Plain Amazing

Check out this video. The guy sort of looks like a bear, but he has some serious talent. I was sent this by a friend the other day and it is too good not to share.

This is the link since the embeded video isn't working:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4&feature=fvst

It's kind of sad that guys (and gals) like this can't get wider exposure or radio plays. Frankly, he has more talent in his beard that Britney Spears has ever shown in her life to this point.

If you are looking for some lesser known but still really good bands also check out Honor by August, Less Than Jake, and The Dandy Warhols.

Cai Guo-Qiang follow up

Since I was barred from taking pictures of some of the parts of the Cai Guo-Qiang show I mentioned in the post below I had to do a Google Image search to get these pictures. They are the two coolest parts of the show by far. The tigers are life-sized, as are the wolves and you can walk around them and if guards aren't looking you can touch them too.

The dual picture above with the wolves shows the original. There have been some small changes to the this part. But the changes made it even better. It was the coolest part of the show by far. Well worth my $6.50 to get in.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Today I went with a few thousand of my best friends (there were swarms of people there) to the Taipei Art Museum to catch the end of an exhibiton by the famous Chinese performance artist Cai Guo-Qiang. He uses a gunpowder to make a lot of his works which creates some cool effects. However, I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the two coolest pieces of his work (I'll try and Google Image them and post later). That said the stuff here is still pretty cool.


This was in a similar fashion as sculpture in the Cultural Revolution and was made of weak clay so it would intentionally fall apart.

This was the enterance to the museum. There were 5-6 Chevy's hung like this and shooting lights.

Boat with broken porcelain. Not really sure what is was supposed to represent.

Facebook Privacy and This Blog

It's interesting to think that when facebook started I wasn't all that concerned about privacy. Post anything was the rule. Then over time I've become much more conservative about it. I guess the more users and variety of friends I have (adults especially) is directly proportional to how much I put up on it.

Lately I've taken some more measures to drastically limit just how much I share on facebook (for those of you with access to my fb account it may not be obvious at first). It also makes me think how much I should post here. For example, I don't use my English name, share the name of my company, or post pictures of the ladyfriend. Still the danger to that is I still post too much. In the coming days, I'll probably put up a slightly more personal post than usual. But after that we shall she just how much personal stuff I continue to post.

Books I've Read Part 4.5

So it's not that I've stopped reading. I've just been reading at a slower pace (only on the subway to and from work). But in the last few months since November I've read these books/novels. Here are my unsolicited thoughts.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Yosarian may indeed still live but I was already tired of the novel in the first few pages. There were some parts that I laughed at but for the most part it was a labor to get through the prose. In the forward, Heller even stated a review said that the book seemed to have been shouted and not written. That's a pretty apt description. Beyond that there was very little that moved me to be interested in the characters. But if I was still in school it would be a great book to search do a report on. Thing is I'm not in school , so while the novel may indeed describe dislocation and madness of war but it was long and by the end a huge pain in the ass to get through.

River Town by Peter Hessler

My mom sent me this book for Christmas. While I have an avowed distaste for English teachers I immediately forgave Hessler on account of his being in the Peace Corps and being an excellent writer. For you reading this the book may be interesting, but for me it was engrossing. Hessler spent 2 years in rural (BFE) China teaching. He went through many experiences as a foreigner that I have (to a much lesser degree in Beijing and far less degree here in Taiwan) also experienced. That said, his was much more intense. The interesting thing for me is that as a Chinese speaking foreigner I completely understood him when he stated that you start to carve out your own little world over here and that you don't like other foreigners intruding on it. I recommend the book but I hate to say many of you may not get the same enjoyment from reading it as I do since the book in many ways mirrors some of my experiences.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Who am I to pass criticism on someone who survived the firebombing of Dresden and then cleaned up the bodies afterward? So I'll keep this light. I understood how and why the book was constructed. But I thought that it would have been more effective to pay more attention to the actual events that occurred in Dresden.

The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria

Read. This. Book. If you want to know how the world is moving this is the book to read. Zakaria is a smart man and the book was scary in a way. It discusses the diffusion of American power and move from a unipolar world that is now having to accomodate the BRIC countries. I see this every day here in Asia. Those of you who are in the U.S., believe me, you can hardly believe what is coming your direction from China and India. Get ready. There is nothing else to say--this book is a must read to understand the changing international system.

There should be more reviews soon. I'm getting close to being done with the last book I had for Christmas and I just spent $60 today to get 5 more new books at the best English bookstore in Taipei.

Back in Bangkok

I'm in Bangkok. I haven't been here for months. After spending so much time in third world Cambodia I am shocked to be in place with similar looking people that isn't third world (Bangkok borders on first world in many areas).

I give my performance tomorrow and I'm totally psyched! Wait, no, not really.

