Christmas 2009

Every other year, it seems like Christmas is celebrated either at my place or at my cousin's. I think the best part about the holiday is that you get to spend a lot of time with family members you normally don't see on a regular basis. For me, since all of my cousins on my mother's side are older than me (interestingly enough, each approximately older by 10, 8, 6, and 4 years, respectively), they have their own lives to manage... work, bills, even children.

My little niece, Waverly, who I've mentioned before in a Thanksgiving post has gotten even bigger. Still, she's only about 1.5 years old. But now, in comparison to her personality a month ago, little Waverly has an attitude now. She's far more open than I've ever remembered, with even more energy, and still with as much brains as she's always had.

My cousin David recorded this video. Waverly's bilingual, which I believe contributes a lot to her intelligence. Split between English and Mandarin, she now understands (albeit limited amounts) complete sentences and can form simple ones of her own. In this video, she pretty much repeats how much she "loves chicken." But at the same time, she constantly repeats the phrase, "love you," after declaring her unrequited love for poultry.

Later on, Waverly plays the role of a little Santa, distributing presents to everyone. As I've mentioned in the Thanksgiving post, she's really keen on Chinese family titles. She is able to differentiate between uncles and aunts from either the mother's or father's side, sisters, grandparents, great-grandparents, great aunts and uncles, and so on. Asking Waverly to deliver a present to an aunt, she'll scamper off with the box in hand and eagerly hand over the gift without wasting any time.

Once she hits 2 years old (the infamous age of the "terrible two"), I wonder how she'll be then?

And here's another family photo taken by my cousin David.

Random Thoughts from People 25-35 Years of Age

(My friend sent me this so I thought I'd share. I don't know how many of you already saw this but if you did, good for you.)

- I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

- More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can
think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell
my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves
me.

- Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you
realize you're wrong.

- I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to
have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and
sticks when they've invented the lighter?

- Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're
going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to
be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the
direction from which you came, you have to first do something like
check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to
yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're
crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

- That's enough, Nickelback.

- I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was
younger.

- Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know"
feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose
not to be friends with?

- Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically
fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all
know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards
or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

- There is a great need for sarcasm font.

- Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and
suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first
saw it.

- I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually
becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting
90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's
laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little
bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the
only one who really, really gets it.

- How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

- I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than
take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear
your computer history if you die.

- The only time I look forward to a red light is when I?m trying to
finish a text.

- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the
spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to
say".

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron
test is absolutely petrifying.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",
all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod
and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up
to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'
examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete
idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and
said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

- What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each
other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and
instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I
know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the
person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the
shower first and THEN turn on the water.

- Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,
and you can wear them forever.

- I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

- Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got
the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if
I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

- If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring
would probably just be completely invisible.

- Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go
around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be
a problem....

- You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.

- Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.

- There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are
going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

- I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I
swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

- I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people
watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will
they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't
watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and
leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

- I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?
Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and
goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone
and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not
seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

- When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she
hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light
internet stalking.

- I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

- Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising
speed for pedophiles...

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,
but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

- Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still
not know what time it is.

- It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

- I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to
answer when they call.

- Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with
it.

- Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car
keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the
Donkey - but I?d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze
button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time
every time...

- My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would
happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

- It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and
the link takes me to a video instead of text.

- I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they
drive behind obeys the speed limit.

- I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

- I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or
Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

- The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw
they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words,
someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think
about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people
eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by
myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard
before dinner.


Keep waving

-Rehan

Several Nature Photos

I found some photos scattered throughout my main hard drive that I took in the past. I don't know why -- perhaps for artistic purposes -- they are in black and white.

Mostly nature-themed, I think I might actually incorporate some of these photos in Asian Outlook's Conscience section in the first Spring '10 issue. There are others lying around, but these three are probably my favorite ones:


Flower Blossom

Simple and delicate. Much like many nature-themed photos I periodically take, they are direct and definitive, self-explanatory, and genuine.

I only wish I knew what kind of flower this is. It adds a fresh taste, since photos of generic tulips and roses grow boring after a while.






Mantis

When I was a kid, I was absolutely obsessed over an insect called the praying mantis. They were huge, averaging between 4 to 6 inches. If I recall correctly, this photo was taken in Taiwan, where I found a mantis that was nearly the length of my hand (around 6-7 inches).

Now that I think about it, I'm still fascinated with these badass, predatory insects...






