Meet The Dog With Multiple Names

We adopted Mocha/An An from the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter last week and she has been making nice progress adjusting to a home where 4 people want to spoil her rotten.

I like dark corners and tight spaces because I'm emo.

Sometimes I'm happy when I get to sit in someone's lap.

I wanted to give her a name that non-Chinese people would recognize. Unfortunately my mom already had a name picked out. Who the heck knows what An An means? Or even how to pronounce it? Ann? Ahn? So I have covertly been referring to this beloved doggie as Mocha, but I think I am losing the battle because she only responds to the name my mom gave her. Blah.

I'm glad we got her now because I think if we had adopted a puppy any earlier, we inevitably would have kept comparing her to Nina. Our puppy deserves its own relationship with us and I think that's happening. And though I am totally in love with this dog, Nina will always have her own place in my heart. And now under my right shoulder blade, because I got her paw tattooed on me. It's still healing, but it already looks lovely.

Truer Words Have Never Been Spoken

This video reminded me of why I have a passionate distaste for "law enforcement" and police authority.

"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders…and millions have been killed because of this obedience…Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves… (and) the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem."--Howard Zinn

Some people just don't get it. The ones who talk about the protesters as do-nothings, troublemakers, lazy bums. They are the ones showing their faces, protesting in solidarity, speaking with a voice that has gone unheard for too long. If not civil disobedience, then what? What other means to cast off the forces that oppress? It is human nature to react against things that are trying to harm you. If someone is coming at you with a weapon with intention to hurt, you're not going to put your arms up in defense and fight back?

The Movement Has Gone Global

New York.
Brussels.
Stockholm.
London.
Madrid.
Rome.
Zurich.
Hong Kong.
Seoul.
Taipei.
Tokyo.

I wonder what the Chinese authorities are thinking.

I can't figure this out! I hate puzzles =(

Foodie Monster on the Loose

The closer I get to leaving LA the more places I find that I want to try. Pizza bars, Italian market/restaurants, vegan Japanese food, Korean food...Korean food! I know there's Korean food in Norcal, but Ktown just rocks. At least I'll get my fill of Vietnamese food in Norcal.

Look at this menu. LOOK AT IT. IT HAS OVER 100 DIFFERENT FLAVORS. I hope it's someone's birthday soon so I have an excuse to buy a dozen of these.

My all time favorite dessert will still be the ice cream mochi I had in Shanghai. Omgomgomgomgrarrrrrnomnomnomnom. If working in Norcal doesn't pan out, I think I will open one of these stores in LA somewhere. I think there is a market for it.

The 99 Percent

There are days when things just come to mind and I have post after post. This is one of those days.

You have to look at this.

This one made me tear up.

I'm fortunate enough to have parents who would ultimately "save" me if I didn't have a job and/or was riddled with debt. Other people are not so lucky. And even my mom and dad, who worked their asses off for over 30 years, have saved up barely enough to retire in decency. They did everything right--worked hard, saved up money like no other (you know the Asian money-saving ethic). I have never, ever seen them spend frivolously. Even so, they've had precarious situations in the past. Failed business. Layoff. Losing money in investments. If my parents have done all this, and are only what I would consider satisfactorily middle class, what about countless other Americans who faced more severe financial and life hardships and obstacles?

Meanwhile, we have our government fighting each other like mad dogs, GOP candidates catering to batshit crazy political parties, and claiming to fight the good fight for the little guy, when in reality they allow these atrocious amounts of money to serve things like "severance pay" for CEOs while attacking regulations that are supposed to keep reckless financial institutions in check. The little guy, who needs the most help, is the one working more than he's sleeping (literally, because the US has the longest working hours of any industrialized country), while simultaneously seeing their income stay the same or decline, seeing his cost of living go up, yet feeling completely helpless about all this because what else can he do but rely on this paycheck to get by? Fed up but voiceless. He wants to stick it to the man, but the man has a monopoly on his lifeline. And the man has allies. They're in the government.

This is why I don't like thinking about the future too much. It dampens the optimism I have left for myself and life because when I am daring enough to look far forward, my positive spirit encounters gloominess.

Listen to those people occupying Wall Street and our city halls. They are speaking for YOU.

A Disturbing Realization

I really like David Guetta, but I realized the reason I've had this inexplicable vibe of creepiness from him is because he kind of reminds me of my ex-boyfriend...

Oh well, as long as I can pay attention to NOTHING BUT THE BEAT.

Yup.