Prudence, Caution, Deliberation.
The Hermit points to all things hidden, such as knowledge and inspiration,hidden enemies. The illumination is from within, and retirement from participation in current events.
The Hermit is a card of introspection, analysis and, well, virginity. You do not desire to socialize; the card indicates, instead, a desire for peace and solitude. You prefer to take the time to think, organize, ruminate, take stock. There may be feelings of frustration and discontent but these feelings eventually lead to enlightenment, illumination, clarity.
The Hermit represents a wise, inspirational person, friend, teacher, therapist. This a person who can shine a light on things that were previously mysterious and confusing.
Following the very interesting OKCupid report about the perfect profile pic, OKCupid had produced a report about the difference between gays and straights.
Based on their 3.2 million users, OKCupid had compiled their viewing habits, searching habits, profile contents and answers to some questionnaire and here is what they've found:
1) Homosexuals are not a threat to heterosexuality
- Only 0.6% of gay men have ever searched for straight man profiles.
- Only 0.1% of lesbians have ever searched for straight woman profiles
- Only 0.13% of visitors to straight man's profile are gay men.
- There's not a single gay man who primarily searches for straight men.
2) Gay people aren't any more promiscuous than straight folks
Median number of sex partners of any hetero or gay, male or female is 6.
- 45% of gay people have had 5 or fewer partners (vs. 44% for straights)
- 98% of gay people have had 20 or fewer partners (vs. 99% for straights)
- The two lines are pretty much identical.
3) A lot of straight people have had/would like to have gay sex
- Men seems less open than women (82% of straight men said no and never, 7% said yes and liked it, 6% said yes and didn't like it, 5% said no but would like to. The numbers for straight women are 49%, 26%, 7%, 18% respectively, It's safe to say that it is cultural?)
- The people who responded that they have had gay sex or would like to try are quantified to produce the above map. The are more likely to be from Canada, the US West Coast or New England.
4) Personalities
- By comparing straight men versus gay men, straight men seems to be disproportionally more into sports, they all seems to be more violent, more aggressive, hornier, dorkier and more religious, while gay men are more ambitious, artsier and more compassionate.
- Straight women seems more religious in comparison to lesbians and they also seem more optimistic, while lesbians are more into drugs, kinkier, artsier, more adventurous, more violent, hornier, more romantic and dorkier.
- Heteros regardless of gender seems to be more into sports perhaps it's more frequently a heterosexual topic. Gays and lesbians are understandably less religious, artsier (gay gene?), more compassionate, more literary, more political and more spontaneous.
5) Stuff We Like
Stuff Gay People Like
Stuff Lesbians Like
The higher and bigger the font is, the more it is mentioned in the group's profile. Apparently lesbians really like The L Word and something called Tegan and Sara. Funny the both gays and lesbians like the movie Running With Scissors (I didn't really), Imogen Heap (I like one of her songs), Tori Amos (whom I love), Katy Perry, Drop Dead Gorgeous (What's that?), Lily Allen, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mean Girls, Kelly Clarkson and cuddling.
Stuff Straight Men Like
Stuff Straight Women Like
Unless I'm missing something, straight men and straight women seems to have nothing in common. How do they find common ground? How could the human race have procreated? Is Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus actually an accurate analogy? At least after seeing the straight men list, I know that I belong to the gay category.
There seems to be little in common between gay men and straight men as well. While hetero people and lesbians had a more significant response that they like to hang out with their friends, friends seems to be less significant to gay men. Also straight people seem to have more activity based answers than gay people.
Anyway, the report is interesting. Go over and see for yourselves.
Via Technologizer
Back in the mid-1940s, Seagram’s advertised its VO Canadian whiskey with a series of extremely manly magazine ads about “Men Who Plan Beyond Tomorrow”, comparing their production 6 year old aged whiskey to futuristic thinkers. Though some of these drawings did become true today,
1. Perfected Television & Radio Telephone Combined (February 1943)
Although Americans have been doing videoconferencing for a while, videophones has just reached this country and it's still not very popularized.
