here we go: Destination TBD

thailand

2012-01-20T12:36:00.000-08:00

It's frickin' cooooooold in NYC today, so when I was scrolling through my pending posts and saw this one--with just the word "Thailand" in the title and nothing in the body of the post--it made me hate 2010 me juuuust a teensy weensy bit. Earlier, I was also lamenting my now faded, most awesome tan of my adult life from Greece last summer. So, yeah, this post is basically just to wax nostalgic for the heat and sun and water and beach... and mango and pad see eaw and fruit smoothies and scooters and flips flops and tank tops of Thailand.

A little something to make us all jealous:

the view from the second hut that I stayed in on koh chang

On the upside, I did get a down coat this week, just in time for my new life in East Tundra... er, I mean, East Harlem.

"bah, humbug!" no, that's too strong 'cause it is my favorite holiday...

2011-12-28T10:26:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I've become a bit disenchanted with this holiday. I still love Christmas music, all kinds, and I love the decorations and the idea of the "Christmas spirit," but I guess that's where my Christmas lovefest has taken its biggest hit in the last few years. I'm not Christian--imagine, no religion--but I do think there are some good ideas to follow with the whole "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," "love thy neighbor," "don't be an a$$hole" (oh wait, that was probably Dan Savage, not Jesus... good ideas work in mysterious ways).

This post is likely too late to make much of a difference for your gift-giving plans now, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway in case the man/woman/kid/uncle/second-cousin-three-times-removed in your life's birthday is coming up and s/he's got everything they've ever wanted already and you really can't imagine spending money on another Louis V bag/wallet/perfume/sock (just the one, for the budget-conscious). I've written about it before but I think it's worth mentioning again that I think a GREAT alternative to gift-giving is giving the money you would've spent on a gift to a charity that has meaning to the recipient.

This year was a little tight, so I haven't made any monetary donations to any of my favorite causes (the usual suspects include: This American Life, NPR's Storycorps, Planned Parenthood, KPCC, Cup of Joe for a Joe, and Democrats Abroad), but I have recently started volunteering my time (a commodity I find myself with less and less of as well these days) with HaitiCorps International, a group whose mission is to economically empower Haitians through fair wage employment and training. I am particularly interested in their latest (and first!) endeavor, The Handbag Project--low-income women in Haiti who have been affected by violence are trained to make handbags, from start to finish, in leather and fabric. They are paid a fair wage and this little-project-that-could will hopefully turn into a self-sustaining social enterprise that not only continues but is able to expand using the funds from the sales of the bags they make. You can "like" HaitiCorps International on Facebook and follow @haiticorps_intl on Twitter. Unfortunately, the twitter feed is a little dead right now, but the founder, Brent, will be heading back to Haiti in January to deliver more materials and check on how the program is going. Things will pick up then.

Okay, this post has become a bit rambly (no, really, that's a word...). Over and out.

twitter me this

2011-11-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you're all avid followers of my Twitter feed (@mikinoguchi, thanks for the follow!). You may or may not have noticed that most of my posts are international development related--there's a shocking lack of updates about the latest level that I've unlocked in whatever is the top-rated app game or where I ate lunch today (I'm sure it was underwhelming and filling). I've talked about this before a bit, but I wanted to expand on it a little now that it's been a couple years since I was roped into this whole Twitterland.

If you're interested in international development, but have no idea where or who to start with, these are the Twitter feeds that I began with and still pay a lot of attention to:

Alanna Shaikh (@Alanna_Shaikh) -- Alanna is an international public health development practitioner currently based in Tajikistan, but she's been all over the 'Stans and Eurasia. She has very accessible writing, lays out the current issues facing development on her feed and on her blog, and is very interactive if you have any questions.
TalesFromThHood -- a humorous take on life as an aid worker, his Twitter descriptor says it all, "Aid worker since 1991. Aid blogger since 2006. Cynical since Ronald Reagan. Smartass since birth. Don't hate." He has a blog too.
TMSRuge -- He's a Ugandan photographer and co-founder of Project Diaspora, he usually has a biting perspective on development news.
TexasInAfrica -- A political scientist at Morehouse College. She/he (I think she's a she...) again stays current on the latest news in Africa and gives her take on them, always an interesting perspective and often the first one I see posting about a new topic. She also has a blog.

This is just a short list. Honestly, if you want a good selection of blogs to start with, check out my Twitter feed and see who I retweet the most and who I'm following. I have put a list together on Twitter that has all my international development related feeds on it, but it probably needs some updating, so buyer beware.

Social media has really allowed me to gain a perspective on ID that seems much more relevant and fresh than some more established fora might give. That said, these are all people's opinions and ideas, unfiltered and un-fact-checked, so take the Twitterverse with a grain of salt, even for these more serious topics.

a (word)hero for the 21st century

2011-10-13T19:28:00.001-07:00

and a modest one at that... ;)

So, I've got the editing down pat (except for my whole to/too Achilles heel... damn you, Greeks!). And I've got the Twitter and the FB and the Hootsuite and the LinkedIn and the Blogspot (hi there!) and the Friendster... oh, wait, that's not 21st century. Anyway, I've got all that other stuff, right?

So what better way to bring all this lexicographical, grammatical, technological awesomeness to the rest of the world?

Work as a social media editor!

That's right, I am here and available for hire for all your social media editing needs.

We all know how it can be sometimes. You communicate more via text and IM than paper and pen or even regular email. You start automatically writing "thx" and "ur" in notes (even handwritten ones!) and "btw" has become an acceptable way to begin a sentence on the post-its you leave for your roommate... and the emails to your boss... and the articles you submit for your company's blog (!!)--for the record, btw, that last one is really probably a no-no, unless you work for a cool social media-type company where people get from their bean bag cubicle to the solar-powered filtration, locally-sourced, naturally-packed-with-electrolytes water cooler on a Segway. Otherwise, if these errors sound familiar to you and your company's, get in touch with me! I'm expanding my freelance editing from focusing mostly on development economics research to a variety of topics in social media, including blogs, where, sadly, typos are all too common and do detract from the overall polish and credibility of the article (I've found problems on posts/sites ranging from fluffy fashion/relationship magazines to those with more gravitas like certain large institutions that shall remain nameless).

I think this blog gives you a pretty good idea of the tone I am capable of in writing lighter pieces, but lest you worry that I'm only good for writing about Obama and posting MC Hammer flash mob videos, do keep in mind that I've spent the bulk of my professional career editing books like "Infrastructure for a Seamless Asia" and OECD/ADBI working papers, and writing articles for Tokyo Journal, Tokyo Weekender, and Being A Broad magazines.

baby, it's all about the hustle

2011-09-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

This post was originally entitled "hustle, hustle," but the new title sounds cooler and more Pulp Fiction-esque, don't you think?

I'm deep in the trenches of networking... it's as if my life depended on it. Actually, my livelihood does depend on it, so you can imagine that I'm feeling the pressure. I've only really just begun my full-time job search as this last year was dedicated more to freelance work, grad school research and prep, and travel. While I look for full-time work, I'm also hoping to build an NYC client base to add to my Japan one and so, the hustle.

Unlike when you work a full-time, salaried job, with generally structured and paid for working hours, when you work for yourself, every minute of every day is a potential minute when you could be getting paid. The great thing about being a freelancer is that you can work any time you want, all hours of the day or night. The bad thing about being a freelancer is that you can work any time you want, ALL HOURS of the day or NIGHT. So, while that can be great for a night owl like me, it also means that you always feel like you have to be out there, hustling up business because no one else is gonna be doing it for you.

There are pros and cons to both sides of the work spectrum (full time/salaried to freelancer flyin' by the seat of her pants), and I've enjoyed working in both contexts, but they are definitely very different emotional experiences. Just ask my stress bumps (aka pimples).

Click on the other links throughout this post for some more hustlin'.

the hunt

2011-09-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'm sure there's an "Eye of the Tiger"
reference I could make here if I'd ever
seen the movie "Rocky."
(Taken in Chiang Mai, Thailand. October 2010.)

I've been in NY for 4 weeks exactly today (I'm not counting those 5 days at the beginning of July--those were just for logistics, fun, and GRE purposes, right now is the real deal) and I'm back to that old problem of tackling my "To Do" lists (always capitalized... so annoying).

Luckily, this time I'm not in a winter-in-Tokyo-induced funk, so everything is definitely more manageable and, at the end of the day, even when it seems kind of overwhelming, I remember that I'm only a hop, skip, and a jump (a.k.a., a short 30 mins on the Metro-North rail line) to the City (always capitalized... very cool).

Next up on my things to do is "FIND A JOB!!!" (in ALL CAPS and with punctuation... frustrating, but good motivation).

First things first, if you're out there, reading this (Hello! Welcome to my blog!), and you are looking for an editor (especially one specializing in development economics research with international managing editor experience), please contact me!

Second, I'm looking for all kinds of editing work, including in fields that I've actually had more writing than editing experience. I like writing, I really enjoy it, but I LOVE reading. Now how cool would it be to find a job reading topics that I love too? Not that development economics isn't the cat's (er, tiger's?) pajamas, but, let's be honest with ourselves, it isn't exactly a topic that shows up on the New York Times' Bestsellers List very often.

Third, I'm looking for writing work. I've written for women's lifestyle magazines, Tokyo lifestyle magazines, food blogs, photo blogs, and my personal blog (Hey again, how you doin'?).

Fourth... oooh, gotta run! I'm networking all the time now and the Metro-North Harlem line waits for no (wo)man!

"healthy-ish-er" mac 'n cheese

2011-08-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

There's pretty much no way to do healthy mac 'n cheese, let's just be honest with ourselves here. But you can at least do a little finagling to dress that wolf's food up in some sheep's healthy-ish clothing. Here's how I usually jazz up my store-bought mac 'n cheese, adding a little more flavor, texture, and nutrients (or so I've convinced myself). When I am living overseas, I usually buy a couple boxes of mac 'n cheese when I'm home and bring them out when I need a little bit of home--America in a box and it never goes bad.

Here's what you'll need for your healthy-ish-er mac 'n cheese:

1 medium or large saute pan
boiling water, if you have 4 or 5 cups (about a liter) ready to go, you'll have more than enough I'd say
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion (size to taste... if you like more flavor, use a bigger onion), diced small
2-3 cups fresh spinach, or 1-1.5 cups frozen spinach
any other veggies you want to throw in that you have lying around (I've used red pepper, frozen broccoli, cauliflower... veggies with a little structure. Much to my disappointment, eggplant doesn't work well in this recipe)
1.5 cups veggie meat crumbles
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 box store-bought mac 'n cheese*
1/2 vegetable bouillon cube (optional)
Red chili flakes or cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)

All my measurements are estimations, so feel free to adjust the oil

You're basically creating a skillet casserole, but you're working it like a risotto almost. I've been doing this technique for a while, out of sheer laziness of not wanting to wash an extra pan, but then Mark Bittman gave my technique legitimacy. You don't need any of the vegetables to be completely cooked before you add the water, you just want them to be about half-way or three-quarters cooked if you want them to still have some crunch when you're eating.

Start heating the water, either in a saucepan or kettle. You're only going to be dirtying up the saute pan, so you just need to boiling water in a separate vessel, boiling and ready for when you'll need it later. Don't salt the water, there's pleeeeenty of sodium in the mac 'n cheese cheese sauce and the parmesan, so adjust the salt later.
Heat the oil in the pan, add the onion. How you cook this is to your preference. I like the flavor of the onions when they're a little browned, but if that's not your thing, keep the heat low-medium and just let the onions get translucent.
At this point, add any non-spinach veggies (including fresh garlic; if using garlic powder, that comes later). If you're just working with the spinach, add that here. Spinach cooks super fast whereas other veggies take longer, so the principal is to get in the things that will take the longest to cook in first. Let these get slightly browned/toasted if you like that flavor (I do).
Add red chili flakes or just a tiny bit of cayenne pepper now. If you haven't used cayenne before, be careful! It goes a long way. The red chili flakes are a lot more forgiving on spicyness, so go for that if you just want a mild kick.
If you haven't already, add the spinach. Let cook for a minute or two.
Add the veggie meat crumbles, let brown/saute for a couple minutes. I've tried this with veggie chicken, but it's not as good as with the veggie ground meat. If you're working with real meat, you'll have to use your own judgement of when to add the meat in as I'm not sure about cooking times, etc., and you don't want to take meat cooking advice from a long-time vegetarian if you want to avoid food poisoning. Just sayin'.
If you want garlic flavor, sprinkle with garlic powder now.
Add the dry pasta, stir, let it get infused with some of the flavor that you have going on in the pan. I usually let the pasta get a little toasted, get some color on it, but that's just my flavor preference. You don't have to and the dish will still turn out fine.
Add just enough boiling water to cover what's in the pan and throw in vegetable bouillon cube if you're using it. Stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan and to scrape any flavor bits off the bottom.
Stay by the pan and stir every once in a while, keeping an eye on how done the pasta is. After the first initial water dose, you just want to add water a little at a time, because you will not be draining this out. The water will need to be completely absorbed by the pasta, veggies, and fake meat, so don't overdo it on the water, otherwise you'll have mac 'n cheese porridge.
When the pasta is just this side of done, lower the heat and add the cheese packet (see my note on preferred mac 'n cheese brand below). Stir until the cheese melts in and everything is coated. Turn off heat, let sit for a minute (otherwise you'll reeeeally burn your tongue, that cheese gets hot!).
Serve up and sprinkle with parmesan if you like.

Bon app!

*As for my preferred store-bought mac 'n cheese, it's confession time, I guess: I've found that the best for this recipe is Velveeta Shells 'n Cheese. If it makes you feel any better (it definitely helps me feel better), they do have a whole wheat version. The shell shape of the pasta stands up to the cooking and is a good shape for eating with the other ingredients. I've also found that the Velveeta itself, thanks to its simple heat 'n serve consistency, is the best for this recipe because you don't need to worry about the extra ingredients called for by other store-bought mac 'n cheese, which can make the dish a little mushy. I've tried this dish out with Kraft and Trader Joe's versions with their powdered cheese packets and it just doesn't turn out as well. Yes, Velveeta is basically edible plastic cheese. But I figure that my few moments of plastic cheese weakness are more than made up for the by the countless MickeyD's plastic cheeseburgers that I haven't consumed in the past 16+ years. Whatever, it's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)

all dressed up with... about a million places to go (er, write about)

2011-08-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

This is basically a Cliff's Notes of what I've been doing (travel-wise) for the last year. I've got posts in the works for most of these trips, but it's been so long since some of them, I figure it's best to get something up before I forget some of the specifics and am just left smiling at the overall memory. First things first though, FYI, in case you didn't know or hadn't figured out from my other recent posts, I'm no longer living in Tokyo. In fact, since leaving the concrete jungle, I've bounced around SE Asia, the US, back and forth across the Pond, and I've stopped again for the time being the 'burbs of NYC, but plan to move into The City ASAP (Long-term? Short-term? We shall see, that will depend on a lot of things...).

So, since last July, I've had a pretty amazing time of it, travel-wise. Waaaaay back in July 2010, I sparked what I'm sure will be a lifelong love for Thailand with a too-short visit to Phuket. On the flight back to Tokyo, I read an article in the in-flight magazine about an unbelievably beautiful island in southern Thailand called Koh Lipe and I vowed I would visit there before I left Asia.

That article and a discovery that one of my colleagues would be in SE Asia in September/October prompted my 4-week backpacking jaunt across Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos last fall. Needless to say, I spent as much time as possible on the beach in Thailand, but it still wasn't enough and, luckily, I never made it to Koh Lipe, which just gives me an excuse to visit Thailand again soon. Cambodia and Laos were pure adventure... you'll have to check out that post (coming soon!) for more details.

i climbed temples in the jungle in cambodia

After a quick return, pack up, and sayonara to Tokyo in mid-November, I spent two and a half gorgeous weeks on Oahu, both in Waikiki and North Shore. On North Shore, I walked straight out of the condo and into beautiful, calm (sorry, surfers), clear blue water and swam with wild giant sea turtles who liked to swim and sunbathe on the quiet little beach. Back in Waikiki and Lani Kai (so pretty!), open water swimming with more sea turtles, but these were more modestly sized.

sun-bathing beauties near haleiwa

I got back to SoCal in the beginning of December... and I left again in the middle of January for a month-long trip, working my way up from Florida to DC to NYC. This began what has come to be The Reunion Tour 2011. This year, I've seen so many old friends that I hadn't seen in forever (and met some new ones as well... this is also the Year of the Baby... lots and lots of babies, hahaha!).

sammy, the chunkiest super baby around--his shirt says "100% awesome" and it's totally true

Soon after I got back, I left again for Arizona where I began the Year of the Vision Quest with my college friend, Sofia. I literally drove into the desert and drove back along the California coast. It was pretty cool. And the reunions continued in Phoenix and Tuscon, where I got to have dinner with my uncle and aunt and brunch with my cousin and his wife, respectively. On the road with Sof, we went from the southern border of the state (Tuscon) to the northern (the Grand Canyon). It was a beautiful drive that took us through Sedona and across some stretch of high desert I don't know where that had the clearest night sky I have ever seen... there were so many stars and it was so black and empty, I felt invisible and awestruck. We had so much to catch up on, we didn't turn on music the entire daylong drive... we just talked. And decided that it was basically imperative for me to join Sofia in Greece this summer.

ok, it's not the grand canyon, but they are sunday morning brunchers in tuscon

After AZ, I was lucky enough to do some more road trips to Palm Desert (Katy!), San Francisco (Norma and Shiraz!), and Las Vegas (Mom! Party time!!), before finally hitting the road for real with my bags packed for my move to NY.

This was it, the big move to the biggest, brightest City-with-a-capital-C in the world!!

I left 5 days later.

