Letter from Mather "Breakfast Club"

Dear Mather High School,

We accept the fact that we are now young 30-something'ers with diverse lives, diverse occupations, diverse talents.  We think it would be crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are.  You see us as you want to see us.  In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions.

But what we found out is that each one of us is

... an electrical engineer...

... and a software engineer...

... a web designer...

... a mechanical engineer...

... and a tax analyst...

... a chemical engineer...

... and an environmental engineer...

... a registered nurse...

... in finance...

... a real estate agent...

... an owner of a car dealership...

... an aspiring musician...

... a part-time athlete...

... an IT network professional...

... a QA engineer...

... and a data miner...

... a doctor...

... a journalist...

... a pharmacist...

... an MBA...

... a venture capitalist...

Does that answer your question?

Sincerely yours,

Mather's Finest (Class of '92 & '93)

Christmas Tree

This afternoon, I accompanied my dear friend Shilo Christmas Tree shopping :) The Home Depot nearest her home had in a new lot of trees from the farms (they have been getting new ones weekly during the holiday season). They fenced off part of the parking lot for the trees. A lot of folks were there browsing.

Having always had an artificial tree since childhood, this was a new experience for me. You walk in and realize that there are different types of trees. I noticed "Douglas Fir" and "Noble Fir". So Shilo peeked at a few trees, and saw one which looked good. So she unraveled the string that was wrapped around the tree so that the branches would hang out a bit and she could check for holes (chunks of branches missing, etc.) Looked good! Then she dragged it near the trimming & bundling tent. I stayed with the tree while she went to the cashier with the tag to pay for it. Then she had a clever idea: so unlike other customers who would drag their tree around with them in order to pay for it and get in line for the trimming, one of us could hang out with the tree next to the tent, and one could stand in line. I happily stood in line :)

When it was our turn, the Home Depot guy slung the tree onto a table and then trimmed it per Shilo's directions. I think she had him saw off a few branches on the bottom, based on her knowledge of the tree base it was going in. Then some minor trimming at the sides. Perfect! Then the tree was shoved into a netting to keep the branches bundled up tightly. Then we carried it out to her car. Having it bundled is very useful in transport :)

We unloaded the tree into Shilo's living room, and she tweaked the stabilizers of the base so that the tree would stand up straight. I thought she could immediately start putting on the ornaments, but she said it's best to let the fir settle for 2-3 days. Then once it has taken shape, can add them on.

So although Shilo didn't have to trek over to a farm and cut the tree down herself, she knew quite a bit about tree selection. Like she even knew how fresh it was based on the feel of the needles. Key criteria:

1) Type: Shilo prefers noble firs because if the needles fall on the floor, and you step on them, they won't stab your feet like, say, Douglas firs. Plus noble firs have a nice smell.

2) Height: 5' - 6' worked well for her.

3) Price: Shilo, being one of the most practical people I know, already had an idea how much she was willing to shell out for a tree, based on its size, how long she would have it up, and the enjoyment she would get out of having it in her house. Mostly, she was looking forward to having the smell of a fresh tree pervade the air :)

Now you have to take care of it, since it's a real tree. Like watering it and stuff. Now I prefer a real tree over a fake tree, although wreathes are more my speed *hehehe*

Compass

Erik & I watched the Golden Compass at the Merc this evening. It doesn't feel as epic as Lord of the Rings, or as engaging as Harry Potter. Probably because we're not really familiar with the books that it is based on. To me, it's like a cross between Neverending Story & Narnia.

There's this hoopla about the Golden Compass having an atheist agenda. C'monnn, the "message" was as thickly veiled as, say, CS Lewis' message is in his novels. A Christian will of course catch the religious overtones. A non-Christian would simply see it as the struggle of the oppressed against tyrannical rule. I can put on my analytical hat and go to town with a paper discussing all the symbolism. But this ain't AP English folks -- it's simply enjoying a well-produced film.

I like that there is going to be another trilogy of a fantastical sort :) Plus I have a thing for talking Polar Bears *hehe*

The Bee

This morning Akeelah & the Bee was on TV. I actually netflixed this before, and caught it showing a couple of times on cable afterwards, but like good movies, you can't help but get drawn in again.

