Name: Karen

Nicknames:

[Wednesday, July 3, 2002 | 10:38 a.m.]
[Theme muzak: Spiderman Sountrack]

Came back yesterday from mainland China. Should have put that down before I left. Left on Saturday, spent four days there. Was quite possibly the most boring four days I have ever spent in any place. Have many mosquito bites. So far, 11 and counting. Itchy.

The very interesting thing about mainland China, or He Shan, where I was, is that people have amazing skills on a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, rather akin to P.T. Barnum's unicyclists. People can smoke at the same time while on the three modes of transport above, in the rain (remember, still smoking), juggling an umbrella, while one or two people sit behind them, precariously balanced with no worries that they might just swerve out of control or fall off. Fujiwara Bunta has nothing on these people. A whole family of three can be transported on a motorcycle while the father smokes his cigarette. When it's raining they also wear these plastic raincoats/cape thingys which make them look like Purple/Green/Burgundy Avengers charging down the road on their motorcycles in the rain, smoking their fags, while their plastic capes billow out dramatically behind them.

Read a lot of books while in China. Quite obvious of course since there's nothing to do there. Finished Green Rider by Kristin Britain, Lirael by Garth Nix, How to Be a Canadian by Will and Ian Ferguson, and working on The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings. Also re-read a few Agatha Christies and Sabriel. First one, stock fantasy novel, but excellent. Second, Nix is evil. He is an utter asshole. Don't read Lirael just yet. Wait until Abhorsen comes out because you will tear your hair out b/c Nix is such an evil bastard for making you like it so, so much. Third, hilarious, go read it if you consider yourself Canadian or want to figure out Canadians. Go, command thee! Or I'll kick your ass, eh? ^_^ Fourth, excellent so far, but I'm getting a lot of ink rubbed off onto my hands. Washing your hands after interval of reading is advisable. If you've read David Eddings before, it's very much like The Garion Universe and the Sparhawk Universe. Jokes about food, differences between men and women, philosophical/conceptual ideas that make your head hurt.

Also reading Paradise Kiss, One Piece!, Yorozuya Toukaido Honpo, and Shaman King. Like them all v. much. Need translations desperately, especially for YTH.

So much to catch up with. I had 90 messages in one of my email accounts. I have six of them. Also too many online comics. Too much stuff, too little time. Argh!

Welcome back, langey. *hugs* Missed you on MSN. ^_^

Aw, what the hell. *hugs everyone* Missed everyone during four-day hellish itchfest period. ^_^

You sometimes doubt yourself - who you are and what you can do. You're a curious person, with questions and concerns about the world. You go along with the crowd and aim to please others to your best ability. But when you finally discover what you're really capable of, you can do some serious ass kickin'! You're fast and furious, and you will always stick up for what you believe, and those who you care for. Not only that, but you're charming and charismatic, so you get along with people well, and others often look up to you.

[Friday, June 28, 2002 | 10:42 a.m.]
[Theme muzak: Lo Fidelity Allstars - Battleflag]

I was awake at 7:45 am. On summer vacation. Ergh.

Got the rest of Naruto. Yay! Am confused. Need translations. Actually am also confused by One Piece, Yorozuya Toukaido Honpo, Shaman King, and other manga. Translations or Japanese lessons are in order. Hopefully the latter.

Am cold right now. Am right in the path of the air conditioner. Brrrr...

Cousin's birthday today. Incidentally, she is also named Karen. ^_^

You have an empty smile.
Find out what anime bad boy you are.

The cat in the background of Trigun.
Find out what secondary animated character you are.

Mrowr

Adorability!
Find out what anime girl you are.

cold.. or are you?
Find out what bishonen you are.

Kira. Yum. ^_^

Gimme something good!
Find out what anime character cliche you are.

Quiz binge. I thought I beat this habit, but no, it still haunts me.

On a more serious note, check out Queer Rant 3 at John's LJ. He has thoroughly researched and explained the Sodom and Gomorrah story and it is clear and enlightening.

My parents' company is getting sued by Bowring which is getting sued by some fanatic environmental advocates or some people. My parents' company sold Bowring fake floating lotuses which were sold to a customer by Bowring without a warning label telling customers not to put them outside. The customer put the lotuses outside and a bird flew onto it and it sank, drowning the bird along with it. It's a chain reaction. o_O I am amused, exasperated and apathetic by turns. I just don't know what to say.

