eax's Xanga

Mid year report: It's not looking good for anyone else.

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:21:18 GMT

After six months, I think it's appropriate to check in about my feelings. Emotionally, I think I feel great about myself. In my previous instance of angst, I was quite resentful of how people conducted business and their own lives. Lately, it's been reinforced by this trend of oversharing, particularly with monotonous tools, such as Twitter. Is life worth sharing if you don't necessarily contribute to anyone else's existence beyond your own?

The one true lesson I've learned within the first half of 2009 is that people don't want to relinquish power. It's just unnatural for most people to willingly give up something that puts them above others. At the same time, we can't be naive enough to wait for power to come into our hands. Most struggle to get on equal footing and many do it in ways that will inevitably piss off people in power.

Now that I'm no longer a youngin', I'll be honest about how I deal with power. I'm no longer obsessed with being in control, because I know that people in power do not stay in power simply due to their own skills and grace. They rely on all the people below them to preserve the structure and status quo. In my younger days, I probably would have been the first to throw a proverbial molotov cocktail to ring out the coming of war.

Nowadays, I've learned that if you truly understand the full extent of the power and authority that you hold within yourself, people will naturally come to you. What they seek may not be your friendship...only your complicity in lending your power to their cause. That's when you realize your true power. You say "No."

No? To not participate just seems...un-American?

You can choose not to help people in power and then it just goes downhill from there. When the ignorant or the incompetent become embroiled in their own crapulence, you can mildly enjoy the irony of the circumstances. For us turtles, the hares will lose out eventually. We win by either consistently amassing a fortune by hard work and savings. We win by living longer. We win by insisting to know more without needing others to know how smart we are.

While I'm holding onto some freaky sense of optimism, I would hope life isn't all about gloating when you finally see those jerks get their just desserts. On the contrary, I'm always looking at how I can contrast my own decisions against the ones made by others. I might not be smiling all the time, but I get immense satisfaction when I smile in the dark, in bed, right before I fall asleep...at least then I know I can have a sexy dream. Sexy dream~

2008: Disgust and Dignity

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:05:20 GMT

Oh yeah, this would have been a very good time to close out this Xanga forever since blogging has gone the way of VHS after so many years. I just wanted to put some closure to some of the cliffhangers left in my last couple of posts.

Yes, I am now a homeowner. This probably means I'm no longer a child, dependent, or irresponsible wanderer. It took a couple of grueling months to get the homebuying process completed, but I have to say there's a very satisfying feeling with no longer having to pay rent to someone's mortgage.

March is right around the corner and about high time for my birthday again. Last year was a tame homebound celebration, so perhaps 2009 warrants a lavish trip somewhere? Oh wait, I did say that I'm more responsible now, right?

With the new year, I do want to make one remark about constant theme of 2008 that we don't speak about enough and that's about personal responsibility. With people at the very top shrugging their shoulders about their accountability and culpability, there's a major reminder to myself that this world is filled with two types of people.

There are many people who work hard throughout their lives, do everything with their own hands to get what they want, and their standing in life is truly a reflection of their character. I can never stress enough how undervalued and underrated these individuals are in our society. In almost every case, these people are not famous, rich, or prodigies. These are average, everyday people who may not have gone to an Ivy League school or earning six-digit salaries. These people that I hold with so much respect and admiration probably don't even see themselves as special, because they are perhaps too humble or ignorant of their status as real people who live for the here and now.

In contrast, I think I've learned to loathe and detest people who embody the opposite of the hardworking spirit. These are not lazy people and they certainly are not without capabilities. However, there is a growing infatuation among the general public and media with this distinguished class of society, where people do not even have to lift a finger and they get everything that they want. These individuals are not stupid or incompetent; they may be spoiled, but not unworldly. Unfortunately, these individuals are, for the most part, less concerned with how the rest of us go about our lives, because they are swept up in their lives of excess.

To this, I introduce you to the "celebutante". I think I'm very accustomed to this echelon in Boston, because we have a lot of spoiled children who come to attend our higher education system and they really don't understand why they are going to college. The clear signs of these people are their insistence upon clinging to their campus life, the club scene, and probably nothing else. I've not surprised anywhere when you ask these people about issues happening in their community (if they even know what that means) and what have they done outside of school to better understand the world.

Similarly, the celebutante relies upon the coffers of wealthy families to fuel their fantasy lives, having never worked a job that isn't given to them. Yes, we can all be jealous of being born into money, but we should all be puzzled about how celebutantes can find no qualms about having their entire lifestyle bankrolled by another person. In my personal experience, I have been looking down at one particular individual who hasn't worked a job in probably years now since he's been going to college. He spends most of his time now just going off to foreign countries and absorbing the ambiance before deciding to retreat back to the United States when it suits him. Is that what life is really about to some people? You really have to slap their parents for not teaching him anything...but you know these folks probably get their sweet revenge in the grave when the money finally dries up.

