Weekend Meme: Chinese New Year Meme

So Chinese New Year is really close by, in fact I think it's this coming Monday. Friday night I went to my friend's house for a lavish 15 course end-of-year meal that spanned out for hours. We just cook and ate as we go, a few course at a time and it was delicious and left me gut-bustingly full. The so called"End-of-Year" is also called the coming together meal, where you're supposed to get with your friends and family, sort of like the Chinese Thanksgiving. So it's also understandable that it the time of the year that I miss my family in Hong Kong the most.

I'm still worried about my grandma and her stroke incident. My family has a culture of always being over-critical of each other and since my grandma had been through a war, she is stringent and a bit of a hoarder. Most of my family brought up by her had been tired of her ways. I'm sure with her 6 remaining children, somebody is bound to be taking care of her, but I'm not there. And I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to see her while she's still alive.

Well sorry for the holiday blues. No, my life is not about being sad all the time. Most of it is stuffed up with work and hanging out with friends. I just went to my friends for a meal that start on early Friday evening and we played mahjong all night until the sun came up Saturday morning where I went out to a thick blanket of snow and got home to sleep until late afternoon. Tonight, there's another Chinese New Year dinner with another group of friends. Life is good.

Today I decided to write up my own meme. There seems to be a lot of meme about all other holidays, so I'm gonna try asserting my culture here and hope some other people will follow.

Chinese New Year Meme

1. What is your Chinese zodiac sign? 
I was born on a year of the rabbit.

2. What are the traits and do you identify with any of them?
Rabbits are supposed to be clever and friendly. I think I'm pretty friendly.

3. How often do you order Chinese food? Where from?
About once every two weeks I have some Chinese food in Chinatown somewhere.

4. What is your favorite Chinese dish and what is so good about it?
Crab meat on snow pea shoots. Snow pea shoots being my favorite green vegetable ever (only in season during winter). And the creamy crab meat just add to the whole silkiness of the dish.

5. Look around for the closest thing around you that says "Made in China", what is it? (Made in Hong Kong, Taiwan or Macau would also count)
My alarm clock.

6. It is customary that during Chinese New Year we wish others "Prosperity in the New Year" or "Better Health". What is the one aspect in your life that you wish could be better?
Right now I'll go for prosperity.

7. It is also customary that kids receive red envelops with money in it for good luck. What's the best gift you've ever gotten? From whom?
I think it's the keyboard I got one year from a good friend. I took piano lessons with it so I enjoyed being able to be artistic. Another friend gave me an $100 giftcard for my birthday during my unemployment years which helped me out quite a bit. I thought that was really thoughtful of him.

8. What do you associate with the color red?
Blood, passion, loud, bold, attention seeking.

9. Look around for the closest red thing, what is it?
My red and white polo shirt, my curtains.


10. If you ever own a Chinese restaurant, you'll name it? (I'm expecting some cheese here)
Golden Dragon. It sounds traditional.

11. Name the Asian person who you have the closest relationship with and his/her role in your life.
My grandmother. Enough said.

12. Name your favorite Asian movie.
I think it's the Wedding Banquet. It's this movie about a Gay Taiwanese that had to pretend to be straight for his parent's sake.

13. Have you ever been racially discriminated? What happened?
Not blatantly. Although this one time a couple of kids were riding in my college campus and yelled out for directions, when I approach them they said "Not you, where are you gonna get us to? China?"

14. What observations/stereotypes are Asians that you believe to be true?
We are usually meeker and smarter.

15. How many languages do you speak?
English, Cantonese, Mandarin, a bit of Spanish and French.

16. If you're ever getting a Chinese Character as a tattoo, what do you want it to mean?
Brotherhood

17.When's the last time you traveled abroad? Where to?
I think it's to Mexico about 4 years ago. Just crossed the border to Tijuana, didn't fly or anything.

18. Have you ever had sex with someone Asian? Would you?
Yes. On many occasions.


I guess that's it. Have a great weekend!

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Music Invasion: Azealia Banks' "212" (NSFW)

No thanks to Mr. Jervis at Joe.My.God, the very first song that got into my head and won't leave this year belongs to this girl - a cute, foul mouthed, Naomi-Campbell-esque Azealia Banks with her awesome pigtails. I'm usually not into rap, especially with such language! (fake gasp) But that beat just won't stop!