Longhorn Beetle

Don't let it fool you, this little insect does not quite match up in size with the mantis. Also taken in Taiwan, near a Buddhist temple, the beetle probably fared no more than 2 inches in length.

Interestingly enough, since this was taken at a temple, visitors and monks alike granted this critter a safe path to the nearby gardens, where it immediately blended into the vegetation.

Article: Hideki Matsui

Asian Outlook is putting out a new issue before the end of the semester. A while ago, I finished a short article after the New York Yankees claimed their 27th World Series title on Hideki Matsui. This article will show up in the upcoming issue.

Godzilla for New York
Jeff Hwang

Asked how he felt after playing one of the greatest games in World Series history, the soft-spoken Hideki Matsui simply said it was “unbelievable.” His team, after enduring 162 games through 181 days of the regular baseball season and 15 games through 29 days of the postseason, the New York Yankees emerged once again as the champions of baseball.

Matsui, 35, became a one-man army in New York’s clinching game against the Philadelphia Phillies on November 4, 2009. Despite missing a significant amount of at-bats due to the lack of the designated hitter position when playing on National League turf, Matsui still hit 8-for-13 (a .615 batting average), including a double, 3 home runs, with 8 runs batted in. However, out of those 8 RBIs, 6 of them came in the clinching game when Matsui went 3-for-4, hitting a two-run home run, a two-run single, and then a two-run double in three consecutive at-bats to cap his explosive night. The performance was tied for a record setter, matching Bobby Richardson’s feat with the 1960 New York Yankees, and allowed Matsui to claim the prestigious MVP award of the 2009 World Series.

It marked the first time that a Japanese-born player was named the MVP of the World Series. In his final contract year with the Yankees, it may be possible that Matsui’s time in New York has finally expired. The man nicknamed “Godzilla” in both Japan and the United States came a long way, though, with the sport of baseball mixed into his blood at an early age.

In 1977, at the age of three, Hideki Matsui started his baseball career simply by playing catch with his father. When he was ten years old, the future star joined his first baseball team. Originally batting right-handed, Matsui was actually forced to bat lefty after his older brother and friends felt that they were being overpowered by the young star. Consequently, Matsui became the powerful left-handed batter that the baseball world knows of today. He quickly steamrolled through high school baseball teams and eventually claimed the nickname, “Godzilla,” as his own. The young Matsui’s ability was recognized in the Japanese professional baseball league, which led to a first round draft pick to join the Yomiuri Giants—the Japanese team equivalent to the United States’ New York Yankees.

In ten seasons as an outfielder with the Giants (1993 to 2002), Matsui’s name became a label for power hitting. Averaging more than 30 home runs per season (with a single season high of 50 in his final season in Japan) and holding a career average of .304, Matsui epitomized power as fellow countryman Ichiro Suzuki defined contact and speed. Tearing up Japanese pitchers, Matsui was awarded MVP honors three times in the Japanese league (1996, 2000, and 2002). With virtually the entire spotlight focused on him after Ichiro departed for the Seattle Mariners in the United States, it was inevitable that the MLB would eventually set its sights on the star player. At the same time, though, Matsui already had plans to move to the United States after his final contract year with the Yomiuri Giants.

In 2003, after winning the Japanese championship for the third time and claiming his third MVP award, Matsui signed a three-year deal to play left field with the New York Yankees and began his MLB career as seen today. With the loss of star players Ichiro and Matsui, Japanese baseball fans began tuning into American baseball broadcasts more than ever. It was no longer unusual for baseball fans in Japan to wake up on early mornings to catch the night games in the United States.

Matsui, like Ichiro, adjusted to the American style of baseball rather quickly. Reinforcing his role as “Godzilla,” Matsui instantly achieved fame by belting a grand slam in his debut game as a Yankee. Consistently, Matsui settled into his power hitter mode in the United States, without losing a beat since crossing overseas. From 2003 to 2005, Matsui drove in over 100 runs per season. Because of the productivity, Matsui earned himself a new contract through 2009.

Unfortunately, injuries plagued the aging slugger in 2006 and 2008, reducing his offensive output. With his knees shaken up and his speed reduced, Matsui was relegated to the designated hitter role for the majority of his playing time. Nonetheless, when he was healthy, Matsui still proved to be a recurrent power source. In 2007, he continued to maintain his consistency by driving in over 100 runs for the fourth time in five seasons. But even with his successes between 2003 and 2008, Matsui had yet to win a championship with the New York Yankees. As his knees continued to fall out of shape, Matsui was finally taken out of the outfield for fulltime services as a designated hitter in 2009. Regardless, he settled into his new role and immediately set the record for the most home runs in a single season by a Yankee designated hitter, driving out a total of 28.