2009. All you need to know is that if you're doing what you need to do to survive, you're all set. Real people won't ever wait around for others to hand them their next paycheck. You go to work everyday; you come home and make yourself dinner; life is what you make of it. For the celebutantes out there, when money fades and wrinkles appear, thank yourself for a job well done...you reap what you sow.

Mobile Home

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:32:46 GMT

Although my updates are rather sporadic and mostly nonsensical, I did have a monumentous piece of news. I have decided to purchase my first home!

Yes, even a lowly grunt such as myself is capable of purchasing a condo. Not much to disclose at this point, but I'll be sure to update once I speak to the bank and my lawyer.

Another year, another season of Pride

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:43:02 GMT

It's almost the end of June and summer's nearly halfway through. As always, I am swept up in the chaos of Pride season. So far, it's just been Boston Pride, but NYC is next on my list. Granted, a bad economy should also affect gay people, but somehow you don't see people cutting back during this period of celebration. Of course, this doesn't mean that people have been saving up neither...so maybe we'll have some people with some screaming credit card statement once mid-July hits.

Not much to report until after July, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meanwhile, feast your eyes on this:

Happy Pride 2008!

Happy Birthday to Me

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:07:13 GMT

Thanks to all the folks who gave me phone calls and text messages (damn you 10-cents charges!) wishing me a happy birthday. I can't believe how many people actually remembered, but I guess I should be flattered how attentive folks are.

The basic birthday vacation for this year comprised of a hot pot party, Wii-bash, multiple trips to a strip bar, a field trip to the Museum of Science, and dinner at a sushi restaurant.

Here's a sampling of some rolls served at Douzo, a yuppie hotspot:

Yes, I'm alive (for Smash Brothers)

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:32:22 GMT

Due to recent problems with my health and family, I had to take a hiatus from writing. There have been some pieces written prior to my abrupt departure, but I haven't published anything yet. However, I did want to inform you about:

Get ready to brawl.
W: 0976-9972-9655-1252
F: 2878-9282-0834

Special Edition: Edison Chan Sex Scandal, Part 2

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 03:57:24 GMT

Previous pieces and updates in this series
Part 1: The Man, the Pics, Sensationalism (Pics)
Part 2: PRO-spective, Historical Perspective, and Retrospective

...PRO-spective

Coming from an American point of view, this sex scandal involving Edison Chen doesn't seem to generate much sensationalism, because we don't necessarily view it as something out of the ordinary for celebrities. In Hong Kong, he's being crucified in the press as a monster who's pretty much destroyed innocence as we know it. Come on...the running joke has always been about the asexuality of Asian men, but the punchline has always been, "Look at China...1 billion people shows Asian men are plenty virile."

The truth of the matter is that Edison Chen represents a prototypical young Asian guy who certainly gets enough action. What complicates this identity is the fact that he's a celebrity and rich. Of course, we wouldn't be caring much about him if he wasn't worth millions of dollars in film, advertising, and products. As much as the Hong Kong media would like to vilify him, we all know Chinese folks suffer from the undeniable, irrefutable hunger for gossip. For the men, it's even truer that they have an insatiable hunger for pornography and most of the scandal has more or less been centered around the actresses linked to Edison Chen and their "slutty" appearances. I would like to point out that there has been little to no chatter about how "slutty" Edison is, not to mention how his full frontals hasn't even been very important to the scandal either.

Without condoning or condemning his passion for homemade porno, you have to weigh out what Edison has actually done. He's engaged in sex with many, many women and taken pics and video footage of his exploits. If he's a non-celebrity, this probably wouldn't be of much interest to folks other than those horny for some jerk-off material. Considering that all of the women identified throughout this ordeal are all legal adults, I won't buy into any type of legal or criminal action directed towards Edison Chen himself. Feminists should join on the bandwagon to not blame him for "exploiting" these women, because feminist extremists should agree that these actresses could have done the common-sense thing and smacked him over the head about whipping out the camera during coitus. I refuse to believe that his adorable looks can knock any women senseless enough, particularly for a female celebrity with everything to lose, to passively go along or be manipulated into posing for sex photos. As a real life lesson, all starlets should either say no, pack an EMP device, or put those knickers back on and leave if any actor decides to play Pam & Tommy.

Or maybe he's so irresistible that no one has been able to say no? If we want to be selfish for just one second, you got to admit that Edison's not shy about his body, even though everyone could benefit from some manscaping.

...historical perspective

Again, we all can't help but feel bad for Edison, because sex scandals inevitably focus on the women and it's the women who may have an inkling of a chance to bounce back into a viable career. Male celebrities, on the other hand, tend to suffer from a rather instant drain on their fame once the novelty of their sexual escapades fades from the limelight.

Silver lining? I tell you, Edison...it wasn't a gay sex scandal.