212 - Azealia Banks

Hey, I can be the answer
I’m ready to dance when the amp up
And when I hit that dip, get your camera
You could see I been that bitch since the Pamper
And that I am that young sis, the beacon
The bitch who wants to compete and
I could freak a 'fit, that pump with the peep and
You know what your bitch become when her weave in
I just wanna sip that punch with your peeps and
Sit in that lunch if you're treatin'
Kick it with ya bitch who come from Parisian
She know where I get mine from, end of season
Now she wanna lick my plum in the evening
And fit that ton-tongue d-deep in
I guess that cunt getting eaten (5x)

I was in the 212
On the uptown A, nigga you know what’s up or don’t you?
Word to who made ya
I’m a rude bitch, nigga, what are you made up of?
I’m-a eat ya food up, boo
I could bust your 8, I’m-a do one too, fuck ya gon' do?
I want you to make bucks, I’m a look-right nigga, bet ya do want to fuck…
Fuck him like ya do want to cum
You're gay to get discovered in my two-one-deuce
Cock-a-licking in the water by the blue bayou
Caught the warm goo in your doo-rag too, son?
Nigga you’re a Kool-Aid dude
Plus your bitch might lick it, wonder who let you come to one-two
With ya doo-doo crew son… fuck are you into, huh?
Niggas better oooh-run-run
You could get shot, homie, if ya do want to
Put ya guns up, tell your crew don’t front
I’m a hoodlum nigga, you know you were too once
Bitch I’m 'bout to blew up too
I’m the one today, I’m the new shit, boo, young Rapunzel
Who are you, bitch, new lunch?
I’m-a ruin you, cunt (4x)

Ayo (ayo), I heard you're riding with the same tall, tall tale
Telling them you made some (made some)
Saying you're grinding but you ain't going nowhere
Why you procrastinate girl? (-nate girl)
You got a lot, but you just waste all yourself
They'll forget your name soon (name soon)
And won't nobody be to blame but yourself, yeah

What you gon' do when I appear?
W-when-when I premiere?
Bitch, the end of your lives are near
This shit been mine, mine (x2)

[Verse 3 - Azealia Banks]
Bitch, I’m in the 212
With the fifth cocked nigga, its the two-one-zoo
Fuck you gon' do, when your goon sprayed up?
Bet his bitch won't get him, betcha you won't do much
See, even if you do want to bust, your bitch’ll get you cut and touch you crew up too
Pop, you're playing with your butter like your boo won’t you cock
The gun to where you do eat poon, hon?
I’m fucking with your cutie-q
What’s your dick like homie, what are you into, what’s the run, dude?
Where do you wake up? Tell your bitch keep hating, I’m the new one too, huh?
See, I remember you when you were
The young new face, but you do like to slumber, don’t you?
Now your boo up too, hon
I'm-a ruin you cunt

What you gon' do when I appear?
W-when-when I premiere?
Bitch, the end of your lives are near
This shit been mine, mine (x2)

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Weekend Meme: Lucky 33 Meme

I don't know what happened but since Blogspot updated the blogging interface, my blog posts had been looking a bit weird. I don't feel like I have control over this thing anymore. Maybe I'm still not used to back blogging again and I just can't find anything interesting to talk about. I'm sure this phase will pass, that or I should get an iPhone and migrate to Tumblr.

Lucky 33 Meme

1. Can you cook?
Yes, you better believe it. I'm a member of a 9 members lunch club at my current job and everytime I cook, there are dozens of people waiting to see if there are any leftovers.

2. What was your dream growing up? 
I dreamed about being a singer.

3. What talent do you wish you had?
I wish I was a lot more athletic and be good at sports. My energy level has never been that high.

4. Favorite place? 
Restaurants, coffee shops, gift shops, my hometown, my apartment, my friend's house.

5. Favorite vegetable
Snow pea shoots,  all kinds of mushrooms.

6. What was the last book you read. 
James Patterson's 11th Hour

7. What is your sign?
I was born on the day where Cancer meets Leo, I had been more Leo in my younger years but nowadays I feel like a 100% Cancerian.

8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
Nope, never felt like I needed to get one.

9. Worst Habit?
Picking my nose and I like to procrastinate.

10. Do you personally know anybody on Blog? 
Yes, I knew a few people who blogs.

11. What is your favorite sport?
Swimming, baseball.

12. Negative or Optimistic attitude? 
I'm generally pessimistic. Optimistic people usually get disappointed, but pessimistic people usually get pleasantly surpised

13. What would you do if you were stuck in an lift with someone of the desired sex? 
I think nothing would happen.

14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
I can't really point to something and say it's the worst thing that ever happened to me. I believe everything happened for a reason and it brings me to the place I am right now.

15. Tell me one weird fact about you: 
I have never taken a picture of my butt before. I don't actually know if I have seen it before either.

16. Do you have any pets?
Nope

17. Do you know how to do the macarena? 
I think I actually do but let me rush over this one so I don't have that song ringing in my head all day.