But not for good! By coincidence, one of my friends from Tokyo happened to be visiting NY too and happened to be booked on the exact same flight as me (connecting in Dusseldorf) for my trip to Europe, which just goes to show you, this world sure is small. So, NYC to Dusseldorf to Athens airport to Athens bus terminal to Tripoli bus terminal to taxi to village to donkey... Okay, just kidding about the donkey, sort of. Twenty-four-plus hours later and I was drinking wine and dancing in a circle with the best of them until 3 in the morning.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I got to attend Sofia's brother's village wedding (unforgettable!); started training as a good Greek wife by washing 100+ dishes and ironing on multiple occasions (first time in years); posed for pictures in an ancient amphitheater; had a Richie Sambora sighting at the Acropolis (sorry, but he's no Zeus); stayed in a 100+ year old beach shack that I'm inclined to believe had walls made of asbestos, but the location was so amazing, what's a little lung disease?; partied it up in Skiathos, the trying to become the new Mykonos (but still a little shy of the mark) island with some of the most beautiful beaches and water I've seen and where I got my best souvenir of the trip--the most amazing tan of my adult life (I, me, Miki, she of the dark hair, have BLOND arm hairs now!) and not one sunburn (thank you, SPF 50); took a chance and arrived in three different cities in three different countries in a row without a place to stay and ended up in 1) a very nice water front hotel with a Greek celebrity sighting (no clue who he was but Sofia assures me that this is cool) in Thessaloniki; 2) a slightly run-down, but satisfactory place in Genoa, which turns out is actually an architecturally beautiful city with a very well-maintained medieval section of town where the alleyways aren't even wide enough to ride a horse down (but still plenty wide enough for a lady of the night to sell her wares in the middle of the day); and 3) a totally serviceable and relatively affordable little hotel near the train station in Antibes, the super-yacht docking hub of the Mediterranean, where lots of non-American Anglophones like to go to find work cleaning toilets and swabbing the decks of boats that are BYOH (Bring Your Own Helicopter) and drink A LOT at night. (Wow, I think that's a record run-on sentence, even for me.)

people like to dance in circles in greece, especially at big parties that take over the whole road and where two lambs and a pig are served... but beware the clarinet music, it could be fatal

every trip needs a random celeb sighting... sadly, i only recognized him because he used to be mr. heather locklear

greeks like to dance in circles at clubs too (sofia is an amazing and FAST greek dancer!)

a beautiful beach in skiathos

After one night in each of the three cities and a never-ending train ride (5 hours turned into 9), we spent five blissful days in Toulouse and its sunflowered surrounds. It was bucolic. No, seriously, I'm sure that if you look that word up in the OED you'll see pictures of rolling French countryside hills covered in seas of sunflowers and two-lane roads lined with tall trees and the odd old Citroën chugging along every now and then, and that's pretty much what we saw for five gorgeous days. Sofia totally called it when she said, "It's very Charlie Brown." We toured medieval walled cities, walked along hidden riverside paths, played in fresh water fountains, ate fruit straight off trees, and lazed lake-side while listening to Edith Piaf and Billie Holliday and eating cheese and baguette and drinking cider and wine, and tasted the best (yes, really) macarons that I have ever had. Ever.

lively nightlife in a genoese piazza

only the best for miss sof in antibes

medieval city steps... check out that beautiful paysage

Then, I went on my own to Paris for just long enough to have a falafel and crepe from my favorite places and share a few bottles with a some great friends, and a brisk walk through the 5th and across les iles. My train to London town got me to Wimbledon, safe and sound in "my London flat" (aka Samantha's place) just in time to watch the riots live on the telly. A final flight to NY (via Reykavik... no volcanoes this time, phew), and I'm back, safely ensconced in the 'burbs of New York City (it's so close, yet so far!) where I'm less at risk of getting caught up in a riot, but I do have to watch out for the suburban gun-toters.

police boosting their presence on oxford street the day after the big london riots

What's next? Stay tuned!

Why The Oprah Winfrey Show Inspired Me

2011-05-28T02:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said it. Now, sit down, close your mouth, open your ears, head, eyes, heart... and Listen (and dance, of course!). As Oprah closes out the 25th season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," I thought I'd finally say my piece on this and people can take from it what they will.

Some of My Favorite Things (aka Things I've Learned from Watching The Oprah Winfrey Show):

- Maya Angelou (numerous appearances): "When people show you who they are, believe them." That means, if someone tells you they're crazy, believe them. If someone tells you they drink a lot, believe them. If someone tells you they're selfish or lazy or a jerk, believe them. I don't always remember to follow this, but it stuck with me and I've, in turn, repeated it to many people. A couple weeks ago, a non-Oprah-watching friend of mine told me that this had stuck for her after I'd said it to her and it helped her realize things about her relationship and she decided to get herself out of a bad situation. And just the other day, another friend repeated the same thing and I was like, "That comes from Oprah!!" I love how I've totally plagiarized stuff I've learned on Oprah, used it with friends who aren't really Oprah viewers, and they get to learn the lessons too.

- The bra show: This episode really did change my lingerie life and probably goes down on a lot of women's lists of most memorable Oprah shows. I upgraded my bra shopping from ye old Mervyn's (similar to Kohl's) to Nordstrom's and the like. I am now a devout follower of the Le Mystere demi t-shirt bra. And I know my correct size. The girls are much happier now and get to wear nice stuff.

- Tererai Trent episode: This woman from Zimbabwe wasn't allowed to be educated because she was a girl, was married off at 11, and had three children by the time she was 18. Eventually, she moved to the United States and completed a bachelor's. Then her husband was deported because of his continued abuse of her; a single mother of five, she completed her master's. A few years later, she completed her PhD. If this woman can do this, with all these challenges, my privileged butt has absolutely no excuses. Get. This. Done.

- The girls in Oprah's South Africa school: One of the girls, Lesego, had such an exuberant personality and was so, just, with it, even as a teenager. I was impressed by how powerful, wise, and smart people (especially girls) can be. I put a quote from her in the "Words to Live By" section on the sidebar of this blog. She said, "You're an individual. Act like an individual. Don't try to blend in. Blend out!" That is one powerful dose of self-confidence and I'm excited for her future. I can only see her doing something amazing.

- Suze Orman episode looong ago: You can never, ever know enough about personal finance. Really, seriously, ever. Sadly, a lot of smart people I know, they don't know so much. Smart people with lots of degrees and work experience and job responsibility. I guess it's intimidating to come at when you've never really learned about it before. I had a great foundation set for me with what my dad taught me and I refined it with some of the stuff that Suze Orman talks about. She's an acquired taste, but if you're ready and willing to learn, don't worry so much about what she's like as a person (you don't have to be her friend!), just pay attention to what she has to teach you about the fundamentals of personal finance. I have, on several occasions, used what I learned from watching Suze Orman's PBS special for young professionals to help friends figure out their credit cards, open/use various banking and retirement accounts, juggle my own personal finance situation (freelancer over here!), etc.

- 20,000 person flash mob: Oh. Mah. Gah. This was one of the coolest things I've seen on TV ever!!! And it was a total surprise to Oprah! Dance, the Black-Eyed Peas, and a surprised Oprah--it's like it was custom-designed for me to love. ;) Still gives me goosebumps and makes me want to get up and dance when I watch it. Here's how they made it happen, in case you're curious (I was!).

- Kevin Aucoin makeup episode: This man was a famous makeup artist, openly gay in a time when people were still getting used to that in a national forum, and just seemed really nice. And he did great things with makeup, thought all women were beautiful in some way, and told us how we could accentuate that. So I got his book. Sadly, he died in 2002.

There are surely many, many more, but I can't think of them all. These ones have stuck in my memory without doing too much digging, so I guess they're really the standouts for me.

It's never a bad thing to have greater perspective, tolerance, and love for the other people we share this globe with. It's also fun to be able to share in other people's happiness--how can you not smile when you watch Oprah give away something, be it a car or a vacation or a house or, most touchingly, an education? (FYI, 64,688 people have been educated through Oprah's foundation. Biiiiig like!) Don't you smile when you see people receive gifts or kindness in every day situations? And it's special to be allowed to share in people's sorrow, troubles, grief, and triumph.

I know it's de rigeur to make fun of Oprah and people who like/love/idolize/worship her. I know that people get hung up on the touchy-feely, mumbo jumbo they think she/her show spouts and stuff like Tom Cruise jumping up and down on the couch is a stand-out moment.* But, for me, her show is more about the lessons I learned about how to be the best version of myself... and there's always going to be something new to learn.

Oprah started out for me as just a fun show to watch in the afternoons after school (hello, Bra Revolution and makeover shows!), but, probably in the last ten years or so, morphed into something that offered a little more substance and guidance--a little more meat, you could say.

The final episode was what Oprah called "a love letter" to the viewers. It started out a little lecture-y; at first, I was like, "Is this it for the whole hour? Bummer." Pretty soon though, I was thinking, "Oh, I need to write that down... Hey, that's exactly what I needed to hear... Yes! Service is important!," and so on. Of course I teared up at the end, but I didn't go into the ugly cry. The Oprahgasm continued the next day with tons of shows and news. And I'll get to watch the "best of" episodes all summer long. And, as people keep pointing out, there's now OWN.

So, happy trails, Oprah; I can't wait to see what's next. As my grandpa would say, ya did good. :)

*Tom Cruise and the couch incident, by the way, was not even in the least the weirdest show I've ever seen on Oprah. You wanna see surreal/bizarre/odd/huuuh/whhaaaaa? Try to track down the Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield show. Now, that was bizarre. These two huge guys that could barely fit in their chairs were practically declaring undying, high-pitched love for each other.

p.s. Here's a great list of "25 Things Oprah Taught the World." I would just add that a lot of what she taught us was stuff she herself learned from everyday people who did extraordinary things. And if that isn't a big go-do-something-meaningful-with-your-life kick in the pants, I don't know what is.

Top 5 Not-Obvious Things I Love About Japan

2011-05-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

I started this list in 2008, but only got two down on the list. With a little 20/20 hindsight, I've found it much easier to finish now. I guess I'm starting to get a little nostalgic about my Tokyo life and those lenses are becoming slightly rose-tinted. :)

When you push the "close" button in an elevator, the doors really close right away, just like on TV. It's all very dramatic.
My toilet paper holder - just click in, click out. If/when, I ever own my own place, you can be sure that there will be Japanese toilet paper holders throughout. Japanese technology innovation at its finest.
The "bidet" function on the toilets. This took me a couple years to get the hang of and get used to. My apartment came with one of these kinds of toilets, but, like I said, it took some getting used to, but once I did, well, all I can say is that these do the job they claim to. Squeaky clean! (Sorry if that's just too TMI for some people.)
The scotch bars. Thanks to my friend, JP, I started learning about different scotches and now consider myself an official scotch drinker. He started me slowly with Johnnie Walker Black and soda and we worked our way up to drinking scotch on the rocks in cool, small bars around Tokyo with impressively large and diverse collections of bottles. Tokyo is where I learned how a scotch on the rocks should be served--in a glass with one big chunk of ice (ideally hand-shaped into a sphere) freshly picked off the block so the drink doesn't get watered down too quickly.
Aluminum screw-top bottlecans. Perfect for times when you want a cold drink, but just a sip at a time. Isn't it annoying when you buy a can of soda and only want a taste and then have to throw the rest out because you don't want to carry it around all day. Enter The Bottlecan. I definitely prefer this to plastic bottles, which aren't as cold and I don't like the idea of putting more plastic into the world. At least the aluminum is cheaper and easier to recycle (I think).

no idea where i took this picture, but i'm thinking it might have been at the miyako odori in kyoto

poor bastard

2011-05-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Or, how I draft a blog post.

Going through these old drafts is pretty entertaining. This post was titled and in my drafts and yet there was nothing written in the body. Now, even I am super curious as to what the hell I was planning to write about!! I started this post in 2007, so the idea is now lost forever and we'll never know what I intended, but knowing Tokyo, this could've been about any number of weirdos I encountered on the streets.

I've learned from mistakes like this so, now, when I've got something I want to write about but maybe don't have time to do all the "research" (i.e., hunt for funny and/or relevant links) and thinking about what I want to say, I'll at least write a few lines or bullets into the text area to remind me when I come back to the post. Then, later, I'll come fill the rest in. Sometimes I've got just enough of the writing juice in me to knock out a whole post in a short amount of time and will get it ready right away. Like this one. :)

What's up with all the old posts?

2011-05-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

I'm cleaning house.

At least, in terms of my blog (I don't even want to think about what my room looks like these days... let's just say moving again will be easy because most of what I own is still in boxes). I just realized that Blogger makes it possible to see all my outstanding drafts... and I have half- or mostly written posts from as far back as 2006! I'm going to get to work on these, probably in no particular chronological order, and see if/how I can revamp them to be less time sensitive. Considering that most of these posts were begun while I was in Japan, there will likely be a Japanese-y spin on a lot of the topics, but we'll see if I can wrangle any of them into more broad-reaching topics. There are also A LOT of travel-related posts that are waiting to go. I haven't detailed anything from my super awesome SE Asia backpacking trip last fall and I'll be sprinkling in new posts as well as my upcoming summer plans promise to bring adventure as well.

The difference between a writer and someone who's got a writing hobby is that a writer writes... everyday... and, well, I guess probably gets published and paid for her writing every once in a while. Sign me up! I want to get this whole writing thing back on track. So, this may not be me writing every day on the blog, but at least working on some form of writing project most days of the week (that's how that whole job thing works, right?).

Dolly Parton - 9 To 5 by jpdc11

Sayonara, 日本, for reals... :(

2011-05-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems there was at least one casualty of my frenetic travels and mental paralysis: this blog post!! I just came across it today and I don't know why I didn't publish it before--it was all completed, with links and everything already done! Ah, well, it's just in time, sort of, for Father's Day. Enjoy!

- Miki

************************************************************************

Hey, Japan, it's been swell; thanks for the memories. With you I experienced great writing, great fun, great food, great friends, incomparable confusion (for better or worse), OIJ moments (also for better or for worse), and perhaps most valuable of all, the chance to connect with family in a way I never would have had the chance to do otherwise. It seems like it'd take a book (or a blog ;) ) to really sum up everything that's happened here and how I feel about my time here and leaving now. Suffice it to say, I've learned a lot (though, sadly, this is not evident in my Japanese language skills, though my French skills have never been better! Merci, les filles!).

One person deserves a very special mention though: my dad (aka DadEx; aka Bank of Dad; aka that super great guy that let me hang out at his fancy schmance hotel every month, even though it meant he had a roommate and someone mooching dinner and breakfast off him several times a month for the last four years).

Dad, you're great and I could not have handled this country for this long without your monthly visits and emotional support. Also, I couldn't have had any number of super amazing, one-of-a-kind, OWD (only with [my 日本人] dad) moments that you let me tag along for. To name just a few highlights: a split-second but forever memorable view of Mt. Fuji (why climb the thing when you can see this from the comfort of a warm hotel room??), hanging out with real maiko-san at a real ochaya (not this one, but similar idea) in Kyoto, great onsen in Hakone, silly onsen in Hakone (ramen-scented hot springs and fish that nibble on your feet, oh my!), and just all around good father-daughter quality time at izakaya, hanami in Chuo koen, .

Along the way, there have been so many other truly important people, too many to list and too many to worry about hurting should I forgot to mention them--you know who you are, my dears. So, to my brethren and sistren in Japan, I say to you, ハッピトレールズ！I'll miss you crazy kids!

What's next?

2011-05-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

Oh the ups and downs, rights and lefts of my life since last fall. That sounds dramatic, but there has been a lot of change in my life since then. I moved several times last summer/fall, then I took of for four weeks of backpacking through what was originally supposed to have been three but then turned into four countries, then back to Tokyo to assemble the rest of my packing, some final farewells and teary goodbyes, some soul-soothing in Hawaii for a couple weeks (really, is there any place better suited to soul-soothing??), and the final step of moving back to America, settling back into SoCal life, even if it's also only a temporary thing.

I've traveled a ton since coming back to the States (Florida, DC, NYC, Grand Canyon, Palm Desert, San Francisco--I'm making the road trip rounds here out west), had some quality mother-daughter Harry Potter nerd time (hence, Florida to the new Harry Potter Land amusement park), caught up with a lot of old friends I hadn't seen since high school or college (shout out to my fellow Trojans and Eagles), and gotten back into writing a bit (I'm working on some short stories and a book idea right now). In the meantime, I've been freelance editing to keep my skills up and income in coming.

Any feedback on the new look/colors/layout of the blog? I need to find another photo for the header because the one that's up there now wasn't shot in widescreen. The beach shot that's up there right now is from my trip to New Caledonia a couple years ago--truly paradise.

Changes Are Afoot

2011-05-02T11:43:00.001-07:00

I'm slowly but surely peeking out from the state of mental paralysis I've been hiding (hibernating?) in for the last several months. My paralysis certainly did not extend, however, to the physical because I have been a busy girl-on-the-go this year (not to mention my travels from last fall, a post on which I've got in the works), with a DC-NYC reunion tour (I met up with several old college friends I hadn't seen in years), a visionquest roadtrip to the Grand Canyon with another college friend, a trip to the desert to commune less with nature and more with resort, pool-side living with my old roommie, and another roadtrip this weekend to San Francisco with my first roommie ever from my Berkely summer. Now, I'm gearing up for a move east, at least for the summer, with a possible jaunt to Greece (and a quickie stop in Paris) in July. Grad school apps, GRE tests, job hunts, and finding great scotch bars and dance spots in NYC are all in the works for the summer. This time last year, I was certainly in a less sunny place emotionally and geographically (there was snow in Tokyo in April last year!!). I'm looking forward to seeing what the next few months bring.

p.s. I was in the middle of drafting this post when my mom called to tell me Osama bin Laden had been killed. Whaaaaaat?? Whoa!! Weird how things like this have a way of resembling each other. The last time I heard about an event related to OBL, it was a friend who called me in Paris while I was cleaning my apartment to tell me that a plane had just flown into one of the WTC building; last night I was sitting in a Starbucks and no one else around me seemed to have heard the news--even in the information age, good ol' word of mouth still seems to be one of the fastest and most reliable news sources.

Under Construction

2011-04-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

I've been happily back in the States for several months now, and have spent a fair amount of that time traveling (in fact, tomorrow I'm off again for a few days!). But, it's definitely time to start getting back to reality and that includes updating this blog in both appearance and content. So look for more regular posts (I have been reeeally slacking off on writing since I got back to the States in December) and for a new look for the site. A few things that are already new (but very much works in progress) are the new tabs at the top: About Me and Projects. I'm planning to use this as a work sample as well as a writing space, so we'll see how that goes.

The countdown continues

2010-09-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Life is harried and hectic at the moment, but the writing bug has bitten and I feel like jotting down a word or two.

It's been a while since my last international move, so I'd forgotten how quickly things begin to happen the closer I get to D-day (departure day). There are so many people to see, work to finish, loose ends to tie up--loose ends I didn't even realize or remember that I had rear their ugly heads seemingly out of nowhere. Still, time marches on (faster and faster!) and in the meantime I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Only increasing the sense of hecticness is the fact that I moved twice in September, finally settling in with all my junk (where did all this stuff come from??) with my friend New, who kindly let me set up in his extra room. I've been there since Friday and will be there until my real Japan departure in November.

New and I counted it up last night that, all in, I have only about 20 days left in Japan--that's including these days before I leave and the 10 days I'll have when I get back from backpacking 26 days in SE Asia. That time is gonna fly...

T-12 (to Thailand).

