One thing that has become apparent with this overseas wedding is simply an old truth – it’s just best to ignore the big mouths. Nam and I have been planning to get married for years; we just never got around to it. Over those long years, I remember each and every person who urged us to have the wedding in Thailand so they could take a vacation there. They promised to attend, of course, like it was no big thing. “For you guys, OF COURSE I’ll be there, you’re family/good friends/important to me…”
Well, invitations were sent long ago and the requested RSVP date was the first of December. Guess the only people who haven’t responded at all? That’s right, the big mouths! The shit talkers, AKA Those Who Cannot Back Up That of Which They Speak. I call all of you out now. Because it’s not the fact that you cannot attend which bothers me – believe me, I know the expense/bother involved with taking time off work, etc., just to attend our Matrimonial Gloryfest Afar. Rather, it is the fact that NONE OF YOU so far has the stones to tell me you can’t go – FYI, an RSVP request can be answered in the negative without losing face, in fact it’s the RIGHT and POLITE thing to do. It’s the fact that you are IGNORING the invitation that rubs me the wrong way…. DO THE RIGHT THING, MOOKIE. Better yet, in the words of the immortal Ice Cube, FUCK ALL Y’ALL.
And now that I got that off my chest, I can write all you shit talkers off and proceed without regret.
God, I love this blogging shit.
Month: January 2006
Afro-puffs
I have been mistaken for AngryBlackBitch.
Life is complete (karma’s a bitch, innit?).
explanation
The end is near
The latest round of comment spam here is for GAY FEET.
I shit you not.
Kodak’s New Logo
“In another break with the past, Eastman Kodak Co. is introducing a new corporate logo designed to help the company forge a new image as a cutting-edge, 21st century innovator.”
Is it just me, or did some board member’s nephew’s design startup just laugh all the way to the bank? I didn’t think it was possible to make a lower case “a” look both retarded and “cutting-edge” at the same time. If that’s the direction lower case vowels are heading, cOUnt mE OUt, fOOls!
It almost goes without saying that the new logo looks much better backwards (this is J’s first axiom of 2006 – ALL SUCKY, REDESIGNED LOGOS LOOK BETTER BACKWARDS).
Kabok, bitch!
Wedding Schedule – Airset
In order to better facilitate planning for the wedding, we are using a free site called AirSet that provides calendars, etc., as well as flexible security settings. I need to send an invitation via e-mail and you need to register at the site in order for you to get into our group. I sent out a bunch of invites today, but if I forgot you, please drop me a line (cosmicbuddha at gmail dot com).
News on Korea Site
This is a public warning. I thought a long time before posting this, and it needs to be said.
NewsOnJapan.com is a useful site that aggregates, well, news about Japan. I visit it almost every day.
It has a sister site, NewsOnKorea.com
There is an option on that site to subscribe for e-mail updates. About a month ago, I accidentally found the UNPROTECTED DIRECTORY where they store complete, unobfuscated e-mail addresses of (what I assume to be) their subscribers.
I subsequently notified an apparent admin of that site in case they wanted to take action to protect their subscribers’ e-mail addresses.
I received no reply. The directory remains open and unprotected. For obvious reasons, I will not link to it here, but e-mail me if you want to check for your address there – it is a spammer’s wet dream.
I have no idea if unsubscribing will remove your address from the directory or not – that is between you and the site operators. I just wanted to bring this issue to light.
Fuck a cop
So my wife came back from Thailand last night. This morning, rather. Goddamn Thai Air flight was late 90 minutes, so she missed the last hydrofoil to the island at 9:50 PM. Took a conventional ferry that arrived in the next town over at 2 in the morning. It’s a $50 cab fare (for a fifteen minute ride w/o tolls, don’t get me started on Japanese taxis today), so I went to pick her up. I have to wake up at 6:30 these days, so I went early, parked in the ferry parking lot, and went to sleep with the engine on. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Woke up with a maglite beam in my face.
“I’m a policeman – open the window!”
“Oh, hell no.”
“Open the window – now!”
“Stop shining that fucking light in my face and show me a badge!”
