Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

"I need a new computer so that I do not have fight your brother for the notebook computer all the time," say my mother when I asked the reason she wants to buy a computer all the sudden. The rationale sounded just like the one for why there are so many bedrooms in the new three-bedroom house that we have here in San Diego: It is to ensure that everyone gets his or her own PC so that there is no awkward forced sharing of a common resource. And looking at the multiple baths, TVs, tables, sofas, it sounds like my family has been busy making this principle commonplace throughout the household. I suppose that in modern life, everything is about efficiency. Everyone wants to get his or her things completed without having to wait for others. And if the financial resources allow for capability for everyone to complete their tasks at the same time, it makes absolutely no economic sense for the family to not take up that option. In the fast-paced, information-based, technology-fre

Labor Day celebrates the hardworking men and women that made America the rich country that she is. But as America increasingly depends on her continued control of the world financial system for sustained wealth (keep issuing debts, printing paper money, and buying up foreign-made products), one can only wonder what the role of these "hard-working men and women" really is today. Evident enough, by the looks of a rusting industrial capital of Detroit and the enthusiasm new college grads have for dubiously "value"-generating sectors of investment banking and consulting, the positions of the traditional working class has been in steady decline in he this country. Gone are the days that even a senior worker in the factory can be considered "middle class" by definition. And increasingly, their decline in social status to mere "working class" has been accompanied by increased social gap with the new middle class of professional white collars, some of

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