Little People, Big World

I don't really like sitting in Chinese restaurants. Chinese people are kind of annoying to me. Yes, I am half Chinese, but I think it is the completely white-washed side of me which is not comfortable with being around little old ladies who scowl all the time and shuffle around with their stupid little Asian visors which serve no other purpose than to hide your identity from both the sun and the public and inhibit the need to bring your hand up to your face when you sneeze.

I'm not being racist here. Have you ever been to a Chinese restaurant where the tables are packed so closely together that you get bumped every time the person behind you moves? How about when people are talking so loudly around you that you can't hear what the person next to you is saying? Or if there are people waiting for a table, they just hover around yours and watch you eat?

Then there's the bargaining. Sure, it's fine if something overpriced is haggled down to what is reasonable for the feeble economy, but going to a supermarket and trying to reduce the price of your shopping list or beating down the price of everything you see in street vendors seems a little rude.

One more thing. I am asian. So whenever I go somewhere Chinese or Taiwanese or Korean or something, I usually go with white people or people who actually speak the language. They take one look at me and deduce that I'm one of them. Then they start speaking gibberish to me which makes me look like a dumb-ass because the only response I would be able to construct is "I'm sorry, I can't understand a word of what you just said. Can you please repeat that very slowly in your broken English" which will inevitably spawn a scowl and disapproving thoughts of me.
I just have to sit there with a blank look on my face going "uhhhh..." But I love Jason's mom (who is korean but still places me in this situation every time I go to their house). She makes the situation hilarious.


Oh well, Chinese people are usually friendly. And they have good food.

Everything must end, but I am nostalgic

Well, that was it. The best 4 months I can remember. 4 months of fun. 4 months of excitement. I will never forget this, and as I am typing here, I feel my emotions welling up as if this is my own eulogy. I will never have these moments again, and although I will be able to reminisce with the people I have met, the distant past will remain untouchable, existing only as a thread to the past which may sadly fade away one day. But I hope it does not. I hope it never does. Because I love the band.

Things I will not miss: early Wednesdays, not actually knowing how to play, being bad, and that piercing met. As my first year, I have to say that band has been a phenomenal part of my life and one of the most enjoyable experiences of my high school career. Many people exclaim "why did I join band?" or "I can't wait until the season is over" but for me, the sadness comes from the ending. I guess this is what it is like every year: seniors leave, some who we will never see again, others who will gradually drift away until we cannot remember their names anymore. But being a senior, and this being my first year, the experiences were truly amazing. I am saddened by this end, and if I could, I would definitely revisit these times without hesitation.

Oh, my friends. I remember the end of Junior year, the subject of a battle between my friends on whose section I should join. Somehow I ended up a Tuba, a miracle which I have never regretted for a second. I was intimidated at first, I won't lie. I thought there would be a bunch of buff hard-core ROTC guys screaming at me and my skinny little arms, but instead, my new family was and is one of the best groups I know today. The are funny, crazy, a bit obnoxious, and overall amazing. I love most of you guys to death. :) And then there are my other friends. People who I have always hung out with, people who I re-met after the obstacle of time had separated us since the days of playgrounds, people who I have never known before. Certainly my circle of friends has grown much larger because of band. The stories we have told, the memories we have made, the crazy shit we have done. Don't ever let me forget you guys.

So, this time has extreme sentimental value to me. Learning to play an instrument and marching have been huge challenges for me. I was a complete noob in the beginning of the summer, and probably still am now. But you all have inspired me to improve, to work as hard as I possible could. Granted, some of it is from the motivation of not wanting to be as bad as freshmen, but still, you guys are a driving force. LOL. Then there are our silly games, such as buck-buck, tuba sumo, ankles, and countless other games which involve harassing other people in the name of fun. I only wish I had joined this family sooner.

So I hope too, that the band remembers me. And my butt. Whether I am 'Shimizu' or 'Seven' or 'Bandanna Boy' or 'Victor'sfriendwhodoesn'twearashirteither.' I am leaving this family, but I will always have a part of it within me. Wow, just got shivers down my spine, and that deep emotional feeling which some describe as "crying." Yes, I am very sad. I think I am going to feel this way a lot this year as the fact that I have a whole other life ahead of me, and that I have only 7 more months with this one. I am also very nostalgic, so those albums up on Facebook will be frequented by me quite a bit. So what I really wanted to say was Thank You to all of you who I have met and made my life great. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for the laughs. Thank you for the companionship and the support. And thank you for your time. I don't know how much you know how much this means to me, but I want to thank you all for your time to get to know me, to give me the honor of working alongside of you.
Thank you.

Hope

So I just watched the end of the election. One word:
AMAZING

Personally I am filled with excitement that Barak Obama had been elected President. I know I hold biased Democratic values, but I am truly happy for America now. There is hope for our country, and we have shown our potential in arguably the most important election in the history of the United States.