Everything changed in that fateful year, when Matsui helped carry the Yankees over the Phillies in a 4-2 World Series, claiming his aforementioned series MVP award along with his first championship in a Yankee uniform. As if playing from a storybook, it may be time for Godzilla to bid farewell to New York, with limited options available for the shy and humble power hitter. He can still sign another extended contract with the Yankees—provided that the organization makes the offer, he can sign with a different team, or he can retire and return to Japan as a World Series champion.

For a player who usually stays away from media attention, Matsui made it publicly clear that he wishes to remain in New York. Playing with the idea of a contract extension, Matsui said through his interpreter, “I hope so. I love New York. I love the fans here.”

Sources:
http://www.mlb.com
http://www.yankees.com
http://www.baseball-reference.com
http://www.jockbio.com/bios/matsui

...By the way, Hideki Matsui has one of the largest pornography collections. As quoted in TIME magazine:

"As one Japanese journalist put it, describing Matsui's affinity for such unique Japanese cultural institutions like the no-panties shabu-shabu in Japan, 'Matsui is a horny guy. All of us are horny, more or less. But Matsui doesn't attempt to hide the fact.' Yet another win for the Japanese Everyman."

Thanksgiving 2009

It's always a tradition to spend Thanksgiving break with the family. And like always, a Thanksgiving dinner awaits. In the past, my eldest aunt from my mom's side usually handles the hefty turkey. However, this time around, my cousin Olivia tackled the daunting task.

It's a time of merriment -- other than that of Christmas -- one especially to be shared by family members. Oftentimes, Thanksgiving is celebrated at my home, but for the past couple of years, the holiday celebration's been held at my cousin's. Well, it makes the turkey job much more convenient.

There is a story to be told about this stunning, golden-brown fowl. Originally, roasting the turkey should have taken around three to four hours. To be safe, a plug-in timer was inserted (if you look closely, it's the small red contraption near the top) that pops out when the cooking is completed. Well, a timer's pretty useless if it doesn't tell the chef when the roasting is done. For some unknown reason, the timer was jammed and never popped out from the turkey breast.

Instead, another half hour passed before some investigative work was done. So it turned out our suspicions were correct and that the timer was indeed stuck. Fortunately, the turkey still turned out to be a success. No harm, no fowl... foul. Sorry.

Other than dinner, this was the first time I was able to visit my little niece, Waverly, since early this year. Right now she's about a year and half in age, at the pinnacle of walking and speech-training. Truthfully, I don't know too much about babies or child-psychology in general, but for a 1.5 year-old kid, she is pretty darn intelligent.

How many infants at that age can tell the difference between a circle, square, and a triangle?

How many infants at that age can turn on/off and adjust the volume for a stereo?

How many infants at that age can identify apples, strawberries, bananas, and watermelons? Mind you, this includes the actual fruits, photos of fruits, or hand-drawings of fruits.

I'm sure there are plenty of babies out there who can differentiate many items, but there is one thing that I was seriously, seriously impressed with...

Chinese family trees are notoriously famous for intricacy. It's a huge hassle to remember what each relative stands for. For example, there aren't just aunts and uncles like in the English language. Each aunt on the mother's side and each aunt on the father's side has different titles. Likewise, uncles follow the same trend. However, spouses of every relative also have different titles. An aunt's husband on the mother's side has a different title than that of an aunt's husband on the father's side. Also, generation gaps play roles, as well. In such a case, it is possible for one to have an uncle younger than oneself. Then again, that may be an uncle in English terms, but in Chinese, it's a whole different title. Each cousin has a different title, great aunts, great uncles, great-great aunts, godmothers, nephews and nieces, etc. individually holds a different title. It's a brain-buster.

Back to Waverly, what I'm most impressed with is that she could point out titles to many relatives that were at the Thanksgiving dinner. For example, her mother and father, both uncles (i.e. my brother and me), great aunt (my mother), great uncle (my father), both grandmothers (different titles), grandfather on her father's side, and great-grandmother. Honestly, I'm not even too familiar with the titles. To be outdone by a 1.5 year-old, either I'm mentally disabled or this little girl has serious brains.

I wonder how she will turn out in ten, fifteen years? Hell, I'm not even the parent and I'm wondering.