their work integrity.

In their personal relationships they show understanding of the other person's point of view, trying to resolve any differences by compromise, and are often willing to allow claims against themselves to be settled to their own disadvantage rather than spoil a relationship. They like the opposite sex to the extent of promiscuity sometimes, and may indulge in romanticism bordering on sentimentality. Their marriages, however, stand a good chance of success because they are frequently the union of 'true minds.' The Libran's continuing kindness toward his or her partner mollifies any hurt the latter may feel if the two have had a tiff. Nor can the Libran's spouse often complain that he or she is not understood, for the Libran is usually the most empathetic of all the zodiacal types and the most ready to tolerate the beloved's failings.

The negative Libran character may show frivolity, flirtatiousness and shallowness. It can be changeable and indecisive, impatient of routine, colorlessly conventional and timid, easygoing to the point of inertia, seldom angry when circumstances demand a show of annoyance at least; and yet Librans can shock everyone around them with sudden storms of rage. Their love of pleasure may lead them into extravagance; Libran men can degenerate into reckless gamblers, and Libran women extravagant, jealous and careless about money sometimes squander their wealth and talents in their overenthusiasm for causes which they espouse. Both sexes can become great gossipers. A characteristic of the type is an insatiable curiosity that tempts them to enquire into every social scandal in their circle.

In their work the description 'lazy Libra' which is sometimes given is actually more alliterative than true. Librans can be surprisingly energetic, though it is true that they dislike coarse, dirty work. Although some are modestly content, others are extremely ambitious. With their dislike of extremes they make good diplomats but perhaps poor party politicians, for they are moderate in their opinions and able to see other points of view. They can succeed as administrators, lawyers (they have a strong sense of justice, which cynics might say could handicap them in a legal career), antique dealers, civil servants and bankers, for they are trustworthy in handling other people's money. Some Librans are gifted in fashion designing or in devising new cosmetics; others may find success as artists, composers, critics, writers, interior decorators, welfare workers or valuers, and they have an ability in the management of all sorts of public entertainment. Some work philanthropically for humanity with great self-discipline and significant results. Libran financiers sometimes make good speculators, for they have the optimism and ability to recover from financial crashes."
_____________
It's true that my personality can be like that of a diplomat---able to see both sides of any issue, able to put myself into others' shoes, smooth talker, sensitive to subtle psychological cues, etc. I'd rather be the diplomat or negotiator than the lawyer, because I like the search for truth, the search for the best solution for both sides. That appeals to my psychologist/scientist side, where I know the truth usually falls somewhere in the middle of extremes. I don't take well to the Bible-thumping zealotry of either the public defender or the prosecutor, of the far right or the far left. In an ideal world I'd be a diplomat like Richard Holbrooke, working to negotiate peace in N. Ireland or Bosnia.

In personal relationships, as with mathematics, I can step out of my body and watch from a distance. I can be ruthlessly objective with myself and others, and if some relationship is seriously not working, I can detach and not look back. (For instance, my quitting Rice Bowl Journals.) It's a defense mechanism. I usually don't get exhaustingly emotional, and I dislike drama queens. I have almost never had any nasty breakups. My breakups have been "friendly," and usually my exes are happy to see me if they have ever bumped into me again. I dislike trashing exes. We're different people, our paths diverge, and that's it.

Yes, I can be a bit sensitive to criticism, having grown up in a family of relentless criticism. But no, I like to hear different points of view, if they are argued well. I don't think I'm always right. On the contrary, since I see both sides of an issue, I am always seeking to broaden and flesh out my limited experience and respect others' more knowledgeable views highly. My mind can be changed, as you saw when I went from anti-war to pro-war. Yet I do tend to go with my gut.

I do NOT hunger for approval. My blog is so NOT narcissistic, except for this entry. People complain I'm not personal enough in my blog, since I keep focusing on the stories of others! In fact, I don't mind being unpopular and am used to being "different"---the odd one out. I've been that way ever since I was teased for being Asian as one of two Asian kids in my whole elementary school in New England. Being weird or in the minority doesn't bother me at all. One of my favorite writers is Ralph Waldo Emerson, who always stressed "Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist." That said, the fact that I write on this blog every day for an audience and do care about how people respond to my writing is slightly narcissistic. But it's the narcissism of the engineer making sure his invention actually does the job. I need feedback for my writing just like an engineer needs to do constant testing.