Update: Well I found out some interesting tidbits tonight at dinner from my customers. I already knew my boss was not a drinker and doesn't like anything beyond wine. Last year at the party we left toward what I thought was the end (10:30pm). Turns out after the performances they go nuts! They told me today that last year (and this year too) they toast everyone with whiskey then do beer bongs. Some people actually have to rent rooms in the hotel where it's held since they can't make it back. Now I'm not dreading this so much.

My Review of The Tipping Point

If the point of a book is to make you think then you can consider Malolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point a resounding success for me. I have been thinking a lot about this book since I started reading it. Thing is, there is more too books than making you think.

In that wider sense, the book fell flat for me.

If I was to tell you that fashion trends spread when they are taken up by socially influential people and mimicked by others you would shrug and tell me that is standard knowledge. Then if I told you that small but intensely committed groups are one of the best ways to spread messages and organize (think the Obama presidential campaign) you would probably tell me this is not earth shattering news. On both counts you would absolutely be right.

What Gladwell is essentially doing is basing his book on those two points. He then tries to add depth by citing lots of stories and studies and giving fun names to the people who help spread these things (Connectors are at the center of social circles and have tons of contacts that they spread things to. Mavens have in depth knowledge to disseminate to the rest of us.). Then he tries to add breadth by saying this is how many social phenomena spread. He mentions such diverse examples as Hush Puppies shoes, AIDs and other STDs, Airwalk skate shoes, and the decrease in crime in NYC during the 1990’s. He is adding window dressing. He is talking about big things by using something small—but in the end he ends up saying very little and still gets people to think.

I had a problem with the book from the start. It is one thing to describe a fashion trend but it is another thing entirely to describe the dramatic decrease of crime in NYC (a more complex sociological phenomena than a fashion trend) using the same theory. Any time I see a simple and clean cut explanation for something extremely complex I get suspicious. This is no different.

Taking the drop in NYC crime rates as an example, he says there were a lot of factors—each of which was important but none of which was the single cause. First off, why couldn’t there be multiple causes? Second, why doesn’t he compare this data on crime to data in other cities or the rest of the country? Third, he mentions that fixing small things on the NYC subway system (graffiti and fare jumping) helped to improve order overall—but this isn’t part of his thesis. In fact he never offers a clear explanation of how this spread through contacts to cause this widespread social change according to his thesis. Fourth, he forgets to mention much of this was due the dramatic increase the numbers and quality of the NYPD.

When I was reading the book I kept thinking of the mistake he was making. In my LSAT class they always drilled you on “sufficient v. necessary.” Meaning if something was sufficient to cause X it doesn’t always mean it is necessary to cause X (it can be but there are a multitude of possible causes)

However, none of this is to say he is wrong. I simply didn’t buy the depth and breadth he tried to add to the two points I mentioned above. To be sure, those two points are important and understanding them is also important. For example, the election of Obama showed the power of using small groups of very highly motivated people (but has since ditched this entirely) by distributing materials and motivating a core group they disseminated the information to their key contacts and it spread through social networks. But I think it is an error to apply those points too widely and not consider wider ranges of possibilities that cause things like the spread of AIDs or dramatic drops in the NYC crime rate.

So the book was interesting and has some insight. I was wary from the start and I remain so. Still it made me think.

Nobody But Me?

No, thats not what you think it is.

You see, here in Asia karaoke is damn huge. There are KTV karaoke parties all the time and huge buildings devoted to karaoke. Unlike the US when you sing over here it is in a small room with your friends and you can eat and drink in there--it's not in front of some huge bar, usually.

With that in mind, let me ask you what you think happens when a company has a year end dinner party. The answer is lots of singing in front of the group. People here aren't embarrassed if they sing poorly. Some nights I come home and find the street outside my apartment closed since there is a local karaoke night. They suck really bad. Or when I was at the mafia wedding one of the biggest dons in all of Taiwan got up to sing a song even though he wasn't very good.. Last year I dodged a bullet at my company party and my customer's party when I was able to perform a magic show.

But that luck ended this year. My customer specifically requested that I provide a song and dance. Shit. I can't sing and I can't dance well. So what to do? I was thinking of doing a lip sync (and I probably will) so the question is to what song will I do lip sync?

My boss had this song as his idea (he's making me do the performance alone). Oh Korean ladies, why do you have to do this song and make my life hard (skip to 2:00):



First off, I'll give them credit since the song is catchy. But come on! No way in hell am I singing and dancing to a song that is performed by 5 girls. Come to think of it maybe I should get another group of Korean women to come and do the performance for me:



Frankly, if I have to sing I'm thinking of doing this song:



The song is simple and catchy and not too many non-Chinese will know it well. In fact, I remember when it came on in a store in Beijing one day and everyone stopped and sang alone. This song is also more appropriate than my favorite Taiwanese song (get a lyrics translation):



對我來説林志零算什麽! The end part is pretty funny since he's singing "把手放在空中甩" which means wave your hands in the air. Then he tells all the ladies to take their shirts off and throw their bras in the air. Oh, MC Hot Dog you amaze me.

