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 :)