This movie floods me with memories of the Spelling Bee. I want to share what it's like, from first-hand experience. I represented my elementary school, Clinton. First I won the Class competition, then won the School competition, then went on to I think the City competition. Then now one word haunts me till this day -- "BARBELLATE". If there is one word that would send shivers down your spine if you ever heard it again, for me it's THAT word...

Spelling somehow always came easy to me. I never got a not perfect score on a spelling test. To me, what's so hard about remembering how things are spelled, or memorizing thousands of words? I-before-E-except-after-C, right? *hehe* It's very funny actually, how one of my biggest pet peeves remains to be misspellings. Really makes me cringe, especially when I'm not at liberty to bring it to someone's attention. I can't even bear it when I make a typographical error -- when your finger hits the wrong key by accident and your eye doesn't catch it! Exasperating.

I almost didn't make it past the School competition, by the way. The judges wanted me to spell "premiere", but I spelled it "premier". And they said it was incorrect. So I stood there with a look that a dog gives when it's bewildered about something. You see, at the International School where I spent my early childhood, that is the spelling that I was familiar with. So I begged to differ, rushed to a dictionary, showed it to my 8th grade teacher, then the decision was reversed.

So for the next level of competition, I was given this thick booklet full of words that I was supposed to study. My mom just drilled me a few pages at a time over the next few weeks, and at the end I ended up memorizing them all. INCLUDING that goddamn word we dare not speak of. I didn't go so far as learning word origins and alternate pronunciations, though -- that's for Nationals, which I didn't get to.

So in City, I came in third. So end of the road for me. Because I misspelled that infamous word. You see, you cannot go back when you have already uttered a letter. It was plain over-confidence that caused my stupid error. As soon as the judges gave me the word to spell, it immediately shone up in big bold letters in my head. All I had to do was SAY THE LETTERS. I was like, no way, this is too easy! So I spell it quickly -- "B-A-R-B-A...shit". Of course I didn't say the last part aloud up at the mic. I stopped right there and started walking off, before the judges could say "I'm sorry, but that is incorrect"... in fact you could tell how upset I was with myself when footage of the competition was aired on the evening news (don't know if my folks still have that tape, me storming off the stage *hehehe*). I think the judges knew when I knew that I messed up. And do you know what the winning word was??? RHEUMATISM. Unbelievable.

So even now as an engineering professional, when design documents and communications are filled with TLAs & FLAs (three-letter and four-letter acronyms) and abbreviations, I can pride myself on still being able to spell without the aid of a spell-checker :)

Scorpios

My teammate Eigenmann made an interesting observation while we were socializing after a tennis meet, that there were an awful lot of us players who had birthdays in November. Her, Yvonne, Kathrin, Suzanne, me, plus other folks we knew (btw Suzanne's b-day rolled into Sagittarius , but close enough -- an honorary Scorpio*hehe*)

It just dawned on me, as I was enjoying my coffee ice-cream topped with Cadbury Flakes on my birthday, that the reason why there are a LOT of November babies, is 'coz we were conceived on the most "romantic" month of them all -- February! Hmmm... bit of math: Valentine's Day + 9 months = November +/- a few days. Yup...

Gyro Ball

Major accomplishment today: finally got my Dyna-Flex gyro ball going and going and going!!! I was so happy, it's like that scene out of "Castaway" when Tom Hanks cries out with pride "I have made FIRE!"

Getting the wheel spinning isn't the toughest part (especially if you use the string to jump start it), but keeping it from stopping is a major battle, having to figure out how to up the revs on the gyro takes a lot of patience & practice! I'd say I've been fighting this thing for a total of an hour, spanning the past few evenings after work, and tossing the dumb ball into my Fuf chair out of frustration!

So now the challenging part is learning how to start it WITHOUT the string...

Shilo

One of the best treats out here in the Valley is to be invited to Heather Shilo Ryan's place for a home-cooked meal! Heather, a Floridian who is part Cuban/Filipino/Irish/Scottish, can whip up all sorts of dishes of different cuisines -- if she ever wanted to start up a restaurant, she already has a big fan base made up of friends with happy bellies from her kitchen magic :)

This evening I was stuffed with her ropa vieja, rice, salad, and garlic bread. A spread that probably took her half an hour to prepare: a little dash of this, a little dash of that, a dollop of this, a splash of that. Then voila! everything comes out perfect :) Me, it would probably take me half a day just to decipher the recipe *hehehe*

If she weren't there to walk & talk me through a koulouria recipe during one of our movie nights, my favorite Greek cookie would have probably have changed nationalities and been inedible *HAHAHAHAHA* Btw, Heather is excellent company for enjoying a good horror flick!