Even though it would disappoint 10% of the population (or about 85% of the Castro), Edison's career won't end up like Simon Rex, who's still trying to maintain his D-list status. I do have to say that we don't want him to end up like Limp Bizkit either, because I got to say that Edison's got a much better looking phallus than ol' Durst.

The grim news is that Edison can't make a rebound like Brad Pitt or Colin Farrell, mainly because Edison is not three things: white, muscularly built, and living in the US. Of course, this is not a shortcoming at all...we are all made the way we are and certainly no one has any distaste for the way he's built at all. However, there is hope! I am very willing to console Edison with with some sense of optimism. You know that celebrities really make it this far in their lives not because of dumb luck and if you really try to do your best, you can bounce back with anything.

...retrospective

Please don't tell Edison these obvious facts. He knows, he'd probably tell you to shut the fuck up, and he'd probably pull a John Woo handgun attack on you.

Never take your computer to get serviced by an outside vendor. Geek Squad won't respect the privacy of their customers, so I guarantee you a computer nerd in a HK shop won't either.
You're rich with millions of dollars. Buy a new laptop and digital camera if they ever break down.
Memories are never lost when you can relive them with so many more hot people who'd be willing to suck or get fucked by a millionaire. You can take photos again and you know the second time around always makes for a better shot.
By 2009, the only acceptable excuse for salvaging a machine is due to an actual real life hacker trashing your Wi-Fi enabled computer. Only Ghost-in-the-Shell style back-hacking, ok?

Dear Edison Chan,

If your lawyers haven't decide to sue me for hubris, you might still want to consider me your new career coach, because tomorrow's the day I reveal how to map out your career for the next 365 days.

Special Edition: Edison Chan Sex Scandal

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:10:11 GMT

Previous pieces and updates in this series
Part 1: The Man, the Pics, Sensationalism (Pics)
Part 2: PRO-spective, Historical Perspective, and Retrospective

Hmm...for some reason, my entry was changed into private setting. Paranoia or some censorship from a higher authority?

Oh, the gift that keeps on giving (GTKOG). I am enjoying the Year of the Rat and it seems like Hong Kong is embroiled in a similar hunt for the vermin who's been giving Edison Chan grief over his sexual escapades. Since I always celebrate the new year with a big piece, and I've neglected to write anything for the Jan. 1 New Year, I thought I should be a multi-part piece about the implications of this Edison Chan sex scandal. We do have a Xangan who went to high school with him, so maybe that person can humanize this situation a bit.

First off, this entry will most likely become part of the blogosphere echo chamber, so I guarantee you there will be abuses with my post. Please keep it civil and intelligent with the retorts, ok?

Biggest surprise to me so far has been how slow the gay and/or Asian American newstream has been around this huge story that's been non-stop in Asia. Can someone do me a favor and look on Fridae for the official story breaking the news to rice queens aroung the world? Wha? I didn't see it in the front page at all...you can't tell that this doesn't deserve a little time of sensationalism for the Gaysian community when we finally get to see some CBA penis? Wait, Heath Ledger dies and he's still there (god bless his mysterious death-oriented soul), but somehow a famous Canadian Asian actor doesn't get any love at all?

I have review the "evidence" available and yes, I can confirm that it's real, it's big, and you're gonna love it. Well, maybe that's subjective, but Edison's got a juicy one that'll make any "Asian admirer" hungry for some HK celebrity pecker. The other thing that's been educational for me is refamiliarizing myself with some female genitalia...apparently female crotchs can get as hairy as a male one.

The whole impetus for this major misfortune seems to come from some anonymous netizen who is currently bent on releasing even more photos and videos of poor ol' Edison. Under the alias of "Kira", I'm guessing this person is a weird otaku who plagarized Deathnote for the world's most perverted form of celebrity justice. It's a bit sad that it had to happen to this celebrity, but I don't think many gay guys are complaining.

Ok, enough mumbo-jumbo...you want to see some XXX pics:

Well, now that you've seen it, you probably have a lot of thoughts (hopefully positive ones). For the next few days, I'll also talk a bit about some of the negative stuff, some about the situtation in HK, but also about the reception to these rather graphic and undeniable pieces of pornographic gold.

From the various news and tabloid websites, I have learned that Edison Chan is currently hiding in the United States, which should like a good idea since our society apparently don't think much of the Asian male in this country. Even smarter, he's hiding in Boston...my neck of the woods...yes, you are now perfectly invisible...so you're pretty safe as long as you don't walk anywhere near Chinatown.

To Edison Chan:

If your lawyers are combing through the Internuts about your scandal and trying to censor websites, you should probably hire me as your PR agent...I'll totally change your negative situation into the best turn-around that you'll soon be able to score big roles in the American market. Oh yeah, I'm that good.

Yes, I have the full set exposed so far. What? Do I suddenly see you prepared to grovel for some sleaze?

Happy New Year

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:24:40 GMT

Yes, Doraemon can greet you when you come to front door.

Crying home to mommy

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:43:31 GMT