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.