Paper or Plastic

Holiday Toy Drives

Growing up in a Buddhist household, my family did not celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas. As a kid, I remember getting sad every time the holidays came around because my favorite restaurants would be closed and the only places open were Asian restaurants. Trying to explain to a kid why McDonald’s is not an option on Christmas Day is a very difficult thing to do. It wasn’t until about high school when I took matters into my own hands and brought home our first Christmas tree.

High school was a fun time because I was very active in the community. I was part of Interact Club and Key Club at the same time. As it got closer to the holidays, I would always look forward to volunteering at the Family Giving Tree events. The main volunteer event was to sort out the thousands of toys according to age range. There were so many toys it felt like I was in toy heaven. I remember happily volunteering at this event for a few years.

This year, memories of my high school volunteer days came back when my work put out those big bins in hopes of collecting toys for the holidays. So I went to the nearest toy store to see what the newest trend in toys were. Last I checked, Yu-Gi-Oh was the hottest new thing. One thing I noticed was that the majority of toys nowadays require batteries. It would be silly to buy kids these toys because what happens once the batteries run dry? The whole point is that they can’t afford toys let alone replacement batteries. The answer was board games.

Everybody loves board games. They are low maintenance, most don’t require batteries, fun to play, and it brings people together. Kids like to play with other kids. Board games offer all that and more. As I was standing in the board game isle, one game stood out the most. It wasn’t the flashy colors or creative box design or event the clever game title that stood out, but he simplicity of the game. Jenga.

Jenga? Yes, Jenga. Think about it. You start of complete and strong. Outside forces come in and slowly chip away at you. Eventually you get to the point where you can’t handle it anymore and everything comes crashing down. What happens afterwards? The people around help build you up to become complete and strong again. It’s life defined in blocks of wood. Something so simple can mean so many things. Besides, it’s the holidays right? The holiday vibe brings people together and reminds us that we’re all in this together. Love thy family and friends.

Days Like This

Every once in a while I will have a day like today where the weather is gloomy and all I want to do is sit at home, wrap myself in a blanket, sip green tea with brown rice, and switch between listening to dubstep and reading a good book. Just me, myself, and I time. Being such a social person that I am all the time, I value days like today where I can shut out the entire world and not have to worry about anybody or anything. Simple joys in life yield the greatest rewards.

I Miss Northern California

Like most Asian families, we roll deep in numbers. My father has 6 siblings and my mother has 8 siblings. I have family in almost every part of the world. It makes it super easy to travel. Recently, I went to Calgary, Alberta to attend my cousin’s wedding. The first night I arrived, my brother and I decided to walk to the nearest bar and order their finest Canadian beer. The bartender asked me where I was from, when I told her California, she said she could hear it in my accent. I told her I had no idea what she was talking “aboot.”

I am very proud of my California roots. Northern California to be exact. Although I was born in San Diego, I was raised in San Jose. Being back in San Diego, it’s not the same. Something about this place is odd. I think that people who are raised somewhere but then end up leaving home to see what else life has to offer, a majority of their identity stems from where they’re from.

One thing that I noticed about California is that essentially it is two different states in one. Northern California is completely different from Southern California. Now, I’m referring to the differences between the men and women in Northern California and in Southern California.

Yes, they say “hella” up there, and they say “stoked” down there, but that’s besides the point. I noticed that the people in Southern California are way more friendlier on first encounter, but in the long run, things change. It seems as if people in Southern California can be labeled more as acquaintances than true friends.

That’s where it differs in Northern California. People up there seem rude and may look like haters and can mean mug you from a distance, but that’s because they’re trying to weed out the fake mofos. One you get to know somebody in Northern California, like really get to know that person, you’ve got a friend for life.

I realize that most likely nobody in San Diego will want to be my friend anymore as a result of this tumblr post, but you know what? I don’t care. Y’all fake mofos anyway.

Go ahead. Prove me wrong. I dare you.

Planking

This planking fad is ridiculous. If you haven’t heard or seen pictures of people planking, you must be living on a different planet. The act of planking has become an international sensation to the point where the official planking Facebook page has over 560,000 “likes”.

All I have to say is that you’ll notice there are not a lot of pictures of Asian people planking. Why you ask? It’s because every time an Asian person gets into the planking position, usually what follows is an ass whopping from the Asian parents. Those are some childhood memories I’d rather forget about. 

Have no fear because planking is quickly becoming a thing of the past. There’s something new and exciting happening in the world now, and it’s called “owling”. Owling is the act of sitting in a perched position while looking off into the distance imitating the pose of an owl. In other words, it’s the act of sitting with your knees to the chest, eyes wide open, looking like you’ve been cracked out for days.

Sexy.