We have overcome so much; I remember the Academy Awards 2 years ago, when the host said "usually when we have a black [or a woman] president, the world is about to end." I'm pretty sure he was referring to meteor showers or invasions from space, not that the nation is screwed for electing a black president. Sure, you may make puns about our government and the now "Blackhouse." Sure you can be against Obama's economic plans for our future (but after being in Dwyer's class and previous influences, we know that it will have to get worse before things improve.) Now that Obama is our 44th president-to-be, the comments on Palin are actually quite funny to reminisce about; her incompetence, her naivete, her idiocy; and apparently she declined to comment after McCain seceded. LOL.

So, we have made history. Democrats are back in the executive branch (I substituted that in for 'whitehouse' due to my earlier pun). We have elected a black president. Everyone has been influenced by this election, even foreign countries, with newspaper headlines like 'GObama', and 'The History Man.' Kenya is declaring November 5th a national holiday. So this night have been filled with excitement and gratitude, and I am proud to call myself an American. Some notable points of this night:
McCain was a very gracious conceeder, and many of my friends are either crying or screaming their lungs out, both in triumph and elation. Many of them are saying "Now I won't have to move to Canada!" or "I'm proud to be an American" or are celebrating with alcohol..., but yes, I am happy. I cannot stop smiling, and writing this so soon is not going to do my thoughts justice. My ideas seem incoherent and I can't find the write words to express myself. But in truth, there are no words (that I can find right now) which can fully explain my emotions.


Now if only we can look within ourselves for the tolerance and equality which everyone deserves. Lets go, California. Do the right thing. No on 8.

Starting Down This Path

Alright, well hello to my unknown audience of one.

So I originally opened an account so i could post comments with out using my SN, but now that I find that I have opinions I would like to get off my chest, so begins my adventure through blogs. I guess I'll just make it clear that this will be for my opinions and random thoughts, and that I will continue making videos on Youtube cause they're fun to make and more personal.

So now in my extra expanses of found time I can do things which i find relaxing, I guess like this. Why do I have more free time? Well today I competed a very important milestone in my young life; the completion of my last SAT. Ever. And I must say, the feeling is quite enjoyable, although I know in the back of my mind that true freedom cannot be obtained until college apps are done and the schools reply back. And even then, we are never completely in a state of excitement and bliss because the succeeding 6 months will be some of the happiest and most depressing times of my life so far. I will be a second semester senior with sleeping classes and little incentives to do my homework (except for Calc), although the looming prospect of my friends spreading out to different corners of the country saddens me greatly.
Well, this is starting to sound a bit depressing and melodramatic, and I have just realized that my eloquent speech is being marred by the side effects of waking up early to take an appalling standardized test which is abstruse in it self.
So onto my my current thoughts:

For those of you who know me quite well, my quiet demeanor is not often disrupted by simple impediments in life. With this coming election, I have felt for the first time the desire to have been born early enough to vote. Of course, I am not that well learned in the Presidential debate, nor am I especially interested in politics; no, what pains me everyday is the debate over Proposition 8. Personally, in my own normative, value laden opinion, we should vote no. I understand Christian values say that marriage is a bond between man and woman, and that being gay is unethical. I understand my friends when they say that they have been taught that being gay is "bad." I understand that older generations and certain populations are more conservative with family values. I understand when people say that being gay is "icky." Actually no, I don't understand the last one. What I can't accept is the intolerance of other people's personal lives.
I've seen the commercials for Prop 8. The first ones said that teachers WILL teach your children about gay marriage in school.
A commercial against Prop 8 responded that schools are not required to teach anything about marriage in schools and that it is just an encroachment upon individuals' rights. Then the Yes party put out another pro-8 commercial which I can't even remember what that argument was because it did not make sense. (I'll see if I can find the video at a later time.) And every time I see those 'Yes on Prop 8' signs sitting on someone's front lawn, I instantly label those people as intolerant and ass holes. I kind of want to participate with the people who go around and steal these signs. I find the videos quite funny. I'm completely fine with people being gay. Of course it would be awkward if a gay person started coming onto me, but then use your better judgment and walk away rather than make them feel as if there is something wrong with them.

So enough about my opinions on Proposition 8, although I can refer this to an analogy which I'm sure will amuse some of you. I have an aunt whose family is extremely religious. Like so religious that they've changed churches like 4 times because they weren't up to what my aunt had expected. I'm not too sure about what they want, but those cousins are home schooled because the outside world will contaminate them. But all of this is besides the point. This aunt, and I am not trying to be mean or anything, tries to convert every moving thing she sees to Christianity, whether it be her father in law on his deathbed, or one of her husband and my dad's brother's wife, who is Buddhist. And when she goes to church, she once took some kids' Yu-Gi-Oh cards because they are a representation of Sin and will entice the youth to do bad things. So now you may say that I am being intolerant on my aunt's intolerance, but hmm what's the word? I would rather be Laizze-faire. Tolerate. Don't hate.

So this was actually a much more venting experience than I thought it would be, but as I have to go, I will see what I think of next time.