The shit was on.
Asshole rolled me out of my car, smelled me for alcohol, inspected my driver’s license and gaijin card, and threatened to search my car. After I told him I didn’t give a shit, he lost interest in that. Instead, he told me to get lost and go sleep somewhere else. I told him I was waiting for my wife to get back from the airport. He asked me what nationality my wife was – I told him I was going back to sleep.
Of course, it didn’t end there. He harassed me some more and I told him to go look for Peruvians or something. He got all indignant and told me he knew the difference between SE Asians and South Americans. Like I give a fuck, right? I really wanted to say, hey, ain’t neither here, so get the fuck out my face…
You know, when I left California and the whole getting-pulled-over-and-photographed-for-having-slanty-eyes scene behind, little did I know that I would have to put up with the same shit in reverse on the other side of the globe…. Power trippin’ assholes with guns and badges. Some things are universal, I guess.
Famous Japanese Americans
This post actually started off as an update to my previous post because I had forgotten to mention one of my newest finds.
Guy Kawasaki has started a blog: Let the Good Times Roll
He’s kind of an idol for business-minded Japanese Americans, along with Robert Kiyosaki. Politically-minded JA’s are probably more into Senator Inouye or Congressmen Matsui/Honda (or in Hawaii, George Ariyoshi, the first JA governor of a US state. Also, in Los Angeles this might be Paul Tanaka, the current Mayor of Gardena and assistant Sheriff). Academics? Francis Fukuyama or Michio Kaku. Musicians? Hands down, Hiro Yamamoto (original Soundgarden bassist), Seiji Ozawa (Boston Symphony Orchestra), or, more recently, Rachel Yamagata (Utada Hikaru is disqualified for using the word “Japanesey” in her lyrics).
Who is the most famous JA of all time? The arts/entertainment industry is represented by Pat Morita and George Takei most recently, but there’s also Mako, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tamlyn Tomita, James Iha, Mike Shinoda, Devon Aoki, Tak Fujimoto, etc., etc., and let us not forget, USAGI YOJIMBO FOREVER!
For those not impressed with Hollywood, let me offer some real-life heroes: Fred Korematsu (Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient), Ellison Onizuka (one of the Challenger seven), Kristi Yamaguchi (come on, you don’t live under a rock, do you?).
I know it’s out of vogue to talk about the war in this day and age, but I grew up hearing about internment stories and what it means to be persecuted by fellow Americans, and then go fight a war for them anyway. It is very important to me. I grew up with a chest of my grandfather’s things in my closet. In it was a military dress hat; the name embroidered on the side was of my grandfather’s closest friend. SADAO MUNEMORI.
So yeah, all those guys are heroes to me. They lived their life under a common motto: GO FOR BROKE
It is something to remember.
First Links 2006
Nothing too serious to start off with, of course.
Revenge of the Tattooed Nerds
You know what? This article is from 2004. I wonder how many of those nerds regret having tattooed PWNED around their assholes now.
The top 10 weirdest USB drives ever
My prediction for 2006: The Universal Serial Otaku collective at Solid Alliance will continue to lead the industry for the first half of the year, but will be eclipsed by commercialization of actual flash drive implants into user’s thumbs which will be developed at a hitherto-unknown Korean university (in defiance of the international outcry from anti-gargoyle groups, of course).
It’s a new year, and you can fellate if you want to
My official resolution for the new year: I Shall Not Get In Your Way If You Want to Suck
Several people, coworkers and distant net acquaintances alike have contacted me with obviously doomed-for-failure-and-not-even-worth-trying-for-the-sake-of-trying ideas they have for the new year. I feel this is all a natural part of the new years spirit. I also feel guilty for shooting down people so obviously infected with post-holiday infused joy every year, so I’ll shut up in person and simply state here: An idea that is obviously sucky even now will probably not thaw out and bloom in the spring.
And to the WordPress evangelists spamming my blog about the newly-released version 2.0: You are the reason I am not switching from MT anytime soon. (And if this was all a ploy by SixApart: Cheers! You guys are fucking geniuses!)