Titus Jahng for President

Support my candidate for the '08 election! As all of America knows, Obama is way too inexperienced and will not bring about change, while McCain is a creaking elitist who states that he was a POW in every other sentence, indirectly revealing that his plane was shot down in the Vietnam War because he flew it poorly. Unlike the candidates from the two leading parties, Titus Jahng will be an intelligent, diplomatic, and able President of the United States.

(Thanks to Zack for discovering the 44th President's campaign video.)

Poll About Titus Results

Is Titus Jahng the most perfect person whom you have ever encountered?

Yes: 11 (73%)

No: 4 (27%)

15 votes

YouTube Video of the Week: John McCain Gets Owned on Meet the Press

I am starting a new series of posts called "YouTube Video of the Week." I will post the most interesting video that I watched that week on YouTube. This first video is about John McCain and his differing opinions on the Iraq War and the lesser-known Somalia Civil War, which began in 1988 and still has not ended.

Poll About Titus

see poll on top right

Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs Game

This is a fun and interesting game that I found on Current.com. It showcases the leaders of Microsoft and Apple, two of the biggest technology companies, in a lightsaber duel.

Both warriors are evenly matched in this game, but in reality, Microsoft is much better than Apple. Microsoft's products are cheaper, more secure, easier to use, more compatible with other applications and peripherals, and run much faster than Apple's.

The “New” China

From hearing stories about the China thirty years ago from my mother and studying about the Communist Soviet Union in AP European History, I predicted that China would be a drab, controlled, and cultureless country before I stepped on the plane.

From 1966 to Mao’s death in 1976, the Cultural Revolution was a period of extensive propaganda glorifying Communism and Mao. The Red Guards destroyed anything related to imperial China, like religious structures, cultural artifacts, and literary classics because those objects symbolized the old style of thought before Communism. Conversely, from 1981 onward, the Chinese government categorized the Cultural Revolution as a mistake in its official party line and has since promoted Chinese customs.

During my vacation, I surprisingly saw a similar amount of expression of Chinese traditions in China and Taiwan. Especially in Beijing, I witnessed the Communists’ support for Chinese culture. To prepare for the Olympics, the government renovated its tourist attractions, such as the Temple of Heaven or the Forbidden City. Moreover, in most restaurants, the waitresses wear traditional Chinese dresses; in comparison, their counterparts in Taiwan wear western clothing. Additionally, in China, I saw a number of new and old buildings in Chinese architecture. Conversely, in Taiwan, almost the only vestiges of Chinese buildings left were temples and government structures, both of which property developers cannot buy and raze.

Lastly, every day in China, the tour guide took my mother and me to state-owned factories of signature Chinese products, like silk, jade, and china. The products didn’t astound me, but the tenacity of the inordinate numbers of salespeople absolutely flabbergasted me. Everywhere my mother and I went in the store, a salesperson discreetly followed, like a predator stalking its prey. When we had even expressed the slightest interest in the merchandise either by gazing at it or touching it, the employee approached us and encouraged us to buy it. When one person’s sales tactics didn’t seem enough, reinforcements arrived. In a pearl shop, three to four employees simultaneously served my mother: one or two advertised how each pearl necklace my mother tried out complemented her, one helped her take the jewelry on and off, and the last constantly looked for necklaces with different designs, in case my mother rejected previous ones. In all the stores that I have visited in my lifetime, I have never experienced such an inundation of determined salespeople. Even when my mother and I visited a car dealership or a Rolex store, both of which possess far greater profit margins per item sold, the employees did not push the sale as much and left us alone most of the time when we looked at the merchandise. The persistence of those government employees revealed the Communists’ intense commitment to Chinese customs. This new party line, a volte-face with the Communist Party’s past, shocked me at first, but I gradually became used to the government’s efforts to distance itself from its previous reputation.

Opposite of my predictions, China turned out to be a colorful and vibrant nation. Nevertheless, under the impressive visage of this “new” China still lies the traditional manipulation of the Communist Party.

[Repost of the original July 20th entry on www.baronbanner.com/blogs]

A Jook-sing’s Propriety

Being born and raised in the United States, I would consider myself an American and would not be offended if anybody categorized me as one. However, some overseas Chinese would be insulted at the classification. Their hostile reaction is an effect of China’s long seclusion from the rest of the world.

As a result of China’s geographic isolation from other nations due to desert, mountains, and ocean surrounding the territory, no foreign countries influenced it in the early stages of history. Consequently, the ancient Chinese have since regarded their culture as pure and superior than all others, and they have inculcated this idea into each later generation. This belief explains why China closed its doors to Western society for so many years, as it feared foreign influence. In contrast with the Western openness that I, an American, have adopted, many Chinese, especially those raised in the motherland, still believe in the importance of their culture. Therefore, I would be an absolute embarrassment to my mother if any Chinese person in China, even complete strangers, found out that I could not speak Mandarin Chinese.

Even though I have been raised in American society, which does not look down on immigrants who cannot speak their native language, I still feel humiliated when a Chinese person in China finds out that I cannot speak Mandarin Chinese. Due to my Chinese parents, who have stressed the importance of Chinese culture, I feel that I am incumbent to learn about my heritage, despite contradictions from my American upraising.