Heather has prepared outstanding Thanksgiving and 4th of July dinners. So we are more than happy to supply the easy stuff like dessert and beverages (we make sure to throw in some Guinness especially for her & Matt). Oh, and extra chairs.

And during ski season, she still manages to rastle up something in the cabin for the gang to eat, even after a tiring snowboarding session...

Shilo ROCKS!!!

Pantech duo

Yippee, I have a new cell phone -- a Pantech duo!

Just came out last week, and it is SWEET -- suits my needs and my personality :) I like that you slide the face up to reveal the keypad, and you slide the face to the side to reveal the keyboard. Nice, multi-functional, and compact.

Notable features are:
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 6
- Dual slider with QWERTY keyboard
- UMTS/HSDPA, GPRS/EDGE, 3G
- 1.3 Megapixel integrated camera
- Bluetooth
- AT&T Mobile Music and CV

Quote on Starbuck's cup

I was happily sipping a latte, and when I put down my cup, I noticed a quote on the side of it. I guess I never noticed there were quotes on Starbucks cups before. Anyway I found the quote on mine to be interesting:

“My cousin in Tibet is an illiterate subsistence farmer. By accident of birth, I was raised in the west and have a Ph.D. The task of our generation is to cut through the illusion that we inhabit separate worlds. Only then will we find the heart to rise to the daunting but urgent challenges of global disparity.” -Losang Rabgey, “The Way I See It…”

In my visits to the Philippines as an adult, it's disappointing to see how a country with so much potential cannot get out of "Third World" status. The problem is the widening gap between the rich and the poor. "Middle class" is a college grad with a four-year degree, who graduated at the top of their class, working a graveyard shift at a call center, making next to nothing. A daily struggle to make ends meet, just to provide for their family. Just a block down the street from a 5-star hotel is a slum area, where families live off someone else's garbage.

Having been born in the Philippines, but raised in the United States, I have enormous pride as an American and what it means to be an American. I appreciate what generations of immigrants have sacrificed to make this country the great nation that it is. I cherish my Filipino heritage, and recognize the good and bad traits of the Filipino way, and absorb the positive parts.

My parents came to the United States to give my sister and me a chance for a better life. A kind of life that is not offered in the Philippines or any other country... freedom to take control of your destiny. Self-sacrifice, hard work, self-reliance, resourcefulness, and hope. That defines the American dream. Not "For English Press 1, Para Espanol...", bilingual signs, single teen mothers on welfare continuing to have babies.

I applaud those who try to rise above adversity. These are the ones you help. Give a hungry man a fish and he will be satisfied, but teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry again. Or you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. So create opportunities for those less fortunate, not encourage complacency.

Snowboarding & skateboarding

As it's been raining sporadically in Sunnyvale lately, the bright side is that when there's rain there's snow -- in Tahoe (I hear Kirkwood received 2 feet of snow -- yippee!) What's great about living in the Bay Area is that you can drive to the season of your choice... and you don't even feel the 4-5 hour drive when you have good company :)

There's nothing quite like the feeling of carving down a mountain of fresh powder... it's quite serene up there... quiet... away from the everyday stresses... and the air is nice and crisp.

I have an Arbor Push '06 snowboard. It's a thing of beauty, worthy to be put on display above the mantle... a gorgeous design on the bamboo topsheet.

And on pavement, I have my longboard. Also an Arbor. And when you're gliding, and feel the wind through your hair, there's a certain je-ne-sais-quoi feeling about it too.

I have yet to take my freebord out for a spin.. and see how close to snowboarding on pavement feels... the hard part is finding that perfect downgrade in town...

Zombies

So I'm a big fan of modern zombie movies. 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Dawn of the Dead, Resident Evil. The requirements of a perfect zombie movie: human immune to virus, secretly bitten human who becomes a self-sacrificial zombie to save others, a small group of survivors (children necessary), and lots of shooting, slicing, and flame-throwing on the undead!

Saw the latest installment of Resident Evil. "Extinction". First time I actually jumped out of my seat in the movie theater and yelled out at the screen. Damn freakin' zombie came out of nowhere, man!

