Fresh Off the Boat: Not To Be Sold

Very introspective read. Shoutout to Eddie Huang!

I love the post about supporting local, and how we should support business and people that are giving back to their community. He said Target and Walmart are not going to save your small town, and when they kick out all the bodegas and farmers markets they will sell products at whatever price they want too. For me this struck a chord. I was recently talking to a friend about me shopping at Wal-Mart saying unfortunately I just don’t have the money to be picky about where I shop. This is complete bull and we are all lying to ourselves by saying it. The economy isn’t great but, as long as we make excuses and keep supporting these giant corporations the beast will only keep growing. 

Fresh Off the Boat: Not To Be Sold

Its Been A Long Time… (Written By AmbassadorNique)

Sorry it’s been so long since my last check in, Here is a pretty lengthy update starting from where we left off.

A few weeks ago I sat bored at work with not much to do wondering if I should share this with my supervisors that I did not have enough work. To make a long story short, I told them and I’ve been slammed ever since! HAAAAA! Not really, but it has been quite busy with the start of a brand new quarter here. I am glad I shared this information as well because I am still learning so much. You can only get so far twiddling your thumbs most of the day. Unfortunately this means I do not have the luxury of time to blog like I use to. However, in my quest to obtain a raise I must show that I am worth every dime. I am learning how to manage UP and doing everything I can to take full advantage of this experience!

Life’s been great! I honestly have nothing to complain about. I took the GREs, I didn’t rock its socks off or anything, but it’s over! And I don’t want to talk about it anymore….. I am actually currently working on the mid-career Master’s program that I would love to start this September. The deadline is May 1st and the only thing holding me back is the fact that I finished my undergraduate degree in 2009 (which means I do not have 5 years of work experience) and of course my GRE scores (I said we will not talk about it…). Nevertheless I will apply anyway. Another thing that may hold me back is getting my letters of recommendation. As we all know this processes isn’t always the easiest. I am definitely applying with the intentions to succeed the first time around, but if this does not go as planned I will definitely be applying again this February for Fall 2014. WISH ME LUCK!

Other than that, I’ve been doing well. I have found time to run outside. I’ve come to the conclusion with the arrival of spring and summer there will be a lot more bbq’s, get together, hang outs, and events. I plan to do my best to stay active and socially conscience with what’s going on in Seattle, as well as support good causes. In doing this, it is a priority that I keep a well-trained body for my Fuji hike.

Speaking of Fuji, “DOMOVLOG: ROAD TO FUJI” Yeah? Well its coming soon.

I recently had a short talk with a friend from college about finances. She was listening to the Dave Ramsey podcast (Which I had no idea existed) and a man called in and said he thought the show was fake. He said there was no way people were paying their debts off in such little time making less than he did. She said Dave just laughed at him and explained that these people were not living lavish lifestyles getting rid of debt, but they were sacrificing everything that it took to do so. I thought it was great motivation to think about all the money wasted. I have been doing just okay with finances lately. My credit cards are still paid off, but I’ve been relaxing a bit more. Making time for friends and supporting causes can cost a few pennies here and there that add up. I really need to do better about cooking and making menu’s and bringing enough food to keep me full to lunch. Nevertheless my goals are going and I am a getting closer to where I want to be.

So much to talk about. I will do my best to make end this soon. I finished A Different Mirror: The Mult-cultural America by Richard Takaki. It was definitely a great book that has me thinking about the world through a differently. We are all connected, and its foolish of us to think that we are not. In America it is possible for us to inspire one another. I speak of race issues in a different tone. Every race has overcame a struggle, and most still have one. The Japanese marched along side Mexicans fighting for labor rights and Jewish people funded MLKs Christian Leadership conference. Knowing this, it’s hard to be small minded. I personally cannot let the color of my skin dictate what I can and cannot do.

Side Note** I will come back to this later. I’ve recently been talking to my girlfriend about how it bothers me when people say I am a black person that “wants to be” or “acts” Asian. Yes admittedly I have a lot of Asian friend, but I also have a lot of Latino/a friends, and black friends and some Native and white friends too. I guess it makes me mad because I take so much pride in the fact that I not only can speak intellectually about my own race, but I’ve also gone out of my way to learn about cultures of other people.

Anyway off my soap box! Speaking of Asian, this is a great time to mention I’ve just started reading Eddie Huang’s book Fresh Off the Boat. I’ll let you all know how that goes later.

I read a great short blog post from my friend Kim about being grateful for our privileges.  Interesting enough I was talking to D about the same thing over the weekend as we watched Argo. We spoke about how crazy it is that we were born in such privilege to not have to deal with so many issues. Also the role of United States in the world of both bully and aid giver. The lines can be blurred so quickly.  