2. 3-Dimensional Movies (June 1943)
So the concept started that long ago, huh?
3. Groceries on Wheels (April 1944)
This one speaks to me particularly. I've seen vendors selling produce in the back of a pickup truck or a van, but one with its own butcher? I wonder if it'd work in some suburban/rural community. It looks like a fun job.
4. The Portable Radio-Telephone (October 1944)
Seagram explained that this technology was already in use for armed forces and it'll soon be sold in the market, but that postponed about 50 years.
5. The Office of Tomorrow (March 1945)
In this rendition of a futuristic office, there's a videoconference box and lots of gadgets on the desk. Very much like the desktop and peripherals that we have today.
6. Top Stories & News Events as You Dine (April 1946)
Dining while watching news on TV? What a novel idea? As you can see, there are flatscreen TVs on the wall broadcasting sports as gentlemen are drinking. Too bad sports bar patrons wear more trucker hats than suits nowadays.
7. Traveling Kitchens Deliver Packaged Dinners (June 1947)
Looks pretty much like a food truck. Most people now would rather order delivery.
See more in the original post.
Racist, homophobic, physiology PhD Dr. Laura Schlessinger apparently was still giving out advice on Radio despite not being a psychologist and is as qualified as a sack of rocks. When a pathetic black female caller (pathetic because she seek the advice of Schlessinger) called to ask what she should do about the racist friends of her white husband and they got into a discussion about the usage of the n-word. Schlessinger spewed the racial epithet 11 times and tole the caller "If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry outside of your race." Later on Larry King, she will be leaving her radio show when her contract expire at the end of the year, for that I say good riddance unless that's a publicity stunt to get more listeners.
The racial tension in this country still remains strong even though it's been 150+ years since it was over and almost 50 years after the civil rights movement. While I understand the history behind the n-word, the younger generation should be less sensitive about the term. The rule that only black folks can utter the term in itself is racist, it's all in the tone of the speaker and frankly I find it more offensive that Schlessinger told the caller if she doesn't have a sense of humor she shouldn't be marrying outside her race. I'm tired of referring to it as the n-word, by giving it so much power it just amplifies it's offensiveness when someone says it. Still I was still a bit shell-shocked when I heard it on Jon Stewart completely uncensored.
It's a word, not an urban legend. Instead of perpetuating the taboo of the word, it's better to just let it be a regular racist term just like "kyke", "cracker", "chink", "spic" and whatever else. It should be as shocking as bad words like "fuck" and over-exaggerate its effects.
Just realized today might be someone's birthday, though who it is I can't remember. Nowadays you really have to be on Facebook for me to do anything about your birthday and most of the time you'll just get a congratulatory wall post. It also reminded me that I need to put everyone's contact information on my iPod Touch. I've already started to type shopping lists in it, waste some electricity but save some paper. It's like the debate between paper or plastic bags, which one is worse for the environment. There are really no concrete answers, are there? A good memory might be the better answer equivalent to bring your own backpack. But while I have a backpack, I don't have a good memory. Most of the time, I'm like the dude in Momentum.
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I don't think I can make it happen but someone has to do a GLBT-specific version of Wikipedia. I thought I'd call it Gikipedia (Geekypedia) but that should be it's own entity. We need an encyclopedia of information pertaining to gay sex, gay TV shows/characters, GLBT lingos, porn stars, cruising sites and locations, politicians and everything else under the sun. Wikipedia helps with most things but not in its entirety and certainly won't go into the nitty-gritty. Porn stars should have racy pictures and measurements, you know, the embellishments. Maybe it should even exhaust the discussion board on each locations ala Craigslist or another cruising site that shall not be named. Unlike Wikipedia though, I think it should depends a little more on advertising revenues more than donations, and also a logon might be required to view the contents. Imagine how useful it'd be to have just one authoritative place to look up everything when you first came out.