Sayonara soon, 日本！

2010-09-27T04:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm in official countdown mode. In a couple weeks, I'll be Bangkok bound. From there, I'll head immediately to Phnom Penh for a couple days and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) for a couple more days. From there, back to BKK to catch a train to Vientiane for a couple more days. Then I'm planning a slow-boat up the Mekong (don't know how that's gonna work). Finally, cross back over into Thailand for some good food, good yoga, possibly an elephant sanctuary, and, of course, BEACH!

can.not.wait.

T-14.

I'll try to keep everyone posted via blog and/or Facebook. I might drop a line or two on twitter every once in a while too.

Okinawhat?

2010-08-30T20:22:00.002-07:00

My first escape of the summer was to Okinawa, courtesy of the US Department of State, SkyMark Airways, and Chez Shimizu-Bonilla-Pochito.

what's not to heart?

Okinawa is renowned for its beautiful beaches, spam, and ゴヤ (bitter melon). Based on my experience, it also needs to be renowned for its number of A&W Root Beer fast food joints--they're everywhere!

leonard 5th floor (a.k.a. the coolest floor) representin'

I went down there during rainy season, but we ended up with an entire weekend of beautiful weather. I stayed with two other Leonard Hall alums, college sweethearts who are now Mr. and Mrs.: Risa and Alex (a.k.a. Don Alejandro... it's what he tried to convince other people to call him in college, but somehow it just didn't catch on, though he claims no memory of this--feel free to chime in here, other AU folks). It was the first time for me to see Alex since college (couldn't believe it), but Risa and I have been in touch through the years in DC and NYC. We bond over our "Japanese-ness" (in big quotes in Japan) and suburbanness (Risa loves Irvine, my hometown). Alex and Risa's awesome family addition: Pochi. He and I had a special connection. I call him Pochito. He calls me the bringer of dirty laundry that apparently smells like the closest thing to heaven on Earth for dogs. What can I say? I'm the Pochito Whisperer.

risa strikes a pose by the seawall post-pedicure

Okinawa is awesome because it's like a mini-trip to America. Okay, admittedly, for many people, that's not so awesome, but for me, right now, Chili's, Target-esque and American supermarket shopping, awesome tropical white sand clear blue water beaches, and mani-pedi places that don't cost an arm, a leg, and two hair extensions, and no jet lag are all just what the doctor ordered. The main thing is that I get to stay with Risa and fam, so there's lots of reminiscing and the instant comfort you get when hanging out with friends who have known you since you were actually 18 (rather than just your mental age 18, which, of course, I still am).

Check out our pedis w/ hand-painted designs!

Even though it was rainy season, we ended up with good weather most of the time and got in a great day at the beach. And, because we wanted to be like the cool kids, we buried Alex in the sand. And we did it real classy like, giving him sand boobs and rock nipples.

alex in his sandy repose

All this to say, it was great and I loved it... so much, that I'm heading there again this weekend!

One step in front of the other

2010-08-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

It sounds/feels like something you say in AA, "one day at a time," blah blah blah. I guess that's how we get through it all anyway, right? One step in front of the other, put your pants on one leg at a time. Part of the problem these days is that I'm living for the weekends, just trying to make it Monday through Friday, one day at a time, and then all of a sudden it's Monday again. Whatever the next step, next chapter is, it's gonna be motherf$^#%#&$*$g exciting, because this day in, day out drone life is not what humans were put on this Earth to do.

To that, I say, DJ, blow my speakers up 'cause tonight I'm gonna fight still I see the sunlight. (Okay, this may be the most obnoxious and weird song ever if you actually listen to the words and how she pronounces them--major valley girl alert--but it's got the energy I need to make it through the final hours of drone time this week.)

finishing what i start

2010-08-16T02:30:00.003-07:00

I've got at least 5 posts in the line up, just waiting, wanting, to be finished. Alas, I think I'm in dirty dish territory right now and that prevents me from being productive. If I still lived on my own and so had no one else to be accountable to, I'd be eating Ghetto Risotto for dinner probably almost every night. As it is, I've got a roommate and it's hot out, so lately I've either been eating out or just eating lemon ices for dinner.

This post is at least something. One down, 5 to go (and counting, I just found another old one from eons ago while I was digging around for some links... :/ ).

In the meantime, trying to get energized with this #dancewin song (the actual video though is kinda lame-o, sorry). I've listened to this song at least 10 times today and hum-danced in the bathroom at my office (#luckilynoonesawme).

It's summer again... already and finally

2010-08-08T23:48:00.000-07:00

The winter seemed like it was going to last for.ev.er.

Growing up in Southern California, I dreamed of leaves changing in the fall and snowy Christmases in winter and bird-chirping spring days. "The weather is so boring here," I'd always complain. This winter is what the kids like to call "karma, bitch." It lasted forever, was miserable and cold and rainy, and seemed neverending. There was snow in April, April!

chigasaki fireworks on the beach

Now the heat is on in Tokyo and it is not kidding around. It seems like it must be record temps every day and guess what... I'm loving it! Yeah it's hot and I have to do laundry like 5 times a week, but I've figured out that as much as I love leaves that change color and snow, I like that stuff in small doses (like other people's kids). I even realized that this may need to be something I factor in as I look for grad schools. I can't imagine trying to be productive and smart and thinking about my electricity bill because I've been blasting the heat to 30 degrees Celsius so I can walk around in shorts and a tank top like it's a California winter. I know, I'm weak. What can I say?

long tail boat and coral beach at long beach, thailand

Last summer, I was enthralled and infatuated with the house my friends and I shared in Chigasaki (I wrote about it here). This summer, there's been no such regular escape from city life. But there has been a relaxing and productive weekend getaway to Okinawa, a fantastic trip to Thailand, and some great days at Chigasaki beach, including fireworks this weekend. Yesterday, I got a surprise last minute invite to Summer Sonic, where Mr. Stevie Wonder helped soothe my winter blues and helped me enjoy the heavy humid Tokyo summer heat.

a fierce pedicure and beautiful beaches in okinawa

marianne and me at summer sonice (that's a tribe called quest in the background)

And then the sun broke through...

2010-07-05T23:37:00.003-07:00

I started working on this post in March in Paris for the photoblog I contribute to, but that blog is in a very deep and severe coma, so I'm gonna post this here instead. I love this photo.

toy sail boats near the Louvre

Paris was slated to have a big windstorm because of the storm going across the north, but, luckily it wasn't too bad in the city. There was a lot of rain and wind in the morning, but in the afternoon, the sun broke through as I was walking back to my hotel. I was coming from the Left Bank (rive gauche) and decided to walk through the Tuileries Garden (next to the Louvre). Despite the light rain that was falling and the "breeze" (my umbrella was not happy), there was still a fair number of people out enjoying a walk on a Sunday.

It's days like this that I've really missed since leaving Paris. As I walked under the mini Arc de Triomphe at the entrance near the great Pyramid in the Louvre's courtyard, I heaved a BIG sigh of relief. It felt good to be in a place that felt both familiar and new. I used to walk through here or take the bus all the time. I love the anachronism of Paris, it gives me a little high each time I experience it and it's one of the things I miss the most about living there. Somehow the city's age and history makes it grand and quaint, overwhelming and cozy at the same time; there's always something new among the old. The juxtapositions mean I never get tired of looking around and exploring.

Dads and daughters... and educating us girls

2010-06-21T01:20:00.008-07:00

First things first, my dad is awesome and an ode to him would almost be superfluous because just about every one of my friends who's ever met my dad immediately comments on his awesomeness and so, duh, it must therefore be true. Happy Father's Day, Dad! Thanks for being a truly great, awesome, supportive, stable, reliable, fun, charming dad... and for not making us take the dog back when Mom showed up with Tibbie.

I have a love-hate relationship with gift-giving. Every time a holiday or birthday rolls around, I dread gift-buying because I hate the idea of giving someone something that may/might/could/would just end up as some tchotchke they have to worry about getting rid of or finding a place for or it's the wrong size or they've already got one or they're allergic, etc. My dad is impossible to shop for because he has the annoying/convenient habit of just buying whatever techie gadget or opera DVD he wants when he wants it, unless we've specifically warned him to set stuff aside for us to buy him for Christmas or his birthday.

This year, instead of buying him a thing that he'll have to cart back to the States, I bought him $59 of legacy. I donated $59 (the combined total number of years he's been a dad to my sister and me) plus 15% to cover administrative costs in my Dad's name to a group in Ethiopia that pays families to keep their daughters in school. I donated through the Global Giving website, where I looked at the charities that one of my favorite organizations, The Girl Effect, supports.

My dad has always been very supportive of any educational endeavor I or my sister have made. He's always believed that our education (both formal and informal) is the most important thing in our lives and always took an X is no object (whatever X may have been: money, time, etc.) attitude when it came to finding ways to make our education happen. For as long as I can remember, my parents were saving for my sister's and my college educations and they told us they were doing that so that we understood what college would mean. If it meant quizzing us during dinner ("Miki, what's 27 times 14?" It wasn't fair that my dad is a human abacus.), we studied and chewed at the same time. Vacations were educational in terms of life experience and exposure to other cultures, not just beach time (though that was good, too). As soon as I was out of college, my dad started talking to me about planning for my retirement, educating me himself on investing and personal finance (I've since taught him a couple things, too!). And it's never, ever, ever, ever been any question that just because his kids are girls that we deserved anything less than whatever the best he and my mom could provide us to make sure we received the education that would help us to succeed in life. It may not have seemed like it, Dad, but I definitely recognized that early on and have always appreciated it.

Unfortunately, not every girl in this world is so lucky. A lot of parents don't believe that investing in educating their girls is a worthwhile cause. As a result of my parents' great support of education, I've come to understand that education is a human right and something that everyone should have access to. There is a lot of evidence that points to educating girls and physically keeping them in school as being one of the most effective ways to:

elevate women and children out of poverty
increase the age of marriage for girls
reduce maternal/pregnancy-related health risks and death due to giving birth too young
reduce population growth
reduce the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases
increase overall economic development by allowing women to be fully incorporated into the labor force
improve children's health and mortality rates

If you're interested in learning more about how great an effect educating girls and women and supporting women's development can have on global development, the book, Half the Sky, is a great introduction to the topic.

For other great charitable giving ideas for Father's Day, check out Nick Kristof's column on the subject (the rat thing sounds very cool).

So, thanks, Dad and Mom, for always believing in the importance of educating your girls (even though that meant we got better at being argumentative pains in the butt).

My dad's favorite (i.e., most irritating because he was right!) thing to remind my sister and I about was whether or not we were meeting our potential. A "B" was fine if I'd worked my butt off for that "B" (hello, Algebra II). So, to all my ones of readers out there, where are you on your potential? Are you out meeting it every day in your work? In your schooling? In your support of causes that are important to you?

By the way, the touching post about dads and daughters that inspired me to write this post can be found here.

Feelin' a little twitterish

2010-06-08T18:13:00.002-07:00

Confession: I got on the Twitter bandwagon. You can follow me here (or by clicking on the cool widget in the sidebar).

It happened a couple of months ago. We had a cool event here at ADBI--Jeffrey Sachs and Joseph Stiglitz spoke. It was probably one of the most entertaining events I'll ever attend on the topic of the global reserve system, a generally pretty dry topic. ;) Anyway, Sachs' super smart assistant, Cindy, was basically live-blogging the event via Twitter. I scrolled through the rest of her tweets, saw some of the people she follows, and realized, hey, there's some good stuff on this thing. So, I signed up.

I had previously thought of Twitter as just a Facebook status update overload tool and I really, really don't need to know what this friend ate for lunch and what their food looked like, or how hot and crowded it is while waiting on the platform for the metro to pull up. Boring! But Cindy's twitter feed is full of really interesting articles, news, and retweets mostly related to international development topics... and little tweets here and there about the cool places she's visiting as part of her job (after Tokyo, she and J. Sachs went to Timor Leste!).

So, now I'm up to 88 feeds that I'm following, mostly related to international development, news, and politics. I can really, truly, honestly, no lyin' tell you that I've learned a lot from Twitter. The prospect of grad school is more exciting thinking that I'll be able to rub shoulders every day with other people who are as quick w/ their twitter fingers as they are with their minds. I'm not sure where or when yet for grad school, but I know it'll be fun.

Most Memorable Moments from the Women in the World Summit - The Daily Beast

2010-03-15T00:21:00.001-07:00

Some highlights came from celebrities, but many were from extraordinary women whose names you may not recognize. Here’s our first set of video vignettes, with more to come this week.

Posted using ShareThis

Paris, je t'aime...?

2010-02-26T07:36:00.004-08:00

scene from a bus

It's been a while since my last post, but how can I not be inspired to write something when in Paris? I've been in France for just over 12 hours and in Paris for well under (there was some drama at the airport... hence, I didn't get to my hotel until about 9:15).

Way back before I got here (you know, 13 hours ago), I thought I'd be crying with love tears as I walked around Paris, drinking in the ambiance and the warmth that comes with people who aren't stoic and who talk to strangers. One of the first things I noticed when I got on the bus was that there were waaaaaaaay fewer people listening to iPods (and the like) than one sees in Tokyo (including moi... haven't had an urge to listen to the iPod since I got here). People were making noise in real life and listening to the noise that other people were making. It felt less and more isolating at the same time. Because Paris is just such a smaller city than Tokyo is, people/friends/colleagues/schoolmates travel around together much more often than happens in Tokyo. It's not abnormal to have a group of people all going together to the same place via the same route. So, there are people laughing and chatting and arguing all around. Iin a way, it made me feel like a part of the scene--hey, I'm sitting on that bus, too... or at the next table in the cafe, or on the other end of the park bench. But, on the other hand, it also seems to accentuate how much you (I) am sitting all by your (my) lonesome.

Maybe it's just jet lag... or the pee smell everywhere (was it always this strong?)... but I'm not crying the love tears. I guess this is just how you feel sometimes when you go "home," and I definitely feel like Paris is one of my homes--nothing to get too excited about, but all the same, still a comfort to be here and nice to be around the familiar. Even though I lived here for less time than I've spent in Tokyo, I definitely feel more able to be integrated here... for better or for worse (it's definitely sink or swim here).

view from my room

The good thing is that I'm getting a chance to reconnect with people and with places. I've gone shopping already (Gap was having a jeans sale) and will be looking for shoes that I don't need to buy in the tranny store, and I've already got a recommendation for a place to get my hair cut in Florence. The challenge is definitely still here (as with any "foreign" living experience), but somehow it just seems slightly more (and also less... hi there mixed signals!) manageable here. But when the day starts out with a cute old dog presenting its belly for a good rub and scratch in the quaint little hotel lobby, life can't be all bad.

official greeter at hotel

A Desk of One's Own

2009-12-03T08:21:00.002-08:00

I've had desks all my life. Desks to study at, desks to read at, desks to draw at, desks to type at, desks to play computer games at. You get the picture. I've had desks for many, many purposes.

To date, the best desk I've ever had was in Washington, DC, between fall of 2000 and spring of 2001. I bought this massive, huge slab of desk at Ikea, it was probably as big as a door. It had a small set of drawers hanging off one side and then beautiful, blank open space. I piled books, journal article printouts, class folders, tons of wire-ring notebooks filled with my scribbled notes from classes with fancy and inspiring names like "The US in World Affairs" (I wrote my infamous Hawaiian independence paper for that class), "Analysis of US Foreign Policy" (the paper for this class was published in an undergraduate research journal), "Intro to IR Research" (there was literally one piece of existing research on the topic I developed for this class... my paper did not add much to that though, sadly), and "Emerging Issues in Intelligence" (we had former spies as guest lecturers!). I felt so smart and productive at that desk and, you know, I got shit done.

Yes, the shit got done with lots of sleepless nights, lots of tears (once in front of a professor, not a high point in my academic career), traumatic reading assignments (read My Traitor's Heart and you will never see this world the same again... bawling, I tell you, baaaawling, Maggie knows what I'm talking about), but, nonetheless, at the end of the day, my shit got done. I had all my papers and my printer and my laptop on that desk and there was still room to set down a bottle of grape soda and some take out (thank you Kozmo.com, you are missed) and hunker down for some Sims and laughs with Maggie or wait for Katy to finish whipping up something amazing in the kitchen. My flamenco shoes and castanetas were probably thrown in there for good measure somewhere along the way. Then came graduation and the desk got a new mom, but it will always have a special place in my heart.

When I moved to Tokyo in 2006, with a blank canvas for an apartment, I wanted to create a writing space for myself. I'd never had a desk to write at; just a clear, clean, simple space, with perhaps a pretty view or something calm to look at, with sun, so I could sit down and type or scribble away like a wannabe Jane Austen or George Sands or Jo March or some other iconic female writer (not Virginia Woolf, she's too sad). Of course, the desk I'd had at college would've taken up practically my entire apartment in Tokyo, so I had to downsize a bit, but that was okay. How much space do you need to write... right? Apparently, I need a lot. All that other crap that I stowed on my giant desk has found residence on my mini-desk, to the point that the desk is just there to hold up the junk rather than to sit at and write.

I did okay with it for a while in the beginning. I even bought myself a little plant with pretty yellow flowers on it. But the plant soon died and the papers grew. There are piles of them now. I go through them every once in a while, but, at this point, I think they're winning.

I got rid of my TV recently and cleaned off my "dining table" (a.k.a. junk-holder-upper part deux), so now the top is clear and there are even pretty candles and candleholders on it... but underneath, the mess resides and heaves and grows and reproduces somehow. My "undertable" is a quasi-storage area for all the bags (duffle bags, weekend travel bags, travel backpacks, computer backpacks, etc. ... it's more than just a little reminiscent of Bubba and his shrimp list).

So, this is how I find myself, dear reader, late at night, hunched up in bed, with my little netbook nestled against my thighs and my hands and arms braced against my torso so that I can "comfortably" type this little post instead of elegantly or tragically or dramatically or at least comically sat at my little writing desk drafting prose that would bring tears. I must remember the words of encouragement given to me by my choreography teacher a few years ago when I was certain I'd never be able to finish choreographing my first dance without time in a big studio with real live dancers in front of me. She said (yes, Virginia, this is really true), "Remember, Paula Abdul choreographed her first dance for the Laker Girls in front of her bathroom mirror." I know it's funny and dated (and impossible not to link to the now infamous Paula, she of the "Straight Up" and "Opposites Attract" and, sadly, crazy silliness of American Idol), but, in a way, it's actually good advice.

Not having an ideal writing space isn't the end of the world and making it so is just an excuse for an excuse to not write. I don't know if I'll ever get that just right (write) writing space and desk that's clean and clear with a comfy chair and just waiting, jumping, bubbling, begging to help foster all my thoughts to come out of my head, through my arm and my hand, and onto a page (all this amazing writing would of course be put to journals for the benefit of posterity). In the meantime, if Paula could do it, then so can I.

Lotus Root (Renkon) Tofu Stir-Fry

2009-11-10T23:06:00.000-08:00

This one is easy to make and eat (with or without rice).