Haitian Earthquake

Thankfully my friend John left Haiti in the middle of last year. When I emailed the day after the quake he told me that even before this happened the situation was dire (at best) and the only potential silver lining is that it would make people see just how terrible things are in the country.

And in other news, Pat Robertson's head is still up his ass (in the words of Andy Borowitz: "Pat Robertson 'A public relations nightmare' says God" at http://www.borowitzreport.com/).

Update: Another ND guy sent me (listserv) an email. He is right on the DR-Haiti border with the Peace Corps. He said he was knocked off his feet by the power of the quake. Now his town is being used as a staging area for the relief efforts.

Becoming Taiwanese

When I was ND the winter temps would be a balmy 25F on a good day (you knew from Dec-early March it would not be above freezing). There were a few weeks during the year when the mercury didn't go north of 0. Then there was one memorable day when it was close to -40F with the wind chill.

Sitting in that for 4 years I told myself that if it ever made it to 40F I would be so incredibly happy.

So now I live in Taiwan, a place where the usual temperatures don't get close to 40F but at the coldest hover in the neighborhood of 50F. Given my past experience, this should be a piece of cake.

Nope. I guess I am becoming more Taiwanese by the day since when it hits 50F I bundle up in a big jacket and hat. Either that or I'm just going soft. But, man, it does feel cold.

Rip City

I can't lie, I hate the LA Lakers with a fiery passion. Kobe, you bet. Odom, him too. Walton, are you kidding me. Artest, of course. Gasol, yup him as well. Maybe I hate them so much because of the way they beat the Blazers in the Western Conference Finals back in 2000. But mainly I just hate them since I am a long suffering Blazers fan.

Hell, I remember when I was 6 years old in 1991 rooting for the Blazers to beat Jordan and the Bulls. The local radio station Z100 had their hit "Bust a Bucket" made for the Finals with Buck Williams throwing down the vocals.

Just listen this ear candy from the early 90's:


What all this means is that I am an unabashed Blazers fan. Albeit, a long suffering one. So it warmed my hear this morning to see that the Blazers beat the Lakers in Portland for the 9th time in a row. Count that, the Lakers haven't won in Portland (despite their consistently dirty play) since 2005!

I was going to post about the bad feeling I have with this year's Blazers. Two big men out for the year. Blake in the hospital. Rudy maybe back. Nicolas gone until next year. Andre Miller being a basket case and not fitting in. But despite all of that and a huge argument the other day they beat the Lakers.
I'll put my doubts on hold for a minute and savor this crushing of the Lakers.

Rip City Baby!!!!

No Fatties Allowed!

So I was checking the BBC today and I ran across this little gem: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8439495.stm

This was my favorite quote, "Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded."

I'm not sure if it is good or bad but, it is funny. This guy makes it sound like the predatory fatties are stalking that site just waiting to eat some poor helpless beautiful person.

Come to think of it, all you fatties out there roaming this blog need to cut it out too! I have standards.

The New Year

Well 2010 is here. I had a great time saying goodbye to 2009. I've heard a lot of people talk about how bad of a year 2009 was. For me, it was pretty good--I was able to learn a lot, experience a lot, and grow a lot. For the world, I think it is pretty safe to say that 2009 was a less than thrilling year.

Anyway, I had a great New Year's Eve. After work I ran to a Taiwanese bbq restaurant. It is very different from American style since here they grill meats that are about the same thickness as lunch meat. The reason behind that is instead of grilling up a bunch of chicken or some steaks, like whenever we through a party at my place, here they have all sorts of food to cook. That means they have veggies, thin meats (all sorts), seafood, etc. If you make the things small and thin then they cook quicker and faster.

Once we got done with the bbq a few of the people went back to my place before heading to downtown Taipei. Every year the 101 story tall Taipei 101 is used as a fireworks launch platform and this year it would be the last year that Taipei 101 would be the tallest building in the world before being passed by the Burj Khalifa. To say the crowds for the show were enormous would be a terrible understatement. We went to one of the better viewing areas to find a sea of black haired humanity.

The problem for latecomers, like us, was that the people who came early all just sat down and waited, which made huge areas completely impassible. The fact that so many people were sitting and refused to move or even make lanes made for a pretty funny confrontation between all 5 feet of my ladyfriend and some dude who was well north of 6 feet who didn't want to move (she managed to publicly shame him).

When the show was over we lingered for a bit to let the crowds thin out before heading to a friend's house who lived in the area and catching the subway home at 2:30am.

2010 will hold a lot for me. Right now the main goal is to take the LSAT and apply to law school. If that gets done I'll enter 2011 happy.