Let's just say if there were 1000 Milla Jovoviches, the world would be a MUCH better place :)

Kirby

This was the name of my first car: a silver Honda CR-V. I bought Kirby from Carr's Honda in Chicago, in February 1997. Car salesman said they just got 'em in that month. So it was first generation. My dad had read and heard good reviews about it, so figured it was worth a look. They had a blue one in the showroom, and when I sat in it, it felt... right. A safe and affordable car, where I can sit up a bit in traffic. A co-worker, after congratulating me on my buy, even xeroxed an article out of his car magazine (I think it was Car & Driver) about the Honda CR-V -- the article was titled "America's Sweetheart".

Now you KNOW you are one of the earliest owners of a CR-V, when you're driving down a street, pass another CR-V, and you & the other driver make eye contact and give each other the "nod". Hehehe. Plus the CR-V looked a whole lot cooler compared to the Toyota RAV4, in my opinion. Both Japanese cars, but MINE was made IN Japan. I know this because I had to wait a month for mine to roll off the line from Japan, and ship to me. Which is probably why I never had any problems with Kirby, knowing the tradition of Japanese quality.

Now CR-Vs are everywhere. In fact my sister and my cousin Mia each own later generation CR-Vs. And they're waaaayyyyy different from mine. The Honda CR-V had gone through a couple makeovers since 1997....

After 10 years of superior service, Kirby's battery finally gave out while it was parked out on the street waiting to be shipped to Mom back in Chicago. When AAA came to replace the battery so that we could drive it to the Honda Service Center for final maintenance prior to shipping, he marvelled at how long the original battery lasted!

So Kirby is now in (semi)retirement, with my mom. Zipping around at no more than 30 mph with mom at the wheel *hehehe*, which is definitely a change of pace for Kirby's legs. Kirby's successor is Coco, a 2007 Acura MDX. Now Coco has a bit more pep than Kirby and has, er, a few more amenities. Which is all well and good, especially for the longer road trips. Because Coco is still a Honda. Acura = Honda-With-A-Budget :)

Mather High School

Mather is a public high school in the northside of Chicago. It was a natural feed-in for the elementary schools in the district. After completing Prep to Year 5 at Hagen International Primary School in Papua New Guinea (the equivalent of kindergarten to 5th grade in the States), I finished off the rest of grammar school at Clinton Elementary School. It was a no-brainer decision for me -- Mather was a 7 minute walk from home (yes I timed it), most of my friends from Clinton were going to Mather, and it was actually a decent school (at the time). Some classmates went to Lane, Von Steuben, Lincoln Park, IMSA. Or even parochial schools.

The rude awakening that we weren't in elementary school anymore, for me, was in Biology class. There were four long tables in the class. So first day, we naturally sat at the table with kids from the same elementary school -- so Table #1: Clinton, Table #2: Boone, Table #3: Jamieson, and Table #4: Rogers. I think there were also a couple kids from Solomon. Then in walks Ms. Duncan, demanded quiet, and who then immediately changed the seating arrangements into ALPHABETICAL order! So we all glanced at each other, scared to death of her, and moved to our assigned seats. I was one of the lucky ones, I still got to sit next to one of my dearest friends, Sofia Doulas :)

So we made new friends, lost touch with some, and then in a blink of an eye, we were seniors!!! Lots of changes in four years! I think high school was a breeze for most of us, until we got to the AP classes. Becker in AP Calculus, Miller in AP US History, Coltman in AP Chemistry, Weiss in AP English. Those were the only AP classes offered during our time. And then there was Weissberg for Trig/College Algebra. I can count the # of students who got an A from her in one hand. And I wasn't one of them. So the top three ranked students (based on GPA) throughout high school were Thom Chaiket, myself, and George Diversiev. I think we would flip-flop during grading periods, if I remember right, we were all just separated by a few tenths of a point! Thom and George were incredibly intelligent guys -- Thom was definitely superior in math & chemistry, and George was superior in history & current events.