I'm not American but the controversy over the unconstitutionality of a section of the pledge is really interesting. Intellectually, this is an absolute treasure to be observing. I'm even more glad I took Law this year. ^_^ Various facets of it are really interesting. First, the matter itself from a legal point of view, second, the biased media coverage, third, the political, religious, and social effects of the ruling, and fourth, reactions to all of the above. This is bloody good fun. ^_^

Personally, I'm glad that they declared it unconstitutional. I know that it will be challenged and Mr. Bush declared it "ridiculous" and that "he will try to strike it down". The media is already reporting that legal scholars are saying that the Supreme Court will likely strike the ruling down since it usually strikes down the 9th Circuit's decisions. Is it reporting all opinions out there? Is it really painting a true picture?

Quite frankly and rudely, America is showing its Christian roots fiercely at this point. People are just saying 'it's outrageous' and reacting emotionally to it without thinking that technically, it does violate the separation of Church and State.

Can I ask those people who are condemning the ruling why they think it's "ridiculous"? Does the phrase 'one nation under God' serve any other purpose other than governmental endorsement of Christianity? Why can't those two words be snipped out so that it can be applicable to everyone, not just Christians? Why can't people compromise?

People are also saying that the atheist in California is trying to impose his views on everyone else, but really, it's also the other way around. No one has said anything about it so far only because it's "the norm" and it's been the tyranny of the majority. I applaud the man who is challenging this. He has courage in the face of the biased media, the government, and the self-righteous fury of many Americans who will probably say that he is unpatriotic and treasonous.

I know I shouldn't be able to give a damn since I'm Canadian, but the media has already involved the interest of thousands around the world and I want to give a damn. I know I'm opinionated and horribly so. *shrugs*

It occured to me this case is startlingly similar to the case Zylberberg v. Sudbury Board of Education.

Andria (someone who I stumbled upon while surfing blogs) has written a nice little rant that's more organized than mine.

[Thursday, June 27, 2002 | 11:30 a.m.]
[Theme muzak: Placebo - My Sweet Prince]

Want to streak my hair electric blue, the colour of the stock WRXs on the streets of Toronto, only slightly darker. But will do it in August, since doing it now would result in serious aural damage in my case caused by incessant scoldings from family members.

Bought Naruto. Like Naruto. Like Naruto a lot. SasuNaru. Mrowr. ^_^

Also got Yorozuya Toukaido Honpo, which I really like. The possibilities of it do not escape my fangirl radar. Squee! ^_^

Other series I have acquired so far are Dragon Knights, Lumen Lunae, One Piece (haven't read this yet), Fun Fun Factory, and some others which I don't remember. Have lots more coming.

Re-reading GlamourLust. Aerael, Io, and Davy - Hugabbly adorable. Mark - Evil. Heh.

Embarking on writing an enormous fantasy epic. Have left many notes on computer in Toronto. Doh. Me = Baka

In the style of Yoshi,

And borrowed from Yoshi as well:

Young Asians in America come in many forms. Below are the major categories. Most Asians fit into multiple groups. For example, Rice-boys can also be Fobs and many Tabs are Fobulous. The only groups that are never part of another group are the Twinkies and the Asian-Americans. Claim your Fobbiness! When you see your Asian friend, greet them with "Wassup Fob!" And if your Asian friend says something ridiculous, say "Fob please!" Of course, when a non-Asian calls you a Fob, that is grounds for a fight. Ahahaha.. The categories below are to be taken lightheartedly. Read, recognize and laugh.

Twinkie

a. Besides your nationality, there is little to distinguish you from white people
b. Your significant other is not Asian and never has been
c. You have few Asian friends, if any
d. You are embarrassed at family events because you cannot speak your language and everyone has to switch to English to communicate with you
e. You have no idea that the other types of Asians on this list even exist
f. You think Hello Kitty is dumb and do not know what Sanrio is
g. You are the only Asian on this list that does not know what Bubble Tea is
h. You drive a Ford or some other domestic car and if you drive a Honda, it is stock

Asian-American

a. You claim yourself as Asian, but real Asians think you're whitewashed and non-Asians see you as a foreigner.
b. You fit in nowhere
c. You have heard of Bubble Tea but have never actually had any
d. You are confused about your cultural identity and express this frustration through spoken word performances at your college
e. You read A. magazine and think it's great
f. You do not know who Leon, Aaron, Sammi, Hikki, or Kangta are
g. You are only vaguely aware of the other Asians below

Fob (Fresh Off tha Boat)

a. You were not born in America
b. You know who Leon, Aaron, Sammi, Hikki, and Kangta are. In fact, you have seen them at Atlantic City or Las Vegas recently
c. You speak your native language fluently and so do all your friends
d. You do not have any non-Asian friends
e. Your parents do not speak any English
f. When you speak English, you like to make everything plural
g. You get extremely good grades in school
h. You cannot dance
i. Your fashion sense comes from whatever country you're from and you incorporate nothing from American fashion into your wardrobe