Ingredients (all the measurements are guesstimates):
1 big lotus root/renkon (or 2 smaller ones), peeled, large dice
1/2 a medium onion, diced
1 package fried tofu, cubed
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp dried chili pepper (adjust according to taste)
salt, to taste
water
slivered almonds (optional)
Indonesian sweet soy sauce

Heat oil, add lotus root.
Add chili pepper, salt.
Saute for 10 minutes, until the lotus root has started to brown.
Add onion, saute a few minutes.
Add tofu, saute until cut sides of tofu start to brown.
Add water, a little bit at a time. This is to help cook the lotus root. There just needs to be enough to get a little bit of simmer going. Stir until the water is absorbed. Taste a piece of lotus root to check crunchiness-level. I like my lotus root still pretty crunchy, so I only do this water thing maybe two or three times. For softer lotus root, go through this water thing maybe three or four times.
Add Indonesian sweet soy sauce, stir.
Add almonds (could also be peanuts or cashews).
Saute maybe 2 more minutes to give the sauce a chance to be absorbed.
Serve and enjoy!

Clearly based on these photos, I do not have a future in food photography. But, trust me, it's yum and relatively healthy (esp. if you ditch the rice or have it with brown rice).

"Mexican" Bruschetta

2009-11-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry, the name for the recipe is lame, but it's the best I could do (it's cuz of the garlic and avocado). Olé.

This one is easy and seriously, holy shize, OMG tasty.

"Mexican" Bruschetta

Ingredients:

Some good lookin' tomatoes (not too sweet), diced
Fresh basil, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 ripe avocado, diced
Fresh mozzarella (not the hard stuff), diced
Crushed garlic (I use the stuff from the tube or the jar... again, I'm anti-stinky fingers)
A couple glugs of olive oil
Salt and pepper

Note: This salad is best served with all ingredients at room temperature. Yes, the cheese, too. Trust me. It won't kill you. I think (this is my disclaimer).

Serve on top of (toasted) French bread rounds or homemade olive oil croutons (this is easy too, recipe below).

Total time: less than 10 mins
(i.e., good to make when you're starving and want food that isn't pizza or other junk fast, or if you're invited to a picnic and you don't want to cook something that involves fire)

Put diced tomatoes into a medium-sized bowl, add a little salt.
Add basil, mozzarella, garlic, olive oil, pepper.
Add avocado and gently mix into salad.
Eat with bread!

Olive oil croutons:
French bread, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
(Garlic, optional)
Olive oil
Salt

Use your fingers or a paper towel (or a brush, if you're fancy) to lightly coat one side of French bread rounds. Rub with a little garlic if so inclined (or if you already have stinky fingers). Lightly sprinkle with salt. Toast on both sides (wet side up first). Eat. Done.

Root Vegetable Stew (with dumplings)

2009-11-02T02:23:00.002-08:00

The other night, I happened to get home before the vegetable shop next door to my apartment building closed, so I decided to go over and see if anything interesting was on offer.

I immediately spotted a bundle of medium-sized カブ (turnips). I recognized the katakana as a veggie I had eaten and enjoyed at some restaurant in Japan at some point since I moved here (for the life of me, I can't remember when or where). I've never cooked with turnips before, but they've always sounded like something yummy that people in fairy tales eat (doesn't it seem like every soup in a parable contains turnips?), so I thought I'd give them a try. Anyway, my interest was piqued, so I decided to stock up on some other stuff (mostly root veggies).

I'm a "throw in whatever's lying around" kind of cook, so apologies in advance for the vagueness of the recipe--all measurements are guesstimates. This recipe could easily be modified to be vegan, just sub soymilk for the milk and up the olive oil amount or sub margarine. Total cooking time, including prep and simmering was probably an hour.

Ingredients:

5 medium-sized turnips, peeled, cubed, without greens

1 medium-sized onion

1 carrot, peeled, cubed

1/4 of a kabocha, unpeeled, cubed

2 fingerling sweet potatoes (or 1/2 a regular-sized sweet potato), peeled, cubed

glug of olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 cube vegetable bouillon

1 tbsp french whole grain mustard (or any Dijon-type mustard)

3/4 c. milk

3/4 c. barley

3/4 c. fake meat flakes (I don't know a better way to describe this, but click here to see what I used).

Water

Seasonings:

Salt, pepper, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, parsley, basil, agave (or any sweetener)-- use all of these to taste. I used a lot of the parsley and basil to balance out the heaviness of the stew. I've got a whole rack of spices that I've inherited from people who've left Japan, so I just pulled what I thought would be good in a "I think I might be getting a cold, so I want something hearty and warm" stew.

How to:

Saute onions in olive oil until they're just turning transparent.
Add butter, let melt.
Add turnips, carrot, kabocha, and sweet potatoes. Stir occasionally so that all of it gets a chance to cook through and brown.
Add salt, pepper, bouillon cube. Saute mix for about 10 mins, until turnips are mostly cooked.
Stir in mushrooms, cook until mostly done.
Add barley and fake meat to get them started cooking so they cook faster after the water is added and they can take on the flavor of the veggies. Saute 2 mins.
Add water to cover plus an inch. You'll add water one or two more times as the barley and fake meat soak it up.
Add seasonings to taste.
Keep at a high simmer until barley is fully cooked, add water as needed.
Finally, when the barley is done and it seems like you'd need to add more water to make it all less thick, add milk. Let that simmer for a minute more.
Eat!

Here's the easy dumpling recipe I used: http://dinner-recipes.suite101.com/article.cfm/dumplings. The green stuff on the dumplings is the herbs from the stew.

I decided to see how this recipe would do as biscuits, so I dropped rounds of dough into a buttered muffin tin. The results:

They turned out too hard to really make good biscuits (though anything is improved with butter and gravy or butter and honey, right?). This recipe definitely needs the steam that comes from the stew/soup to make the dumplings light and tasty.

Summer Lovin'

2009-08-17T08:54:00.002-07:00

My friends Bonnie, Marianne, and I have rented a summer house near the beach in Chigasaki, a beach town about an hour from where I live in Tokyo. This place has become my weekend haven, a place to escape the insanity of work, which keeps piling on, and the fast-paced, sadly lacking in that sea smell city that is Tokyo. You'd think a city that is technically built near the ocean would smell more of sea, but it doesn't. So, I need to take the train for an hour to get that lovely, familiar mix of ocean water and drying seaweed.

The sand here is volcanic, so it's dark and hot. It makes everything look a little dirty. But I like it, it's not the kind of sand to get too fancy schmancy on you. You've got to be okay with roughing it a bit to spend a day on these beaches 'cause all your clothes, towels, skin, hair, inside of your ears will get gritty and brown.

This past weekend marked the start of jellyfish season and, although there were several of us playing in the super calm water, I was the only one who got stung... and stung... and stung... and stung! I'll be swimming fully clothed from now until the middle of September.

On Sunday, I didn't get to the beach until late. I got in a few choice hours of swimming and sunning (and stinging). I finished two magazines. I listened to hours of Billie Holiday. I watched dogs kayak and people play fetch (frisbee). I saw ladies doing yoga on the beach when it got cooler (though it stayed that perfect summer night warm). And then I watched the sunset with Mount Fuji showing up at just the last moments of the day.

Facebook Export?

2009-07-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

Facebook (FB) makes it sooo easy to share articles, thoughts, etc., that I wish I could set it to do a reverse of its blog/note import function: wouldn't it be great if, instead of weighing down my FB page (and, thus, my friends' newsfeeds) with all the articles I come across and want to remember or comment on, I could post them to FB and then set all that stuff to cross-post only to this blog? Often, I find myself reading articles that I want to either read later because I find them when I don't have time to stop to read them and want to save them for later, or that I want to comment on/start a discussion without taking over my friends' FB newsfeeds.

The collection of articles, rants, commentaries, etc., that would be birthed if I were completely unfettered by my fear of overloading people's FB feeds seems like it would be my own personal HuffPo/Jezebel/Google Reader. When I post articles (about half the time with some little comment), I usually do so for my own use--like I said, to read later. So, I'm always sort of surprised when I get a discussion going on FB prompted by other people seeing the article posting, finding it likewise interesting and chinwag-worthy, and dropping in their own comments/thoughts/rants on the topic. It's so rare that these kinds of discussions take place in real life, it seems, that sometimes it's like I have a more diverse menu of conversations in FB world than in the Real World (Truuuue storeeey! Okay, if you didn't watch MTV's the Real World religiously in the mid-90s, as I did, then you won't get that reference. Sorry. But here's a friendly clip to help you out. Rad.)

With the news that FB is getting set to launch its baby into the public sphere--and, by "its baby," I mean, of course, our entire personal lives and thoughts as shared on FB's servers--this could either present itself as an opportunity to make a thousand little, one-man HuffPos, or... kill the crack addiction that is FB that has taken over so many of our lives.

What do you think? Should I take my FB posting show on the road and try to convert this blog into something more inclusive? Or should I keep it as self-indulgent and self-(or Obama-) obsessed as it was originally intended? Is this asking questions of the ones of people out there reading this blog a stupid idea?

Cool Site: Crap Email from a Dude

2009-07-08T02:23:00.000-07:00

The title of the blog, "Crap Email from a Dude," is pretty self-explanatory... and as hilarious and disturbing as you might expect it to be. Seriously, where do these guys get off and how can they actually be real?? The stories range from the guy who thought the girl had given him an STD after they made out a couple times (yes, seriously) (May I suggest giving the Savage Lovecast a listen?) to the guy who pleaded with the girl he had impregnated to consider how old she would look in her 30s after years as a single mom as encouragement to get an abortion. I'll give you a moment with that.

Basically, "Crap Email from a Dude" is enough to scare the straight right out of a girl if only we weren't born this way. Read these literary odes to crapdom here.

Image: A screen shot from the movie, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," a visual ode to crappy, creepy guys and staple of basic cable on Saturday afternoons.

Sinus as Weather Girl

2009-07-03T00:51:00.006-07:00

I think my left sinus can tell when it's going to rain.

Or, maybe it's just another sinus infection. Sorry, I know that's gross, maybe even an overshare, but my left sinus is killing me while the clouds are hostilely threatening to unload on Tokyo!

You may or may not know that last October, I had to have sinus surgery to remove a cyst from my left sinus. I figured out that there was a cyst by becoming the most annoyingly persistent patient ever, seeing doctor after doctor to figure out what was causing the crazy headaches that started up just about this time last year. Finally, a smarty-pants neurologist had me do a sinus MRI (this after the frickin ENT specialist at another hospital said there was nothing wrong and it was all in my head... the ephemeral part, not the physical part... stupid, arrogant doctor), and, voila, there it was, like a spider's nest had been woven in my left sinus. (I know that's a disturbing image, but I already warned you that we might be having an overshare moment... and, I'm proud to say, I can get pretty gross... Alisa can vouch for me.)

Image: I totally have pictures of my head that look this.

Anyway, this is all just to say how much I've realized that I could never live in Seattle. Rainy season is killing me and I'm becoming one of those annoying people who talks about how nice the weather is when there's even a little bit of sun peeking from around the clouds, and insists on eating lunch outside with convenience store fare balanced precariously on one knee instead of inside at a nice, raised-from-the-ground table.

Oh, and my hair is not pleased either.

Emails to My Elected Officials Regarding Single-Payer Healthcare in the US

2009-06-24T09:10:00.001-07:00

As the President (that is still so cool!) prepares to work with Congress to fix the US' terrible health care system, we Americans abroad have begun our own work to help all our representatives (even the Republican ones... yeah, I'll own John Campbell) back home in the fight over a single-payer system at best and, at worst, at least a public option.

Below are the two email versions I sent to Senator Diane Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, Representative John Campbell, and, my boy, POTUS (the letter was too long for the White House online email system, so I sent it snail mail and said a response via email was fine). I slightly altered the one I sent to my US Rep because he's a Republican and I didn't think touting my Dem street cred would do much to help me there. Please feel free to take these as inspiration for your own emails to your representatives in Congress. My only requirement is that if you use either of these letters, please let me know.

To The Democrats:

Dear [Democrat's Name],

I am writing to you to discuss the necessity of including a single-payer option in the health care debate (and, hopefully, solution), or, at the very least, a public option.

I grew up in California, but have been fortunate enough to live overseas for a short time in my childhood and for half of my adult life. Having personally experienced the health care systems in the US, France, and Japan (as an adult, responsible for my own health care programs, insurance, doctor/hospital choices, etc.), I can say without question or doubt in my mind that having a single-payer system is the best possible option for the American people. I have had surgeries and hospital stays in the US and Japan, I have visited doctors and specialists in all three countries, I have PAID for insurance in all three countries, and in each of these cases, I assure you that the United States' health insurance and health care system has come in as the least user-friendly, least wallet-friendly, and, most importantly, least available and accessible.

I currently live in Japan (but am registered to vote, and exercise that right, from overseas). Here, I have access to not only the top doctors and hospitals in the country, but these doctors also speak English and their organizations have tie-ins with several major American medical institutions (including Johns Hopkins Medicine International). So, for the cost of about $XXXX per year (an amount based on my income level), I have insurance that I know can never be rescinded; access to almost any doctor in Japan (there are a small number of doctors who cater almost exclusively to the typical expat community, most of whom have private insurance); pay only 30% co-pay (the final amount of which is usually not very much because of the negotiated rates between the government and health service providers) on doctor visits, dentist visits, hospital stays, and prescriptions; and have the comfort of knowing that, no matter how bad my medical condition might be, I won’t have to worry about it also causing debilitating debt.

My family back in the States is struggling with the costs of their individual insurance and I, myself, am afraid to let the costly individual insurance (more than twice what I pay in Japan for far inferior coverage) I have maintained back in the States lapse for fear of never being able to qualify again when I return home. For the time being, I do, in a sense, feel trapped outside the States, unable to return home because of the exorbitant costs as well as the uncertainty of American insurance coverage.

I have been a registered Democrat since the day I turned 18 and was raised in a proud Democrat household. I have voted Democrat in every election I’ve ever participated in. I am very active in Democrats Abroad in Japan—I work closely with our country committee chair, the Asia-Pacific regional chair, and as Chair of the Young Democrats Abroad Japan group. One of the reasons I have stood by the party and my elected officials all these years and worked so tirelessly to register Americans abroad to vote from overseas last year is because I care so much about the lives and well-being of my fellow citizens and I have always believed that the Democrats have the best plans to achieve the best possible quality of life for Americans. However, living overseas, I have come to learn that access to reliable, affordable, quality healthcare is not a privilege, but a right. Without a single-payer option, the United States Congress and President are letting down their constituents, their neighbors, their family members, their friends… all Americans.

The positive consequences of a single-payer system extend beyond just Americans’ every day lives and health needs. How productive could our country be if people didn’t need to choose between paying the electricity bill and paying their insurance premium? How much more could we contribute to innovation and the global economy if every man, woman, and child in American was assured of their access to a doctor without the risk of being overwhelmed by the costs of such a visit? How much more secure would we be if the people charged with overseeing our airports, seaports, and other entry points didn’t need to worry about a loved one’s illness either bankrupting their family’s coffers or, worse yet, not even being able to get their child the best care because of prohibitively costly fees?

I work at the research arm of the Asian Development Bank in Tokyo and so, through my job, have the opportunity to see the difference developed infrastructure systems can make for economic growth and productivity. Health care is a form of soft infrastructure that is woefully lacking in most of my organization’s member countries. The United States is one of the most developed countries in the world, if not the most developed, and, yet, when it comes to our health care system, we are sadly lagging behind other industrialized countries, putting us at an economic and political disadvantage (Because what besides our health can affect the other parts of our lives so completely?) not only vis-à-vis our developed economic competitors, but even in terms of our competitors in emerging markets.

I urge you, in this letter and with my vote, to support a single-payer health care system in the upcoming behemoth of a debate over how to right this too long-standing wrong. Please take courage, comfort, and support in knowing that there are thousands of other Californians overseas who have shared my experience and who also support a single-payer system.

If you would like to hear specific stories about the health care experiences of Americans overseas, please stop by the blog Americans Abroad Know About National Health Care (http://healthcareforamerica.blogspot.com/).

Thank you for your hard work representing Californians… wherever in the world they might be.

Very sincerely yours,
XXXXXX

To The Republican:

Dear [Republican's Name],

I am writing to you to discuss the necessity of including a single-payer option in the health care debate (and, hopefully, solution), or, at the very least, a public option.

I grew up in California, but have been fortunate enough to live overseas for a short time in my childhood and for half of my adult life. Having personally experienced the health care systems in the US, France, and Japan (as an adult, responsible for my own health care programs, insurance, doctor/hospital choices, etc.), I can say without question or doubt in my mind that having a single-payer system is the best possible option for the American people. I have had surgeries and hospital stays in the US and Japan, I have visited doctors and specialists in all three countries, I have PAID for insurance in all three countries, and in each of these cases, I assure you that the United States' health insurance and health care system has come in as the least user-friendly, least wallet-friendly, and, most importantly, least available and accessible.

I currently live in Japan (but am registered to vote, and exercise that right, from overseas). Here, I have access to not only the top doctors and hospitals in the country, but these doctors also speak English and their organizations have tie-ins with several major American medical institutions (including Johns Hopkins Medicine International). So, for the cost of about $XXXX per year (an amount based on my income level), I have insurance that I know can never be rescinded; access to almost any doctor in Japan (there are a small number of doctors who cater almost exclusively to the typical expat community, most of whom have private insurance); pay only 30% co-pay (the final amount of which is usually not very much because of the negotiated rates between the government and health service providers) on doctor visits, dentist visits, hospital stays, and prescriptions; and have the comfort of knowing that, no matter how bad my medical condition might be, I won’t have to worry about it also causing debilitating debt.

My family back in the States is struggling with the costs of their individual insurance and I, myself, am afraid to let the costly individual insurance (more than twice what I pay in Japan for far inferior coverage) I have maintained back in the States lapse for fear of never being able to qualify again when I return home. For the time being, I do, in a sense, feel trapped outside the States, unable to return home because of the exorbitant costs as well as the uncertainty of American insurance coverage.

Living overseas, I have come to understand that access to reliable, affordable, quality health care is not a privilege, but a right. Without a single-payer option, the United States Congress and President are letting down their constituents, their neighbors, their family members, their friends… all Americans.

The positive consequences of a single-payer system extend beyond just Americans’ every day lives and health needs. How productive could our country be if people didn’t need to choose between paying the electricity bill and paying their insurance premium? How much more could we contribute to innovation and the global economy if every man, woman, and child in American was assured of their access to a doctor without the risk of being overwhelmed by the costs of such a visit? How much more secure would we be if the people charged with overseeing our airports, seaports, and other entry points didn’t need to worry about a loved one’s illness either bankrupting their family’s coffers or, worse yet, not even being able to get their child the best care because of prohibitively costly fees?