18. Is the sun shining where you are now?
No. It's a wintry windy day.

19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
More scary than cute

20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
Less fat, definitely and more toned

21. Would you be my good angel or bad angel?
Even though I try to be good all the time, it's more entertaining to be bad, ain't it?

22. What color eyes do you have?
Dark brown

23. Ever been married?
Never. Not legal yet and nobody would take me.

24. Bottle or Draft? 
Neither, don't like the taste of alcohol and so I don't like beer. It has to be fruity and sweet for me to drink.

25. If you won £10,000 today, what would you do with it? 
Put it in the bank. Saving it for a down payment for a nice house.

26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
Watermelon, though I rarely chew gum nowadays.

27. What's your favorite bar to hang at?
There are two/three places in the city that I like to go but I think my ex had taken them after the break up. I have yet to be motivated enough to go out

28. Do you believe in ghosts?
I used to believe in ghosts and I like to keep that belief too.

29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Reading blogs and watching TV.

30. Do you swear a lot?
Nope. I still do occasionally but not habitual.

31. Biggest pet peeve?
People who are arrogant, lateness and people who block my way.

32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Boring

33. In two words, how would you describe yourself?
Fucking Boring

Have a good weekend!

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Oh! The Places You'll Go... At Burning Man!

Saw this video inspired by Dr. Seuss and Burning Man. A friend goes to Burning Man every year and even though I've heard good things, I've never truly understood what Burning Man is. I think after watching this, I'd be inclined to go if I ever get a chance.

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Can I Just Tell You How Much I Like This?

 This sums up the difference in gender expectations.

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Weekend Meme: New Year's Meme 2012

I guess a year of non-blogging does strange things to a person. I'm not used to putting away a chunk of my time to write and I don't really know how to go about it anymore, so excuse me for my infrequency. I'm still trying to get used to blogging again. Same thing with work.

After being a 99er in 2010, I have to say that I'm still getting used to the concept of working. When I was at the Donuts, I didn't have any time off; I worked through the holidays, working 6 days a week non-stop and even on call when I needed to be. Now I work a job where there's vacation, it just seems odd and unfamiliar somehow. I guess I just don't know what to do with my free time. I'm bringing back my Weekend Meme section to slowly introduce myself back in the world of blogging. After my year-long sabbatical, I have accumulated quite a bunch of meme to play with. So let's get to it:
 
New Year's Meme 2012
 
1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Work two jobs. After getting my new job at the end of May, I actually work Donuts on the weekend and that was something.
 
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I did. I forgot what it was already, maybe I didn't have any. I made some resolutions this year, lose weight, fuck more.  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope, nobody other than some high school friends.  

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope. Thankfully.
 
5. What countries did you visit?
I haven't visited anywhere overseas this year.  

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
I think I'd like to have a new boyfriend or at least a few dates with the same person.
 
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 31, the first day of my new job. The ex-boyfriend's birthday, which is also the day we broke up.
 
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a job that pays a lot better than Donuts, with insurance and benefits.
 
9. What was your biggest failure?
My love life, I guess. If I'm an optimist then I'll see that as ending something that didn't and couldn't work.  

10. What was the best thing you bought?
A few new coats that I like. I actually spent a day at the mall and bought tons of stuff. I needed a change of wardrobe badly.  

11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Throughout my ordeals, I remained true to myself. I think I'm pretty proud of that.  

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted?
A relative of a close friend refuse to pay my friend after he renovated her new house which is truly horrible.  

13. What song will always remind you of 2011?
My friends are into trashy songs and from working at the Donuts, I think the songs of 2011 would be: Nicki Minaj "Super Bass" Selina Gomez "Love You Like a Love Song" LMFAO "Sexy And I Know it" Maroon 5 "Moves Like Jagger"  

14. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Sex, exercise, go out drinking.  

15. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Stay home, work.  

16. Did you fall in love in 2011?
No new love.
 
17. What was your favorite new TV program?
Dexter, True Blood, Whitney, New Girl, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, etc.  

18. What was the best book you read?
I can't remember reading any books this year.  

19. What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying?
Having a boyfriend? Seriously I'm not that boyfriend hungry, but maybe I am.  

20. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Bought a coat from Kenneth Cole that resembles a bit like a Mao suit jacket. Other than that, I got some new sweaters and new pants. I guess, it's modern oddity that intrigues me.  

21. What kept you sane?
I have no idea. I don't know where the resiliency comes in but I'm glad it's there.  

22. Who did you miss?
I'm not gonna lie. I do miss the ex-boyfriend but lately I'm worried about my grandma. I got news that she had a stroke two days before New Year's and half her body is paralyzed. I don't really know what to say or do.
 
23. Who was the best new person you met?
People at work. I also have this big old crush with this big hunky bear who's married with children but it's just a crush, nothing more.  

24. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2011?
Nothing is forever, nobody is not replaceable.  

25. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
That might be hard to do. "On and on it seems to go..."

Well, I'm still not feeling 100% back yet, but hopefully I'll find more and more things to post.

Have a great day!

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Reboot (pt. 2)

The break up happened very suddenly. It was supposed to be his birthday and we went out for lunch after I gave him some presents. He was acting strange the whole time which I took it as his usual birthday blues. At the end of the meal, I asked him what is wrong and he told me he wanted to break up. Two days later, he came over to take what he has in my apartment and two hours later I've erased all our online contacts. It's like we've never known each other but I guess there were always signs. Last time I saw one of our mutual friend and ask him if he wanted to join in the birthday celebration, that friend looked extremely guilty. When Adam Bouska's NOH8 Campaign was in town and I really wanted to go for a couple picture, he flatly refused. The abruptness of the breakup led me think that there's somebody else, which was confirmed by a friend who saw his profile on one of the online app. While it is all good, I'm just shocked by the lack of any communications. I was the fool who thought everything was going well.

Any break up is, of course, depressing. And since it happened, I have been submerging myself with work, which is plentiful. I have been picked up by a charter school in a sketchier part of the city; a charter school that caters to low-income, out-of-school youth, helping them to return to school to get their High School diploma. Even though, the pay is not ideal, I feel fortunate that I now have health and dental insurance. I have to admit that I didn't join the organization because I like help people, I was at a stage where the moral high ground was non-essential, I was willing to do almost anything, but I have to admit that it feels good to be able to find meaning in my job.

We are a progressive school and we install all kinds of measures to help kids graduate. Everyone is very involved in the education of these kids (18-21). Each of us mentor a few of these kids and each of them have a case manager to help out with their child care, financial health, mental health being and all social service needs. We give them gift certificates and subway card for them to come to school. We give them money for them to go to school. Do you know how long it took me to wrap my head around this concept? And yet, kids don't come to school. I haven't never heard of these things. And if a kid is failing a class, we drop their lowest perform session and average the rest. And we network them with various college and job site so that after they graduate, they will be either working or in college. I see the value of the school but how could we get them ready for real life by treating them like kings and queens?

Anyway, a job is a job and I sincerely don't hate it.

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Reboot

I have deliberately taken a whole year off this blog because of a few reasons. I wasn't really happy with my life at the end of 2010. Sure I had a boyfriend that I adore but after two years of unemployment starting at the end of 2008, I was met with the end of my unemployment compensation and I had to borrow money to keep up with all my bills and expenses and all I could find as a job with my work experience and my Master's degree is to be a manager in training at a Dunkin Donuts in a sketchy neighborhood catering to addicts and drug dealers, working 55 hours, 6 days a week for near minimum wage.

It was physical labor for a boss who was undereducated and all she knows about managing is to act loud and bossy. It wasn't her fault and at the end of her training, I did learn loud in my head on what is what in a store like hers. The business model of the company is to lower expenses and make everyone replaceable disregarding experience, so employees are treated like dirt. I think that may reign true in any fast food restaurants. You don't have to offer anyone raises since there will be tons of high-schoolers lining down the door waiting to replace you. I had done my damnest to be the best employee possible. Working almost 10 hours a day for 6 days unfortunately doesn't leave me enough time to blog.

I was very afraid that my boyfriend would leave me because I didn't have time for him and when I do, I'm thoroughly tired. Physically and mentally. Most days I have to go to bed at 8pm so I can wake up at 3am in the morning to make it to work by 4am, all the while having an unreasonably demanding boss on my back. I was transferred to a better neighborhood after 3-month of work and doing less hours which means that I get paid less but still enough to survive. To my boyfriend's credit, he didn't leave me, not until after I found a decent job.

I guess I cannot fault him. After being put in the bottom of the pit, I was determined to come back up, so I did not exactly quit the Donuts but move it to the weekend. With both the equally demanding new job and the Donuts, I think I have failed to shown as much passion to the boyfriend as before and it broke. That or it had long been broken and the now ex-boyfriend had just stayed with me until I got back on my feet. In my head, I thought I was working hard for our future together, I want to be an equal partner and not lagging behind. I guess that was foolish. Either way, that's the end of that. What's ironic is that after a few more months I quit the Donuts, I just don't see the point of working so hard any more. It doesn't seem that I have anything to work for anymore.

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Happy New Year 2012

2011 Has been quite the year with lots of ups and downs, maybe 2012 will be better. Crossing my fingers.

For the ones who are still visiting or following this blog, thank you. Hope to catch up with you all soon.

Happy New Year! Best wishes for all.

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