I actually became Ms. Duncan's student assistant during free period for the next three years. And I saw this same change-to-the-natural-order-of-things happen to each freshman class she got -- it was quite amusing to watch actually, seeing the same nervous look on each of their faces :)

PayPal Mafia

Don't know who coined this label, but when Erik and I heard it used in a podcast that was interviewing Max, we chuckled :) It conjured up images of Max shuffling around in a Tony Soprano bath robe, smoking a cigar, and paranoid of being attacked by dairy products (Max is lactose-intolerant) *HAHAHAHAHA* I remember when Max was highlighted on a Details issue of I think "the most influential people under 30" many moons ago, and we would rib him about it -- he was ranked in between Ben Affleck and P. Diddy, so J.Lo jumped right over him *teeheehee*

The PayPal family is indeed a vast network of friends who have come to rely on each other. They represent the best of my generation (Generation X, as some media folks refer to), and not only carry with them the spirit of innovation, but also a sense of friendship that is rooted in knowing where you came from. Max and his merry band of college and high school friends came to Silicon Valley at the right time, before the "dot com" bubble burst...

PayPalians have infiltrated some of the most innovative start-ups. Below is a picture I drew up of what I know of the PayPal universe (there are some outfits which are in "stealth mode" and therefore not shown *hehe*)

Wood Tiger

According to the Chinese Zodiac, I am a Wood Tiger. Here is the description:

The Wood Tiger is more adaptable to working with others and therefore does not demonstrate the typical "take charge" attitude of other Tigers. The Wood element adds stability, giving him warmth of character that draws people in and makes the Tiger a popular person. They are not selfish creatures and will give their time, attention or possessions to anyone in need. These Tigers bring a solid practicality to any problem. They can control their urges to completely take over, letting others do the work. They must be aware of their slightly volatile tempers and short attention spans, and not let those characteristics get the best of them or cause them or their loved ones undue pain.

The Tiger as a Child:
Tiger babies and children are cheerful children with a zest and passion for life that ignites their curious nature. Boys will and girls alike will enjoy the competitiveness and athleticism sports require. From an early age, Tiger children can't pass on a dare or a challenge. Intelligent and friendly, Tiger children carry a curiosity about life and their environment. In class, they are apt to enjoy and do better at subjects that give them the ability and creative freedom to express themselves.

Records and tapes

... "what are those???" a kid born on this day, may wonder in the future. Then I'll be officially old. And depressed. I told my folks to not throw away my turntable and old records. Last record bought was from Coconuts on the corner of Lincoln & Peterson in Chicago, just a few blocks from my high school (Mather). Erasure's Two-Ring Circus. But there were annoying skips on the record! (on one of them anyway -- it was a two-record set). So I vowed never to blow my allowance on a defective record again. So out of protest I decided to peruse this new section of the store filled with these things called "Compact Discs". I eventually bought one, just to see what it was like. Then the rest is history. CDs.. what are those? That's what our grandkids would say, armed with an iPod the size of a quarter, a cell phone the size of a credit card, and a Nintendo XS (for eXtra Small)...

Blood Diamond

So this movie had a pretty good plot and was graphically powerful.

So one line from the movie resonated for me... when Solomon (Hounsou) is chatting with Archer (DiCaprio) and remembers something his grandfather had told him:

“Things were so much better when the white man was in control.”

And then I thought about Papua New Guinea, where "white man" was everyone else but the natives. When all the expatriates left, and left everything behind to the Papua New Guineans, things just fell apart. Nice little towns were we frolicked as kids, slowly became hubs of crime and corruption. Then Papua New Guinea suddenly became an unsafe place to live in. When I was a kid living in the Highlands, Papua New Guineans were simple and generally harmless people. Aside from occasional "hold ups" on less-trodden roads and news of "rascals" robbing some place, it was rather peaceful and uneventful. The natives would pretty much chew on their beetlenut and leave us alone. I remember the childlike innocence they had. When they emerged from their huts, saw the first white man come down from the sky (an Aussie explorer in a plane), they thought he was a god. They thought his poop was special. Seriously. This was captured on film, and we watched the footage in primary school. Seems the natives weren't quite ready to be left to their own devices, after being introduced to the trappings of the modern world by the expatriates. Sometimes I wonder if it were better that some places not be reached by the civilized world...

Victoria's Secret

I never thought I would EVER hear myself say this... but Victoria's Secret actually has comfortable underwear! I was lured in by this limited deal (sizeable discount + free gift) and was embarrassed to be walking around the mall carrying this hideous pink bag... then a few weeks later went right back in and did it all over again... SO not cool...

