Long-form

Long-form blog posts and editorials. Topics cover both personal and the world at large. 

Don't be shy - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. Lots of false outrage going round over the University of Alabama’s Alpha Phi sorority recruitment video. Are people really pretending that sorority life isn’t exactly as it is depicted in the video? The University can’t actually be surprised that its campus Greek organizations are hugely segregated and homogenous. Ask most Americans what is their first image to mind when mentioned of Sororities, and I bet that picture is exactly as depicted in that Alpha Phi video. The only outrage should be towards the people who are in denial to the realities of Greek life.

2. I’m glad Fat Jew, a thief profiting off the works of others and none of his own, is finally getting his moment of scorn by the mainstream media. Good-bye, book deal. Farewell, Comedy Central Show. In today’s Internet landscape where content is absolutely everything, stealing the genuine work of other creators for your own gain is a cardinal sin. Josh Ostrovsky ought to just disappear and never come back.

However, let’s not kid ourselves: the issue of content thievery is much bigger than Fat Jew. Tumblr and Instagram alone are rife with accounts that do nothing but re-blog or straight up steal – accounts with immense following, at that. These swindlers make money off the backs of real content creators by selling ad space to companies eager to reach a vast and young audience, without a care for authenticity or originality, or by hawking their own merchandise.

The public prosecution of Fat Jew isn’t at all likely to change that status quo. Unfortunately, it’s up to artists and creatives to be vigilant about the work ending up elsewhere when it shouldn’t be, and to confront the thieves publicly when it does occur.

3. John Oliver’s establishment of Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption church just might be his biggest coup yet. In an attempt to point out the glaring exploitation and hypocrisy of evangelical churches and the IRS, Oliver set up his own place of worship to show just how easy - and legal – it is to cheat people out of their hard-earned money. 

The fact that all proceeds from the exercise will go to the Doctors Without Borders, one of the most impeccable humanitarian organizations in existence, is simply the best. If you got a few dollars to spare, I urge you to donate to Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption; it’s the proverbial killing of two birds (laughing at the IRS and contributing towards MSF) with one stone.

4. It’s been a horrible year for motorsport. Barely off the mourning period for Jules Bianchi, it’s devastating to lose Justin Wilson this past weekend. What’s most troubling and disappointing is that both incidents could’ve been very much prevented. I’ve been an avid fan of open-cockpit racing cars for the longest time (still follow Formula One religiously), but with the speeds reached with these modern cars, and the circumstances of Bianchi and Wilson’s death, the time has come to enact some form of head protection (beyond the lone helmet) for open-cockpit cars. 
I believe cockpit protection will happen within the next few years in all Grand Prix series, though it’s a continuing shame that lives need to be lost for motorsport to improve upon safety. Yes, it’s a dangerous sport, but the strive for better safety should be constant and proactive, rather than reactionary.

Justin Wilson donated six of his organs to save their respective recipients from meeting his same fate; a gentleman racer of the highest order indeed, right down to the very last moment.

5. I’m happy to support artists and buying their prints, but no way am I spending hundreds of a mere frame. Wasting money on such appendages is the domain of the one-percent, which I am most definitely not a part of. However, works of art - even the casual photograph or poster - should never go unframed. I simply purchase the cheapest poster frame on Amazon approximate to size and it’ll suffice very nicely.

6. I don't have much sympathy for people that leave expensive items in their car, and then subsequently it get broken into and the items stolen. I leave absolutely nothing in the car but the necessary documents and a pack of gum. Even a locked glove box or out-of-sight trunk isn’t comfortable enough for me to put anything of value whilst I’m away. For people that grew up in poor neighbors like I did, this is automatic: cars get broken into everyday in “the hood”. I suspect those that are cavalier with leaving their belongings in automobiles grew up in areas where they didn’t have to worry about such woes of society. Must be nice.

7. There was a sizable earthquake in the early morning hours a week back, and I slept through the brief entirety of it. This is not a good. Living in San Francisco, the BIG tremor is all but inevitability. I sincerely hope when it does arrive, it’s during the daytime, cause I’m going to be in a bad situation if it were to occur during slumber hours.

I don’t think it’s safe for me to live alone. I need someone more alert and aware than I to wake me to the danger.

8. Sesame Street has moved from PBS to HBO, so the first question should be: who’s going to get killed off?

9. If you’re the proverbial car-guy or petrol-head, the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has got to be on your list. What a spectacular event! It’s chocked full of vintage racing cars in a full-access paddock, allowing you to be as close to these wondrous machines as you’d ever imagined. And the noise; a cacophony of mechanical whine, chatter, and screams can be heard all day long. You’ll need earplugs, but you won’t want them because the sound is that intoxicating.

And to see these priceless cars (A 250 GTO worth $25 million, as an example) on a race track, with their respective owners giving them the full beans, is just about the epitome of car enthusiasm. I will be back, if not next year.

10. Extremely happy and excited that this year’s Playstation Experience will be held in my very own city of San Francisco. It was in Vegas the previous year, and I had planned a trip this year thinking it would be back at the same venue. The switch to Moscone West convention center saves me the hassle and money of traveling, which is just lovely. I’m most anticipating towards more news of the forthcoming Final Fantasy VII remake come the event in early December. 

니가 뭔데 - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. This past weekend I went to a tailor and got measured for a suit. It's for my cousin's wedding at the end of November. My regular occupation doesn't exactly warrant the need for such sartorial dress so suffice to say it will be my first complete suit. 