Nevertheless, I am very thankful for the many opportunities and resources I have access to on a daily basis. This is something I am doing my best to take full advantage of. I will exercise more, eat healthier, spend wiser, educate myself and read more.

Well there’s work to be done. Until next time stay safe, play smart, and smile.

-Ambassador

Eddie Huang NPR Interview

http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/84283634/stream?client_id=3cQaPshpEeLqMsNFAUw1Q?plead=please-dont-download-this-or-our-lawyers-wont-let-us-host-audio

Just been listening to a lot of Eddie Huang lately. Almost done with this long book I’m reading and getting ready to read Fresh Off The Boat!

Eddie Huang – Fresh Off the Boat (Written By AmbassadorNique)

Last night the one and only Eddie Huang spoke at Town Hall Seattle. He is currently doing book lectures for his memoir Fresh Off the Boat. Last night he was joined by Seattle’s own Blue Scholars, Sabzi and Geologic. The talk was a good one. I write this in the least critical way. He spoke on topics from his life, culture, identity, technology, Hip hop, and food to critics. Eddie talked about how we as Americans can be so engulfed in our judgments and miss the moments that we are supposed to enjoy while loading  pictures of food on Instagram. (Interestingly enough I’ve been having the same feelings and thoughts specifically after seeing the film Jango.) Everybody has an opinion of why they either like or don’t like something but at the end of the day its just art that is to be digested. Hate something or love it, save the criticism for the critics who get paid to criticize.

The one hour Q & A format hosted by Gio (and later the audience) delve into his upbringing in Orlando. He talked about how the city was married to “The Mouse.” This concept never really crossed my mind. Eddie spoke about how Disney World basically left Orlando cultureless. He said there was a danger in having a city being ran by a corporation and used the example like Seattle being married to Microsoft (or Amazon for that matter), or how Portland is to Nike. Eddie noted this concept is dangerous when a corporation gets so big that they become larger than the government itself.  

*Disclaimer* Start Tangent…

Interesting enough on the way to the show from Beacon Hill my girlfriend and I were talking about her culture and the diverse background of her parents being Chinese coming from Cambodia moving to Thailand and eventually to America where her father would be assigned a Vietnamese last name and they would eventually attend a Vietnamese Christian church. We spoke about her trying to make sense of it all while creating and forging her own Chinese-American identity that she hopes to share with her younger sisters. Very heavy and a lot to think about, but nothing easy is ever memorable ;).

My girlfriend and I also spoke about the gentrification that is taking place right before our eyes as we passed through Yesler here in Seattle. It’s shocking that large parts of Rainier and MLK have been gentrified and the same thing is happening currently to Yesler before our eyes. Is the International District next? While there is a lot of history, the same can be said about the previous places here in our city. I hope we can all wake up and get active about keeping Seattle’s rich culture before Paul Allen owns the entire city and leaves it cultureless.

End Tangent

The audience Q&A was better than I had expected. Aside from the disappointed female that wasn’t to happy about him having a girlfriend, most of the questions were good. He managed to give good answers to the ones that were not. Eddie said the goal of an artist is to bring the audience into your world and let them see what you’ve created, they will judge it, break it down and indulge, but the hope is that you can let them out so that they can create a world of their own. He compared old school hip hop to the WWF in that it always had its characters that were fun with big personalities and ego’s. There were rappers that had the illest fantacy’s and created their own worlds like Harry Potter books. He compared his cooking style to the likes of a Kendrick Lamar who managed to make the world fall in love with him for showing a different side of a familiar story. A quote that stick with me is, “Always mix some sugar with the medicine to go down because Robitussin is some nasty shit.” His spin on Mary Poppins.

When speaking about food Eddie said that he would tell the youth to put their health first and make them read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (about the Chicago meat packing industry). Understand the impact of a slaughterhouse, and teach nutrition. Most importantly be creative.

Also Eddie was big on JUICING. He reiterated that was what he was into was juicing! He stressed the importance about not being swayed by critics and yelp reviews and to make your own decision about what you like and to learn the real history behind these foods and just to enjoy. So much of his talk could be related to so much that we do in life.  

In closing one thing Eddie said towards the end is that he was never afraid of being broke. The thought is an interesting one to think about, because based on your background broke and rock bottom can mean really different things. However, in all definitions that lack of fear and a lot of dedication to yourself and your art is what makes legends. This superior belief in yourself that nothing can stop you is what will fuel your passions. While there may be different dynamics and layers to this, life is nothing without sacrifice, hard work, belief in the impossible, and dedication.

Thanks for inspiration Eddie Huang.

-Ambassador