Hagen International Primary School

I miss the idea of school "houses", as captured in Harry Potter (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin) and Kid Nation (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green).

I attended Hagen International Primary School (HIPS) in Papua New Guinea, from 1980 - 1985. So from Prep to Year 5. All contract workers sent their kids to the International School. After Year 6, kids would then go to nearby Bamboo Heights, which was the international high school. So I went to school with kids who were from different parts of the world: United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Africa, India, United States, Canada, China, Burma, etc. and of course there were also native Papua New Guinean kids. Basically our parents were hired by the Papua New Guinean government as teachers, bankers, engineers, construction workers, etc. to help build up the main towns like Port Moresby (which is the capital), Mt. Hagen, Goroka, Lae, etc.

So in HIPS, we had three "houses" named after native birds of Papua New Guinea: the Eagle (Blue), the Hornbill (Red), and the Cassowary (Green). I was a Cassowary. My friends were scattered Eagles, Hornbills, and Cassowaries. So Houses didn't "pick" friends. But when we had to divide into our Houses for inter-school and intra-school events, friendships are on pause *hehehe*. How we were assigned to the colors were actually quite random, when you enrolled as a new student, you were just placed in the color that was next in line after the last enrollee. I don't recall being given a choice, otherwise I would have asked to be an "Eagle". That's because during my time there, the Eagles were the most balanced in scholastics & athletics :)

Every week during Assembly, the House Captains would go around each classroom together and tally up the points. Then in Assembly, the Head Master would update the bar graph and we would see which House was ahead. Points were earned in different ways. You did something commendable in the classroom, the teacher would award points. You had the cleanest section during School Clean-Up Day, then your House would get points. You win points for your House during Sports competitions. Etc. Bad behavior could also earn negative points.

So there was plenty of motivation to excel in school activities. And plenty of motivation NOT to screw up. Houses can encourage, but also open up opportunities for bullying. I unfortunately went through a phase of being a hotheaded bully who could bring scrawnier scaredy-cat kids to tears. How sad. Thank goodness it was short-lived :)

Kid Nation

I find the premise of this show very interesting. It makes me remember how the schoolyard is truly a microcosm of adult society: the have and have-nots, the powerful and the powerless, the leaders and the followers. And everyone in between. But it also reveals how when we were children, we were naturally compassionate, encouraging, compromising, sympathetic, and emphatetic. And before we were made aware of our "differences" from learned attitudes and behaviors from adults, we are unafraid to be brutally honest with one another, unafraid to reveal what our fears are with one another, and unfraid to declare what makes us happy. And children are naturally fair. Children recognize the stronger and weaker members of a group, and are naturally protective over the smallest and weakest. And children have the natural diplomacy to resolve conflicts more quickly, and are more willing to cooperate. Plus children also have that extra motivation: they will go out of their way to prove to adults that they can succeed without the help of adults!

Not to say this show is void of the adult view of the world. The kids are divided into four teams. The teams compete for status. The team that comes in first place becomes the "upper class", second place becomes "merchants", third place becomes "cooks", and the last place team becomes "laborers". Upper class does the least amount of work and make the most money, laborers do the work no one wants to do and make little money.

So the initial cards are dealt, and the wheels are set in motion. But then the Gold Star is introduced.. which can further complicate things. And a chosen few (Town Council) decide who to give the Gold Star to. When there is a reward, politics come into play, alliances form, relationships change, and at least for adults, bad things typically happen. So let's see if the children reflect the more redeeming qualities we had on the playground, before we became adults :)

My American Idol Picks

Season 1: Kelly Clarkson

Season 2: Clay Aiken (so America got it wrong when they voted for Ruben Studdard)

Season 3: Fantasia Barrino

Season 4: Carrie Underwood

Season 5: Katharine McPhee (but Taylor Hicks won this one... which is ok w/ me)
Season 6: Jordin Sparks

L Word (Season 3 Finale)

So I’ll be officially bummed out for a while.. my favorite program, the award-winning critically-acclaimed Showtime lesbian drama series “the L Word” just wrapped up Season Three. Shane left Carmen at the altar. The theme of you are who you are, can’t change who you are. The demons you wrestle with. What defines you. What makes you do the things you do. Fear. Loss. Love. The search for it. Friendships. It’s a very smart drama, bringing a lot of different personalities into view. The Shane and Carmen dynamic was the most interesting to me, given Shane’s life.