But ouch is a fully-custom suit expensive. I obviously knew of the monetary consequence going in, but yeah, it still hurts when the invoice is presented to you. I'm a firm believer that suits and clothing of that nature should absolutely be tailored and fitted to the individual, otherwise it just looks sloppy and in poor taste. I could've spend a quarter of what I did at a department store but the results will be vastly unsatisfactory.

I'm going to wear the heck of that suit. Get my money's worth, you know? 

2. There's no magic like the Giants in the playoffs. Last Tuesday I went to game four of the NLDS against the Nationals, the end of which you can view in the previous blog post. Why did I ask "you do believe in fate?" Because the game wasn't even suppose to occur: it took numerous obstacles and happenstances for me to even have the opportunity to attend the game (we only ever bought game four tickets). 

First, the Giants had to win a do-or-die wild-card game against the Pirates, which they resoundingly did. Then, in a five-game series against the Nationals, games four and five is a "if necessary" scenario. The Giants, inexplicably (and I'm a Giants fan), won the first two games. Naturally, our lot felt confident about a sweep because the third game was to be started by the staff-ace Bumgarner. I was fairly resigned that I wasn't going to attend my first ever playoff game just yet. 

Well, Bumgarner lost, so game four was on. And the rest, was pure magic. Arguably the best game I've yet attended, it took incredible luck and fate for my first playoff game to also be a clinching game. Outside of seeing a clincher live in the later rounds, I don't think it gets better than what happened last Tuesday. 

Tickets stub and video saved forever. 

3. I was absolutely gutted and horrified to see the Jules Bianchi crash at the Japanese Grand Prix. It was a freak accident that nobody could have foresaw nor prevent. The diagnosis of Bianchi's head injury is not good at all - about a 90 percent chance he won't wake up. What a tremendous shame: he was a young driver with tremendous promise to take up the reign at Ferrari in the near future. 

Keep fighting, Jules; the Formula One community is rooting for you. 

4. The past week or so have not been kind to the stock market. It's gotten so bad that, for the calendar year, I am in the red. Obviously, it doesn't really matter in the long term because my investments are not to be touched for many many years. Still, it's rather heartbreaking to see it plummet to such depths. 

What's worse, this week hasn't exactly gone all too swell either. It appears it's going to hurt a bit more before it gets better again. Now if only the housing market would market-adjust itself, too.

5. Malala Yousafzai being well-deservedly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize really makes me count how blessed I am, and also, what the heck have I done to change the world around me? (answer: absolutely nothing.)

Standing ovation. 

6. Gas prices in the San Francisco Bay Area have dropped to a point where even the most expensive grade has a number three in front of the decimal point. With me driving a car that gets gas mileage in the high teens, this recent downfall in petrol cost is a much welcomed reprieve to my sanity and the wallet. Definitely got to enjoy it while it lasts.

7. It amazes me that my grandmother, whose in her eighties, still got the dexterity and acuity to thread needles and sew stuff. Me attempting to do the same results in hand more shaky than Ozzy Osbourne. I think the point is to stay active and busy even as you venture into your golden years. It won't stave off atrophy completely, but it will prolong the time to reach it. 

8. Apple's annual fall iPad and Mac event is tomorrow and I am waiting on the edge of my seat for announcement of refreshed macs - especially the long overdue Mac Mini. As I've said before, I desperately need a replacement for my long-serving 2009 era Macbook Pro. 

9. Jennifer Lawrence's response to the nude photo incident is brilliant and perfect. It absolutely is a sex crime - both for the people that stole the photographs, and the people that viewed them once it spread. 

10. This:

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How easy - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. I proffer my absolute solidarity and support for the Occupy Central protesters in Hong Kong. China should keep it's promise of 'one country, two systems' and allow the people of Hong Kong to determine their own destiny. They deserve free and open election, unfettered and uncorrupted by the influences of Beijing. 

2. Thoughts and prayers to Formula One driver Jules Bianchi for a full recovery. What a horrific freak accident at the Japanese Grand Prix this past weekend. Motorsport has gotten exponentially safer over the decades but the inherent dangers are still so ever real. #ForzaJules

3. Giants are in the baseball postseason and I'm not getting anything done at work or at home while the games are on. It's always an incredible time when the Orange and Black makes it to October. 

4. Thanks, geniuses at MLB, for sticking the NLDS on premium cable channels only. It's like you folks are just begging me to watch the broadcast via illicit methods. 

5. Sebastian Vettel making the move from Red Bull to Ferrari next year is a very big deal indeed. Not that he just became the favorite for the 2015 championship because Ferrari hasn't shown for the better part of a decade that they're capable of building a championship caliber car. 

The real story is the internal turmoil at Red Bull Racing that led to Vettel's exodus from the team that he won four-consecutive titles with. A large part has got to be Vettel's vote of no-confidence on Renault building a functioning power-unit. Adrian Newey taking a lesser role on future car designs is probably another significant factor. Heck, even Adrian Horner is speculated to not be long for the team, with many picking him to replace Bernie at FOM. 

Red Bull Racing might be a shell of its championship self in a years time. Vettel made the right decision. 

6. Did I mention in previous blogs I like San Francisco's unique Indian-summer weather? Yeah, three straight days of 90 degrees and sunny changed my mind with much haste. When you're not used to such relatively severe weather conditions, the heat can be quite draining on your body, like something pressuring down on you constantly. I'm glad it's over now. 

7. Ebola has reached the United States and I'm like 'there's no such thing as too much Purell.'

8. The Fed Up documentary is a must watch. It's not about body image, it's about being healthy. You owe it to yourself to get educated on the food products you ingest. At the very least, you'll gain a new and more kind perspective on people who are obese/fat. 

9. My pick of new shows for this fall season:

  • Gotham
  • Selfie
  • Black-ish

10. This:

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