Five Ways To Win My Heart

About a month ago, I noticed there were a lot of 30 day challenges on tumblr. I was about to do one myself, but then I got lazy. I started with this one and never finished it. Well, here it is. 

1. Be direct. As much as I want to make you “feel like you’re the only girl in the world,” one thing I cannot do is read between the lines. Nothing frustrates me more than not telling me what you want and then getting mad at because I didn’t say or do what you wanted.

2. It has been said that the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach. I don’t care if you don’t know how to cook. We’ll pick up a recipe book and learn together. For those times when we’re too lazy to cook, we’ll try out a new restaurant.

3. Routine can be boring. Let’s go on an adventure! I have a few activities I want to try out: bungee jumping, surfing, road trip across the US, etc. I’m sure there are experiences you want to try out as well. I’m down.

4. I love my parents, but I’m no mama’s boy. Please respect the fact that my family comes first no matter what. Trust me on this. Down the line, if you become my wife and we have a child or two together, that becomes my family. You will be glad that I value family over everything.

5. Read this: http://krzy.tumblr.com/post/4204703027/five-things-men-really-want 

Keep Smiling

Our brain is divided into two parts. The first part deals with an emotional thought process while the other part deals with a logical thought process. We live in a world that is seen through an emotional filter. As humans, we tend to act more on our emotions than we do in a logical sense. For example, when you close your eyes and a chocolate candy bar is waved under your nose, you instantly associate that smell to a chocolate candy bar. Emotionally, your mind is triggered by the smell and automatically it tells you that it is a chocolate candy bar.

Smiling has physiological properties that helps improve health and longevity. There’s also a secret behind smiling. Our minds cannot differentiate between a real smile and a fake smile. Emotionally, our bodies will react in a positive way even if we force a smile. In other words, if you are having a bad day, take the time out to smile because it will make you feel better. Besides, a simple smile can brighten up another person’s day. =)

Five Reasons Why I Like Summer

Summer is here, so let’s get our tan on!

1. Sun Dresses

I absolutely love it when women wear sun dresses. Especially, when they wear ones with bright colors and cool designs. So sexy.

2. Beaches

Throughout the year, I make an effort to go to the beach at least once a week. I grew up around the beach as a child. Summer is an excuse to visit the beach more than once a week.

3. Outdoor activities

It is always a beautiful day outside during Summer. Perfect for enjoying outdoor activities whether it is done individually or with other people. A lot of BBQs occur around this time.

4. Free Time

Friends and family tend to have more free time in the Summer. As a result, you get to hang out with them more often than normal. I have two awesome cousins who would come visit me here in California almost every Summer. They’re the best.

5. It’s HOT!

What happens when the weather gets hot? People wear less clothing. Aw, yeah.

Gemineye - Penny For Your Thoughts

Can I offer you a penny for your thoughts?

As a matter of fact, how about three?

One penny for you, one penny for me,

And one penny for our minds engaged not so sexually.

Getting intimately closer as we approach the

Climatic altitude of nude, mental, sensational… conversation.

Because I’m trying to get to know everything about you

From the neck… up.

So these are not your typical, sexual, poetical prose.

I’m trying to close the door on that all too familiar freaky foreplay game

With which most people have chose to approach you.

While they are trying to get deeply inbedded

In the fine fibers of your bedsheets,

I’m trying to find and define the fibers of which your mind speaks.

I want to engage you

By putting a two karat solitaire diamond on your mind

And marrying your every thought.

I want to lick every inch of every crevasse

So I can get an oral fix from each oriface

And taste your passionate imagination.

I’d rather be naked and exposed, holding you

As we’re lying and you’re crying

While confiding and describing the tough times you’ve had in life

And how you don’t know

If you can keep a relationship long enough to be somebody’s wife.

I want to feel the heartbeat of all your inner rhythms

As they lead me toward your warm, wet, waterfalls of feminine thoughts.

And I’ll swim within them

From backstrokes to breaststrokes

I’m penetrating every entrance… to your mind.

Taking my time to find out everything about you.

Did I ever tell you about how you

Fell asleep in my presence?

And your mere essence

Kept me awake for hours

As I cowered with this feeling

Of a sexually unadulterated mental connection?

And as you lay by my side

I pushed my blinds aside

And took the time in the moonlight of that night

To count 72 eyelashes

On the upper eyelid of your right eye.

Because as you sleep

They remain open slightly.

And while we probably move too quickly into some sexual stuff

I’ve always cared more about the explicitly illicitness

That came from between your lips… meaning your voice.

So now I am standing here

Ready to trade in all the sexual acts that we’ve performed

For the chance to reform the very foundation

And basis of our relationship.

And I reiterate my opening statement

And I offer you another penny for your thoughts.