SuperFob

a. Your command of the English language is minimal and you don't care
b. You like dim sum chicken feet
c. You do not own a single CD, VCD, Video game, or DVD that isn't bootlegged
d. Your only hangout is Chinatown
e. All the lights in your house are fluorescent
f. You dry your cloths outside your window
g. You need a haircut
h. You either smell like cigarettes or food

Fobabee

a. You are an Asian-American or Twinkie who has recently "awoken"
b. You have a newly found fetish of Asian girls/boys
c. You have taken the Asian Studies course at college
d. You are trying to learn as much as possible about your culture to make up for your lifetime of trying to be white (Twinkie ; Banana) or Black (Chigger; Thousand year old egg)
e. If you are lucky, you will grow to become Fobulous

Gangsta Fob

a. You have shot another Asian
b. Your favorite hangout is a pool hall
c. When you talk, you sound like a cross between a Fob and an urban black kid
d. Your hair looks silly, but no one will tell you because you'll shoot them
e. You have a serious gambling problem
f. You are a Rice-boy, but your mods are cheap and are never painted to match the rest of your car
g. No one tells you your rice ride looks cheap because you'll shoot them
h. You want to have a Tab girlfriend, but can only get Hoochie Tabs

Tab (Trendy Asian B*tch)

a. You shop at A/X, Bebe, Banana Republic and Club Monaco
b. You only wear black and will occasionally wear white to "mix it up"
c. You do not weigh more than 105 lbs
d. You have never paid for dinner at a restaurant in your life
e. Platform heels are your favorite
f. You are a makeup expert, in fact, you appear completely flawless
g. You do not smile in public
h. You are the object of desire of all Asian men and you know it
i. You smoke
j. Your cell phone is completely customized
k. On the inside flip of your cell phone is a sticker pic of you and your man
l. Somewhere in your purse is a Sanrio item
m. You only date Asian and will only date a boy with a nice car
n. You are often seen with Rice-boys
o. You never travel alone. You are either in the company of other Tabs or your Rice-boy boyfriend

Hoochie Tab

a. You are an import car model
b. Your boobs are not real
c. There are naked pictures of you floating around on the internet somewhere
d. Stiletto heels are your favorite
e. Your role models are Francine Dee and Kaila Yu
f. Your boyfriend is a Gangsta Fob
g. You cheat on your boyfriend
h. Unlike most Asians, you do not do well in school

Rice-Boy

a. You drive an Asian import. Usually a Honda or Acura
b. Your souped up car (known as a Rice-ride or Rice-rocket) is unrecognizable from it's original stock form
c. Your exhaust pipe is big enough for your head to fit in
d. The spoiler on your car looks like it was made by Boeing
e. The interior of your car also looks like it was designed by Boeing
f. You always drive like you are racing someone
g. You are not afraid of dying in a crash, but you are afraid of speed bumps and parking lot on-ramps
h. The only other person besides yourself who can sit in your car is your 105 lbs Tab girlfriend. If anyone else sits in your car, the entire bottom of it will be touching the ground
i. Even though your car is a Honda, it goes faster and is worth more than a Lotus Esprit
j. If you drive a Civic, your dream car is a Supra. If you drive a Supra, your dream car is a Skyline (which you can never have). Poor Rice-boy.

Fobulous

a. You speak perfect English and you are fluent in your native language
b. You have Asian friends as well as non-Asian friends
c. You listen to Asian pop as well as American music
d. You are equally aware of both popular American culture and Asian pop culture
e. You are a good dancer
f. You date Asian by choice even though you could rock the opposite sex of any other race.
g. For you, FOB stands for Fabulous Oriental Being
h. You have lots of Asian pride

Someone actually sat down and took the time to write this down. Perhaps this could be part of a book called "How to Be A FOB (Even If You Are One)". Or more formally "Bubble Tea, Hondas, and Hello Kitty: A Comprehensive Guide to North American Asian Youth Culture." =P

Speaking of that: Who Wants to Be a Fobionaire? For those who want to test their fob-biness

[Tuesday, June 25, 2002 | 11:34 a.m.]
[Theme muzak: Bush - The People That We Love]

Haven't been at the computer in a few days. Saw two Lamborghini Diablos up close. *swoons* Such incredible machines. ^_^

Bought lots of stuff so far. Got the 2nd part of Noir, Saiyuki, FB, and ROD. Got a lot more manga. ^_^

To friends who asked me about plushies: No, I have not found any so far.

Villains fear me. Heroes envy me. Dante is... The Self-Propelled Mindbender

?_?

Matrix Shrek-iness. Too funny! ^_^

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