One of my strengths is giving people emotional support. Women (and men) usually say I make them feel "very comfortable." My voice can purr in a very soothing way. Having grown up in a family of lots of emotional drama and volatility, I've learned how to deal with emotionally insane people. (Not that I enjoy it or would ever wish to have my future family like that.) I've learned to deflect their anger, anxiety, fear, jealousy---emotional judo. After the rage passes me like a bull steams by a toreador, then I start to apply the salve on those emotional wounds and start to help them heal.

While I love harmony, even-temperedness, and smooth human relations, I also am not afraid to be blunt when necessary, stand up and cause conflict when it's a cause I believe strongly, and otherwise be uncompromising when it counts. I am not an emotional puppy and don't just give in for the sake of "appearances." For example, to spoiled pretty girls who throw temper tantrums. By nature, I still prefer to let trivial disagreements go and want us to all get along.

It's so true that I'm mainly more artistic than intellectual. That I'm more mellow and prefer to get the general idea right than to painstakingly argue every point to death. I don't have the patience for gritty mathematical proof that I did in high school and college. Moderation is key. I'm more of a dilettante that way. It's also a weakness I am working on improving. I can sound intelligent but may at heart not know what I'm talking about. It's the journalist's personality. In intellectual pursuits, I follow more Benjamin Franklin's jack-of-all-trades style than a modern university scholar's.

Yes, I can be a big flirt, if I CHOOSE to. Key and I took an online test once, and we both came out as "smooth flirts." But a lot of times I SUPPRESS the flirtatious part of my personality, my usual cheerfulness and friendliness. I tone it down. Sometimes, for long periods, I'm not interested in playing the game. But if I do meet someone with the right chemistry and see the signs of attraction, I can boldly go for it.

I tend to be a monogamous person. I have never cheated on any girl in my life. Once I'm fully wrapped up with someone, other girls don't interest me besides the casual, harmless flirtation. I tend to be a romantic, so I'm not easily swayed by a pair of nice random legs. The emotional chemistry has gotta be there.

"Their marriages, however, stand a good chance of success because they are frequently the union of 'true minds.' The Libran's continuing kindness toward his or her partner mollifies any hurt the latter may feel if the two have had a tiff. Nor can the Libran's spouse often complain that he or she is not understood, for the Libran is usually the most empathetic of all the zodiacal types and the most ready to tolerate the beloved's failings." I feel this will be so true when I get married. I'm always curious how people (especially women) think, so I perhaps can tell her what's going on in her head before she fully articulates it to me herself.

I hate gossip. I also do not seek to listen in on others' gossip. If you've read this blog long enough, you know how much I DON'T talk about my family's or friends' lives. I try my best to keep private things said to me PRIVATE. I am very keen to the destructive power of gossip and some ill-chosen words. I'd rather be boring than an interesting kiss-and-teller.

It's true I can be frivolous, impatient with routine, and indulgent sometimes. These are some of my glaring faults. I sometimes feel I studied chemical engineering and computer science to punish my frivolity and indulgence. That I wanted a ugly "Puritan" experience in college to serve my Puritan upbringing. That the only valid life was a life of suffering. Understand that I grew up in Rhode Island, which 250 years ago was America's Puritan Central! I went to a traditional 200-year-old Baptist church as a kid. As H. L. Mencken said, "Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." My mom and her family are HUGE Puritans. Being a hedonist feels new and strange to me. I keep trying to work on these faults. Believe me.

Yes, I do tend to click better with lawyers and doctors, writers and fashion designers---than with engineers and accountants. I am an idealist and optimist. I like people who speak and write well. I like creative people, non-materialistic people, and those who care about doing something to benefit society.

I want to marry someone like that---someone who inspires me to be a better person.