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I posted this strange thought on Facebook but here it is again:
Diva Plavalaguna is actually a Na'Vi from Pandora, she's just a polyglot that attended Juiliiard.
Of course, there is no need for a thought like that but I don't even know why but I really liked her in Fifth Element, probably because I was taken by Inva Mula Tchako's voice and the fantastic blue imagery of Plavalaguna. Plavalaguna is blue and much taller than your normal human being, she's also in a crusade to save a planet, has 6th sense and got a lot of tubes on her head. I'd love to figure out how to make a costume of her and wear it for Halloween. Though I'm sure a lot of people will mistaken it for a character in Avatar.
Yeah, I just wrote the sequel! Not I just have to think about where the Smurfs come in.
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I got invited to an Oscar viewing party in which each guest is to bring a dish that is from a movie, new or old. I don't think a lot of specific food dishes are mentioned in films. The most common on is probably burgers, from your Royale with Chesse in Pulp Fiction to Supersize Me and the Harold and Kumar White Castle films, also Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear flipping burgers in Stuck on You, I submit that burgers are the most popular food featured in movies. I could go the obvious route and make some sweet breads and fava beans or bring a bottle of Chianti but then the friend who invited me is vegetarian, who's also giving up bread and dairy for lent. If I'm going, I might just make a Ratatouille with pasta and call it Pasta Primavera so that can scratch their heads for a while. This "Up" cake is also a serious contender. 
Via Joe.My.God., GQ has published an article about the potential dangers of cell-phone radiation.
Earlier this winter, I met an investment banker who was diagnosed with a brain tumor five years ago. He's a managing director at a top Wall Street firm, and I was put in touch with him through a colleague who knew I was writing a story about the potential dangers of cell-phone radiation. He agreed to talk with me only if his name wasn't used, so I'll call him Jim. He explained that the tumor was located just behind his right ear and was not immediately fatal—the five-year survival rate is about 70 percent. He was 35 years old at the time of his diagnosis and immediately suspected it was the result of his intense cell-phone usage. "Not for nothing," he said, "but in investment banking we've been using cell phones since 1992, back when they were the Gordon-Gekko-on-the-beach kind of phone." When Jim asked his neurosurgeon, who was on the staff of a major medical center in Manhattan, about the possibility of a cell-phone-induced tumor, the doctor responded that in fact he was seeing more and more of such cases—young, relatively healthy businessmen who had long used their phones obsessively. He said he believed the industry had discredited studies showing there is a risk from cell phones. "I got a sense that he was pissed off," Jim told me. A handful of Jim's colleagues had already died from brain cancer; the more reports he encountered of young finance guys developing tumors, the more certain he felt that it wasn't a coincidence. "I knew four or five people just at my firm who got tumors," Jim says. "Each time, people ask the question. I hear it in the hallways."
Just so you can prepare yourself for another unpleasant debate over gay marriage, the whole thing is pretty much drawn out. You can even sent it to your opponents just to save time. Click to embiggen.
For myself, I always find it strange that while there is some kind of freedom of religion in the country and only the Christian god condemns homosexuality, why can't people of other faith get gay married? But that's just me.
I got this video at Doug's blog Unnatural Devotions. It's Eat Pray Love's author Elizabeth Gilbert talking about her creating process and I guess a lot of people feel the same way. Even me. I used to keep a pen and a piece of paper on my night stand just in case I thought of something "brilliant". I guess my genius hasn't visited me for some time. :)
Well, yup. It's Chinese New Year. Happy New Year everyone! If you didn't start on working items on your resolution list, consider this a second chance.