I work at the research arm of the Asian Development Bank in Tokyo and so, through my job, have the opportunity to see the difference developed infrastructure systems can make for economic growth and productivity. Health care is a form of soft infrastructure that is woefully lacking in most of my organization’s member countries. The United States is one of the most developed countries in the world, if not the most developed, and, yet, when it comes to our health care system, we are sadly lagging behind other industrialized countries, putting us at an economic and political disadvantage (Because what besides our health can affect the other parts of our lives so completely?) not only vis-à-vis our developed economic competitors, but even in terms of our competitors in emerging markets.

I urge you, in this letter and with my vote, to support a single-payer health care system in the upcoming behemoth of a debate over how to right this too long-standing wrong. Please take courage, comfort, and support in knowing that there are thousands of other Californians overseas who have shared my experience and who also support a single-payer system.

If you would like to hear specific stories about the health care experiences of Americans overseas, please stop by the blog Americans Abroad Know About National Health Care (http://healthcareforamerica.blogspot.com/).

Thank you for your hard work representing Californians… wherever in the world they might be.

Very sincerely yours,
XXXXXX

Image source originally Air America.

"To Do" Lists

2009-06-12T07:32:00.002-07:00

I feel like I'm terrible at organizing my life, even though I somehow still manage to get a lot of my shit taken care of. It kind of boggles my mind, actually--how do I do it? Unlike outside observers, to whom it probably doesn't seem like I do all that much more than any other average Jane walking around on two legs, I know how much clutter takes up space in my brain, so it's a wonder to me that I ever get anything done. (If you've ever seen my room or my episodic dish situation, you know how this mental clutter translates to the physical world.)

Last year, I was good about carrying around a tiny little notebook to write things down in, to make lists in. Eventually, I stopped that. I guess there were too many lists, all put down in one place--it became overwhelming. I forgot to add "Don't get overwhelmed by 'to do lists'" to my list.

Now, I'm heavily dependent on my Google calendar. I'm very anti-PDA (Why would I ever want to be able to know what I'm scheduled to do at any point in the future for my entire life??), but I'm also very "I'm-in-denial-about-all-the-shit-I-need-to-do," so, often, if someone asks me if I'm free to do something, say, four days from then, I'll say, without any cheek, "I'm not sure. Let me check my calendar and get back to you." If I had people, I would definitely be asking them to contact yours (If you had any... which you might, I mean, I don't know who's reading this right now anyway, right? Who am I to make assumptions?).

It's not because I have more to do than any other average Tokyoite, it's just that, I feel like I'm always walking a fine line of being conscious and in the present, and blowing it all off in a "well, fuck it" attitude and running for the hills or a desert island and, if I had that calendar always available, ready to weigh me down with its admonitions of "Don't forget to do X," or "You've got Z at 3pm," then it'd just be too much.

Actually, that second part is so precariously close to the surface that I also have episodic bouts of "desert island mode," one of which finally won out and took me to New Caledonia in April. Only, four days in the tropics weren't really enough. So, I escaped again to Jakarta a couple weekends ago. It was amazing and I could totally see myself living there (on an excellent expat package, of course). But, it's only been two weeks back in the real world and I'm desperate to run and hide again (If I can't see the world, then it can't see me and it won't notice all the stuff I'm not getting done.). It's 'cause my mental "To Do" list is becoming heavy and hard to look at.

I'll be celebrating my 2nd Annual 29th Birthday in less than six months, and I feel like I've got very little, professionally, to show for it. Sure, my experience looks great on paper and, in fact, my job experiences have been pretty darn good in real life, too, but they're not what I had in mind when I tripped up the stairs and hobbled across the stage* in Bender Arena to accept my degree a million (okay, eight) years ago.

Law school has always been in the plans and joining the State Department was high my list of things to get done, but neither of these things has been did. Where did the last eight years go?? What about the last 11?? When did I stop being 18 years old with all the time in the world to get my shit sorted out? I'm not saying I'm ancient (even though I feel that way sometimes when I do have a momentary reality check, "Oh, yeah, shit, I forgot I'm not 18 anymore."), but it just seems like a lot of my peers have gotten their stuff a lot more figured out and even if things can't necessarily be definitively crossed off their lists, they're well on their way to being so.

I did manage to squeeze the foreign service exam in back in 2001, and I even managed to pass it. But after not making the cut in the second round, I never got back to that (plus, ahem, I wasn't a fan of the boss, so that's at least part of my excuse for lagging on that task). I sort of started working on the whole law school angle by training to teach LSAT prep back in 2003, but then I got side-tracked by jaunting off to Paris for a year and some change. Now, as that 2nd Annual 29th looms, I'm starting to get more serious about getting around to the whole law school "to do" (by "serious," read: talking about it more to more people, but still not doing an actual damn thing about it). Talking with Katy when I was in Jakarta helped me figure out a semi-deadline for getting my applications out if I want to start school in the fall of 2010: December 2009. (Cue doom music.) Um, yeah, um... shiiiiiiiit!!! That's just around the corner! Have you noticed that it's already frickin' June?! WTF?!? When did that happen??

See?? See how I always feel like time just got away from me? Is this a problem that affects only me, or do any of you ("Papa, can you hear me?" "Hello, testing, testing. Is this thing on?") feel this way too?

Anyway, lists, to dos, lots, heavy, denial, no time, old, (wow, stream of consciousness is so much faster than writing complete sentences), deadlines, failed deadlines, huh...

Welcome to the inside of my head. Please be careful not trip over that pile of shit to do.

*I had just had my cast off the week before after having broken my foot and sprained my ankle at the same time the week before spring break. Right before I mounted the steps, I joked to my friend behind me, "Wouldn't it suck if I tripped?" Ha! Yes, Irony, I heard you.

h/t to Lauren over at Fighting Liberals for making my year when she shared this video.

Where do we go from here?

2009-05-03T00:57:00.005-07:00

Maggie chided me the other day that I hadn't been writing on my blog. Totally true. Then, I found a couple posts that I'd prepped in February that I'd never put up, so I posted them (see two preceding posts). But even those are news-related. Yeah, there's a little of me and my opinion, but nothing about my life in Tokyo in my commentary.

The problem is that Barack Obama took over my life a year ago and, now that I've been posting pretty consistently on issues related to him for a year, I don't know how to get back to posting about me and life in T-town. (I just made that term up; I've never heard anyone use it... probably for a very good reason: it sounds incredibly lame.)

Oh, Barack, where do we go from here? I think that it's time we each went our separate ways. You have a lot of things to deal with, what with your new job and dog and everything, and, well, I need to learn how to be independent again, to make it on my own, without relying on you for all my conversation topics and feel-good talk (by the way, I'm so proud of you for being so generous with the Tamiflu). Know that I will, of course, continue to support you and don't think that I won't be following you on Facebook and in the news... But, I think we both know that this is for the best. It's not you--you're great, you're change, you're hope, you're progress, you're smart... it's me. Try not to let this hamper your work. It will be difficult for me, too, in the beginning, but we both just need to try our hardest to move on. Don't think of this as a break-up--it's not--it's just... it's just the next chapter in our journey together toward a brighter day.

Flix my net = Tax me, please

2009-04-30T01:18:00.000-07:00

Editor's note: Yeah, um, same problem with this post as with the last. Sorry, I think my brain took an unauthorized leave of absence from February 'til now.

I so agree with the ideas expressed in this Op-Ed in the New York Times that I'm going to just reproduce the piece in it's entirety here. And add this: Ditto.

Please Raise My Taxes

By REED HASTINGS
Published: February 5, 2009
Los Gatos, Calif.

I’M the chief executive of a publicly traded company and, like my peers, I’m very highly paid. The difference between salaries like mine and those of average Americans creates a lot of tension, and I’d like to offer a suggestion. President Obama should celebrate our success, rather than trying to shame us or cap our pay. But he should also take half of our huge earnings in taxes, instead of the current one-third.
Then, the next time a chief executive earns an eye-popping amount of money, we can cheer that half of it is going to pay for our soldiers, schools and security. Higher taxes on huge pay days can finance opportunity for the next generation of Americans.
Clearly, the efforts over the past few decades to control executive compensation haven’t accomplished much. Improved public disclosure was supposed to shame companies into lowering salaries, and it obviously hasn’t worked. In 1993, President Bill Clinton changed the tax law to effectively cap executives’ salaries at $1 million a year, but that simply drove corporate boards to offer larger bonuses and stock options to attract and keep talent. More recently, “say on pay” proposals would have shareholders opine on their boards’ compensation decisions, but “say and pay” won’t change the fact that luring a top executive away from another company is never easy or cheap.
The reality is that the boards of public companies hate overpaying for anything, including executives. But picking the wrong chief executive is an enormous disaster, so boards are willing to pay an arm and a leg for already proven talent. Putting limits on the salaries at public companies, or trying to shame them into coming down, won’t stop this costly competition for talent.
Of course, it’s galling when a chief executive fails and is still handsomely rewarded. But with the concept of “tax, not shame,” a shocking $20 million severance package would generate $10 million for the government. That’s a far better solution than what we have today, not least because it works with the market rather than against it.
Another advantage is that it would also cover the sometimes huge earnings of hedge fund managers, star athletes, stunning movie stars, venture capitalists and the chief executives of private companies. Surely there is no reason to focus only on executives at publicly traded companies.
This week, President Obama proposed imposing a $500,000 compensation cap on companies seeking a bailout. It’s a terrible idea. We all want the taxpayers’ money returned, and capping compensation at bailout recipients will just make it that much harder for those boards to hire and hold on to the executives who can lead their companies to compete and thrive.
Perhaps a starting place for “tax, not shame” would be creating a top federal marginal tax rate of 50 percent on all income above $1 million per year. Some will tell you that would reduce the incentive to earn but I don’t see that as likely. Besides, half of a giant compensation package is still pretty huge, and most of our motivation is the sheer challenge of the job anyway.
Instead of trying to shame companies and executives, the president should take advantage of our success by using our outsized earnings to pay for the needs of our nation.
Reed Hastings is the chief executive of Netflix.

Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe...

2009-04-30T00:56:00.001-07:00

Editor's note: I don't know what the hell happened in my brain in February--I totally had this post and another ready to go and then never posted them. Doh! So, yeah, um, here we go... two months late. Hee hee heee... (awkward trailing off laughter).

The new "Unity" farce, er, I mean, government in Zimbabwe will begin with Morgan Tsvangirai's inauguration as Prime Minister on Wednesday. Mugabe will stay on as President. In Tsvangirai's speech, he plans to call for greater Western support in light of this great step in the Zimbabwean political situation. Currently, most Zimbabweans live a life of bare subsistence and depend heavily on foreign aid for good and medicine (in addition to the food shortage and civil strife that has plagued the country in recent history, last year, a cholera epidemic erupted).

So, while on Wednesday, Tsvangirai will ask for this: "Morgan Tsvangirai will use his inauguration as Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister this week to appeal to the West to fund the rebuilding of his shattered country..."

Coincidentally, Mugabe's 85th birthday is coming up right on the heels of Tsvangirai's inauguation--February 21st, to be exact. And, well, hey, a party is a party, right? No need to let famine and disease spoil your fun! Mugabe's supporters began last week to "solicit" (force with threat of violence) "donations" for his big birthday bash. Just in case you have a couple hundred kilos of caviar laying around, I thought you might like to know where you can send it for a good cause. Here's what's on the birthday party food wish list:

2,000 bottles of champagne — Moët & Chandon and ’61 Bollinger
500 bottles of whisky — Johnny Walker Blue Label, 22-year-old Chivas
8,000 lobsters
100kg king prawns
3,000 ducks
4,000 portions of caviar
8,000 boxes of Ferrero Rocher
16,000 eggs
3,000 cakes — chocolate and vanilla
4,000 packs of pork sausages
500kg cheese
4,000 packets of crackers

This is seriously sick. And I mean that in all senses of the word.

Robin Sparkles for Canadian PM... I'm reconnecting with my love for "How I Met Your Mother"... Update: Canadian Love Manifesto

2009-02-09T21:30:00.004-08:00

I love the show "How I Met Your Mother" for many reasons (mainly associated with Barney Stinson), but one stands out: Because making fun of Canada is fun... even for Canadians (because they are cool and know how to make fun of themselves... a quality Americans generally lack when faced with international mocking pressure).

Full disclosure: I'm American, but officially take the stance that Canada totally has it more figured out than America does (universal healthcare; Canadians are biologically engineered to be laid-back and have good comedic timing). However, I also officially take the stance that America has way better TV (exhibits A through C: Degrassi High, Sophie, and Little Mosque on the Prairie... all cool Canadian concepts with cheesy execution [though they do earn back some points because of the Anne of Green Gables miniseries]; exhibits D through F: How I Met Your Mother, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and 30 Rock... all cool American concepts with awesome execution and Exhibit D makes fun of Canadians while still giving a Canadian character a shot to be on American TV--ever noticed how there are no Canadian characters on US TV? As if the 51st state doesn't exist?) and, because we sent a bunch of missionaries to steal Hawaii, better travel options.

So, a shout out, to the inspiration for many jokes on "How I Met..."--a bridge, really, helping the people of the "two" countries to bond and understand one another despite our many differences:

Further proof of Canada's biologically engineered laid-backness is that they have not declared war on America despite the following things (plus, let's be honest, it's a logical sense of self-preservation because they know that America has a lot more bombs and guns and serial killers--read: anger management issues--and that we're trigger happy and not responsible artillery-owners):

The South Park movie is basically open-season on all things Canadian, including the Academy Award-nominated song "Blame Canada."
Americans making fun of their accents all the time, eh.
Things like this post.
TV shows like "How I Met Your Mother."
Americans making fun of their cheaper currency ("It's like everything's on sale!").
TV shows like "The Daily Show."

I love it when smart people are in charge of America

2009-01-30T01:05:00.003-08:00

Obama is off to a GREAT start. The latest juicy bit of awesome to come out of the Oval Office (isn't it good when that means something that we don't need to be embarrassed of!) is the White House DIRECTLY calling out the greedy Wall Street a**holes who gave themselves a pat on the back (I'm sure it was one of the football, ass pats) and nice fat bonus checks this past December. Oh, what's that? The economy's tanking? Not if you're a fat cat jerk who spent over $30,000 on a new private bathroom while your company is imploding! I mean, don't these companies have marketing departments? Did they fire them to pay for the potty remodel? Does it really take a genius image consultant to tell you not to do something dumb (with a B) to do that?

Here's a highlight from the post (entitled "Shameful," nice!) on the White House blog (yes, there's a White House blog... how cool is that?!):

One point I want to make is that all of us are going to have responsibilities to get this economy moving again. And when I saw an article today indicating that Wall Street bankers had given themselves $20 billion worth of bonuses -- the same amount of bonuses as they gave themselves in 2004 -- at a time when most of these institutions were teetering on collapse and they are asking for taxpayers to help sustain them, and when taxpayers find themselves in the difficult position that if they don't provide help that the entire system could come down on top of our heads -- that is the height of irresponsibility. It is shameful.

Read the rest of the post here.

Found art... and then I ate it

2009-01-27T13:52:00.002-08:00

I bought this last Thursday at Make My Cake bakery in Harlem. Yes, I did... eat this yummy cupcake. I gotta say though, red velvet tastes better than hope. ;)

My second favorite part of the Inauguration

2009-01-27T13:41:00.002-08:00

Okay, so the first is OBVIOUS!!

My second favorite part of the inaugural ceremonies was Rev. Lowery's benediction. Here's the video. Amen!

And how's this for coincidence? Rev. Lowery is Happy Dance Man's Grandpa!

POTUS is IN.

2009-01-26T19:16:00.001-08:00

My favorite picture from a great photo series on the LA Times website. That's HIS office now.

Keeping things in perspective

2009-01-13T20:01:00.004-08:00

So, with all the back and forth and haggling and bartering and contacting people who might know someone who might know someone to get a ticket for one of the inaugural balls, I've been stressing out and acting like a neurotic nincompoop. I've finally got a ticket and I'm still recovering from the emotional ups and downs of "will I or won't I" have a ticket for one the balls at what will surely be the most memorable moment of my life (Hello! Women have babies and get married every day, how many times will Barack Obama become President of the United States for the first time?? Oh, yeah... once!).

But, after all this, regardless of whether I'd been able to get a ticket to an official event, wow, this is going to be a frickin' off the wall, off the hook, holy shize, amazing time.

Meanwhile, in Gaza...

Really bad, serious shit (and, no, there's no point in watching my language on this topic) is still going down and the number of casualties is approaching 1000 (approximately half civilian), with tens of thousands having fled their homes. There is no right party or wrong party in the shitstorm that is going down there, mistakes have been made on all sides (not just between the Israeli government and Hamas)--this includes the US, EU, other Middle East countries, the official government of Palestine, etc. I will make no suggestions or comments on what the core of the problem is or what a solution could be (I mean, if the people who are paid the big bucks to figure this out haven't sorted it yet and people who are living it haven't sorted it yet, what the hell could I offer?), but the least that any of us can do is to follow what's going on and be aware that while, yeah, life goes on (ahem, the Golden Globes?), the life that's going on is not the same everywhere.

So, I've been reading a lot of news, trying to get all sides (which is hard because most foreign press is not allowed in Gaza right now) and following a few blogs, to try to get a more personal perspective on it. The main blog I've been following is East Med Sea Peace; the writer is one of my co-contributors at Global Themes and is an Aussie-Israeli living in Yaffo, Israel. He's a lawyer and a surfer, a blogger and a peace activist, a guitar player and a photographer, and an overall great observer of people.

This is how he usually writes (from a 6 January post about the current conflict):
we are caught in a sandwich.. doomed if we do and damned if we dont.. i think the worst part of this war just like its previous one was the lack of an exit strategy.. there is no elegant way out.. particularly as the parties stall with respect to a truce because no one can agree as to what a truce means.. and duties and prohibitions it comprises..

in the meantime the rockets from gaza have crept northwards.. hitting a baby's face in gadera today..

not only is hamas not ceasing the rockets buts increasing the stakes.. i find it perplexing.. really.. the formula for a hamas victory is simple.. wait till its over and fire a missile.. thats all you have to do.. if you show that you werent crushed you'll win.. so why didnt you do that to begin with.. why drag out this conflict and invite so many thousands of litres of bloodshed..

to my own government i ask - do you believe that this is truly the most responsible way to act? AGAIN - just like last time - where was your UN security council resolution? where was your use of international institutions? where was you effort to engage the world in advance? what benefits did we really gain from this surprise attempt? we could have crushed their skulls anyway with bunker blasters if we wanted to even with advance notice.. so why have we snuck in like theives if we really believe that it is our freedom to defend ourselves that has motivated us?