I find Kate Moennig, who plays Shane, to be an incredibly talented actor. The other cast members I find very talented also are Leisha Hailey (who plays Alice -- she cracks me up!) and Jennifer Beals (Bette).

I hope they get rid of Max/Moira in Season Four. Waste of scene time. Dana was a cool character, but she was sacrificed for the message of breast cancer. Very sad. But alas, I strongly believe that there is method to the madness of Ilene Chaiken :)

www.lwordonline.com

Justice

I'm all for caning. I'm all for having rapists castrated. Criminals should be required to perform free labor for the community as penance, as opposed to working out in the prison gym. Build schools and neighborhoods, instead of build muscles. Many correctional facilities now have all the comforts of home: entertainment centers, libraries, medical facilities, cafeterias, roomy cells -- our tax dollars accommodating criminals instead of helping kids from low-income families go to college. I prefer downsizing prison cells instead of downsizing companies. I say you give criminals just the bare essentials to live, nothing to give them the idea that life behind bars is better than life outside it. So don't hand them the death sentence, just make them more productive members of society under the watchful eye of the law.

Money & Success

When you die, you can't take it with you. The Haves and Have-Nots all have the same fate, so might as well step around the trappings of greed and envy.. and have a little fun while it lasts.

Same-Sex Marriage

I am all for it. Folks will cite passages from their religious texts to denounce or support it. But putting aside all religious beliefs, who are we really to prevent a loving, committed couple from wanting to marry and raise a family of their own? Contrary to how most religious leaders view homosexuality, my opinion is that there is nothing "unnatural" about it. It is a fact of nature. People are born however way they are. Furthermore they will fall in love when they do, and have the right to be happy and pursue happiness with whomever they choose. The gift of procreation is granted to both sexes.. and certainly it uniquely takes a man's sperm and a woman's egg to create life. Not everyone is cut out to father or mother a child, but there are many individuals willing to nurture children regardless of whether the children are biologically theirs or not. A child is blessed with the genes of his parents, but his character is not necessarily credited to them. And sexual orientation has nothing to do with content of character.

Love & Friendship

Commitment and concern for one another. Some call it love. Some people don't do relationships, some people need the comfort of waking up next to the same person every morning. Deep inside, the qualities we look for in a partner is something that cannot be defined... has nothing to do with gender, has nothing to do with physical or intellectual attraction.. it's just something that your soul recognizes. My view is that Love, when stripped of all its various associations, in its rawest unadulterated form, is simply an Understanding. Everyone wants to be understood.. love promotes the basic human instinct of survival.

"Sexuality is fluid, whether you're gay or you're straight or you're bisexual...you just go with the flow" - Shane from L-Word.

Theory of Evolution

Many religious folks denounce the Theory of Evolution because they associate it with promoting the non-belief in the existence of a god. Darwin did not use evolution to promote atheism. I feel the dude just really wanted to say that nature finds a way.. and that even the weak, if their environment allows, will find a way to survive. I find that Darwin's theory is actually quite harmonious with the idea of a Creator, and that Book of Genesis is a symbolic representation of the evolution of mankind. I think the human species is incredibly unique and so advanced compared to other species.. there is something special about us, and we can't put our finger on it... yet it boggles my mind how anyone can even try to relate us to other species on Earth. Apes are "relatives" the scientist says. Talk to me when King Kong can keep my computer from crashing.

Religion

If there is an omniscient, omnipotent Being out there, who created all life.. do you really think that this deity is that insecure that it needs to be worshipped and glorified by its creations? Your relationship with your deity ought to be a private matter. Your soul knows its source, your heart beats without you telling it to, you breathe without reminding yourself to do it... so there's actually very little that you consciously do to “control” your life. Clasped hands do not put food in your belly. Fear of a god's wrath does not promote happiness. Rather, a peaceful and tolerant coexistence maximizes the human experience.

Spirituality

Not to be confused with religion. We all have this sense that there is something "out there", something we can't see, can't touch.. but is just there.. in us, around us. Unless it can be demonstrated otherwise, nothing comes from nothing... and it is in our innate curious nature to seek enlightenment.. to know more about yourself, to understand the invisible threads that bind us all, and ultimately, the source of all life.