Chinese New Year is my second favorite holiday of the year. (X'mas is more fantastical) We used to get red pocket with money from our elders, when I was back in Hong Kong. In my opinion that's the only reason why we would respect our elders. Of course, you can't expect everyone to give out a nice sum, but the going price was about HKD$10 per envelope 10 years ago which is about USD$1.30 (Us brats will shun upon anything less). And each year we'd earn More than USD$100, some lucky ones might even get USD$500 in mere two weeks. (You'd have to go to all the friends and relatives your parents know but money is money. lol) I wonder what the going rate is now, maybe going back and making my round would pay my rent, but then as I'm getting older there's not much elders left and I'm too old to get red pockets now.
So Year of the Cow, I've read in some fortune telling book that's it's gonna be a good year for me but I sincerely doubt that the whole populace born in the same year will suffer the same fate. Still, I can't help but hope. People born in the year of the Cow is said to be dependable, responsible, hard-working, truthful and patient, although at the same time, they are stubborn, petty and materialistic.
Are you a cow? (Honestly, you dizzy cow)
Came across this story when I was on Yahoo!:
Radical cheap: $1,000 homes
The real estate market is so awful that buyers are now scooping up homes for as little as $1,000. There are 18 listings in Flint, Mich., for under $3,000, according to Realtor.com. There are 22 in Indianapolis, 46 in Cleveland and a whopping 709 in Detroit. All of these communities have been hit hard by foreclosures, and most of these homes are being sold by the lenders that repossessed them.
"Foreclosures have turned banks into property management companies," said Heather Fernandez, a spokeswoman for Trulia.com, the real estate Web site. "And it's often cheaper for them to give these homes away rather than try to get market value for them."
In Detroit for instance, Century 21 Villa owner Randy Eissa has a three-bedroom, one-bath bungalow of about 1,000 square feet listed at just $500. It's a nice place with lots of light, but it needs a total rehabilitation inside, which Eissa estimates will cost between $15,000 and $20,000. But that's not bad, considering that the home last sold for $72,000 in late 2007, according to Zillow.com.
With prices this low, lenders aren't looking to make any money on these deals. They just want to get these houses off their books, so they don't have to bear the cost of maintaining them and paying property taxes.
In fact, the $500, $1,000 or $3,000 that a buyer forks over often goes straight to the real estate brokers as a commission. And often the lenders have to kick in extra cash to make it worthwhile for a realtor even take the listings, according to Eissa.
"Usually these homes are bank repossessions that the lenders have already tried to sell on the market, perhaps then put up for auction without success and then re-listed," he said.
Fixer uppers
These houses are almost always small fixer-uppers. Wiring, plumbing and heating systems have to be replaced, walls and ceilings sheet-rocked, plumbing and light fixtures installed and new kitchen cabinets and counters put in. Few come with working appliances.
Often buyers are legally required to rehab these homes to bring them up to code. In Detroit, buyers are required to sign Affidavits of Compliance Responsibility, which obligates them to make repairs outlined in an inspection report. Only after that can a certificate of occupancy will be issued, which makes the house legal to live in.
But even factoring in these costs, they're still bargains.
And as the housing crisis drags on, there are more and more four-figure listings popping up, as lenders try to unload their repossessed properties.
Cleveland is another city with many incredibly inexpensive homes. On Ardenall Avenue, in East Cleveland, McMullen Realty has a listing for a four-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath house for $1,900. It's been vandalized inside, but the outside is in good shape.
It features a deep front porch with Doric columns, double dormer windows and a separate garage. It's an excellent opportunity, according to agent Tonya Stoudamire. The last time it sold was in March of 2008 when it went for $16,677, according to Zillow.
"East Cleveland has a beautiful housing stock," she said. "These houses just need someone to come in and love them a little."
Another property for sale in Birmingham Ala. is priced at $1,900. The one-bedroom, one bathroom home was built in 1923 and has major fire damage, according to its listing broker, Tom Murphy Realty. The listing states that "Rooms are hard to distinguish."
But it's on a nice-sized lot, about 0.38 acre, close to downtown and transportation and has all utilities. Nearby, comparable homes in good condition sell for about $100,000, according to Zillow.