Surprisingly, because of the typical Chinese ideal that my parents had infused into me, I unknowingly became a hypocrite one night, only to find out when reflecting upon my jook-sing status. One night at Yung Kee Restaurant, a famous Cantonese institution that arguably serves the best roast goose in Hong Kong, I saw a Chinese family speak exclusively in English while I was waiting for my table. Witnessing the unusual occurrence, I became perplexed, as I was flabbergasted how such a culturally ignorant family could even discern what delicious Cantonese cuisine is. The group did not know how to say a single word in Chinese; despite my quasi-illiteracy in Chinese, I still can hold a conversation using simple Cantonese. I pondered whether the family could even distinguish Yung Kee’s food from that of Panda Express. I did not even realize that I was being a hypocrite at that time, as my furtive ridicule of that family’s ignorance came so naturally. It was not until the next day at lunch that I realized my hypocrisy.

At lunch, my mother pointed out to her relatives that I knew several hundred Chinese characters, even though I had forgotten most of them; to test me, my relatives thrust me the Chinese dim sum menu and allowed me to order the dishes that I liked. Staring at a sea of Chinese characters, almost all of which I did not know, I felt like the typical jook-sing once again, and I reflected on my furtive ridicule of the English-speaking family the previous night. Finally, out of “politeness,” I gave the menu to my mother, claiming that I did not know what dishes the restaurant served best.

[Repost of the original July 14th entry on www.baronbanner.com/blogs]

Jook-sing

A Cantonese expression for a Chinese person grown overseas, jook-sing is the term that my relatives in Hong Kong use to describe me. Originally meaning hollow bamboo, jook-sing metaphorically means that I have abandoned my cultural heritage.

Before I went on my trip to Asia this summer, I thought that I had abandoned most of my old Western tendencies:

As a little kid, I preferred McDonald’s over the traditional Cantonese fare, even in Hong Kong. My relatives used to ridicule me that I would still eat American food in Hong Kong, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to appreciate Hong Kong’s Chinese cuisine, especially when I’ve recognized that most of the Chinese food served here in Orange County is almost tasteless compared to that of Hong Kong.

I used to despise having to take public transportation, as nothing trumps the comfort and convenience of riding door-to-door in a private car. To use public transportation, I had to walk to the bus or subway station in the irritating humid, summer climate and wait for the vehicle to come, both of which I was not inured to living in America. Conversely, after being virtually imprisoned in my own home when my parents refused to drive me anywhere for many weekends and holidays, I began to embrace the idea of mass transportation, as I could theoretically access any part of Hong Kong without my parents’ help, even though I have never tried that before.

Consequently, I thought that I would be barely indistinguishable from the teenagers who grew up in Asia, but I was wrong.

Just as I thought that I had overcome the barriers of being an overseas alien, I unexpectedly encountered a new, more significant one on this trip: language.

Because I look like a Chinese native, people in China and Taiwan speak to me in Mandarin Chinese; however, as I don’t know how to speak Mandarin, I remain silent and pretend that I did not hear them. Ignoring them is my only option, as I don’t want to reveal in humiliation that I, a Chinese person, cannot speak Chinese. Absolutely the most embarrassing thing about an Americanized Asian is that he or she is ignorant of his or her native tongue. Every time somebody is bewildered at why I don’t respond, I feel an aura of awkwardness build up around me. The longer that person stares at me, the more discomfort I feel, as I do not know whether he or she is furtively ridiculing me about my lingual and cultural ignorance. As sweat starts to accrue on my forehead and I wipe it off, I wonder if others in the ambient area start to take notice of my discomfort and infer that I do not know Chinese. Finally, the person either asks me again, creating déjà vu and further augmenting my mortification, or leaves me alone.

[Repost of the original July 13th entry on www.baronbanner.com/blogs]

Los Angeles Lakers: Return to Glory?

“I want to go to a Lakers game,” I told my mother during the basketball team’s dominant days from about 2000-2004. Back then, Lakers basketball was actually entertaining, as the duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant made spectacular plays. In particular, Shaq overpowered and dunked his two or three weakling defenders, Kobe made spectacular fadeaway shots despite players’ hands covering his view of the basket, and on the fastbreak, the two stars’ teamwork created spectacular phenomena. In addition, because of the cocky duo, the entire team played with an arrogance that others, especially the Sacramento Kings and their fans, loved to hate. I felt proud to be Lakers fan, so proud that I even bet a Kings fan that my squad would win the NBA Finals. Confrontations often broke out between players, and the energy of both crowds was electrifying, even from my rather quiet and dull seat on the sofa in my house. However, all of this would soon change.

Unfortunately, due to his conflict with Kobe, Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in the summer of 2004. That was when I stopped watching Lakers basketball altogether. There was simply just no more attitude or entertainment.

However, because the Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals this year against the Boston Celtics, a team with the talented trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett that reminded me of my old team, I decided to watch basketball again. Obviously, unlike the Celtics, the Lakers lacked luster, with only Kobe as their main attraction. Even the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, was supplemented with his accomplices Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. Furthermore, Rodman’s erratic antics and appearance made the game all the more entertaining.

The mundaneness of the current Los Angeles Lakers parallels that of FVHS’ sports teams. Belonging to an extremely prestigious institution, FVHS’ sports teams possess a powerful recruiting tool: the opportunity for any skilled athlete attending neighboring schools to attend FVHS. Unfortunately, they are not currently utilizing it. Recruiting such talented athletes helps the teams three-fold: the teams will win more games and possibly the Sunset League and/or CIF Championships, more students will join the teams due to their prestige, and more revenue will be earned due to increases in ticket sales. Everybody wants to be on a winning team, as human nature is oriented toward victory. Additionally, who wouldn’t want to see the next LeBron James in live action?

In case anyone was wondering whether I ever saw a Lakers game, I actually didn’t. The tickets back then were much too expensive due to high demand.

[Repost of the original June 13th entry on www.baronbanner.com/blogs]