Thoughtful, balanced, trying to see both sides and open an inclusive discussion (hey, even I chimed in).

This is how he wrote just a few days later:
this is not just news mind you.. i am fuming over the rally situation.. people will tell you about the many many pro gazan protests.. and im fine with people who genuinely care.. many thousands of israelis have partaken in these pro gazan protests as well.. however where the fuck did you all suddenly come out from.. what political coma did you suddenly snap out of?! i would like to remind you that these people were the dance crew of 9/11 that when 3000 innocent people died in ny city palestinians nation wide took to the streets and celebrated.. they didnt protest and demonstrate - they threw candy and flicked tongue.. where were you when hamas was scouring gaza and mass murdering fatah members.. where the FUCK were you?! where was your undeniable sense of justice when they were purely aggressive and where has it disappeared to now that things are more complex and you have a nation returning fire against a terror organisation that has openly stated that it seeks our destruction..
...
DONT GET ME WRONG - i want the killing of people on both sides to stop now! i wish we had chosen a wiser course to respond to the violence from gaza over the past 8 years but its not them im talking about right now.. its you.. yes you the champions of human rights.. the same people who sat and ate dinner every night while darfurians were slaughtered by the hundred every time you chewed.. you'd hear it on the news and then have desert.. and you didnt even stop for a second.. let alone get up and protest..

I know this might sound trite, but I just wanted to give him a hug, somehow it seemed like that could make things just a little better. I can't even come close to imagining what it must be like for anyone who has to deal with this situation right now (beyond how all of us, as world citizens, should be at least acknowledging it). And he's right, where have people been? I don't know, I don't have an answer--just getting on with their own lives, I guess, and who can really be faulted for being human? If we tried to take on all the suffering and heal all the pain in the world, besides having a ridiculous Jesus complex (one that would definitely require medication), we'd all be so frickin' overwhelmed and depressed and cynical and over each other that we'd turn into zombies who didn't give a shit about anyone or anything else. There has to be a point where we have to shut things out and turn the emotions off, otherwise we'd be emotionally crippled by everything we saw.

But, that doesn't mean turn your back, close your eyes and ears, stick your head in the sand and pretend that stuff isn't out there. I guess the least we can do is know what's going on and then pick and choose our battles (small and large) to try to leave the world a better place than how it was when we found it.

My two cents, anyway...

Stay safe and healthy, everyone.

Happy Dance!! Obama Love!

2009-01-12T19:26:00.002-08:00

The latest in modern expression... YouTube as an artistic medium (forget oil on canvas or sonnets!). This video pretty much expresses exactly how I feel... RIGHT NOW!!!! Guess who's got a ticket to an inaugural ball!!! Where Obama himself will put in an appearance!!

Even the UN isn't a safe place in Gaza

2009-01-06T17:13:00.005-08:00

I'm sure you've been following what's been happening in Gaza in the last 12 days. Now, a UN-run school in Gaza has been hit, killing 30 people inside (including women and children) who had taken shelter under the blue and white flag, hoping that it would protect them. Israel struck the site because it says rockets had been launched from there; Hamas denies that any operations were launched from the site. Who knows who is right? But, either way, even if rockets had been launched from there (rockets, which, by they way, killed no one), was this the appropriate response? And, if rockets were launched from the UN site, who the f**k in Hamas thought that was a good idea?

UPDATE: More than 40 have died as a result of this attack.

Here's the article from the LA Times:

A Hamas rocket strikes an Israeli town less than 20 miles from Tel Aviv. Street battles between Israeli forces and militants continue across the Gaza Strip.

By Ahmed Burai and Jeffrey Fleishman
January 7, 2009

Reporting from Cairo and Gaza City -- Mortar rounds fired by Israeli forces exploded at a United Nations school on Tuesday, killing at least 30 Palestinians who had sought shelter there during a day when Israeli forces pounded deeper into the Gaza Strip and a Hamas rocket struck a town less than 20 miles south of Tel Aviv.

Street battles rumbled across the Palestinian enclave and bloodshed showed no signs of ebbing, despite renewed calls by Arab and European leaders for the U.N. Security Council to demand a cease-fire. International pressure on Israel intensified after Palestinian medical officials reported that 75 Gazans were killed Tuesday as Israeli forces swept into more densely populated areas.

John Ging, the senior U.N. official in Gaza, said 30 Palestinians died and 50 were injured when three artillery shells sprayed shrapnel through the Al Fakhoura School in the Jabaliya refugee camp. Palestinian doctors put the death toll at 37, including women and children.

Hours before, the United Nations said another of its schools in the Shati refugee camp, also in northern Gaza, which had been closed because of the ongoing bloodshed, was hit by an Israeli missile early Tuesday, killing three Palestinian cousins who had taken shelter inside. Hundreds of Gazans have been relying on U.N. buildings as havens amid the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants that began 12 days ago when the Israelis initiated an air barrage designed to halt ongoing rocket attacks by Hamas on southern Israel.

The Israeli army said the school in Jabaliya was targeted after militants launched mortar rounds from its grounds. An army statement said Hamas "terror operatives" Imad Abu Askhar and Hassan Abu Askhar were among the dead.

"We face a very delicate situation where Hamas is using the citizens of Gaza as a protective vest," said Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu.

Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for the Islamic militant group, denied that his organization was staging attacks from the school and accused Israel of carrying out "an open war on innocent civilians."

Israeli warships battered the coast as troops and tanks, after intense fighting around Gaza City, pushed south to Khan Yunis, where skirmishes continued throughout the day.

Thousands of Gazan families have abandoned their homes, either to flee the front lines of the conflict or because of their proximity to police stations or security forces installations. Those who don't seek safety in public shelters, such as the U.N.-run schools, often shuffle between the homes of relatives.

But even many purely civilian neighborhoods aren't safe because Gaza militants often fire rockets from civilian neighborhoods, and Israel continues to bomb the homes of Hamas commanders and buildings and mosques it believes are used as weapons storehouses. As a result, almost every neighborhood in Gaza is littered with sites that Israel considers legitimate military targets.

The situation is perilous even for those seeking maternity care in Gaza's overloaded hospitals. Pregnant women face the decision whether to deliver at home or risk trying to reach a medical facility where critically injured patients take priority. Gaza City's main Shifa Hospital emptied its maternity ward on the 1st day of the Israeli air assault.

The Israeli offensive has failed to stop the rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. And on Tuesday, a rocket exploded in the town of Gedera, about 25 miles northeast of Gaza. The strike, which injured a baby, was the farthest north yet by a Hamas rocket and the closest to the metropolis of Tel Aviv. That distance means that 1 million Israelis are within range of rockets fired from Gaza, said Micky Rosenfeld, an Israeli police spokesman.

Palestinian medical authorities, meanwhile, reported that shelling from Israeli ships killed at least 10 people and injured 20 others at the Deir al Balah refugee camp. Airstrikes on the Bureij refugee camp killed a father and his three sons, and in Zeitoun south of Gaza City an airstrike killed 13 members of one family.

More than 600 Palestinians have reportedly been killed since Israel began its offensive Dec. 27, according to Gaza hospital authorities. The U.N. says about 25% of the victims have been civilians. Israel announced that another soldier was killed by a shell from one of the Jewish state's own tanks. So far, six Israeli soldiers, including four hit by "friendly fire," have died and four Israeli civilians have been killed by rockets.

"I want to tell the world's leaders something: You are not to sleep, eat or drink until you stop the killing of innocent people in the Gaza Strip," said Ging, adding that 1 million Palestinians were without electricity and 700,000 without water. "There's nowhere safe in Gaza. Everyone is terrorized and traumatized."

In Washington, President-elect Barack Obama expressed concern about casualties on both sides but said he must defer to President Bush until his own inauguration.

"In domestic policy, Democrats, Republicans -- we can have arguments back and forth about what tax policies are going to be," Obama said. "When it comes to international affairs, other countries are looking to see who speaks for America. Right now President George Bush, as president of the United States, speaks on behalf of the U.S. government and the American people when it comes to international affairs."

Arab foreign ministers and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to the United Nations to urge the Security Council to pass a cease-fire resolution. Abbas, of the Fatah faction, has controlled only the West Bank since Hamas seized control of Gaza in mid-2007.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy traveled to Damascus on Tuesday to ask Syrian President Bashar Assad for help in ending the fighting. A Hamas delegation met in Cairo with Egyptian officials who have been trying to broker a peace deal.

Israeli says it has killed at least 130 militants in recent days and that the number of rockets fired out of Gaza has dropped considerably. At least 15 rockets were fired Tuesday, and the Izzidin al-Qassam Brigade, the military wing of Hamas, announced that one of its suicide bombers had attacked an Israeli tank.

"We hope this fighting will be a swift episode," said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. "We have no interest to endlessly drag it on."

He said Israel does not expect the international community to be tolerant of the offensive but added that "there is no other alternative -- and this is how things need to be done."

Hospitals across Gaza remained overwhelmed, with dwindling supplies and patients stacked in crowded rooms. Doctors said equipment and medicine were being held up at border crossings from Egypt and Israel. Israel's control of the roads and its bisecting of Gaza into fighting zones have made it increasingly difficult for severely wounded Palestinians to be transported outside the enclave for treatment.

"We've never seen so many cases in the operating room at once," said Dr. Hassan Khalaf, director of Shifa Hospital. "Can you even imagine that we are conducting three and sometimes more operations in a single room at the same time. This is really catastrophic."

Abdel Malik Jaber, director of Gaza's telecommunications company, sent a text message alerting journalists that the company may no longer be able to power its generators.

"If we don't receive more fuel within 48 hours," the message said, "the communications networks will completely stop."

Tamer al Sultan said he and his 19-year-old brother, Hussein, had sought shelter in the Shati refugee camp school. He said an explosion struck shortly after midnight as Hussein and his two cousins were returning from the bathroom. "It wasn't really big, but it was enough to kill my brother and cousins," Sultan said. "We fled our homes because of the airstrikes. We thought this place would be safe, but it seems there is no safe place in Gaza today."

jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com

Burai is a special correspondent. Times staff writers Geraldine Baum at the United Nations and Ashraf Khalil in Jerusalem and special correspondent Rushdi abu Alouf in Gaza City contributed to this report.

What I learned from the State of California

2008-12-23T02:49:00.003-08:00

You learn something new everyday.

Today, I had the lucky chance to spend a little bit over an hour at San Clemente's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) waiting to renew my driver's license. I took the opportunity to brush up on any new laws that might have come up since the last time I took the test (more than a decade ago), just in case I had to retake the written exam. But, the booklet of driving laws also offered up some great everyday reminders:

Do not make a U-turn on a one-way street.
Do not make a U-turn when there is a sign that says "No U-Turns."
Do not shoot firearms on a highway or at traffic signs. (But, of course, presumably this means that shooting a firearm on surface streets or not at traffic signs must be okay.)
Do not honk your horn unless it is a safety warning. (My mom pointed out that this means that when you "Honk for Jesus," you're actually committing a crime.)

Just wanted to pass on that learnin'. Be sure to put that to some good use.

It's the Depression, Stupid.

2008-12-14T19:17:00.003-08:00

First, the economy started to tank (thanks, in no small part, to a bunch of rich guys speculating, trying to get richer).

Then, middle America dried up and brought us the Dustbowl.

And, then, Barack Obama was inaugurated President.

Oh, wait, you thought I was talking about the FIRST Great Depression? No, no, my friends, this describes the Great Crash of '09... 2009 that is. Again, first, the economy. Then, the drought. It even comes equipped with more demand at food banks! Why do I feel like I've heard this all before...?

Dr. Doom (aka Nouriel Roubini, economist and grim reaper) knows what I'm talking about.

Sorry, I gotta take this call, it's John Steinbeck and he wants to talk about the sequel.

Add it to the "Must Dance" list

2008-12-05T06:51:00.002-08:00

Britney's back and she's bringing her dance with her. I heard her single "Womanizer" for the first time last night, bought it cuz I had to have it for the dancer in my head, and have listened to it probably 20 times since then. I can't wait to hit Arty's to dance to this song. Click here to get your dance on.

Free sticker from MoveOn.org

2008-12-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

Registered Californians had 80.6% turnout!

2008-12-03T19:14:00.002-08:00

This is great news. Here's the story from the L.A. Times:

More than 60% of California's eligible voters went to the polls

If only registered voters are tallied, the turnout was 80.6%. Final races are tallied: McClintock and Strickland win. Prop. 11 and Beverly Hills condo measure pass.

By Patrick McGreevy and Martha Groves

December 3, 2008

Reporting from Los Angeles and Sacramento — More than 60% of Californians who were eligible to vote cast ballots in the Nov. 4 presidential election, the highest turnout since Richard Nixon and George McGovern competed for the office in 1972, elections officials reported Tuesday.

The total includes all qualified citizens, including those who had not registered to vote. The percentage of registered voters who cast ballots statewide was 80.6% -- 81.9% in Los Angeles County.

...

The high turnout in Los Angeles County, not seen since 1968, was a result of several factors, including strong voter interest in the presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain, according to Dean Logan, the county's Registrar-Recorder.

"It was the combination of an election that has historic significance to both major parties' tickets, the economic situation and the fact that there was no sitting president or vice president on the ballot," Logan said.

Controversial ballot measures, including a ban on gay marriage, also attracted Californians to the polls in high numbers.

The secretary of state will not post the voter totals until next week, but a survey of the counties indicates the highest turnout since 64.5% of all those eligible to vote cast ballots in 1972.

...

My new anthem--the Macarena for us SATC girls.

2008-11-25T08:04:00.008-08:00

It's weird when you realize that something is an anthem for a whole demographic category of people (the Sex and the City demographic, of course) even before you know half the words. But, I know that I wanna learn to sing this song at karaoke and dance this dance with my fellow GenSATCers at a gay club. C'mon, boys! Also, well-played to this dance's choreographer for bringing back some classic jazz dance moves... can you feel my childhood??

Uh huh! Work it, boy! Check out his appearance on The Bonnie Hunt Show- even better!

Thanks to Emi for sending me this link on my birthday. I gotta go get my gay on at the clubs soon!!

SNL has already spoofed this, so you know it's for real and forever! JT- just another boy wanting to express his inner Single Lady.

And one more for the road (this boy rocks it out in his room with his own choreography, sort of):

Paging Captain Hook... Paging Captain Hook, please.

2008-11-20T02:08:00.002-08:00

Here's a headline I never thought I'd see without a DeLorean ride first:

"World Grapples with Pirate Problem."

Alrighty then.

My fave pics from Obama's Election Night Flickr

2008-11-10T18:26:00.002-08:00

He might be VP Biden to us, but I think the girls have found themselves a Grandpa Joe.

Her life is completely changed forever, but Dad will always be Dad.

Yay! They're in it together!

Reflections on the election of Barack Obama (November 5, 2008 - Tokyo)

2008-11-05T08:03:00.009-08:00

How do I describe the day I witnessed the dawn of a new America? Is there any way to put down in words an accurate and true, earnest record of what I saw and experienced today? This day--and how I felt when the 2008 US Presidential election was called for Barack Obama--was almost too good, too overwhelming with joy that the system has been redeemed and faith in the process and power of the American voter's voice restored, that it's hard not to think that this hasn't all been just some remarkably vivid dream. But then, there was that speech, that speech that was so perfect in its realism. That speech in which he reminded us that though we have accomplished so much to get us this far, the real work is only just beginning. That speech that called us out for service to one another, sacrifice for one another, and a reminder that we are all each other's keeper.

Yes, we should be proud of how far we have come and all we had to do to get here; yes, we deserve a chance to revel and celebrate our success. But, lest we find ourselves forgetting what we all really got into this fight for, Barack reminded us that this day--this amazing day--is really just a chance at change, not change itself. True, real, lasting, effective, life-altering, life-bettering change will only come once we commit to following through on the incredible journey that we've only just started on in these 21 months.

This is not the end of an era, but rather the beginning of one; an opportunity for us all--not just Americans, but all world citizens--to look inward and believe in our own abilities to effect progress as much as we believe in his. Like he said, this race was won not on the strength of the party or the Washington political machine, but by the minutes, seconds, dimes, and dollars donated by millions and millions of people around the world who believe in the movement Obama represents, not just in the man we see on television.

Yes, today was just the beginning, just the start of more hard work and dedication to the cause of each other... and I, for one, have never been more ready to get to work. After all, nothing could be easier than to believe and have faith in the good in all of us. Today, and all that it represents, made that belief possible.

More thanks than I can express go out to each person who cast his or her vote for Barack Obama and for having faith in the America and the people that we can and will become. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

First polls close at 6pm Eastern - Indiana and Kentucky are first to close!!

2008-11-04T07:28:00.005-08:00

You can follow the returns by checking out the Election Widget Extravaganza page on HuffPost: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/30/election-results-electora_n_139361.html

First polls closed in small city in New Hampshire

2008-11-04T01:06:00.002-08:00

And Obama won by a landslide!! Okay, so it was 15-6 in Obama's favor in the teeny village in NH that opened its polls at midnight. But still, at least we got a landslide (any landslide) under our belts.

Yay!

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/dixville.notch/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Dixville Notch has spoken: It's Obama in a landslide

DIXVILLE NOTCH, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama emerged victorious in the first election returns of the 2008 presidential race, winning 15 of 21 votes cast in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.

People in the village in New Hampshire's northeast corner voted just after midnight Tuesday.

It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned Democratic in an election.

Obama's rival, Republican John McCain, won 6 votes.

A full 100 percent of registered voters in the village cast ballots. And the votes didn't take long to tally.

The town, home to around 75 residents, has opened its polls shortly after midnight each Election Day since 1960, drawing national media attention for being the first place in the country to make its presidential preferences known.

However, since 1996, another small New Hampshire town -- Hart's Location -- reinstated its practice from the 1940s and also began opening its polls at midnight.

The result in Dixville Notch is hardly a reliable bellwether for the eventual winner of the White House -- or even the result statewide.

While New Hampshire is a perennial swing state, with 4 Electoral College votes at stake, Dixville Notch consistently leans Republican. The last Democrat it picked was Hubert Humphrey over Richard Nixon in 1968.

President Bush won the town in a landslide in the past two elections: He captured 73 percent of the vote in 2004 (19 residents picked Bush while six preferred Sen. John Kerry), and secured 80 percent of the vote in 2000 (21 votes for Bush, five votes for Al Gore.) VideoWatch the results being posted in Dixville Notch »

But villagers expected the results to be close this year given Democrats now outnumber Republicans there.

The town picked both John McCain and Barack Obama for the New Hampshire Democratic and Republican primaries in January. McCain ultimately won the state of New Hampshire, while Sen. Hillary Clinton upset Obama there.

Happy New Year's Eve, World.