Rehab money
Most of these $1,000 homes can be renovated relatively inexpensively, and buyers can actually get government help to finance these repairs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a special loan program for just such purchases.
Its rehabilitation mortgage insurance, available through FHA-approved lenders, was designed to encourage banks to issue a single, long-term loan to buyers that covers both the acquisition and rehabilitation of a property, according to HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan.
He adds that there may also be grant money available from the $4 billion Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which was a part of the massive housing rescue bill passed by Congress in July, to assist buyers with grants for down payments.
Buying homes like these is certainly a leap of faith; they're generally not in the best of neighborhoods and they're often surrounded by many other vacant and deteriorating homes. Still, some of these neighborhoods may turn around and provide residents with good, dirt-cheap housing.
"It's a sad time," said Stoudamire. "But it's also a time of opportunity, especially for low and moderate income people."
I'm still flirting and seeing CuteCub, he's like a drug that I can't get enough of and we seemed to have pretty good chemistry. I know, it's kinda dumb and dangerous to be with someone that I can't have. I'm watching my steps and hold myself back bit by bit which is easier said than done. I'm looking out for flaws to focus on to bring him back down to size, but in my infatuated state, I can't find any, well maybe little things that can be easily looked over and I'll consider myself lucky if I have to live with those flaws. It's especially cruel that now he's using his webcam when we chat online.
Last night after a few beers, he revealed to me that his boyfriend will be graduating in the coming summer and that since he's a foreigner and given the current job market, he'll probably have to return to his native land afterward. CuteCub has no plans to move away, so they eventually will have to break up. It sounds horrible and it reminded me of my breakup with Principe, but I can't help but glimpse a spark of hope and invoke a series of what-ifs. I'm infatuated with him enough that I don't wish them any sadness though.
At the same time, Calico Guy which I've had a little fling with in late spring resurfaced to tell me that he is now living in the great NYC and got a new boyfriend. He had been unemployed and living with his ex the doctor in the same bed for a year and since his ex found a new beau and decided to move down to North Carolina to take on a new job in a new hospital. Calico Guy was forced to move and find a job for himself, which he did for a few months. Now he's in NYC worked part time and lived with his new boyfriend for a month before being fired. Now his new boyfriend is threatening him with a breakup if he doesn't get his act together. Calico Guy has a weak mind so that's probably just the jolt he needs, although it's kinda cruel to say something like that right before X'mas. I can understand the stress of living with a partner who's not contributing, especially while you're living in a big city with higher living expenses. I seemed to remember being the sugardaddy for all of my relationships, no matter how much older my exes are.
At least these kinda stuff give me some perspective to put my life back together. If I can't even support myself, how can I be there for someone else? Finding a job will be the number one item on my new year's resolution. I think I'm ready now.
It's the same old story, I let myself gone completely infatuated and obsessed over CuteCub again. Sure, he's completely my type, good looking in a cute adorable way. He's got nice facial hair, sparkling eyes and a nice hairy chest, a little shorter than me, but it just accentuate his build, charming, educated and he seems to like me well enough. The guy rates pretty high for me, 80%~90% perfect, the problem is that he already has a boyfriend and have no intentions to have open it into a poly. It's futile, as much as he likes to flirt and enjoys the attention. We have seen each other 3~4 times in the past weeks and chatting online every single day, but it can never be and having a person around who reminds me what I can never have is cruel to say the least.
I'm trying to figure out my problem with guys. Maybe somebody else's boyfriend had a stamp of approval on their forehead and are more attractive for it. Or maybe the ones that I can easily have are not good enough because my self-esteem is that low, but my latest observations in the political world have pointed me to the concept of power.
How does one acquire power? I'm pretty sure the ones who are always agreeable would be deemed as pushovers. The ones who always disagree are deemed to be unreasonable and hence not worth the effort. As in voting, the ones that can relinquish power are the undecided ones, the ones that goes two steps forward and three steps back - the teasers. Maybe that's why nothing ever gets done.
