In Hastings, a book store chain similar to Borders, at the cultural studies section, they had almost no literature on Hispanic American or Asian American culture – fine, I could deal with that.  But what happened after that really ticked me off, and it ignited something in me.

After a fun outing to Starbucks and Hastings, my friends and I headed to the skating rink in town.  There were high schoolers and middle schoolers hanging out across the street.  When my friends (who were white) got out of the car, they didn’t say anything.  When I left, they were oohing and aahing at me.

So I did what my gut instinct told me to do: ignore it.

We went to the skating rink, and the manager there told us that they were closing in 20 minutes, deferring the three of us.

Going back to the car, one of the kids, short and stout, and probably not yet in high school, comes up to me and asks me in a really confrontational manner (and in a thick Kentuckian accent)  - Do you speak English?

How do I diffuse this situation?   I knifed him told him in my most Brooklyn accent possible, Yo, you got a problem?

Retrospectively, I came up with a rant to respond to these questions in the near future.

Yes, my great grandparents spoke English building railroads across the country.

Yes, my grandparents spoke English in the internment camps of California and Wyoming.

Yes, my parents spoke English trawling tuna in Washington and shrimp in Louisiana.

No, I guess I don’t speak English.

What really bothers me deeply is why these things happen.  It’s different from when a little kid goes “Why is that guy’s skin color weird?” just because he or she hasn’t been exposed to other cultures.  But this should not happen beyond a certain age.  These ideas are reinforced by their parents, teachers, and people at their churches.  It strongly bothers me that no one else will set them straight.

One of my good friends was called the N-word in one of these streets not too long ago.  My experience is not hers, but I see where this idea breeds.  Despite the rhetoric, race still is a problem in America.  Whether I get told to “go back to China” in Elmhurst, Queens or asked “Do you speak English?” – we don’t live in a postracial society.  And Asian Americans still strangers from a different shore, as the late Ronald Takaki states in his book.

Thanks, kid, for reminding me that I don’t belong here.  Tell your parents that they’ve raised a good kid.

Well, I truly do apologize for not updating while I was in Indiana.  Honestly though, it wasn’t much different from the last Thanksgiving.  Not to say that it wasn’t good or anything, but it was just as great and I had a fun time being out of Kentucky.

It feels really nice to escape this little town from time to time to go to another little town.  Strangely though, going to West Virginia does not really feel like getting out of here.  The metaphysical concept of being out of here, y’dig?

I really love the small town charm, but not being able to live without a car still bothers me.

So if I were to put this in a list…

• Hearing random Korean people talking at the local mall
• Awesome small charming country store
• Cool Vegetarian Thanksgiving
• Talking about things that excite me (Race issues in America, food)
• Listening to “Party in the U.S.A.” about 40 times back and forth because Louisville radio loves Miley Cyrus.
• Just getting a feel for what it is like to grow up in Heartland, U.S.A.

My friend Kim took a picture of me in front of a rustic looking cabin.  I’m almost certain that I will tell my mother that it is where Abraham Lincoln grew up.  Just to spice things up a little bit.  Eh.  Maybe I’ll tell her that it’s a replica.  We shall see.

I have a tumblr now.  It’s selfdeprecationseemsokay.tumblr.com – come visit.  It’s a less commitment kind of a blog than this one (not that I am soooo into it), but I’ll do whatever I want there.

My Thanksgiving plans keep on shifting eastward.   Just kidding.  Indiana is one of three states bordering Kentucky that I haven’t spent significant time in.  I don’t quite know when I’ll ever go to Missouri, but that and Tennessee are the only states left.  I’ll be having my first ever vegetarian Thanksgiving.  =]  More from on the road!

@work
Me: “So yeah, this Thanksgiving, I’m going to Indiana. Maybe I’ll get in touch with my Filipino side.”
J:  ”Wait… but you’re not Filipino!”
Me: “Am I?  Are you sure that I’m not?  What am I, J?”
(J is speechless.)

It is 5:41, and yet again, I have managed to evade sleep.  But these quotations really do make my day.  To think that I’ll be one of the first impressions of a race for certain people, the pressure’s on!

In the latest news, so I finally folded laundry, and alas, I am missing my white sock with a green lining at the ankle.

1. (Good) detergents are expensive. Despite my friends’ urging of me to rein in my spendings, I will not switch to Great Values powder detergent.  I really do enjoy the awesome scent that is Tide liquid detergent.
2. The laundry room n’est pas laundromat. The generic machines of time before internet break down like crazy, and the residents abuse the poor machines like crazy.  Laundries get moved, socks are lost, tears are shed, and if I forget my laundry, there’s always the threat of the residence hall making a nice donation to Goodwill.
3. I don’t have the time and/or I forget about it.

And none of that other $@#&!!!

I can’t really circumvent problem no. 1 because that’s just life.  Although I guess I do technically get around the problem by not doing laundry often.  Problems 2 and 3 are solved by doing laundry at the most unexpected times like when I’m pulling an all-nighter.