Posted 2:49 PM by Blah blah

Ang Lee Breaks Rules With The Hulk (Entertainment)

I highly look forward to seeing another of my favorite Marvel comic book heroes from childhood, the Hulk, brought to film. Director Ang Lee's The Hulk comes out this Friday.

Since the Taiwan-born director always makes intelligent, deep pictures for adults, despite the genre, I can't wait! (I've seen three of his films: Eat Drink Man Woman, Sense and Sensibility, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.) He says he made The Hulk more as a Greek tragedy than as a mindless summer action flick.

It's funny that the article below talks about how Lee isn't afraid to shoot slow scenes in an action movie. I remember watching Eat Drink Man Woman on the plane back from Taiwan. A woman next to me, from Hong Kong, complained it was too slow. Hogwash, I thought. Its rhythms were more like life. It's the stupid Hong Kong fast food flicks she's used to watching that were too fast.

Just don't get as slow as Wong Kar-Wai, and I'm happy!

Here's Lurking At You (NY Post):
_________________
Oscar-nominated director Ang Lee doesn't make no-brainers.

Instead, the director of such quiet art-house masterpieces as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "The Ice Storm" set out to make a blockbuster for brainiacs.

"I'm trying to make a delicacy out of American fast food," Lee told a reporter last month.

Love it or hate it, one of the summer's most anticipated popcorn flicks is in fact anything but, thanks to a director who's breaking all the usual rules.

Rule No. 1: Hire a big-name star.
...
Lee picked an unknown for Bruce Banner, the mild-mannered geneticist who morphs into the raving green Hulk, because he didn't want to detract from the movie's real star - the computer-generated Hulk character, which he developed over two years with 150 animators from George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic.

Rule No. 2: The more explosions, the better.

"The Hulk" has more than its share of helicopters and tanks, but don't expect any of them to burst into flames.

"We figured that people are bored with a bunch of crap blowing up," says Schamus. "Plus, Ang and I don't believe in gratuitous violence."...

Rule No. 3: Keep the fighting clean.

When Lee did get ready to rumble, he wanted the fighting as realistic as possible - which meant not every punch hit its target...."Ang wanted it raw and messy - just like real fights," says Colin Brady, Lee's animation director. "In the 'Matrix Reloaded,' the fights are choreographed, like 1-2-3-duck-punch. It gets monotonous."

The Hulk's fights are based on pit bulls, pro wrestlers and bloody, bare-knuckled ultimate fighters - all of which Lee and the animators studied on film and in person.

Rule No. 4: Keep it moving - fast.

Parts of the "The Hulk" move as slowly as the laid-back martial art of tai chi, which Lee practices each morning.

Action scenes are broken up with lingering shots of lichen-covered rocks and bleached driftwood - which really do have a point, Schamus insists.

It's a message about life-forms that can survive the sort of gamma radiation that transforms Banner into the Hulk.

"Ang and I once spent an hour talking about a rock," Brady recalls....

Rule No. 5: Keep it simple.

That's the last thing Lee wants to do.

His "Hulk" flouts dozens of technical rules film-school students learn in Directing 101. He splits the screen into comic-book style panels and plays with editing, continuity and camera angles in every way possible.

"This movie just doesn't feel like a Hollywood movie," Brady says. "It's Ang's 'fuck you' to all those formulas."

Posted 11:19 PM by Blah blah

On Love

There is much satisfaction in work well done;

praise is sweet; but there can be no happiness           

equal to the joy of finding

a heart that understands.

     -Victor Robinson


Talk not of wasted affection, affection never was wasted;

If it enrich not the heart of another, its waters, returning

Back to their springs, like the rain, shall fill them

     full of refreshment;

That which the fountain sends forth returns again to the fountain.

     -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

   

Posted 12:16 PM by Blah blah

Interview with Jon Stewart (Comedy, Television)

Yeah! Charlie Rose interviewed comedian Jon Stewart from The Daily Show, my favorite political TV humor. You may listen to the whole interview over the Internet. Listen to the May 21 show.

In April, I wrote why I love The Daily Show so much. I don't even get cable.