The ones that have my heart hangs upside down are all unavailable in one way or another, while still retains a friendly facade. With Lucius, he doesn't want to be tied down and he has other issues. Medic Guy is constantly available, although I think he just like me for my looks than me. Even Principe doesn't deny me much but one thing, his ass, but maybe that's for the best. I'm scared to find out that if the perfect guy came along and give me everything I wanted, I might feel bored.
At least I told him how I felt, so there's nothing left for regrets. We are still chatting. The wise would have taken back the power but stepping away. Then we are still young, maybe I'll get a chance 20~30 years down the line, not that I'm wishing them ill, but things happen. Meanwhile, I'll take this as a catalyst for me to better myself. Go to the gym, get a job and all. I must make myself more attractive if I want a chance in love.
Here comes my melodramatic side again, *Snap* out of it!
From watching True Blood and how Prop 8 unfolds, I was reminded about the power of faith. It's a constant struggle between good and evil. You have your gods and demons and your sickness and bad luck are due to evil spirits and some kind of exorcism are performed on you. Usually with bells and drums or some kind of heavy objects banging on your forehead until the evil desist. Other than the traumatic experience of watching The Exorcist when I was 6, I actually have seen an exorcism performed on my mother when she was terminally ill with cancer. Of course, that didn't work nor did her new found faith in Christianity. It worked for some other cancer patient, but not on her. I guess you really have to believe in it to make the healing work, not just saying so. I guess faith healing is for the ones that truly have faith. I'm like my mom, we're both too skeptical and mentally incapable to cut out our doubts. I can embrace simple concepts like Karma but the little facts and fantastic stories that comes with it are a bit too much to handle.
I was talking to my friend about my hope of moving to California because my experience out there is very different from my life here in the East Coast. People here are more reserved and defensive, they don't act friendly easily. I find people out west are a lot friendlier, plus there are a lot more Asians and gays which makes people more accepting on folks like me. At least they don't seem to ignore me because stereotypical Asians around here can't communicate.
My friend, however, thinks differently and said that it is all just a state of mind. When people are out traveling they have a different viewpoint, a more relaxed and excited mental state which affects our communication styles and tend to be open on meeting new people. There are also the fresh meat factor; a new face in a new place always draws more attention, so you're more likely to feel good in a new place when everything is fresh. But then if you actually live in that place, you will eventually return to your usual self.
There might be some truth to it, I just thought if I really believe that my outlook will change then it will happen just like faith healing. That, or maybe I should move every 3-4 years to keep the excitement going. I think for me faith is more about making up your mind and do it, then the actual belief of a higher power.
When I was at SundayOut, there were anti-gay protesters standing nearby with a bullhorn as always. I was thinking if I paint the area around where they stand with gasoline the night before, someone can drop a lit match the next day. No, not to hurt them, just to scare the hell out of them and "give them a sign". I love revenge, it's karma with faster consequences. I also passed by a stand who's selling some graphic-tee, but they weren't really prepared. I would have gotten a t-shirt with "Gayborhood Watch" on the chest if they had one in my size and the right color.
Anyway, I had a theory to test out, here it goes:
A = [You believe in the Christian God]
B = [The Christian Bible says Homosexuality is a sin]
C = [No Gay Marriage]
If A + B = C, then NOT [A + B] = NOT [C]
A lot of people argue the B part, those passage in the bibles are just guidelines or that there are also condemnation of other sins like disrespecting your parents or adultery and we don't see any rebellious kids or adulterer being stoned to death. But I say since the US didn't assign itself to a specific god, then I can believe in any religion I like.
There's freedom of religion here in this country, you know. So why does this particular religious belief has to affect everybody else's life? All the gays can start a religion where we only believe in marriage between the same sex or that anal sex has a soul cleansing aspect. Are we gonna force our view upon others? That's why I find anti-gay people so illogical.
