Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

With the ballooning of the Chinese immigrant population in America, it has become increasingly common for random Chinese people to meet as random neighbors in a random place in the U.S. Especially in major cities of an Asian-infested Southern California (such as San Diego), these random meetings have been quite a catalyst in forming rather deep networks among the local new immigrants. And with common pains of immigration ( not fitting in the local society , for one) and common concerns (mostly about sending their kids into elite colleges in America), they certainly have much to talk about under any occasion. To channel their excess energy for random chatting, these new immigrants have been developing a whole new custom of home parties, combining the distinct Chinese affinity toward loudness and crowds (something that naturally comes with living in a densely over-populated country) and the big size of American homes (hardly imaginable in China, where most people living in high-...

Having been drinking almost nonstop during my free times (and as part of work) in Japan and Korea, I have been feeling quite puzzled as to how drinking happens in the U.S. Without convenient public transportation systems , people have to rely on cars to get to bars here in San Diego, yet somehow people (including Designated Drivers) just cannot be disciplined enough to not drink at all, leading to every outing ending up as a mild violation of the basic laws against Driving Under Influence (DUI). Yet, it is at the same times kind of funny to see how DUI has become somewhat culturally tolerable over the past years. What is supposed to be the sympathy people feel toward the sad non-drinking driver guys became sympathy felt toward the driver guys who are sipping their light drinks so slowly as to make sure their blood alcohol levels stay below the legal limit. The limitations of the transportation system forced people to adjust, not by cutting back on living their lives, but by find...

The times are tough and the jobs are hard to come by. The grave situation of the world economy is certainly not news, and can be easily seen even with a casual visit to the neighborhood Chinese restaurant . For newly graduated college students of the past couple of years, there could not have been tougher times for starting up a professional career. With little work experience, little practical knowledge, and little professional connections, it is no wonder that many are left behind in the increasingly competitive job market, here in the US and across the world. While the anxiety and the sorrow behind not being able to find jobs after four years of hard work in college are definitely understandable and worthy of sympathy, the amount of depressing rhetoric that is accompanying the whole situation has been getting a little too hard to stomach for even (newly) jobless new grads like myself. Public sentiment, echoing the gloomy expressions of the printed media, has been convinced th...

They were brave souls who dragged their entire families to unknown countries with strange languages. All they had were visas, dubious (and sometimes highly exploitative) employment, and dreams of better lives in a foreign country. They kept up their hopes up as their language and cultural barriers led to endless frustrations at work and in everyday life, forcing them to suffer quietly the endless social isolation and open ridicule by their American neighbors and coworkers. They tolerated all of that, knowing that their children and grandchildren will lead better lives here and fit in the American society better than they ever will. And certainly, these 1st generation immigrants are right about their children fitting in. Growing up to see America as their homelands, these youngsters often embraces everything America has to offer: her language, culture, customs, and people. Armed with young absorptive minds, their knowledge of America quickly surpass those of their 1st generation...

"That argument you made is totally BS, you clearly do not know what you are talking about!" Words of such bluntness often grace the comment section of any internet forums or news sites. People from complete different backgrounds and locations easily dish out such harsh criticisms to others based on a mere few sentences posted, instantly heating up the arena for more vulgar exchanges that often follow. Even the most intellectual and politely-worded articles on the Internet, through such exchanges in the comment section, become fields of barbarous personal assaults within days of the article's original appearance. Surely, the power of the Internet in connecting people from completely different walks of life cannot be 100% positive. Simply because most of the people discussing any issue on forums will never meet each other in life, and may not even see each other again on the Internet, there is absolutely no reservations when it comes to harshness of the criticisms. ...

The first post of my September also marks the one hundredth post for the year 2011. The post finds me becoming a bit calmer after another scare for my UK visa application to be rejected (Thankfully, after staying up until 2am last night to call the LSE Admissions Office, the officers were very responsive and helped me obtain the necessary new materials within one business day. As I sent off the new materials to the Border Agency in New York, my visa application is officially back on track). The fact is that after suffering through so many natural and man-made disasters, I am getting so accustomed to the idea of something bad unexpectedly happening that my mind no longer feels any sort of panic in facing them. Whether it be the near-death experience through the Quake in Japan or dealing with prospects of not getting my visa to UK (even now), I can think beyond the initial fear or scare of everything not going according to the "normal way." No longer do I feel any sor...