2008-11-03T06:11:00.004-08:00

I really feel like we're on the eve of a not just a new year, but a new chapter, a new beginning, a renewal--a very, very, very good future. I know that a lot of votes still need to be cast and counted and I'm not gonna get ahead of myself. If anything, I realize that there is still a lot of work to be done (that means VOTE, people) in the next 48 hours, but no matter what happens after tomorrow, I hope that everyone sees this as the opportunity, the call, for a better community, a better country, a better world. No matter who wins, all sides are calling for change and whoever is up to bat next needs to heed that call, make it happen, make it work.

I voted. Period. Did you?

Make a difference. Change the world. With your one vote. Be heard. It really does count. It really is important.

A great song and video from MC Yogi with a straightforward message... VOTE OBAMA.

T minus 7

2008-10-28T18:30:00.004-07:00

The countdown officially begins today (well, I mean, you know, besides the countdown that began twenty-one frickin' months ago).

If you've already voted, awesome for you!! Yay!!

If you live abroad and haven't received your ballot yet, now is definitely the time to fill out your Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). Find instructions below.

If you live stateside and your state/county offers early voting, get your butt (or your ballot) in early and cast your vote for Obama without having to wait for long lines.

FWAB Instructions:

Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB)

Step-by-Step Voter Check-List

The FWAB is a back-up ballot that you can vote TODAY. If you subsequently receive your state ballot, vote that, too. The FWAB is only counted if your state ballot is not received by your state by the ballot return deadline. Click here for deadlines.

Get the FWAB: Go to http://www.VoteFromAbroad.org. Simply answer the six screens of questions and download and print the nine page document. You will receive (1) Instructions (where you will find the address to send the FWAB); (2) Electronic Transmission Sheet and Federal Postcard Application which you do NOT need; (3) The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot which includes a Voter’s Declaration/Affirmation, the Ballot, and Instructions.
Sign and Date the Voter's Declaration/Affirmation: When you use VoteFromAbroad.org, the Voter's Declaration/Affirmation will be filled in based upon your voting state's requirements and the information you provided. You just need to review the information, sign and date it. Check the following list to see if you need a witness or additional documentation.

Alabama: 2 witnesses OR Notary (must be over the age of 18)
Alaska: 1 witness (dated and signed)
Arizona: Proof of Citizenship (copy of passport or birth certificate)
Louisiana: 2 witnesses (sign on voter’s declaration form)
Minnesota: Self Certification by putting passport number or last 4 digits of SSN on ballot return envelope
North Carolina: 2 witnesses (must be over 18 sign and include address)
South Carolina: 1 witness – (sign on the voter’s declaration form)
Virginia: 1 witness – (sign on the voter’s declaration form)
Wisconsin: 1 witness (both voter and witness must sign security envelope – witness must be a U.S. Citizen, over 18)

Vote the FWAB: You can either write in the candidate's name or the word Democrat. (It is unlikely that you will need the second page of the ballot). To find out who the Democratic candidates are for House and Senate, please click here. To find your Congressional District, click here, enter your voting zip code, and then click on "current election."
Seal the Ballot Envelope: Put your voted FWAB ONLY in a plain white envelope and seal it. Write on the outside of the envelope “Security Envelope.”
In the Mailing Envelope: Put the sealed “Security Envelope” and the Signed and Dated Voter's Declaration/Affirmation in a mailing envelope.
Enter Return Address: Write your name and current mailing address in the upper left hand corner of the mailing envelope.
Address the Envelope: Write the address of your Local Election Office on the mailing envelope. The address of your Local Election Office is provided on your customized information sheet.
Double Check: Double check that you have completed everything.
Ensure evidence of mailing from outside the US:

Foreign Postmark: Affix the appropriate postage. All states will accept a foreign postmark as evidence of submission from outside the U.S.
Consular Stamp: All states have been informed by the U.S. State Department that they should accept a consular stamp as evidence of submission from outside the U.S. Using the consular service results in your mailing envelope being placed in the US postal system. Affix a $.42 U.S. Postage Stamp.
Commercial Courier: Some states will also accept a commercial courier service waybill as evidence of submission from outside the U.S. Using a courier service should be a last resort. Alabama explicitly refuses to accept materials sent to them by commercial couriers, such as Federal Express and DHL. If using a courier, please staple a copy of the air waybill to the ballot envelope prior to sealing the courier envelope.

Seal the addressed envelope – and Mail your FWAB Today!

For Questions: votercentral@democratsabroad.org

Obama connects with EVERYONE!

2008-10-27T19:57:00.003-07:00

An inside scoop sent me this info:

A sign recently appeared at an intersection in downtown North Vernon, Indiana. It says:

Even WE’VE had Enough! REDNECKS 4 OBAMA GO VOTE!

And for a little Halloween fun:

So, the people in Congress really do get it sometimes...

2008-09-22T20:36:00.002-07:00

Thank you to The Littlest Gator over at Fighting Liberals* for posting this gem that lets us know that: 1) yes, some members of Congress are actually paying attention; 2) they care about what's going on with this crazy bailout and see it for the BS load of &$*%^# that it is; and, 3) are at least willing to go on the record calling out the people who drafted the bailout plan as total greedy nutjob jerks.

*Some good friends of mine have started a new blog called Fighting Liberals; a couple of the posters over there also blog at the Group News Blog, sort of my blog version of the "Daily Show" (i.e., they report info that might not be covered by corporate media, and they do it in a funny, sarcastic way, and I get a lot of my news from there). They're working on getting the new blog up and on its way, so feel free to stop by the FL and give them a look-see.

Well, guys and gals, in Alaska...

2008-09-20T10:42:00.002-07:00

Tina Fey's eerily real Sarah Palin impersonation. And, as she so kindly reminded us, the lady being spoofed is just one heartbeat--and a WHOLE LOTTA VOTES--away from being President of the United States.

Not American? Have an opinion on who the next US prez should be? Vote here!!

2008-09-16T07:45:00.004-07:00

Check out the cool website I just found: www.voteforpresident.org

Citizens of the world (other than Americans) can cast their vote for who they think the next US president should be. As I knew from my own very scientific and official anecdotal study of non-American voting results, Barack Obama would win by a landslide if the rest of the world had a say.

Non-Americans don't get a vote, though the choice affects everyone on Earth. I'm okay with that - they don't have to pay the same taxes (or listen to the same complaining about America and Americans) that I have to either.

But, I do still think it's interesting to see what the rest of the world thinks. I also think it's a responsibility for every American, when casting his/her vote, to take into account the rest of the world when s/he makes his/her choice for President of the USA. I know that Barack Obama is the better choice for America and the world. It seems 30,000 world citizens so far agree with me. Now, what's going on with the 50% of voting America that hasn't clued in yet???

p.s. DAJ and the Obama campaign in North Asia are putting on their big, live music fundraiser this coming Thursday in Tokyo. Barack the Vote will be AWESOME!! Will you be there?

RSVP to barackjapan@gmail.com if you're interested in advance sales tickets (3500 yen adv, 4000 yen at the door). Here's a link to the meetup event posting.

Alaska Women = Anti-Palin = HOORAY!!!

2008-09-16T00:53:00.004-07:00

Here's an excerpt from a blog post I came across in my news peruse the other day. It gives me hope.

Never, have I seen anything like it in my 17 and a half years living in Anchorage. The organizers had someone walk the rally with a counter, and they clicked off well over 1400 people (not including the 90 counter-demonstrators). This was the biggest political rally ever, in the history of the state. I was absolutely stunned. The second most amazing thing is how many people honked and gave the thumbs up as they drove by. And even those that didn’t honk looked wide-eyed and awe-struck at the huge crowd that was growing by the minute. This just doesn’t happen here.

Then, the infamous Eddie Burke [local conservative radio host] showed up. He tried to talk to the media, and was instantly surrounded by a group of 20 people who started shouting O-BA-MA so loud he couldn’t be heard. Then passing cars started honking in a rhythmic pattern of 3, like the Obama chant, while the crowd cheered, hooted and waved their signs high.

So, if you’ve been doing the math… Yes. The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin’s rally that got all the national media coverage! So take heart, sit back, and enjoy the photo gallery. Feel free to spread the pictures around (links are appreciated) to anyone who needs to know that Sarah Palin most definitely does not speak for all Alaskans. The citizens of Alaska, who know her best, have things to say.

Read the entire post here. There's a video and pics to go with it.

And, as if this wasn't good enough news, my new fave blog, Cake Wrecks, had this hilarious post about a baby cake with removable limbs. That should perk Sarah Palin right up!

Obama tells McCain, "Enough is Enough."

2008-09-11T21:45:00.005-07:00

Yes! Someone (and not just anyone, but Mr. Hopebama himself) has finally put it out there: Cut out the petty politicking... EVERYONE!!! Check out Obama's response to the whole stupid "lipstick on a pig" brouhaha.

***************************************************
Americans Abroad: Register for your overseas absentee ballot by going to www.votefromabroad.org/9

Everyone else: Tell an American Abroad to Vote!! There are 7 million Americans overseas, most of them are not registered to vote. Help us find them! Tell them to go to www.votefromabroad.org/9

Thanks for speaking up, Matt Damon

2008-09-11T09:29:00.003-07:00

It's going up everywhere, but I guess that's why the whole viral video thing works. Matt Damon put it out there, everything we've all been talking about over here in Obamaland, about Sarah Palin and her shoe-in spot for the Presidency. Whatever Matt says, ditto from me.

*************************************
Make sure you're registered to receive your overseas absentee ballot; go to www.votefromabroad.org/9. Request your ballot by September 20th!

The Tearjerker Line... it got me in the heartland of my America.

2008-08-29T04:49:00.004-07:00

Here's my favorite part of Obama's acceptance speech, the part that got me teary-eyed:

"The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain.

The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America – they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first."

Obama's Acceptance Speech - More inspired than ever

2008-08-28T22:29:00.004-07:00

I got together with a group of other Americans abroad this morning in Tokyo to watch Obama's speech live. I'm even more impressed with Barack as a candidate now than I was before - hard to believe that's even possible. He basically told McCain to bring it. I recommend McCain doesn't, 'cause he's just going to get taken down on international television. Obama straight up called McCain out.

There was a lot of clapping, head-nodding, "Yes!" shouts, wups, and, yes, of course, tearing up this morning. I swear, being an American abroad has made me so damn patriotic that pretty soon I'm gonna start walking around in a Stars and Stripes shirt and jeans. (I totally sang along with "America the Beautiful" during the broadcast.)

Oh, and NHK (Japan network channel) came and filmed the party, so I'll be on the 7 o'clock news tonight in Japan. I didn't talk on camera (too shy), but Dems Abroad Vice Chair, Mike Stensrud, did and so did another one of the people who attended, Judy H. If I get a clip, I'll post that too.

Below please find YouTube clips, followed by the text, of Barack Obama's acceptance speech of the Democratic Nomination for President of those 50 United States of America (plus all of us out here!). The best place to watch the whole thing in one go (in high def and no annoying CNN commentary!) is at demconvention.com, but you need to download their player (it's worth it).

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Speech text (from the DNCC website):
To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation;

With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.

Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest - a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours -- Hillary Rodham Clinton. To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.

To the love of my life, our next First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia - I love you so much, and I'm so proud of all of you.

Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the briefu nion between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.

It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

That's why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women - students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.

We meet at one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.

This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.

We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.

Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land - enough! This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."

Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.

But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.

The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives - on health care and education and the economy - Senator McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this President. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisors - the man who wrote his economic plan - was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."

A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint. These are the Americans that I know.

Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?

It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.

For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.

Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.

You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.

We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President - when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work.

The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great - a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.

Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.

In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.

When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.

And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.

I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.

What is that promise?

It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.

It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.

Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.

Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.

That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.

That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.

Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.

Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.

Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.

As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.

America, now is not the time for small plans.

Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.

Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.

And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.

Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.

Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise.

And just as we keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.

For while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.

And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush Administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.

That's not the judgment we need. That won't keep America safe. We need a President who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.

You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice - but it is not the change we need.

We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.

As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.

These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.

But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose - our sense of higher purpose. And that's what we have to restore.

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

You make a big election about small things.

And you know what - it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.

I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.

And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.

Shameless begging... purty pleeeeease!!

2008-08-18T23:36:00.004-07:00

Democrats Abroad Japan has negotiated some great ads that will help us find new voters and
members. There are an estimated 7 million Americans living overseas and many of them have no idea that they have the right to vote from abroad. Paid advertisements in English-language newspapers and magazines help us find these voters. We're in the process of booking these ads now.

But we are still about 500,000 yen (about $5000) short of our full advertising budget.

We need your help, please! This is crunch time. We need to reach voters before our deadline for ballot requests (September 20th). Any amount will make a difference.

You can get the Japanese bank transfer info here http://www.demjapan.jp/node/334, or email Lauren Shannon, DAJ Chair, to make a pledge!

America and DAJ need you.

Our ad placements are about to begin in the following publications:

Japan Times Weekend Supplement (JAPAN-WIDE)
ACCJ Journal (JAPAN-WIDE)
Weekender Magazine September 4 issue (TOKYO-BASED... I wrote the accompanying article!)
And more if DAJ can afford it…

Please help by donating here: http://www.demjapan.jp/node/334

Requirements to donate to DAJ:
Must be a US citizen and at least 18 years old.

For folks back home who want to help, we're looking into setting up a paypal account for DAJ. Will let you know when/if that comes up.

Thanks!!
Lauren Shannon (DA Japan Chair)... and me (Young Dems Japan Chair)!

p.s. Don't forget to checkout Gwyneth Paltrow's cameo in the VoteFromAbroad.org video!

Hello, this is the Cold War calling. I'd like to order up a proxy war in Georgia... Delivery please... Around August 15th? That'd be perfect. Thanks.

2008-08-14T20:15:00.004-07:00

Russia has not only not stopped it's aggressive "reaction" to Georgia's dumb move, but is now occupying parts of the country. This is just the beginning and cannot be a good thing.

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL768040420080815?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=69&sp=true

Myanmar junta celebrates 20th anniversary in a few days

2008-08-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is why it's important to vote and why having the ability to cast a relatively fair and counted vote is something so precious:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/03/un.myanmar.ap/index.html

Votefromabroad.org goes Hollywood - Gwyneth style

2008-08-04T08:17:00.005-07:00

Votefromabroad.org had its big launch today with its Hollywood glam viral video starring, you guessed it, Gwyneth Paltrow!!! Gwyneth lives in jolly old England with her Brit hubby and kids, so she'll be casting her ballot from overseas like the millions of other Americans who live abroad (and hopefully she's being good about nagging her buddy Madonna to do the same). Check out Gwenyth's cameo in the viral video produced by DA Switzerland Chair, Caitlin Kraft-Buchman:

If you're an American who lives abroad, go to votefromabroad.org to register for your overseas absentee ballot today. It seriously takes just a few minutes. Simple as pie!

If you know an American who lives abroad (yes, even in Canada), forward them this video and the link to votefromabroad.org and tell them to register for their ballot today.

Update: Since putting this post up two hours ago, the number of views of this video went from about 3,000 to over 10,000!!! Help to spread the word and make sure Americans abroad are registered to vote for this year's historic election!!

www.votefromabroad.org

Obama me this...

2008-08-03T01:33:00.007-07:00

Cool, awesome, great, rad news!!

The Obama campaign has made the historic decision to create 10 international field director (FD) positions to increase awareness of and support for Barack Obama as the next American president and to increase voter registration overseas. The FD for North Asia is responsible for Japan, South Korea, Beijing and Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Former chair of DAJ, Terri MacMillan has been hired to fill this post aaaaand... she has hired me as Deputy FD for North Asia!!!!!!! WOOOOO-HOOOO!!!!

I'll be taking care of a lot of the administrative and research stuff for the region as well as traveling around Japan to make more in-person connections, get people motivated about the campaign, answer questions about our candidate, and get people registered to vote for Obama.

Many, many thanks to Terri MacMillan and Lauren Shannon (current DAJ Chair) for bringing me on board for this amazing and historic experience, and all the advice, training, and opportunities they've provided that got me ready to take on this incredible responsibility.

yay!

******************************
Request your overseas absentee ballot: votefromabroad.org

What have you done for him lately - wooo oooo oooo yeah (You know the tune! Miss Jackson, if you're nasty!)

2008-07-30T17:50:00.002-07:00

Barack is opening up the convention and his acceptance speech to as many people as possible. Supporters are responsible for building this movement and for bringing this campaign so far -- and Barack wants you to be part of this important moment.

Free tickets will be available soon, but if you make a donation in any amount this month, you could be one of 10 supporters selected to meet Barack backstage before he delivers his speech.

If you make a donation by midnight this Thursday, July 31st, you and a guest could be flown to Denver, spend a couple of nights in a hotel, participate in the convention, and then go backstage with Barack before the big event.

Make a donation of $25 or more today to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity:

https://donate.barackobama.com/backstage

I just put in my $50 bucks. What about you?

You have no sense of humor if you don't pee in your pants just a little after checking out this blog...

2008-07-28T19:01:00.003-07:00

File this under "What Not To Do for Your Wedding Cake": www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com

Key words: disturbing, gross, what's wrong with people, who would eat that, WTF, holy sh**, OMG, and that's some funny sh**.

Many thanks to Maggie whose efforts to brighten my day by bringing me out of my own scary head literally brought tears of laughter to my eyes.

Maggie, I'm so sad I couldn't be at your wedding in June to see you cut your own cake, but something tells me that yours probably wouldn't qualify for this website. And here's to our own naughty submission - hee hee hee. No one tell Deuce or the boys!

Today's cake post was especially crack-up-worthy.

I'm an iTunes STAR!!

2008-06-16T08:24:00.004-07:00

Well, sort of...

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed for a podcast about Young Democrats Abroad Japan by Terri MacMillan, former Chair of Democrats Abroad Japan. She asked me about why I'm a Democrat, how the heck I got involved in DAJ, and what to do about those pesky young voters.

Check it out on iTunes (search for 'Democrats Abroad Japan') or the DAJ Podcast website. Hope you like it - I actually managed to not completely cringe while I was listening to it. Aghhhhhhh!!!

p.s. If you didn't know about it already, please check out the Facebook group I started called "Young Democrats Abroad International."

www.votefromabroad.org

Don't bug me, I'm DANCIN!

2008-06-14T09:31:00.002-07:00

As I am sure you are ALL aware and as excited about as I am, the 2008 season of the Fox TV show, "So You Think You Can Dance" is well under way, with this past week being the first of the top 20 competition. And, of course, thanks to the audition shows and my (un?)healthy, long-standing (I was there from the beginning!) addiction to the show, I've already got a couple favorite dancers and, certainly, a favorite dance of the week.