Let's all convert to Buddhism. Dalai Lama is looking more and more dignified in comparison to Reverend Wright and all the child molester anyway. And I don't think I trust this pope much, he doesn't have the look of a kind grandfather and pardon me for saying this but he looks more like a villain to me with his deep hollowed eyes.
Buddhism is more peaceful and calming. And Buddhists are more self-sufficient in many ways. Not that I'm a Buddhist religion-wise but more like a code I live by, "live and let live", "karma", you know easy things. Although I can be very vigilant at times, hence the pyromania, but I'm trying my best.
Anyway, go Buddhism, go!
I went all the way up to Queens, NY today with some friends, one of them told us that the Chinatown up there is bigger than the one in Manhattan and they have tons more good food. It turned out to be true.
On my way back, we passed by Bowery and Canal and I spotted a little storefront that happens to be a temple for my godfather - WongTaiSin.
My family is all inclusive when it comes to religion; better safe than sorry seems to be my grandmother's motto. Us Chinese are mostly buddhist, if not in practice at least in lifestyle. There are plenty of buddhist temples in Hong Kong, heck we have one of the largest buddha statues in the world. My grandma also practice Taoism, so much so that I often confuse the two. Until this day, I couldn't really tell you what the difference is between Buddhism and Taoism. They both requires the burning of incense, they both believe in the living dead, both related to some sort of Kung Fu. Although Taoist stories are often more colorful since they believe in a lot more deities and ghosts.
I grew up going to a Protestant primary school, and then a Catholic boarding school and high school. Our family went through a phase of Shintoism from Japan which I still don't know why. Our neighbors down the hall are Indian Muslims. So I guess I inherited that mentality, in that in anything you do you should expect karmic consequences. In reality I would categorize myself as agnostic or borderline atheistic, mostly because I'm anti-authority and organized religions are seedy and unnecessary.
That brings me back to the story, my grandma actually brought me to the WongTaiSin Temple when I was a baby and prayed to him to took me in as his grandson. It was so forced, ha. But it is our family's tradition to go to the temple every year to pray for things during Chinese New Year. My godfather here also perform some special functions. There are all these bamboo containers that holds a hundred bamboo sticks in there, and each stick corresponds to a poem. So every year, we prepare a long lists of questions and then we bring it to the temple. For each of these questions, grandma would shake the bamboo container until one of the sticks falls to the floor and the corrsponding poem is supposed to be the answer.
I asked my godfather about Medic Guy today, he seems to like him.
If Massachusetts allows gay marriage and Massachusetts is one of the most educated states. Does it mean people who want to ban gay marriage are dumb? According to this clip, "Yes!"
It's the year of the rat. People born in the year of the rat are said to be hardworking, patient, systematic, assertive, they can also be cheap and manipulative.
One of the tradition I missed the most is parents or elders giving out red pockets with money in it. Chinese New Year is pretty much the X'mas of Chinese kids. I'm from Hong Kong, so I've got the best of both worlds. X'mas gifts and red pockets. I actually like the red pockets better, because I can use the cash for whatever I really wanted. But there's work involved, I actually have to go to the elders house to collect them and that takes time and patience.
It's comforting to know that ever since I left Hong Kong ten years ago, my grandma has been collecting red pockets in my name for her own us... lol. Come to think of it, she was born in the year of the rat, it would make her 84 this year, no wonder she's such a cheap skate!
I was catching up with DC last night and we talked about relationship and my recent dates. Although monogamous, DC has the same thought as I did in grade school, in that it is hard to imagine spending the next 50 years with one and only one person. More like he has a hard time imagining having sex with one and only one person.
Understandable, I have been with Principe for six loving years but near the end our sex life was reduced to once or twice a week, comparing to the hot start we had. Sex up to a point will get mundane and routine and it cannot support a relationship on its own. While love may grow, sex dwindles. So it is important to recognize them as two different things.