Last year, when I had more than abundant socks, I developed a complex system (it involved boxers and a color system) that warned me that laundry was a priority.  This year, with many of my socks being left home, this is no longer an option.

The dilemma still exists though.  Now that I have lived in the conditions of limited boxers, the question arises: What about the boxers that I am wearing at the moment?  Do I go commando?  Or do I just sit still knowing that these won’t be washed until the next wash?  It’s one of the great mysteries of the universe.

When the clothes are washed, there’s also the question of transport.  How do I bring clothes from the washer to the dryer?  I could try shoving it all in the box or awkwardly fit it all in a towel, but none of these options are quite satisfactory.

I could probably write a book on the subject.  However, there are some things that really tick me off in doing this that is caused by human error.

• If you see my empty laundry box on top of the dryer, that is where the dry laundry belongs – not the top of another dryer that already has someone else’s laundry on it.
• Please empty the dryer when you are done.  I’m not a fan of ending up with other people’s socks, the lint trap certainly must be cleared of obstructions, and it would be nice if you took out dryer sheets you’ve used.  I ain’t yo mama!
• Bring me back my lucky navy blue-orange sock. =[  I still think about it.

Even in this seemingly painful process, there is some light at the end.  The biggest benefit is that I end up with a set of clean clothes and towels.  Another thing that pleases me?  Folding laundry.  The pleasure of matching socks is quite like zen.  It's very similar to organizing groceries after shopping for me.  There is some sense of order.  While it doesn't make up for all the troubles, it still pleases me some.

Laundry = zen

]]> http://tkfantastic.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/quandry-laundry/feed/ 0 tkfantastic tide zen http://tkfantastic.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/from-an-abandoned-blog/ http://tkfantastic.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/from-an-abandoned-blog/#comments Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:01:57 +0000 tkfantastic http://tkfantastic.wordpress.com/?p=293 ]]> After many false starts, hopefully this will be the one that starts up the blog again.

The purpose of this blog was to inform people about my life.  What has been new since I’ve stopped regularly updating this blog?

• I’m 21 – a twentysomething.
• I am a vegetarian.
• I interned at Asian American Legal Defense Education Fund.
• I declared my majors: Spanish and Political Science.
• I work at the Black Cultural Center.

These are some of the topics that I can write about – so maybe that’s why I won’t give up on this blog.  We shall see.

I’m in a semester where I have to write about 58 pages worth of research papers in three classes.  So I won’t have the luxury to update with frequency as I have done before, but the more I don’t write, I feel that I have to get things out of the way.  It’s ironic: writing research papers make me lose a part of myself and writing a blog entry makes me more individualistic.  Ain’t that funny?

While I could be writing about what I’ve been doing (community organizing! fighting gentrification and hipsters! etc.), I’ll write about one thing that’s been captivating me for the past few weeks with my internship going all over New York City.

Yes, this will be a quick pictorial ranking series because I’m insane for doing this at 2 am when I have to be working in Sunset Park tomorrow.  AGH.

Bubble TEA! =D

I know I’ll sound like a total advertiser for Quickly USA when I do this, but I’m in love with bubble tea.  Quickly is an international chain in United States, Singapore, Taiwan, and other assorted Asian countries focusing on cold drinks such as… bubble tea!  Quickly charges $2.50 per cup of bubble tea, but if you have a student ID, they charge you $2.00.  They also have a VIP card where your 6th drink is free!  From the taro sensation for the taro bubble tea to the feeling of tapioca bubble between your teeth, it is the awesomest surefire wallet-drainer.

Back to posts with colorful pictures.

• Fish-cake wrapped rice balls
• Kimchi-filled dumplings
• Stuffed mushrooms
• Maggiano’s Salad
• Meatball spaghetti
• SPAM salad sandwich
• Cold noodles
• Fruits Gelateria ice cream x2
• Shaken Lemonade Green Iced Tea at Starbucks
• A gallon of V8
• Orange juice
• Vegetable juice
• Small sample cup of noodles
• Pulmuone sweet strawberry yogurt
• Banana milk
• Bite-sized mandarins
• Rice puff snacks
• Fruity Coollata at Dunkin Donuts
• Japanese fried rice
• Authentic cold noodles

I lied in the last post.  The only thing I did in New Jersey was eat.

• Hang out with Erik and Rory at Palisades Park and at the mall (respectively)
• Go to NRB and cruise around Flushing with the gang from Berea
• CLUBBING!!
• Sleep in my own bed
• Go to my home church
• Walk my dog

But here’s what I actually ended up doing

• Run around town doing errands with my mom
• Play passive-aggressive and coercion games with my parents over restaurants. (See previous post)
• Update my blog.
• Eateateat. (See future post)
• Hung out with Erik for like 10 minutes at my home
• Hung out with Rory around Hasbrouck Heights and Cresskill.

Was it still worth it?  HELL TO THE MOTHERBANGING YES.