Fave Dancers:

Twitch Boss - First of all, his name is frickin' awesome. Second of all, his dancing is even cooler than his name.
Will - Don't know his last name, but his solo this week blew me away and he's doing his mentor, Debbie Allen, proud.
Chelsea - Don't know her last name (there are two Chelseas, too, further complicating situation), but she partners with Cris. She has great technique, great stage presence, and legs that are like a mile long, so, of course, I hate her and want to be her at the same time.
Kherrington Payne - No, this isn't the guy from Grease 2 (that's Michael Carrington). This is the blond chick who partners with Twitch and is just really fun to watch.

Fave Dance - Week 1:

So You Think You Can Dance 4 Katee and Joshua Hip Hop
Uploaded by jo2306

The part where he comes backwards up off the floor is ridiculous - how does he do that? I love this dance. It reminds me of the stuff Shane Sparks does.

The Ass Pat NOT Felt Around the World

2008-06-14T09:07:00.002-07:00

With all the hoopla about Barack and Michelle's "fist bump," one WAAAAAAY more freaky (in a good way) thing that was missed was the "football player ass pat" that Barack gave her after the "fist bump." Yeah, I know, you're all like, "What?!?!" But, for real, yo! Check out the video again and watch as she walks away - he gives her a nice little ass-tastic love pat on her way out! The West Wing is gonna be HOT!

Right around the 0:48 second mark, you can see the ass pat the best.

Congratulations, Maggie and Ryan!!

2008-06-14T02:10:00.001-07:00

My good friends Maggie and Ryan tied the knot this past weekend. I'm so happy for them both! Congratulations, you guys - have a great time on the honeymoon!!

Maggie, I think you're probably the only person who will appreciate the video below:

WE DID IT!!!! Baracking it to the White House!!!

2008-06-04T08:35:00.003-07:00

It's on, America! It's on, World! We did it! Barack is in as the presumptive Democratic nominee and he's gonna take the White House - with all of us behind him - in November!! One for all and all for ONE!! The ONE!!!

His victory speech:

It's time for all Americans who want to see our country reach its potential and be the great place it is meant to be, get behind this nominee and make sure that we take back our government and make it truly for the people and by ALL the people, not just a small, self-interested minority at the top.

If you haven't registered to vote yet, do it NOW, please - make sure your voice is heard in November!

www.votefromabroad.org
www.rockthevote.org

p.s. Don't you just LOVE that he gave his victory speech at the same place where the Republicans are going to hold their national convention. Hee hee! Cheeky!

Another cheesy but oh-so-true Obama-can video. My Country, My President - BE PROUD OF WHERE YOU COME FROM, BE PROUD OF WHO REPRESENTS YOU! (I know my other Americans abroad hear me on this one... hahaha! It's been a tough 8 years out here.)

Watch out, it's catching...

2008-05-13T07:36:00.001-07:00

The scariest part is that I never knew it was coming and then all of a sudden I came down with a terrible case of it...

Universal Health Care Rocks the Party that Rocks the Party

2008-04-24T22:02:00.003-07:00

National health care is gearing up to be a big issue in the coming election. As someone who has experienced the health care systems in the States, France, and Japan, I can tell you without hesitation nor exaggeration that the Universal, Nationalized health care system is the best option. How that program is structured varies country to country, but ultimately the sense of security that guaranteed access to affordable health care that comes with nationalized health care is something whose value cannot be over-emphasized.

To get a more thorough (and more interesting) idea of what I'm talking about, check out PBS Frontline's series "Sick Around the World," which explores universal health care systems in five different countries (including Japan). Props to PBS for making the whole series available to watch online for free. Thanks, PBS!

Also, you've probably at least heard of Michael Moore's "Sicko." If you haven't seen it (and I was reluctant to - as much as I love his movies, they can a be a bit much), you absolutely must. The final part of the movie that takes place in Cuba is heart-wrenching and should put all Americans to shame. I cried tears of shame, sadness, and despair mixed with hope: Is there nothing that can help to change America's system for the better? Do so many Americans care so little for others that they don't see the value in providing sufficient basic health care for all of us? What about just covering the basics of those who need and/or deserve coverage the most: kids, veterans, and the elderly. What hope is there for any progress?

I know it's depressing, but it doesn't have to be. It can be a call to action and for change. Support universal health care measures.

And if you're a Californian, vote for any ballot initiative the Governator puts forward that will give people a taste of the benefits of universal coverage, even if it's just for kids. Once people have got a taste for it, they'll see the benefits.

Finally, Democrats Abroad Japan Secretary Linda Gould is in the process of organizing an information campaign that lets us Americans abroad share our real-life experiences with national health care with the Americans back home. Here's a video she did recently that will give you an idea of why I'm such a supporter of universal health care.

Young Democrats Abroad of the World UNITE!

2008-04-18T17:00:00.002-07:00

Quick notice to let you know that I've started a new Facebook group for those of us in countries who don't have a strong Young Dems group going yet. The Facebook group's name is "Young Democrats Abroad International." Stop by, say hi, join the group, spread the word, GET OUT THE VOTE!! That's the most important part. :)

Yeah, well, Caucus you!

2008-04-11T14:05:00.006-07:00

I'm in Vancouver right now, participating the Democrats Abroad Global Convention. Today is the Asia Pacific Regional Caucus, where I was running as a Delegate for the Democratic National Convention (to be held in August in Denver). Alas, I didn't win the post. But, it doesn't matter, I'm invigorated anyway. Sitting in on the Caucus meeting, hearing the statements of the other candidates was amazing and reassuring. The people who are involved in this process and who will be going to the Convention in August are the best of the best, the creamiest of the cream of the crop.

The American Democrat who lives abroad is a special breed. This breed requires creativity, tenacity, perseverance, and dedication. Imagine the effort it takes to get involved in politics at home, back in the States. People sometimes literally knock on your door to ask you to participate. Living abroad, we have to move beyond the usual effort it takes to register to vote on our way into the supermarket. We have to seek out, sometimes from a middle of nowhere sand island in the desert, how to exercise our right to vote and participate in the political process as American citizens.

I am going to find another way to get to Denver. As much as I would have loved to be the Asia Pacific representative at the National Convention, I wasn't going for that just as a means to go to the Convention. I support getting a Democrat in the White House in November. Period. Full stop. End of story. And, I want to be a WITNESS to that process. This year, this election, is historic, people! I wouldn't have chosen to be alive for any other election. This whole experience will be a story for the kids and the grandkids, for sure. And isn't that the measure of a good life story??

An addiction that's GOOD for your brain and your soul

2008-04-03T10:46:00.005-07:00

I found this site a few months ago and then forgot about it after a few hours of addicted play. I just found it again tonight and it's still addictive... www.FreeRice.com. You've probably heard about it already, but the gist of it is that you play a word game and for every correct answer, you're donating 10 grains of rice to the UN World Food Programme. You can read more about the website in this New York Times article.

I looked around on the internet and it seems that about 1000 grains of rice equals one serving. So, far, I've donated about 4 servings. Apparently the levels go up to 55. My highest is 45, though I've been hovering mainly around the 42/43 mark. I challenge all my fellow word geeks, former SAT teachers, and overall logophiliacs out there to help feed the world's hungry by feeding your addiction.

Democrats Abroad Candidate

2008-04-03T00:23:00.002-07:00

Heya! Long time, no post, huh?

So, been super busy with a work project (more on that in another post). But the big news is that I'm going to the Democrats Abroad Global Convention to throw my hat into the ring to become a Delegate for the Democratic National Convention!!! Check out my Candidate Statement on the DA website. I don't know if you have to register for the site to read the post. If you do, let me know, and I'll repost it here. Wish me luck!!

Hot stuff!!

2008-03-28T09:20:00.003-07:00

Last week, I rolled in a 1961 Rolls. Check it out, baby!

Sakura season!!

2008-03-25T22:06:00.003-07:00

I just put a bunch of pictures up on the photoblog I'm a part of - Global Themes. Go over there to see photos I took yesterday and today of all the sakura that have exploded all over Tokyo since the weekend!

Yeah, he's talking to me.

2008-03-23T18:33:00.006-07:00

If you haven't seen Barack Obama's recent speech on race in America, watch it now.

This speech literally brought me to tears and I have a feeling this is going to be one of those moments in life when you always remember what you were doing, where you were, etc., when you heard that speech (in my case, rather unceremoniously with a towel on my head drying my hair... maybe not a story for the grandkids). Anyway, the tears that welled in my eyes, rolled down my cheeks, and wet my arm were the best kind - tears of pride.

I am so proud that America has finally gotten to the place to produce this person. Other countries have had female presidents, presidents from minority groups, etc. But, just as Obama says in his speech, no other country could have produced him, specifically, with his background and his experience. FINALLY, I am hearing from the mixed race, internationally-traveled Obama that I've been waiting for to come out of the shadows of politics as usual and share the experience and views that only someone who can walk in two different racial groups can share. As a half-Asian, half-white Japanese-American I have been in a room full of white people as the only non-white and I have been in a room full of Asians as the only non-Asian. In each group, in each situation, I am taken as a "special exception" and, at least to an extent, treated as one of their own, in that I get to be privy to the kinds of comments they'd only say around their own kind. I have heard both sides say racist things about the other, not to mention other race groups. I have a white cousin who lamented about the "Chinks" she worked for at a Chinese restaurant and I have Asian friends who talk about the "White bitches" who think they're so perfect. I can guarantee my cousin would never have said that if other, more obviously Asian people were around. And I'd be willing to bet that if other white girls had been around, my Asian friends would've just complained about those "bitches," omitting the race-specific word choice.

Obama is only able to give that moving and insightful and accurate speech because of where he's walked. Also, as many of my fellow ex-pats can attest to, living abroad has served not only to expand my perspective of the world and human behavior, but, in a surprising but welcome twist, has made me more patriotic and proud of my America than I ever thought I'd be. Having lived abroad, and so seen the news and America's portrayal through others eyes or heard from people outside the nation, I look on, back, at my home country with such pride for what it is and what it could be as well as with such sadness and sometimes shame for what it is and what it has been. When Obama talks about all the different kinds of Americans - and, truly, once you've naturalized American, you're one of us, no matter where your life started - fighting in foreign wars, but all under the same flag, I know that he has also found himself walking through a neighborhood in some foreign country and come upon that flag, flying brightly in the middle of, in my case, Paris, and felt relief and a touch of home, telling me, "You're not alone; we're always here." I always joke and say if I'm ever on a plane that's hijacked, I'll flash my Japanese passport so the hijackers won't take me prisoner. But if I'm ever taken hostage, I'm American, 100%, because I know America will come get me - I'm one of theirs.

Obama's message is one that reconnects to that sense of we're all in this together. At first, it was a bond against England. Then it was a bond against all odds but with everything going for us in developing the continent. Now, we're at arms with ourself - America is America's own worst enemy. No other country or group can hurt us like we can hurt ourselves, and probably take everyone else around down with us too. I don't want America to go out like that, especially when we are a country that is truly unique in its history and makeup and future.

Of course, if Hillary wins the nomination, I'll vote for her, because I think she can do a good job too. But I'm not a middle-aged white woman from a WASP background. I'm a young, half-white, half-asian chick from SoCal who's lived abroad for as much of her adult life as she's lived in the States. Hillary isn't talking to me. Obama is.

If it's Saturday, it must be time for a serious dose of sarcasm

2008-03-22T01:38:00.003-07:00

Really. Here's one of the funniest SNL clips from the current season. Really.

via videosift.com

P.s. The last two weeks have been busy, busy, busy. I was in the States for a week and then hanging with my mom and dad in Japanland this past week, so please excuse the slowdown in posting. But, it'll all be worth it because Thursday I took a ride you won't believe and Friday I got happy at one of the five happiest places on Earth. Posts on those coming soon. Really. ;)

A truer truthism was never told.

2008-03-05T08:37:00.002-08:00

Finding laugh-out-loud wisdom in an Amazon.com book review has got to be a rarity, but find it I did. Thanks to Hilde B. for providing the following highly accurate observation on living in a foreign tongue:

"Trust me, when you only can speak in present tense with a very limited vocabulary, you sound like an idiot and the conversation dies quickly..."

A Tale of Two Illnesses

2008-02-26T00:40:00.002-08:00

First, I got a cold a couple weeks ago. It was no biggie and I didn't feel physically too bad so I didn't rest very much. I did end up losing my voice completely for a couple days, so that was fun having to communicate everything by writing in a notebook (e.g. "Sorry, I've lost my voice. I'll have the noodle pancake and a cup of hot water with lemon and honey. Thanks."). Then, just when I was getting back into dance club and karaoke condition, it hit. The FLU! Last week, I didn't leave my house from Tuesday evening (when I went to bed with a very slight sore throat and a bit of a nagging cough that I thought was left over from some too enthusiastic singing in a bar the night before) until Saturday afternoon, when I finally ventured out to my local Denny's for some grub with my dad.

Emails went unanswered. Books went unwritten. Papers went unedited. But, I was not all unproductivity - I did get caught up on Cashmere Mafia, Lipstick Jungle, Project Runway, Make Me A Supermodel, Boston Legal, Medium, Law and Order, and I watched all 14 episodes of the British series Spaced (which, p.s., is hilarious). The main barrier to doing any actual work was my inability to actually sit upright without feeling like either my head was going to detach itself from my neck and roll backwards onto the ground or that my sinuses would explode, thus sullying my computer screen and keyboard and essentially making work impossible in any case.

Anyway, there's still an excess mucus situation, but things are looking up: I can sit up all by myself now and I went to Japanese class last night. I'm actually doing okay, but I have put the official pause on partying until Friday (my friend's leaving Japan party).

Watch this space - it will soon be mucus-free! Hurrah!

Julia Childs... maybe not

2008-02-13T09:36:00.005-08:00

So, recently, I've had this issue with my dishes. Since January I've had this mental block against doing them and have been basically using every plate, bowl, spoon, fork, knife, chopstick, most of my frying and sauce pans, and paper plates until my entire sink/kitchen area (they're basically the same area - the sink is half my kitchen) is literally covered in dirty dishes. Eventually I get around to spending the 3-4 hours it takes to wash everything. Part of the reason this takes so long is because my kitchen is so small, I have to do the dishes in shifts to let one round dry (or I hand dry them) before I've got room for the next round. Today, I begged my friend to come over and shame me into washing dishes and to do the drying. For your information, she was pleasantly surprised that my apartment did not smell, thank you very much.

For those of you who are thinking, so Miki's being messy, where's the breaking news in that (this means you, Ashley), I have two words: shut up! This is waaaaay beyond my usual messiness which generally is just clothes and books and purses and bags thrown everywhere until you only know the floor is there because it's holding up all the junk. This is serious and it disturbs even me. If you get a call from the psych ward about the girl who threw all her dishes out the window, you'll know who they're talking about.

Anyway, sort of the point of all this info (besides informing you on my current mental state) is that because of my recent lack of not only plates and utensils but also space to cut on and the fact that all those dishes also covered my stove, I had to be creative with making "meals" (you'll see why the quotes are necessary in a minute). The other night I was hungry, it was cold outside, and probably about midnight. I had no kitchen, but I did have one last clean bowl and spoon, and a microwave. Here's what I came up with:

Ghetto Risotto*

1 package microwave rice
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce, any kind
some olives, cut with a clean knife if available
olive oil for drizzling
Parmasean cheese, Kraft powder style (though mine is from Trader Joe's)
1 bowl, clean
1 spoon (or other eating utensil), clean
1 microwave

Microwave rice.
While rice is heating, open can of olives. Eat a few straight from the can. Then use clean knife to cut olives directly into the clean bowl.
Pour spaghetti sauce over olives.
Stir sauce and olives with clean spoon. Find a clean place to put the now sauce-covered spoon.
Remove rice from microwave.
Place sauce mixture bowl into microwave. Heat for a few minutes, stirring every once in a while.
Remove bowl from microwave and spoon rice into bowl. Mix until rice is fully covered in sauce.
Cover in Parmasean cheese, stir, and put back in microwave for a minute.
Drizzle olive oil.
Eat while lying on bed/couch (small apartment allowing) while watching a "Cashmere Mafia" marathon or some other show that helps you forget you're eating Ghetto Risotto.

*Much love and props to Alisa for naming this recipe.

This would not sell in a restaurant. But, I have a feeling that someday my kids will list it among their favorite "Mom's cooking" recipes, along with my potato salad and anything else I make that doesn't contain eggplant, since I'm sure they'll be sick of eggplant by the time they're adults.

Most likely to succeed?

2008-02-09T02:05:00.000-08:00

Mirror, mirror, on the wall
Who is the most popular of them all?

The above photo shows the final results of an exit poll conducted by a Japanese TV channel outside Tokyo's polling place for the Democrat's Global Primary on Tuesday. Dare I hope that the trend follows in the rest of the primaries?

I think it's no surprise that the average American abroad is just a smidge more liberal than the average American at home - what with all our exposure to those crazy Socialist systems out there in every other industrialized country in the world, with their radical ideas of everyone having access to affordable healthcare and education. Those pinko Socialists are really such a strong, bad influence. (In case you didn't pick up on it already, please add a heavy does of sarcasm to the entire preceding paragraph. I'll be applying for my French or Canadian citizenship in November if a Dem doesn't get into the White House.)

Vote. For. Change.

2008-02-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you've made your mind up yet or not, but whatever you decide, remember to vote on Tuesday. Of course, as the video below tells you, I've already made my choice. I'm voting for change because I DO have hope for a future that does not have a fallen America at its center. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. The choice I make, that you make, as an American, in this coming election is not one that affects only our 50 states. This is a global choice and we have a huge responsibility in the vote we each cast in this primary season (not to mention in the general election). We are responsible to ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our friends - and, given the nature of society today, not all of these people live in the States and, certainly, not all of them are American. We are responsible to the people living in places we've never heard of or ever thought of going to, and to the people who never cross our minds, but are still there, regardless, everyday, as our fellow members of humanity. Without remembering and recognizing the weight of that responsibility in addition to the privilege of that right to choose our president, how can we make the best choice?

So, on Tuesday, as you put pen to paper or finger to voting machine button, remember that choice is bigger and more important than any one of us or even the 300 million of us. We all matter, we all deserve a chance... we all deserve change.

p.s. Thanks to Lauren for sharing this video with me. :)

Salaryman boogie

2008-01-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

Just another Friday night out belly dancing with the co-workers for this dedicated salaryman.

What's that?!?!

2008-01-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

The last few days, I keep feeling phantom earthquakes - meaning, I don't know if they're real but very small earthquakes (a definite possibility in Japan) or if they're just me thinking there's an earthquake because we haven't had a big one in a while and I'm just anticipating it.

Things that make you go hmm...

Snow!

2008-01-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

It snowed Wednesday for a few hours!!! Yay!!