Instead of cheating behind your lover's back, some couple choose to have an open relationship. Once a trust and understanding has been established firmly, they could sleep around with other people as long as it is okay with their partner. That way they still get their affection and love from their partner while getting their needs for sexual adventures fulfilled from someone else. Of course, that might invite doubts and jealousy, or maybe you go out and meet someone better and ruined the existing relationship.
Some couples insist on playing together when they invite a third sex partner, it could spice up the love life and there would be less chance for problem. Or playing with other couples, that way everyone know who they belong to, minimizing the chance for problems and gain some friends.
Polygamy is another interesting topic. It's illegal in the states, but so is gay marriage. So for us homos, we don't have to conform to the traditional format of "Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman". For us, it could be whatever we want it to be. Personally, I have been in a relation with a gay couple for a year. I recognized that this kind of relationship has a great potential, you'll be in a high income household, the sex is more interesting with the various combinations, it's not as easy to be bored, but it is a very difficult balancing act. If the participants are not mature enough, there would be jealousy and insecurity. "Oh, you like him more than you like me!" It's hard to find equal grounds and it's hard to be attracted to each other equally as much either.
Maybe it's my fondness for RPG games, I can fantasize myself being in a polyamory relationship. Ideally, having 5 participants just like any good RPG games and just enough to fit in a car. Everyone should have different things that they are good at, whether it's cooking and cleaning, car and home repair, gardening, accounting, computers and such... Four of them would have jobs and the other one can be the homemaker, and of course equal parts of tops and bottoms. Better yet, one of each race. And most importantly all of them should be drama-free and know how to play Mahjong or if not, Texas Hold'em. I like the self-sufficient brotherhood/friends/lovers combination of a relationship. I realize it is quite selfish and hard to find but it is, of course, just a fantasy.
Honestly my English level doesn't allow me to understand rap. It's too much too fast. That's part of the reason why i don't enjoy hardcore gangster rap, along with its homophobic tendencies, its violence and its demeaning tone against women.
Every so often though, there are some beats or tunes that is so catchy that I can't help but dive into these guilty pleasures.
Move Bitch - Ludacris
My exposure to new music mostly comes from TV, MTV, to be exact. So I was introduced to this song in 2002 just as "Move", not knowing that the TV version was heavily censored. I sung it in the office all cutesy like when someone is in my way. "Move... get outta the way, get outta way, get outta way!" Imagine my shock when my colleagues told me the correct lyrics. It wasn't a big deal, but somehow I felt betrayed by MTV.
"Can I Get A..." - Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule
This is another one. Great beat, I can really imagine myself bouncing with him, I especially like Amil, she looks and sounds like the total package. Although I had no idea what she was singing back then. All along I thought the lyrics were "Can I get a what-what?", although I wouldn't know what that means. After finding this clip last week, I was horrified to find out that the correct lyrics weren't "what-what" at all. Although after reviewing the correct lyrics, I still don't have a clue what the song is about. There is also a very clever remix of this song seen here.
It reminds me why censoring is bad. Not that I like the uncensored versions better, but I don't appreciate someone else making that decision for me. Lately I've been seeing a lot of commercials about the latest technology to censor TV shows not appropriate for children according to ratings plus television is going completely digital come 2009. But if that really work, it should really means that regular television channels should be able to play more riskee shows. If the censoring is set correctly, children shouldn't be able to accidentally stumble upon sex on TV. That means we should be able to watch Sex in the City without all the cut scenes (what are children doing up that late at night anyway? Who are we protecting exactly?) I vote for gay sex on TV!
This is a picture of the Dartois I baked for the office. If nothing else, the year should start with a bit of a good will. Plus I need to use up the frangipane I made before they go bad... lol.
There are no resolutions this year. Not like I have stuck with the ones before, but I have made up my mind to grow up in certain aspects and also to try and make myself happy. :)
I wish everyone happy as well.
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